Cherry Creek has taken over atop this week’s Class 5A boys lacrosse rankings.
The Bruins are 2-0 to start this season, including a win over then-No. 6 Columbine. They got 10 of the 13 first-place votes from CHSAANow.com’s panel this week.
Former No. 1 Regis Jesuit fell to No. 4 after dropping a game to Arapahoe last week. Arapahoe is now No. 2, moving up two spots, and got two first-place votes
Mountain Vista got the other first-place vote, and is ranked third. Kent Denver rounds out 5A’s top five.
Monarch (No. 6) and Grandview (No. 10) are newcomers to this week’s 5A poll.
In 4A, Pondersa held on top the top spot, but a total of six team received first-place votes, including No. 2 Valor Christian, No. 3 Aspen, No. 4 Cheyenne Mountain, No. 5 Steamboat Springs and No. 6 Battle Mountain.
Air Academy is the 4A poll’s lone newcomer, joining at No. 7.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association.
The 2014-15 all-state wrestling teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created based upon results at the state meet. Coaches of the year were selected by team performance at the state meet, as well.
Wrestlers of the year were determined by a formula which took the following information into account: season record; season winning percentage; type of wins at state (pin, tech fall, major decision); and strength of a weight classification’s bracket (based upon returning placers).
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Regis Jesuit begins the year as the No. 1 team in 5A. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
Regis Jesuit and Ponderosa, both defending champions, are on top of CHSAANow.com’s preseason boys lacrosse rankings this season.
The Raiders are a unanimous pick in Class 5A, getting all 11 first-place votes. Cherry Creek, last season’s runner-up is No. 2.
Mountain Vista begins the year at No. 3, Arapahoe is No. 4 and Kent Denver rounds out the top five teams.
Columbine is sixth and is followed by No. 7 Mullen, No. 8 Colorado Academy and No. 9 Rock Canyon. Wheat Ridge, last year’s runner-up in 4A, is No. 10 after moving up to 5A this season.
In 4A’s preseason poll, Ponderosa got seven of the 10 first-place votes. No. 2 Aspen and No. 3 Valor Christian both received at least one first-place vote.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association.
Golden senior Jason Johnson (21) scrambles after the ball after stealing it away from Conifer senior Dustin Morrison (10) on Wednesday night. Morrison scored a game-high 17 points, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Lobos undefeated on the season. No. 2 Golden scored a 59-47 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
GOLDEN — Golden junior Nick Capaul provided instant energy and offense Wednesday night in the Demons’ Class 4A Jeffco League opener.
Capaul came off the bench and scored a team-high 16 points, including 13 points in the opening half, to help Golden to a 59-47 victory against previously undefeated Conifer (8-1 overall, 0-1 in league).
Golden senior Ryan Thistlewood (20) splits a pair of Conifer defenders on a drive to the basket Wednesday night at Golden High School. (Dennis Pleuss)
“It got us all pumped up to play,” Capaul said having the chance to end the Lobos’ winning streak. “We were playing a good team and we had a big crowd.”
Capaul scored six points during a key 13-0 run in the first half by Golden, ranked No. 2 in the current CHSAANow.com 4A boys basketball poll. No. 10 ranked Conifer was never able to cut Golden’s lead to single-digits after the offensive outburst by the Demons.
“He (Capaul) could start on this team, but I’ve always loved bringing offense off the bench,” Golden coach John Anderson said. “He brings it.”
Golden (7-2, 1-0) also brought its scoring touch inside the paint early on. The Demons dominated down low with Capaul, Cole Greff (12 points), Kayden Sund (11 points) and Ryan Blodgett (seven points).
Sund scored his season-high thanks in part to three 3-point plays where he made the shot, was fouled and made the ensuing free throw.
“He (Sund) made some plays tonight. The mid-range jumper he made was a huge bucket,” Anderson said of Sund’s final 3-point play in the fourth quarter that stopped a little run by the Lobos. “Once he gets more confident in his shot he is going to be a big-time scorer for us.”
Conifer senior Dustin Morrison provided a second-half spark. Morrison buried four 3-pointers after halftime to finish with a game-high 17 points.
Conifer coach Eric Valerio said he is proud of his team’s progress over the past two seasons, but added Wednesday night’s performance was a bit of a letdown. The Lobos’ 8-0 record to begin the season was the best start in the program’s history.
“I’m disappointed we really didn’t give them our best shot,” Valerio said. “We didn’t play well in the first half at all. We looked frazzled. We weren’t focused.”
Conifer stays on the road to face Littleton at 7 p.m. Friday.
“When you play in the Jefferson County League you don’t have any other choice then to play a full game if you want to be successful,” Valerio said. “All these teams are well-coached and talented.”
Conifer junior Nate Ferguson (13) finds himself surrounded by Golden’s Ryan Thistlewood (20), Ryan Blodgett (33) and Jason Johnson (21) during Wednesday’s Class 4A Jeffco League game at Golden High School. (Dennis Pleuss)
The Demons are set for another solid test Saturday night. Golden travels to Valor Christian (5-3, 1-0) in Highlands Ranch to face the Eagles. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
“It’s a big game. They are a good team,” Anderson said of facing Valor. “I’m excited to go play that team.”
Valor took an 80-61 home victory against Wheat Ridge in its conference opener Wednesday night. The loss ended a six-game winning streak for the Farmers.
Anderson added he liked having the extra day to prepare for the Eagles, a 4A semifinalist last season. Valor is back in the 4A Jeffco conference after a two-year hiatus. The Eagles won the 2010-11 4A Jeffco League championship title four seasons ago.
“I think we can beat them,” Capaul said. “We’ve just got to play good. If we play bad we’ll lose.”
Conifer junior Robert Burnett, left, looks for a way around Golden junior Ryan Blodgett during the second half Wednesday night. (Dennis Pleuss)
ThunderRidge is among five teams from the Continental League ranked in 5A this week. (Dennis Pleuss)
The Continental League has an early grip on the Class 5A boys basketball rankings.
With changes this week, league members now own the top three spots in CHSAANow.com’s poll. A total of five Continental teams are ranked this week.
The group is led by Regis Jesuit, which continued to lead the 5A poll. ThunderRidge remained at No. 2, and Chaparral moved up one place to No. 3.
Also ranked from the Continental League are No. 9 Mountain Vista and No. 10 Rock Canyon. Additionally, Legend received votes this week.
The Centennial League has three teams ranked — No. 4 Overland, No. 5 Eaglecrest and No. 8 Cherry Creek. No other league has multiple members ranked this week.
In 4A, Valor Christian and Conifer had both joined.
The Eagles joined at No. 8 following a 77-59 win over then-No. 3 Pueblo Central on Friday. The Lobos, meanwhile, are No. 10 after starting the season 8-0.
Elsewhere in 4A, Air Academy moved up two spots from No. 5 to No. 3, and Pueblo South jumped from ninth to fourth. Palmer Ridge, 6-0 this season, rounds out the top five after moving up from No. 8.
Longmont retained its perch on top of the 4A poll.
The three other No. 1 teams also stayed the same this week: Colorado Springs Christian (3A), Sanford (2A) and Sangre de Cristo (1A).
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
Pine Creek is the No. 1 seed in Class 4A. Falcon also made the field. (Photo: District 49)
AURORA — Pine Creek and Discovery Canyon were selected as the top seeds when the Class 4A and 3A playoff football brackets were announced on Sunday morning.
Both teams went unbeaten at 10-0 during the regular season, and were atop the final Wild Card points standings for their respective classifications.
Pine Creek is the defending 4A champion. The Eagles are riding a 21-game winning streak, the largest of any 11-man team. Their last loss came to 5A Columbine on Sept. 12 of last season. Pine Creek hasn’t lost to a 4A team since dropping a game to Ponderosa in Oct. 2012 — a span of 23 games.
The Eagles went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in CHSAANow.com’s rankings during the regular season. They own wins over five teams which made the playoff field.
Other top seeds, and those hosting first-round games, include: No. 2 Fort Collins, No. 3 Montrose, No. 4 Denver South, No. 5 Pueblo South, No. 6 Dakota Ridge, No. 7 Longmont and No. 8 Windsor.
Montrose was the runner-up in last year’s 4A title game. The Indians (9-1) have yet to lose to a 4A team this season, with the lone loss coming to 5A Lakewood.
Discovery Canyon, meanwhile, has been No. 1 in the CHSAANow.com poll and the Wild Card points for a few weeks now. The Thunder have a number of key wins, including on the road at Holy Family and over Pueblo East. They also beat Rampart, a 4A playoff team.
On Friday, Discovery Canyon held off an upset attempt by beating Canon City in overtime.
Other first-round hosts in 3A are No. 2 Evergreen, No. 3 Roosevelt, No. 4 Pueblo East, No. 5 Lutheran, No. 6 Rifle, No. 7 Holy Family and No. 8 Conifer.
One thing’s for sure: There will be a new champion in 3A. Coronado, which won last year’s title, moved up to 4A (and made the playoffs). Likewise, last year’s runner-up Silver Creek also moved up.
Evergreen junior Seth Ausman (28) makes a move after a catch on Conifer senior Kailib Geer (25) on Saturday afternoon during the annual Mountain Bowl at Conifer High School. The No. 5 Cougars took a 44-6 victory against the No. 9 Lobos. (Dennis Pleuss)
CONIFER — There was a lot on the line Saturday afternoon as Evergreen and Conifer battled on the football field in the annual Mountain Bowl.
Evergreen, undefeated and No. 5 in this week’s CHSAANow.com Class 3A football rankings, earned bragging rights along with taking sole possession of first place in the 3A Metro North League with a dominating 44-6 victory over No. 9 Conifer on the Lobos’ home field.
“It means everything,” Evergreen junior quarterback Dylan Reifeis said after the Cougars spoiled the Lobos’ homecoming game. “There was a lot riding on this game.”
Evergreen junior running back James Hardy goes head over heels at the conclusion of a 52-yard run in the second quarter Saturday at Conifer High School. Hardy had 132 yards rushing in the Cougars’ 44-6 win. (Dennis Pleuss)
Reifeis had an impressive game through the air, completing 14-of-23 passes for 243 yards and four touchdowns. The junior had a pair of touchdown passes to junior Seth Ausman in the first half and another pair to senior Marcus Cassin.
The Cougars (7-0, 2-0 in league) scored 44 unanswered points after Conifer took an early 6-0 lead. The Lobos converted on an Evergreen turnover with a 17-yard touchdown run by senior Vaughn Brasseaux with 9:28 left in the first quarter. However, after that it was all Evergreen.
“Conifer came out swinging right away and that’s why they scored quickly,” Evergreen coach Rob Molholm said. “We had to get refocused and we did.”
Evergreen took the lead with a 47-yard touchdown pass from Reifeis to Ausman in the final minute of the first quarter. Ausman didn’t have a defender near him as Reifeis floated a pass downfield.
“I don’t know what happened,” said Ausman, who had six catches for 157 yards and the two scores. “I went deep and Conifer’s defensive backs didn’t even notice. It was wide open and my quarterback (Reifeis) put it right there. It was a great throw.”
The Cougars’ defense got into the scoring act tackling Conifer running back Kailib Geer in the end zone for a safety early in the second quarter. Ausman caught his second touchdown of the game three plays later to put the Cougars up 16-6.
Evergreen scored touchdowns on its final two possession of the first half to grab a commanding 30-6 lead. Senior Tanner Cassin had a 7-yard touchdown run and Reifeis hooked up with Marcus Cassin for a 4-yard touchdown with 19 seconds left in the half.
“We knew we had to play our ‘A’ game to beat (Conifer) and I think we really did,” Reifeis said.
Evergreen junior Seth Ausman flips the ball to the referee after a 47-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter Saturday. Ausman had 157 yards receiving and a pair of touchdowns. (Dennis Pleuss)
Evergreen flipped back-and-forth from its spread shotgun offense and robust running attack. The Cougars piled up nearly 200 yards on the ground, led by junior James Hardy’s 132 yards on 10 carries.
“That’s what we are looking for — 50/50 run and pass,” Ausman said of Evergreen’s balanced offensive attack. “We’d like to be able to do everything against teams.”
The victory in the Mountain Bowl was the fifth straight for Evergreen. A first is the annual game for the Cougars, according to Molholm.
“It means a ton because we’ve never won five straight (against Conifer),” Molholm said. “That’s a good team with great coach in (Larry) Fitzmaurice over there.”
Conifer (5-2, 1-1) has a quick turnaround with a 6 p.m. Thursday game at Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood against Centaurus (3-4, 1-1) next week.
Evergreen is the lone undefeated team in the Metro North conference with three league games remaining.
“At 7-0 we control our own destiny,” Ausman said. “We’ve got Arvada, Centaurus and D’Evelyn. We can’t look down on any of those teams. I’ve got to work hard and then go to the playoffs.”
Evergreen also heads to Trailblazer for its next contest. The Cougars face winless Arvada at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 18.
Evergreen junior quarterback Dylan Reifeis (4) can’t escape the tackle of Conifer senior Wyatt Wiklund (81). Reifeis has much more success throwing the football. The junior threw for 243 yards and four touchdowns in Evergreen’s 44-6 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)Conifer senior Vaughn Brasseaux, far right, gets some blocking help from Richie Benson (80) as Evergreen defenders Nash Norton (22) and Brian Reed (35) chase Brasseaux down during the first half of the Mountain Bowl on Saturday at Conifer High School. (Dennis Pleuss)
