(Brent Murphy/brentmurphyphoto.com)

The 2020 cross country regional fields will be determined, in part, by a coaches poll within each region.

The official vote will be held this coming weekend. The coaches held a trial vote last weekend, and the results of that vote is below.

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[/cbtab][cbtab title=”Class 3A”]

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(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

When the CHSAA boys basketball record book got updated two weeks ago, it provided a reminder of some memorable performances that fans saw throughout the year. It also provided fitting ends for some of the best basketball players to come through the state.

There were top performances from both individual players and overall teams that stand out for years down the road.

There were standout defensive numbers combined with plenty of offensive output that makes the last boys basketball season one to remember.

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Mancos’ Caden Showalter ended his career as one of the most efficient players in state history. At the conclusion of this last year, he totaled 58 career double-doubles, besting Colorado Springs Christian’s Sam Howard by five.

A few other players broke into the top 10 of the same category. Pomona’s Trevor Baskin ended with 38 to finish 10th with Mile High Academy’s Blake Essex coming in for a tie at eighth with 40.

Vanguard’s Dominique Clifford finished fifth in career double-doubles with 43. He had 24 this last season which is second most in a single season. The University of Colorado commit’s career was capped with several notable spots in the record book.

He finished third in career rebounds in the state tournament (109), fifth in career triple-doubles (3), sixth in rebounds in a single state tournament (51) and second in triple-doubles for a year (2).

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From a percentage standpoint, no one had a better free throw shooting year than DSST: Byers’ Kyrie Thomas. He made his way to the line 84 times and sank 79 shots to shoot 94.048 percent, the best season for anyone with at least 50 attempts.

He also knocked down 30 consecutive free throws during the season, the fourth longest streak in state history.

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(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Conifer’s Landon Wallace will always hold a place in state history as one of the top all-time assists men. He cracked the top five in career assists with 697 and dished out 239 in 2019-20 alone, fifth most in a single year.

In 2018-19, he dished out 256 which is the second most in state history.

From a team standpoint, Resurrection Christian made its mark as one of the most unselfish teams on record. The Cougars recorded 569 assists this year, No. 3 on the all-time list. Denver East (550) and Highland (533) also cracked into the top 10 of the category.

Peaking of Highland, Tate Bessire had another season in which he finished top 10 in a single season in steals with 128. He finished his career with 392, which is second most all-time.

Sterling and Mead turned in some of the best long-range shooting seasons on record. The Tigers set a state record for most 3-pointers made by a team in a single season at 272. That tops Eagle Calley’s 2017-18 mark of 268. Mead ended the season with a respectable 237 made 3-pointers, fifth most all-time.

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Notables

• • Loveland’s Austin Bierhaus recorded 13 blocks in a Dec. 20 win over Northridge. It’s tied for fifth most in a game by a single player. He finished with 162 for the season which is No. 4 in the category. The team overall had 201 blocks, eighth most all-time for a team.
  • Lutheran’s Baye Fall scored 456 points last season which is seventh most for a freshman.
  • Longmont Christian’s Kyle Saunders recorded 144 steals, fourth most in a single season for any player.
  • Sheridan’s David Marquez III ended his career as one of the most efficient 3-point shooters in state history. His 48.052 career percentage from behind the arc is No. 9 in the category. He shot 56.923 percent from long range last year for the seventh best season on record.
  • Chaparral guard Kobe Sanders was never shy about firing up shots. His 613 career 3-point attempts are 10th most in state history.
  • Dawson’s Riley Burridge and Peak to Peak’s Garrett Shriver each attempted 21 3-pointers in a game this last year, tied for third most. In all, Burridge fired up 265 shots from long range, the sixth most in a single season. He made 97 of them, tying him for No. 8 in a single season with Rye’s Bryan Ribaudo and Fossil Ridge’s Braxton Bertolette.
  • Sedgwick County ended the years as the toughest team to ever score against in Colorado history. The Cougars gave up just 34 points per game, the best points against average of all-time.
  • Highland attempted 1,804 field goals last year, more than any other team in state history. It made 852 of them which is also more than any team before it. The Huskies scored a total of 2,155 points, seventh most for a single team, and averaged 86.2 per game, second most all-time.

(PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

The CHSAA Legislative Council met virtually for the first time in its 99-year history on Friday.

They voted on more than 50 items, and made a number of changes to the Association’s bylaws, which impacted things from alignment to the transfer rule. We have rounded up most of those changes here.

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Two classes of hockey

(PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

Hockey will split into two classifications, beginning with the 2020-21 season.

The two-class split, which was recommended by the hockey committee during its meeting in February, places 20 teams into Class 5A, and 17 in 4A. The committee used a variety of factors to place teams from bylaw 1500.21, including enrollment, geography, competitive history, competitive balance, participation rate, and the entry or selection process that places an athlete at a program.

The committee recognized the need for two classes because there isn’t much, if any, parity in the sport. Over the past four years, only 14 different schools have advanced to the quarterfinals of the state tournament. Hockey currently has 37 teams.

The alignments for the sport can be found in this story from February.

Hockey will use the CHSAA Seeding Index to seed its two state tournaments: RPI, MaxPreps, and the CHSAANow coaches poll.

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New seeding criteria for 5A basketball

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

An amendment during the meeting changed the seeding criteria that 4A and 5A basketball will use for their state tournaments: The two classes will now use a combination of the RPI standings, MaxPreps rankings and the CHSAANow coaches pool — bringing them in line with what a number of other sports are now using.

1A will also use the same criteria, but will also use the Packard Ratings.

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2A baseball changes postseason

(Lisa Hayes/StillOfTheMomentPhotography.com)

The 2A baseball postseason will now mirror what is done in 3A, 4A and 5A, with a 32-team regional bracket. All teams will qualify for the bracket via the RPI standings, and seeded by RPI. The top eight seeds will host regionals, and seeds Nos. 20-32 can be moved for geographic reasons.

The state tournament also got an overhaul, and will move to an eight-team single-elimination bracket. Previously, 2A had a 16-team bracket.

With this change, 2A schools can now schedule 23 games.

Baseball also created a game minimum to be able to qualify for the postseason: 12 games in 1A, 17 in 2A and 3A, 19 in 4A and 5A.

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New field hockey tournament

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

In an effort to help the growth of the sport, the state field hockey tournament will expand from eight teams to 12.

The top six seeds will receive a bye while the next six will compete in a play-in bracket.

In one of those brackets, No. 9 and No. 12 will play, with the winner playing No. 8. The winner of that game will face No. 1.

In the other bracket, No. 10 and No. 11 will play, with the winner facing No. 7. The winner of that game will face the No. 2 overall seed.

During that same round, the No. 4 and No. 5 seed will play, with No. 3 and No. 6 also playing.

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The transfer rule

A number of proposals involved the transfer rule. Among the changes which passed:

• An adjustment to clarify that a student doesn’t have to transfer from a member school, in or out of state, in order for the rule to apply.
• A proposal better explained the transfer consequence for transferring to another school, and a return to the original school — also known as an A-B-A transfer. Specifically, a student who transfers from School A, transfers to School B and plays at School B, and the returns to School A, will only be eligible for sub-varsity competition at School A in the sports they participated in at School B for 365 days.
• A new bylaw passed allowing for students to participate with “restricted varsity eligibility during the regular season” if their high school does not offer a JV team, or if their school doesn’t allow seniors to play on sub-varsity teams.
• The definition of a hardship was rewritten to read: “‘Hardship’ means a situation, condition or event which must impost a severe non-athletic burden upon the student or his/her family and require a transfer of schools. This does not include the personal or initial choice of enrollment and/or participation.”

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Notables:

• The alignments for sports were finalized with the approval of each sports report. Those new alignments will be posted in the near future.
• The season of sport was changed in boys swimming, allowing for those championships to be moved up a week and have their own spotlight.
• 6-man and 8-man football will use the same four data points of seeding that was used in 1A-5A this season.
• In 5A football, all playoff games will be hosted by the higher seed.
• 1A girls volleyball will move from districts to regionals. The sport will also require that all teams play a minimum of 18 matches against member schools and varsity opponents in order to qualify for the postseason.
• Boys volleyball will have one classification during its inaugural season in spring 2021.
• Girls wrestling will use the same weight classes that were used in the pilot season.
• The 4A and 5A boys lacrosse state tournaments will each grow from 16 to 24 teams starting in spring 2021.
• The new format that will be used for a two-classification setup in girls lacrosse was approved. Find the structure for that format here.
• 2A soccer will increase its state tournament field from 12 teams to 16.
• The regional field in 3A softball will grow to 32 teams, bringing it in line with 4A and 5A.
• The requirements for qualifying for the state skiing championships were made more strict, to make the state field slightly smaller.
• The state spirit championships will move to a three-day format beginning this year. Schools will only be able to participate in one cheer category and one dance category at the state championships. Cheer and dance are now considered separate sports.
• Schools will be eligible to join CHSAA as activity-only schools, and not offer sports.
• The process for classifying programs was clarified with an amendment to bylaw 1510, which deals with the Classification, Appeals and League Organizing Committee (CLOC). Now, the CHSAA staff can offer adjustments “in extraordinary circumstances” that are based upon bylaw 1500.21 (the bylaw allowing for classification based upon factors other than enrollment) in even years. These adjustments will need to be voted on by CLOC. Typically in even years, the classifications are already set and ready to go for the following cycle, so there would be very few adjustments, if any.
• The amateur status bylaw was reworked, and now reads that student-athletes “must maintain his/her amateur status” and notes that they “may not sign a professional athletic contract.” A new note defines a professional as “being paid in any form for playing in an athletic contest, or if you sign a contract or verbally commit with an agent or professional sports organization.” Notably, student-athletes will be allowed to play with or against professionals in certain situations, such as in the Olympics or a World Cup.
• The coach ejection bylaw was updated to give it a more consistent level of suspension across all sports. Now, the first ejection is penalized by a suspension equal to 10% of that sports season, and a second ejection is 20%.
• All-Star games were added to bylaw 2300, allowing for “up to two All-Star Games after the completion of the state championship in that sport.” No all-star games are permitted in football.
• Middle schoolers from “feeder” schools will be permitted to practice with high school teams in volleyball, basketball, soccer and football “when they cannot field enough high school athletes to hold an intra-squad practice in game-type conditions.” There are a number of limitations guiding this new bylaw.
• The number of practices required for students to participate in prior to competition in contact sports was reduced from five to three in all sports but football, which will still require nine.
• Schools can now form a team with only one participant, if they choose to.
• Adding a new sport or activity will now require approval from the Budget Committee in addition to CLOC, Sports Medicine, Equity and the Board of Directors.
• The full membership of the following schools is now official: DSST – Byers, KIPP Northeast, Loveland Classical, Strive Prep – Rise, Strive Prep – Smart, and Thomas MacLaren. KIPP Northeast and Strive Prep – Rise play together are a co-op: Regis Groff.
• Officials’ fees increased with a 2% cost of living adjustment across the board, for all levels.
• The alignment of State Festival and State Tournament will now be permanent in speech.
• Student Leadership’s fall conference will move to a regional model beginning this year.

The 2019-20 all-state girls basketball teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.

These teams were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues, and then a vote of coaches.

A specific player of the year vote was held in each class, as was a vote for coach of the year.

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Class 5A

(PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

Player of the year: Jana Van Gytenbeek, Cherry Creek

Coach of the year: Jessika Caldwell, Valor Christian

Honorable mention: Callie Allen, Fruita Monument, Senior; Nikki Antonopoulos, Brighton, Junior; Avery Bang, Chaparral, Sophomore; Torie Bass, Fountain-Fort Carson, Junior; Sydney Bevington, Ralston Valley, Junior; Jessica Bollwahn, Columbine, Sophomore; Danae Christensen, Fountain-Fort Carson, Senior; Jordynn Conner, Denver East, Junior; Lila Dere, Fruita Monument, Senior; Mackenzie Gamble, Mountain Vista, Senior; Timiya Guevara, Denver South, Junior; Sophia Hadad, Fossil Ridge, Senior; Makayla Hemingway, Cherokee Trail, Senior; Shamahra Henderson, Thornton, Senior; Seairra Hughes, Vista Peak Prep, Senior; Jay Jones, Adams City, Senior; Taryn Lindsey, Doherty, Junior; Halle Mackiewicz, Legacy, Senior; Kali March, Arapahoe, Senior; Lydia Marshall, Liberty, Senior; Izzy Munson, Fairview, Senior; Taylor Ray, Highlands Ranch, Sophomore; Leah Redding, Grand Junction Central, Junior; Jadyn Ross, Eaglecrest, Senior; Saya Sabus, Ralston Valley, Sophomore; Jenna Siebert, Valor Christian, Junior; Megan Stackhouse, Loveland, Senior; Grace Talbot, Chatfield, Sophomore; Nadia Trevizo-Medina, Lakewood, Senior; Olivia Waufle, Horizon, Senior; Nyera West, Rangeview, Sophomore; Courtney Wristen, Broomfield, Junior; Lauren Zwetzig, Fossil Ridge, Senior.
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Class 4A

(Ismael Gomez)

Player of the year: Hannah Simental, Pueblo West

Coach of the year: Alan Gibson, Berthoud

Honorable mention: Jasmine Arreola, Denver West, Sophomore;
Hannah Burg, Falcon, Junior; Serin Dunne, Mesa Ridge, Senior; Jada Dupree, Pueblo South, Senior; Sydnee Durtsche, Thompson Valley, Senior; Josie Eccher, Montrose, Senior; Gracie Gallegos, Mullen, Sophomore; Elli Garnett, Golden, Senior; Thalia Guardiola, Skyview, Junior; Genevieve Gudino, Erie, Junior; Krystina Hagood, Sand Creek, Senior; Jordynn Lee, Longmont, Senior; Liberty Line, Ponderosa, Junior; Gabby Louther, Pueblo West, Sophomore; Erin Mauro, Pueblo County, Senior; Giavonna Meeks, Northfield, Sophomore; Julia Mischke, Centaurus, Junior; Amyah Moore, Harrison, Junior; Diamond Moore, Harrison, Senior; Jameson Mott, Evergreen, Freshman; Grace Moyers, Erie, Sophomore; Brooke Murrell, Thomas Jefferson, Freshman; Avery Oaster, Green Mountain, Sophomore; Imani Perez, Mullen, Sophomore; Ashayla Powers, Skyline, Senior; Susie Puchino, Littleton, Senior; Mason Rowland, Durango, Freshman; Kaydee Sims, Weld Central, Junior; Natalya Taylor, Glenwood Springs, Senior; Maddie Topping, D’Evelyn, Sophomore; Selena Vargas, Cheyenne Mountain, Senior; Maya Whiteside, George Washington, Junior; Tyler Whitlock, Holy Family, Junior.
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Class 3A

(Derek Regensburger/MaxPreps)

Player of the year: Josephine Howery, St. Mary’s

Coach of the year: Wes Lewis, Pagosa Springs

Honorable mention: Jacky Alvarez-Gordillo, Eagle Ridge Academy, Senior; Corrie Anderson, Colorado Springs Christian, Senior; Cortney Arrasmith, The Vanguard School, Senior; Madison Bogue, Strive Prep – Smart Academy, Junior; Brooke Bunting, Platte Valley, Sophomore; Jasmine Cardona, Sterling, Senior; Mikylah Espinosa, The Academy, Sophomore; Ashley Finch, Faith Christian, Senior; Ella Freimuth, Colorado Academy, Junior; Alexis Garcia, The Vanguard School, Junior; Sara Geddes, Delta, Senior; Kammie Henderson, Cedaredge, Junior; Julia Holden, Trinidad, Senior; Kenzie Kraich, Brush, Junior; Taryn Kravig, University, Freshman; Nakaiya Kuskie, Eaton, Junior; Emily Lavier, Alamosa, Junior; Jade Leibel, Florence, Senior; Amanda Licht, Kent Denver, Sophomore; Maya Lindgren, Roaring Fork, Junior; Hayden Mayo, La Junta, Senior; Brenna McDaniel, Centauri, Junior; Mady McFee, Buena Vista, Senior; Jaecynda Nienhuser, Ellicott, Junior; Aniah Olson, Manitou Springs, Senior; Kate Osborne, DSST: Byers, Junior; Rachel Pelino, Salida, Junior; Aryanna Perez, The Academy, Sophomore; Jordyn Pittman, Grand Valley, Senior; Keely Porter, Delta, Junior; Daisy Rodriguez, Aurora West College Prep Academy, Junior; Cora Schissler, Platte Valley, Sophomore; Macee Shultz, Bayfield, Junior; Natalie Smink, DSST: Montview, Senior; Izzy Swanson, Liberty Common, Junior; Dalayna Tadolini, Brush, Senior; Lily Thimsen, Jefferson Academy, Senior; Isabelle Trujillo, Arrupe Jesuit, Senior; Carly Villegas, Riverdale Ridge, Junior; Taylor Wiescamp, Coal Ridge, Junior; Paige Yarbrough, Montezuma-Cortez, Junior.
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Class 2A

(Brent Murphy/MaxPreps)

Player of the year: Kendra Parra, Del Norte

Coach of the year: Bart O’Dwyer, Limon

Honorable mention: Sophie Adamson, Rye, Sophomore; Sydney Adamson, Rye, Sophomore; Kara Amidon, Denver Christian, Senior; Sidney Brown, Highland, Senior; Kayedence Bruner, Soroco, Sophomore; Asia Caldon, Sanford, Sophomore; Cheyenne Caldon, Sanford, Sophomore; Alex Camilletti, Hayden, Senior; Saedee Davis, Holly, Senior; Kaitlyn Day, Dawson School, Senior; Madison Day, Dawson School, Senior; Mayson Fago, Union Colony Prep, Senior; Morgan Gribble, Swink, Senior; Devon Harris, Byers, Senior; Lauren Herman, Holyoke, Sophomore; Makayla Howell, Ignacio, Senior; Tabby Jones, Wray, Junior; Gabby Jones, Del Norte, Sophomore; Kacie Lapp, Rangely, Junior; Kaeci Madrid, Del Norte, Junior; Amana Malki, Lotus School For Excellence, Sophomore; Sarina Mansour, Colorado Springs School, Senior; Trista Marx, Limon, Sophomore; Leslie Mendoza, Holly, Senior; Shelby Miller, Peyton, Junior; Jaiden Monger, Calhan, Junior; Avaleena Nanaeto, Ignacio, Sophomore; Jolee Ortiz, Rye, Junior; Trinity Perry, Burlington, Junior; Kaitlyn Rector, Simla, Junior; Whitney Richardi, Colorado Springs School, Junior; Ema Richardson, Yuma, Junior; Chloe Richardson, Rye, Junior; Abby Shay, Wray, Senior; Elsie Vazquez, Hotchkiss, Senior; Elissa Velasquez, Dolores Huerta Prep, Senior; Taylor Warnecke, Simla, Senior.
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Class 1A

(Courtesy of Springfield HS)

Player of the year: Julia Mondragon, Springfield

Coach of the year: Tom Jacobs, South Baca

Honorable mention: Anna Beckett, McClave, Sophomore; Claire Carlson, Cotopaxi, Senior; Bailea Carothers, Kiowa, Senior; Taysa Conger, Merino, Sophomore; Kendall Conway, De Beque, Sophomore; Patience Crane, South Baca, Senior; Anela Dixon, Mile High Academy, Junior; Kenlee Durrill, Flatirons Academy, Freshman; Bryn Durrill, Flatirons Academy, Junior; Audrey Gibbs, Ouray, Junior; Alyssa Hammel, Moffat, Senior; Grace Hatfield, Dove Creek, Junior; Alissa Hebberd, South Baca, Junior; Shelby Hoffman, Briggsdale, Junior; Andrea Hornung, Stratton/Liberty, Senior; Sage Laymon, Cotopaxi, Senior; Jazmin Martinez, North Park, Senior; Lexis Metz, Sangre de Cristo, Senior; Camren Morris, Idalia, Sophomore; Talara Nittler, Kim/Branson, Junior; Kylie Parks, Springfield, Senior; Jensen Renquist, Walsh, Freshman; Macy Rowan, Wiley, Junior; Emme Rushing, Nucla, Junior; Ryely Smartt, Genoa-Hugo/Karval, Senior; Tessa Smith, Genoa-Hugo/Karval, Junior; Ally Spady, Eads, Junior; Taylor Vandenburg, Longmont Christian, Junior; Alivia Weathers, Lone Star, Sophomore; Kalea Zeender, Shining Mountain, Sophomore.

The 2019-20 all-state boys basketball teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.

These teams were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues, and then a vote of coaches.

A specific player of the year vote was held in each class, as was a vote for coach of the year.

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Class 5A

(Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com)

Player of the year: Luke O’Brien, Columbine

Coach of the year: Shawn Palmer, Rangeview

Honorable mention: Trevor Baskin, Pomona, Senior; Rocky Beers, Valor Christian, Senior; Ben Bowen, Mountain Vista, Junior; Greysen Carter, Fairview, Junior; Ryan Collins, Broomfield, Senior; Daric Conkright, Horizon, Senior; Fred Edmonds, George Washington, Junior; Messiah Ford, Aurora Central, Senior; Caden Gigstad, Ralston Valley, Senior; Ben Hageman, Windsor, Junior; Tristan Hurdle, Highlands Ranch, Senior; Taeshaud Jackson Jr., Dakota Ridge, Junior; Kendale Johnson, George Washington, Junior; Reece Kelly, Mountain Vista, Senior; Aidan Kuhl, Rocky Mountain, Sophomore; AJ Lacabe, Vista PEAK Prep, Senior; Keyshawn Maltbia, Fountain-Fort Carson, Senior; Nolan Marold, ThunderRidge, Junior; Jordan McKay, Liberty, Sophomore; Amondo Miller, Valor Christian, Junior; Lucas Moerman, Doherty, Senior; Cade Palmer, Rangeview, Junior; Myles Purchase, Cherry Creek, Junior; Langston Reynolds, Denver East, Sophomore; Caleb Rillos, Ralston Valley, Senior; Christian Speller, Rangeview, Senior; Boston Stanton lll, Denver East, Junior; Bryson Stephens, Arapahoe, Senior; Tyler Turner, Boulder, Senior; Jeremiah Warren, Hinkley, Junior; Peyton Westfall, Pine Creek, Senior.[divider]

Class 4A

(Arlee Aragon/Fountain-Fort Carson High School)

Player of the year: Javonte Johnson, Cheyenne Mountain

Coach of the year: Darin Reese, Mead

Honorable mention: Bryce Andrews, Weld Central, Sophomore; Tarrance Austin, Pueblo South, Sophomore; Mason Black, Falcon, Sophomore; Mitchell Burt, Glenwood Springs, Senior; Joe Cartelli, Frederick, Senior; Randall Days, Widefield, Senior; Andrew Duquette, Silver Creek, Senior; Watts Erb, Palisade, Senior; Ezekiel Estrada, Kennedy, Senior; Keegan Garvey, Eagle Valley, Senior; Garrett Green, Holy Family, Senior; Ethan Hall, Discovery Canyon, Senior; Ladorian Havard, Erie, Senior; Darius Hornbuckle, Thomas Jefferson, Senior; Luke Hutto, Montrose, Sophomore; John Iuele, Glenwood Springs, Senior; Nick Jacobs, Mead, Senior; Darnell Kindred, Pueblo East, Senior; Griffin Lauritano, Evergreen, Junior; Dawson Lindquist, Steamboat Springs, Senior; Trey Lujan, Rifle, Senior; Tim Marshall, Air Academy, Senior; Brandon Martin, Pueblo Central, Senior; Liam McKenny, Battle Mountain, Senior; Tim Mewborn, Widefield, Senior; Alex Morales, Wheat Ridge, Senior; Jaromy Morgan, Thompson Valley, Junior; Kevin Mulligan, Golden, Senior; Seth Newton, Canon City, Junior; Nazarie Poliuk, Summit, Junior; Austin Robison, Skyline, Senior; Tayvis Sagrillo-Smiley, Littleton, Senior; Cooper Sheldon, Niwot, Senior; Trey Towndrow, Green Mountain, Senior; Landon Wallace, Conifer, Senior; Trey Ward, Mead, Senior; Colin Westfall, Lewis-Palmer, Junior.
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Class 3A

(Derek Regensburger/MaxPreps)

Player of the year: Dominique Clifford, The Vanguard School

Coach of the year: Bruce Dick, Resurrection Christian

Honorable mention: Joey Allen, Manitou Springs, Senior; Joah Armour, Manitou Springs, Junior; Buddy Askenazi, DSST: Montview, Senior; Mikey Babi, Bennett, Junior; Isaac Bearss, Buena Vista, Junior; Pace Billings, Kent Denver, Senior; Qahhar Burns, DSST: Montview, Senior; William Cervantes, Trinidad, Senior; Tayt Chacon, University, Sophomore; Mason Claunch, Centauri, Sophomore; Elliott Cravitz, Colorado Academy, Sophomore; Austin Gerber, Coal Ridge, Senior; Myles Godina, Salida, Junior; Scott Grable, Eaton, Junior; Nate Gravagno, Englewood, Junior; Alec Holman, Centauri, Senior; Sam Howery, St. Mary’s, Sophomore; Hunter Hughes, Delta; Timothy Huston, DSST: Green Valley Ranch, Senior; Ian Jackson, Alamosa; Chris Jones, Ellicott, Senior; Alec Laraby, Middle Park, Senior; Isaiah LaTour, Lamar, Senior; Jacob Marcus, The Academy, Senior; Cayden Mazurek, Riverdale Ridge, Junior; D Moore, Ridge View Academy, Senior; Elijah Mullet, Fort Lupton, Senior; Chance Oquist, La Junta, Senior; Joseph Padilla, The Vanguard School, Senior; Darius Richards, Bishop Machebeuf, Senior; Bryan Rivera, Atlas Preparatory School, Junior; Jackson Romero, Resurrection Christian, Senior; Brock Shalla, Sterling, Senior; Mason Snarr, Pagosa Springs, Senior; Elian Soto, Jefferson Academy, Senior; Mamadou Sow, Lutheran, Junior; Caleb Stockton, Colorado Springs Christian, Junior; Elijah Thatch, DSST: Byers, Senior; Ryan Ure, Eaton, Junior; Teagan Whiteskunk, Montezuma-Cortez, Senior; Dylan Windorski, Lake County, Junior.
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Class 2A

(David Johnson/davidjohnsonphotography.org)

Player of the year: Tate Bessire, Highland

Coach of the year: Pete Freeman, Highland

Honorable mention: Ben Buhler, Denver Christian, Sophomore;
Alex Carr, Limon, Junior; Tate Dille, Sedgwick County, Junior; Jesus Dominguez, West Grand, Sophomore; Dakota Eaton, Holly, Sophomore; Jared Ehmke, Sedgwick County, Junior; Nick Estes, Soroco, Senior; Bryce Finn, Ignacio, Junior; Coby Grant-Krenz, Dawson School, Senior; Jaden Johnson, Heritage Christian, Senior; Ethan Johnson, Holyoke, Sophomore; AJ Lashley, Peyton, Sophomore; Dylan Lebleu, Rangely, Senior; Jamison Lee, Vail Christian, Senior; Brady McCaw, Ignacio, Junior; Brennen Meyers, Peyton, Junior; Zaine Mikita, Byers, Senior; Omar Moreno, Holly, Junior; Alec Moritz, Vail Christian, Senior; Nic Navarette, Hoehne, Senior; Jacob Palecki, Hotchkiss, Senior; Justin Pecar, Wray, Senior; Cole Rogers, Meeker, Senior; Caden Showalter, Mancos, Senior; Connor Show Showalter, Mancos, Sophomore; Hunter Slowik, Hayden, Junior; Christian Still, Dayspring Christian Academy, Junior; Trey Summers, Union Colony Prep, Junior; Isaiah Trujillo, Dolores Huerta Prep, Senior; Samuel Uyemura, Wray, Junior; Austyn Vig, Plateau Valley, Senior.
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Class 1A

(Ty Lin Williams/Kiowa County Independent)

Player of the year: Jayden McCombs-Farmer, Kit Carson

Coach of the year: Damon Dechant, Kit Carson

Honorable mention: Jhett Alapia, Elbert, Junior; Elijah Aragon, Kim/Branson, Senior; Damien Barnes, Eads, Junior; Jonah Bertolino, Cotopaxi, Junior; Landon Bunker, Evangelical Christian, Senior; Dominic Coleman, Granada, Sophomore; Kade Comstock, Fleming, Junior; Cade Conger, Merino, Senior; Antonio Cordova, Primero, Junior; Zeke Craig, Bethune, Senior; Assane Diop, Belleview Christian, Freshman; Mitch Dollerschell, Prairie, Senior; Sullivan Farmer, Kit Carson, Junior; Channing Green, Ouray, Senior; Chance Gulliford, Cotopaxi, Senior; Brenden Hodges, Walsh, Senior; Tanner Hutt, Merino, Senior; Jaden Jordan, De Beque, Junior; Jon Kochavi, Denver Jewish Day, Senior; Brady Kuntz, Lone Star, Junior; Jaret Lichty, Stratton/Liberty, Junior; Lawrence Lucero, Wiley, Senior; Alan McCaffrey, Arickaree/Woodlin, Senior; Rylan McCall, Walsh, Senior; Liam Miller, Ouray, Senior; Wyatt Miller, Genoa-Hugo/Karval, Sophomore; Ethan Moore, Pikes Peak Christian, Junior; Sam Mote, Evangelical Christian, Senior; Christian Nation, Otis, Senior; Logan Owen, Belleview Christian, Junior; Trey Pearce, Cheraw, Junior; Aly Sakho, Denver Waldorf, Senior; Darian Schaller, Springfield, Junior; Ryan Shellenberger, Longmont Christian, Senior; Ryan Tempel, Haxtun, Junior; Dax Towns, Idalia, Senior; Dustin Wenz, Kiowa, Junior; Cooper White, Peetz, Senior; Tyler Wytulka, Nucla, Junior; Josh Yoder, Edison, Sophomore.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

The next phase of winter state championships has begun as the state basketball brackets were released for Class 3A boys and girls on Sunday.

Play will begin on Friday as each bracket has eight host sites, with the top eight seeds hosting the first two rounds of the tournaments. After two rounds have been completed, the remaining eight teams will travel to DU’s Hamilton Gym next week to crown the state champions.

Find the brackets here:

• Class 3A boys
• Class 3A girls

For the boys, Resurrection Christian takes the top overall seed after finishing the season 22-0. The Cougars capped off everything with a 57-46 win over Sterling in the Patriot League district championship game.

Other high seeds include No. 2 Vanguard, No. 3 Faith Christian, No. 4 Manual (the defending champion), No. 5 Centauri, No. 6 DSST: Byers, No. 7 Gunnison and No. 8 DSST: Montview.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Two-time defending state champion St. Mary’s takes the top seed in the girls bracket. The Pirates’ lone loss of the season was to defending 5A champion Cherry Creek.

Other high seeds in the girls bracket are: No. 2 The Academy, No. 3 University, No. 4 Delta, No. 5 Pagosa Springs, No. 6 Centauri, No. 7 Lutheran and No. 8 Faith Christian.

Play for both brackets gets underway on Friday. The 3A bracket does not get reseeded heading into next week’s Great 8.

Kit Carson has taken over as the top-ranked team in Class 1A boys basketball this week.

The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.

Complete rankings are below.

[divider]

CHSAANow.com Boys Basketball Polls

Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.

First-place votes are in parentheses.

Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.

(Photo: Liz Levy)

DSST: Byers picked up perhaps the biggest win in the history of its young basketball program on Saturday.

The Falcons, who reside a few blocks northwest of Wash Park in Denver, knocked off Class 4A’s second-ranked Northfield with a 70-65 win. In just their second year of varsity competition, the 3A team is now 16-1 this season, and ranked No. 8 in the latest RPI standings.

Led by a group of seven seniors on a 10-player roster, including Kyrie Thomas and Elijah Thatch, DSST: Byers has won eight games in a row. Their 16 wins match last season’s win total, when they went 16-7 and advanced to the 3A state tournament after winning their district.

The Falcons finish the regular season with games against Ridge View Academy and Vanguard in the final week of the season.

(@erik_melgoza/Twitter)

Four new teams joined this week’s boys basketball rankings: Columbine (5A), Chaparral (5A), Erie (4A) and Alamosa (3A).

The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.

Complete rankings are below.

[divider]

CHSAANow.com Boys Basketball Polls

Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.

First-place votes are in parentheses.

Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.

(@MeadAthletics/Twitter)

Mead has moved up to the No. 1 spot in this week’s Class 4A boys basketball rankings.

The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.

Complete rankings are below.

[divider]

CHSAANow.com Boys Basketball Polls

Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.

First-place votes are in parentheses.

Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.