Highlands Ranch cemented itself atop the 5A girls basketball rankings this week. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

It seemed like Highlands Ranch was poised to get knocked off the top spot of the Class 5A CHSAANow.com girls basketball rankings.

But the Falcons had other ideas.

They trailed at halftime Friday night against ThunderRidge but rallied to take down the Grizzlies, cementing their status as the No. 1 team in state. The ThunderRidge effort only dropped them one spot, setting up a potential high-profile rematch in the state playoffs.

The 5A rankings saw only one new team join this week as Horizon comes in at No. 9.

Sand Creek remained the top team in the 4A poll, a position they have held all year. Evergreen and Windsor each jumped one spot to come in at No. 8 and No. 19 respectively. There were no new teams in the 4A rankings.

Pagosa Springs remains the top team in 3A rankings after winning both their games last week. Manitou Springs jumped one spot to land at No. 2.

Like 4A, there were no newcomers to the 3A poll.

Yuma is still the No. 1 team in 2A, getting 14 of 16 first-place votes. Highland made the biggest jump of the week by landing at No. 7, up three spots from where they were in the previous rankings. No new teams made 2A poll this week.

Although three teams remain undefeated in 1A, Sangre de Cristo is still the team holding the top spot in 1A. McClave is the only newly ranked team this week, coming in at No. 10.

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.

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CHSAANow.com Girls 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.

Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A

It seems that the top girls basketball teams in the state have no desire to relinquish their spots in the CHSAANow.com girls basketball rankings.

After very few changes to last week’s rankings, things are looking just as — if not more — consistent this week.

Highlands Ranch, Sand Creek, Pagosa Springs, Yuma and Sangre de Cristo all maintained the top spots in their respective polls and by decisive margins.

The No. 1 teams went a combined 9-0 last week.

The 5A rankings only saw two teams shift positions as Lakewood and Ralston Valley traded spots from last week. The Tigers come in at No. 5 while the Mustangs fall to No. 6.

The top four 4A teams continue to look good as they went a combined 8-0 in play last week.

Centaurus and Windsor were able to do enough to make their case as they break into the rankings at No. 8 and No. 10 respectively.

In 3A, it continues to look like a three-team race at the top with Pagosa Springs, Sterling and Manitou Springs locking up the positions they have held for pretty much the entire season.

Eaton made a two-spot jump this week to land at No. 4 and Monte Vista is the new addition as they come in at No. 9.

West Grand (No. 9) and Highland (No. 10) break into the 2A rankings this week. Cedaredge jumps one spot to take over the new spot. The Bruins remain the only undefeated team in the 2A rankings.

South Baca and Otis made up the most ground this week in the 1A poll with each team jumping two spots. Otis lands at No. 4 while Otis jumped up to No. 9.

There were no new teams in the 1A 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.

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CHSAANow.com Girls 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.

Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A

Highlands Ranch maintained its grip on the No. 1 spot in the 5A girls basketball poll. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

Consistency would be the best word to describe the CHSAANow.com girls basketball rankings this week. While some new teams played their way into some of the polls, the overall tops teams continued to do what top teams tend to do: win.

Highlands Ranch fought off a good effort from defending Class 5A champion Broomfield to maintain their spot atop the 5A rankings.

The close game did get the attention of quite a few voters as it helped Broomfield jump two spots to land at No. 4.

No new teams were able to crack their way into this week’s 5A rankings.

For the most part, the 4A poll looks about the same as it did going into the winter break. Sand Creek remains the No. 1 team in the class and Mesa Ridge, Valor Christian, Longmont and Pueblo West all kept their spots at 2-5 respectively.

Holy Family made the biggest jump in 4A, gaining two spots to come in at No. 6.

Pueblo East broke into the 4A rankings at No. 10.

All 10 teams from the previous 3A rankings remained in this week’s poll. Pages Springs holds on to their spot at No. 1 with Sterling keeping a firm grasp on the No. 2 position.

Manitou Springs regained some first-place votes after beating a couple of top-10 teams in Lutheran and Lamar last week.

Moffat County jumped two spots to land at No. 7, the biggest jump for any team in 3A.

The 2A poll saw more changes than any other class this week. Yuma is still firmly in the No. 1 position, but Haxtun jumped two spots to land at No. 5.

There were three new teams to the rankings as Soroco (No. 7), Ignacio (No. 9) and Evangelical Christian (No. 10) all played their way into the top 10.

Despite not playing a game since Dec. 17, Sangre De Cristo maintains the top position in the 1A rankings. Kit Carson, who received a couple of first-place votes remains at No. 2.

Heritage Christian jumped into the 1A poll at No. 8 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.

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CHSAANow.com Girls 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.

Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A

Although the Class 3A CHSAANow.com girls basketball rankings are loaded with talent at the top, breaking into those ranks is not impossible and Centauri is proving just that.

After sitting at No. 8 last week, the undefeated Falcons leapt to No. 4 after a 62-33 win over Buena Vista. They now sit right behind Pagosa Springs, Sterling and Manitou Springs, the three preseason favorites to take the state title. Pagosa Springs held on to the top spot that they grabbed from Manitou only a week ago.

The only new addition to the 3A poll this week is Trinidad who gave Manitou Springs its toughest test of the year Friday night.

In 5A, Highlands Ranch remains the top team, while nine teams from last week’s rankings remained in the top 10 this week.

The only team to break in is Rocky Mountain, who comes in at No. 10.

Sand Creek remains ranked No. 1 in 4A. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Sand Creek remains  the top-ranked team in 4A and are looking every bit the part. Like 3A, the 4A rankings are top-heavy with talented teams as Mesa Ridge (No. 2), Valor Christian (No. 3) and Longmont (No. 4) all look like contenders early in the season.

Centaurus is the only new team to the 4A poll as they land at No. 9 this week.

Yuma still has a grasp on the No. 1 ranking in the 2A polls, although Akron and Cedaredge are both undefeated and getting first-place recognition.

Hasten makes a splash this week as they land at No. 7 after being unranked only a week ago.

Sangre de Cristo edged out Kit Carson by one point to remain the No. 1 team in 1A this week.

The 1A rankings added the most teams this week as Prairie (No. 7) and Jim Elliot (No. 9) break into the poll.

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.

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CHSAANow.com Girls 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.

Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A

Highlands Ranch is the new No. 1 team in 5A girls basketball. (CHSAANow.com file photo)

The CHSAANow.com girls basketball polls saw three new No. 1 teams crowned this week, including Highlands Ranch, who takes over the No. 1 spot in Class 5A.

It is the biggest shift at the top of the polls since the start of basketball season.

The big story of the week came as ThunderRidge fell to Cherry Creek, 32-27. The Grizzlies had held the top spot in 5A since the preseason poll. But the Bruins couldn’t capitalize on the win. They turned around and lost their next game to Broomfield, which kept them firmly in the No. 7 spot this week.

Poudre and Loveland were the two new teams added to the 5A rankings as they come in at No. 9 and No. 10, respectively.

Sand Creek was one of two teams to hold on the top this week, as they remain No. 1 in the 4A poll. Mesa Ridge jumped from No. 3 to No. 2, continuing their climb and showing that they intend to be a force this year, much like they were in 2014 when they won the 4A title.

Joining the 4A rankings this week is Pueblo East, who comes in at No. 10. The Eagles started the season at 1-2, but have played well enough lately to earn the votes needed to crack the top 10.

Pagosa Springs takes the top spot in the 3A rankings away from Manitou Springs, despite the Mustangs starting 4-0.

In fact, the Mustangs received six first-place votes last week, only to get two this week. Manitou falls to No. 3 in this week’s poll.

Lamar made a two-spot jump this week to come in at No. 7 and Grand Valley comes in at No. 10 as the lone newcomer to the 3A rankings.

Yuma remains firmly at the top of the 2A rankings and had a nice showing last week, going 3-0. The big jump in that class was Wray leaping from No. 9 to No. 5. They got the attention of the voters by taking Yuma to the limit and only falling to the Indians 69-66. Highland and Sanford break in as the two newcomers to the 2A polls, landing at No. 9 and No. 10, respectively.

With Idalia’s 48-43 loss to Otis, the Wolves fell out of the top spot in the 1A rankings. That helped Otis break into the top 10 where they come in at No. 7 this week. Kim at No. 8 and Briggsdale at No. 10 also joined this week’s rankings.

Sangre de Cristo takes to the top spot this week, jumping from No. 3 to No. 1.

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 Girls 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.

Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A

(Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

The 2015 all-state girls track and field teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.

These teams were created based upon results at the state meet.

Athletes of the year were selected based upon the number of team points they produced at the state meet. This means that they received the full amount of team points from individual events they participated in, as well as one-fourth of the total points earned by the team in relays they participated in.

Finally, in order to be considered for athlete of the year, they must first have made the all-state team by winning in a championship.

Scroll down to see the teams, or use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.

Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A

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Class 5A

Athlete of the year: Shayna Yon, Cherokee Trail
Coach of the year: Chris Faust, Cherokee Trail

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Class 4A

Athlete of the year: Nicole Montgomery, Lewis-Palmer
Coach of the year: Maurice Henriques, Niwot

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Class 3A

Athlete of the year: Kayla Pinnt, Moffat County
Coach of the year: Kaelie Jelden, Eaton

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Class 2A

Athlete of the year: Jenna Anderson, Lyons
Coach of the year: Brian Mitchem, Paonia

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Class 1A

Athlete of the year: Ginger Hutton, Shining Mountain
Coach of the year: Joe Packard, Heritage Christian

Cherry Creek’s football championship was one of five team titles from the school in 2014-15. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

AURORA — Cherry Creek’s athletic programs won a state-best five team championships during the 2014-15 school year.

Thompson Valley, meanwhile, captured 14 individual championships to lead the state.

Below is a recap of the year in championships. A complete database of championships through history is available on our site.

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Team titles

Cherry Creek’s five championships led the way. The Bruins won boys tennis, football, hockey, boys tennis and boys lacrosse this season.

Cheyenne Mountain (boys swimming, girls tennis, girls golf, girls soccer) and Grandview (softball, volleyball, girls soccer and poms) each won four team titles.

Grandview’s four girls championships were the most in the state for that gender, while Creek’s four boys championships led the way.

Eaton, Colorado Academy, Lyons and Valor Christian all won three total team championships.

In all, 65 teams won at least one team title in 2014-15, with 17 winning at least two.

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Individual titles

Thompson Valley totaled 14 individual championships in 2014-15, including five wrestlers. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Thompson Valley had eight boys and six girls win individual championships in 2014-15 to account for its state-best total of 14.

Cherry Creek was second with 13, and Pomona was third with 10. Lyons won eight, while Air Academy and Cheyenne Mountain each captured seven individual crowns.

A total of 131 schools had at least one individual win a championship. Of those, 73 schools had at least two champions, and 10 had as many as five.

Below is a complete breakdown of individual championships this season.

Niwot celebrates first and second place finishes in the 100-meter hurdles. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow)

LAKEWOOD — On the last day of the state track and field championships at Jefferson County Stadium, old powers continued to rule and new powers emerged.

The Fountain-Fort Carson Trojans, as expected going into the week, obliterated the Class 5A boys field with 94 points, more than double Cherry Creek’s 44.5. FFC has now won four of the last six state championships in the highest classification and have racked up 17 crowns in the program’s illustrious history.

Tevin Donnell, a senior who won his first individual titles Saturday in the 100 and 200-meter dashes and ran legs on the winning 400 and 800-meter relays, said camaraderie has fueled the Trojans’ success.

“We’ve been lucky enough to stay together and that’s not something that’s common in a school with a military presence,” Donnell said. “I’ve grown up with a lot of these people.”

Fountain-Fort Carson not only finished first in the 400 and 800-meter relays, but also the 1,600 relay, and scored plenty of points in the individual sprint and middle distance events. They wanted to win all four relays, but settled for third in the 3,200 relay, running a 7:55.48.

Cherokee Trail’s Shayna Yon. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow)

On the girls’ side, Cherokee Trail, a power in track and field in recent years with two boys championships, earned their first girls state championship in any sport with 99.5 points, holding off 2014 champion Fort Collins, who had 86.

Shayna Yon, a soon-to-be LSU Tiger, scored 30 points by herself for CT as she won a triple crown in the long jump (18-9.25), the 100 (11.79), and the 200 (24.17). Yon and her team set a new standard for the Cherokee Trail girls.

“It felt really good, because I’m the first female at my school to win any state title,” she said. “It was really nice to be able to put my school on the map, as well as be a leader for my teammates who are younger than me. I just really wanted to leave my mark here before I leave for school. I’m really excited for our girls team next year, because we are going to be just as strong.”

In 4A, Palmer Ridge, a school in Monument that was founded in 2008, finished first in four of six championship finals on Thursday—the high jump (Jordan Swango, 6-6), the pole vault (Kyle Rex, 15-0), the 3,200-meter run (Eric Hamer, 9:22), and the 3,200 relay (7:57)—and kept the momentum rolling through the rest of the weekend as Caleb Ojennes won the 200 and 400-meter dashes on Saturday. He also anchored the 1,600 relay that defended their crown from 2014.

Ojennes, who posted a 21.75 in the 200 and a 47.35 in the 400, helped the Bears tally 98 points and win their second consecutive state championship. The Classical Academy finished as the 4A runner-up with 52 points.

“I can’t really complain right now,” Ojennes said. “It’s just such a rush, because we just won back-to-back team titles.”

“Just winning the first state championship for Palmer Ridge meant a lot last year.”

The new school also triumphed for the 4A state championship in cross country last fall.

Niwot claimed their third girls state championship in a row in 4A on the strength of their relays and hurdles. The Cougars won the 800-meter relay in a new 4A state meet record of 1:41.13, they placed second in the 1,600 relay in 3:54.95, and they finished first and second in both the 100 and 300 hurdles.

Kela Fetters, the 300 hurdle champion just ahead of teammate Mackenzie Fidelak, a freshman, was proud of herself and her teammates.

“My goal going into the season was to make Niwot the best at 4A girls hurdles in the state and I think that’s what we accomplished,” Fetters said.

Niwot finished with 85 points. Mountain View was the runner-up with 59.50.

The Lutheran boys, in their first season up one class after claiming the 2A crown in 2014, won 3A with 82.5 points. They dominated the sprints and won handily over Platte Valley (63).

Eaton, after finishing as the state runner-up in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 broke through for their first state championship in girls track by snatching the 3A crown with 95.5 points. As usual, the Reds scored plenty of points in the field and on relays. Lamar placed second with 80.

As for 2A, the Lyons boys collected their fourth state championship in five years as junior distance runner Paul Roberts added to his legacy with state titles in the 1,600, 3,200, and 3,200 relay. The Lions are the power in the classification. Not much changed this weekend. Lyons tallied 111.5 points and edged out Cedaredge (100).

The Paonia girls won their third state title in a row in 2A with a monstrous 132 point total. Lyons was the runner-up with 73.5. Paonia excelled on relays and in field events, as well.

Finally, in 1A, Springfield boys conquered the crown with 109 points as Pikes Peak Christian finished with 85. Pikes Peak mostly dominated the individual sprints, but Springfield rolled over everyone in the field.

Heritage Christian and Shining Mountain Waldorf dueled in distance, but HC came through with the 1A girls state championship with 129 points. SMW scored 100, as Ginger Hutton won the 400, 800, 1,600, and 3200 in her final season.

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Notables

• Tevin Donnell and Christian Lyon placed first and second for Fountain-Fort Carson in the 5A 100-meter dash finals. Donnell also won the 200.
• Monarch sophomore phenom Isaac Green won the 5A 1,600 crown in 4:19.56, his first state championship.
• Andrew Barlow of Monarch cleared 16-8.5 to win the 5A pole vault. The senior’s mark ranks No. 11 in the nation.
• Becca Schulte of Fort Collins won the 5A 400-meter dash in 53.64, the fourth quickest time in Colorado history.
• Rock Canyon freshman Emily Sloan won the 5A 100-hurdle crown in 14.11.
• William Mayhew, one day after running 1:50.74 to crush the 4A record in the 800, claimed the 1600 in 4:15.
• Longmont boys won the 400-meter relay in 42.08, an extremely quick time.
• Thompson Valley girls shattered the 4A record in the 1,600 relay with a time of 3:50.73.
• Freshman Brittany Fuchs of Calhan won the 2A 200-meter dash in 25.70.
• Jenna Anderson of Lyons capped off her high school career in style by winning the 2A crowns in the 800 (2:14.86) and 1,600 (5:12.61). Teammate Sierra Tucker placed second in the 1,600 in 5:28.35.
• South Park’s Kacey Buttrick won the hurdle double, the 100 and 300, in 2A.
• Cedaredge girls shattered the 400-meter relay record in 2A with a 49.73.
• Baca County’s J.D. Chenoweth won the 110 and 300-hurdles in 1A.
• Springfield’s Andy Borunda finished first in the shot put (47-01) and discus throw (150-10) in 1A.
• Freshman Zariah Mason of Kim blew past the field in the 100 and 200 to earn her first 1A state championships. Her 100 time of 12.72 was a new classification best.

Lutheran football has a new coach in Blair Hubbard this season. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

Perhaps no football coaching change this offseason was as major as Blair Hubbard leaving Faith Christian for Lutheran.

Hubbard won three state championships in 15 seasons as head coach at Faith Christian, a perennial power in the Class 2A ranks. His teams were 148-30, made the playoffs 14 times and won 10 league titles.

But in the offseason Hubbard was looking to tackle something new. Lutheran — a 3A team since the school was formed by a merger of the old Denver Lutheran and Lutheran-Parker schools prior to the 2012 season — was a fit.

Hubbard was hired on Feb. 20.

“I was just kind of looking for a new challenge, so when the opportunity presented itself I took some time to think about it, talked it over with my wife and some other wise council and decided to go ahead,” Hubbard said. “This was a good opportunity to make the change. I’m excited about this season and just the future of Lutheran High School football in general.”

Faith Christian moved quickly to hire Ralph Nance, Hubbard’s defensive coordinator, as his successor. It meant that Hubbard’s staff — which had been together for “over 10 years,” he said — was not going to stay intact.

“I’ve hired a completely new staff,” Hubbard said. “That was a specific challenge. And it was a good process.”

Hubbard’s new staff at Lutheran comprises 10 assistants — five of whom are in the building.

“I feel very comfortable with the coaches that we have on staff,” Hubbard said. “We’ve just got a good cohesiveness together. Everybody’s on the same page and is there for the same reason. We’re there to help build young men into men, boys into men. We’re not there necessarily for the wins and the losses. If we do our jobs, those kinds of things will hopefully take care of themselves. Our purpose is to have an effect in young men’s lives.”

Lutheran was 31-11 in former coach Daryl Moe’s four seasons, including three playoff appearances. So Hubbard is inheriting a great program.

Lutheran quarterback James Willis. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

Included are quarterback James Willis and receiver Josh Clausen, both seniors and four-year varsity members, who combined for more than 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns through the air last season.

Willis, entering his third year as the starter at quarterback, threw for 2,306 yards and 24 touchdowns last season.

“He’s someone that’s just a humble leader, he’s a hard worker,” Hubbard said. “That’s the kind of athlete we’re looking to model our program after. Someone’s that just has that blue-collar work ethic and is humble and willing to help other kids out along the way.”

Clausen already has 2,312 receiving yards in his three seasons, which is just outside the top-10 in the state’s career record book.

“He’s (6-foot-4) and he’s got very good speed and great hands,” Hubbard said. “He’s getting some looks from some of the area Division I schools, so it’s exciting to work with him. He’s got that same kind of work ethic that we’re looking for, as well.”

A group of linemen also return.

“They have been very consistent in the weight room, and whenever you’ve got the kids up front that are dedicated to spending time in the weight room, you’re going to have a good opportunity to win some battles up front,” Hubbard said.

Lutheran opens the season in Houston, playing at Lutheran South Academy — a Division II school in Texas which went 8-3 and made the playoffs last season. It’s an opportunity for everyone to get to know one another really well, really quick.

“It will be a fun experience for the kids and for the coaches,” Hubbard said. “There’s a lot of logistics involved and we’ve gotten a lot of outstanding administrative support from the school.

“They’re of the mindset that they’re there for the athletes and the athletic program and want to do as much as they can to help the young men and women out in the athletic programs to have a great experience in their time at Lutheran.”

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Short stuff

• During its transition to a regional program, the former Montbello High School athletic department will be known as the Warriors (Montbello). Eventually, the plan is to simply call the teams the Warriors — without including the Montbello clarifier.
• Last week at the All-School Summit, a new approach to the classification structure was discussed. Every impression I’ve gotten seems like this is where the state will head this fall — though there was some resistance voiced during the classification breakout session at the Summit. We’ll see if that initial uneasiness turns into action ahead of CLOC’s November meeting.
• Valor Christian’s Eric Lee Jr. and Pine Creek’s Avery Anderson, both defensive backs, will enroll at Nebraska early, the school announced.
• Regis Jesuit offensive linemen Tim Lynott’s father tweeted out his official offer letter from Colorado. Lynott is a CU commit, and was recently moved up to a 4-star recruit by Scout.com.
• Here’s a neat picture of Windsor’s football team playing in a flooded field near its school during storms last week. (Coach Chris Jones was quick to urge safety to his players: “Be smart about the water in front of the school,” he tweeted.)
• Brighton pitcher/shortstop Conner Reynolds committed to Northern Colorado for baseball last week.
• Tony Ramunno had been the head football coach at Lewis-Palmer for 25 seasons, but he resigned late last month. “I really like Friday nights; it’s probably the best job a guy can have in the country,” he told the Colorado Springs Gazette. Former defensive coordinator Dustin Tupper will replace him.
• Moffatt County hired longtime coach Keith Gille to head its football program, according to the Craig Daily Press.
• Grandview hired Patrick Chapla as its boys lacrosse coach. He had been an assistant at Mountain Vista, and is also a club coach at 3d Lacrosse. “We are excited to add his passion, experience and love of the game to our program,” Grandview athletic director Jamee Ulitzky wrote in an email.
• Smoky Hill hired Robert Kennedy as baseball coach, according to the Aurora Sentinel.
• Eagle Ridge has a new girls basketball coach, according to the Brighton Blade: Vern Rathbun, who has been coaching for more than 30 years.
• The numbers from the NFHS Network are in from the past school year, and the most popular events were as follows: Arapahoe-Fossil Ridge boys basketball in the 5A tournament; Overland-Denver East boys basketball in the 5A tournament; and the state track meet.
• It seems like this is a weekly occurrence now, but here’s another reminder to kids that how you act on social media can have a very negative effect on your recruitment.
• Englewood’s getting a new turf field.
• Cherry Creek’s gym is “getting a major upgrade.”
• Fruita Monument wrestler Jacob Seely earned All-American status with his seventh-place finish at a national tournament in Fargo, North Dakota last month.
• Doherty is holding a golf tournament at Colorado Springs Country Club on Aug. 18, and is seeking teams to participate. That’s the same course where the Class 5A state meet will be held. Interested schools should contact Doherty AD Chris Noll: CHRISTOPHER.NOLL@d11.org.
• Likewise, Jefferson Academy is seeking schools for its golf invitational on Sept. 2 at Omni Interlocken Golf Club Resort. Contact Jags’ AD Michael Wilson: mwilson@jajags.com.
• Horizon is inviting schools to its annual Popsicle Run at the Adams County Fairgrounds on Sept. 5. It’s a 4k course, and offers popsicles at the end. Contact: Antonio.Ricciardi@adams12.org.
• Kim and Branson will co-op in football (ineligible for the playoffs), boys golf, volleyball, boys and girls basketball, as well as track. They will be the Kim Mustangs in all sports but football, where they will compete as the Branson Bearcats.

Alumni short stuff

• Heritage alum Shane Opitz, now playing minor league baseball, was interviewed by the Dunedin Blue Jays’ radio network about a recent rehab of an injury, but also spoke about hailing from Colorado. “There’s a lot of talent coming out of Colorado, but people don’t necessarily recognize that because we don’t play year-round,” Opitz said. “There’s not a lot of good weather during the winter time, we’re under snow. But there’s a lot of talent.” A 2010 grad, he’s hitting .280 at Dunedin in 13 games so far this season.
• Chaparral alum Shane Callahan has been cleared to play immediately for CU following his transfer from Auburn. Here he is in a video speaking with the media after practice. “I’m proud to wear Colorado on my jersey, this is my hometown,” he said. “Excited to have the chance to play for my home state this year!” he wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.
• Kalen Ballage, a 2013 Falcon graduate, is “turning heads” as Arizona State opens football camp. Coach Todd Graham said he’s “the most impressive freshman running back we’ve ever had. Ever.”
• Bobby Dalbec, who graduated from Legend in 2013, tore it up at the Cape Cod Baseball League this summer. He had five home runs and 18 RBIs in just 29 games, and hit .228. He also took part in the home run contest during All-Star festivities. Dalbec just completed his freshman season as the starting designated hitter/first baseman and reliever at Arizona. He hit .266 with two home runs and 30 RBIs for the Wildcats, and also had a team-best 2.13 ERA in 22 appearances. Dalbec did tell the Arizona Daily Star that his future is as a position player: “If we really need a guy to be a starter, I’d obviously do it. But I like my future after Arizona to be with the bat. I’m not real big on pitching. I do it and compete, but I prefer to be in the box.”
• 2003 Golden graduate Mark Melancon, a three-sport star in high school, returned to Colorado as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates late last month, and picked up a save at Coors Field. It was the third save he’d gotten against the Rockies in nine days. “Always fun playing on the field I grew up dreaming of playing on as a Big Leaguer,” Melancon tweeted.
• This was neat: Former Grandview boys basketball star Eric Garcia pointed out that he (now at Wofford), Denver East alum Dom Collier (CU) and former Regis Jesuit player Josh Perkins (Gonzaga) will all be on national television at the same time during the college basketball season.

Regis Jesuit begins 2013-14 atop the 5A girls basketball poll. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

Regis Jesuit is the unanimous No. 1 selection in CHSAANow.com’s preseason girls basketball ranking in 5A.

The poll, released on Monday, featured 18 first-place votes. The Raiders received each one. And it makes sense: Regis Jesuit did not graduate any players from last year’s team which won the title. The squad also has six seniors committed to Division I schools, including Diani Akigbogun (Texas) and Justine Hall (Purdue).

Highlands Ranch, last season’s 5A runner-up, is No. 2 in the preseason ranking. Arapahoe is third, Grandview is fourth and Rock Canyon rounds out the top-5.

Monarch, with coach Gail Hook returning from a one-year hiatus, is sixth. Castle View is seventh, ThunderRidge is eighth, Cherry Creek is ninth and Poudre is tenth.

Holy Family is ranked No. 1 in 3A girls basketball. Broomfield is No. 1 in 4A. (Pam Wagner)

In 4A, Broomfield heads the preseason poll. The Eagles reached last year’s semifinals, where they lost to eventual champion Pueblo South by three points. Pueblo South begins the season ranked No. 2.

Holy Family is on top of the 3A ranking. The Tigers won last year’s championship.

The 2A poll is headed by Yuma, even though the Indians received three first-place votes to Akron’s four. Akron beat Yuma in last season’s title game, and is ranked second.

Caliche is the preseason No. 1 team in 1A. The Buffaloes lost in last season’s quarterfinals. Defending champion Wiley is unranked to begin the season.

Complete rankings for all classes are below.

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CHSAANow.com Girls Basketball Polls

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

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

Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A