Tag: Coronado

  • 3A football preview: High seeds rule the bracket

    Silver Creek-Mead football
    Silver Creek faces Delta in the 3A semifinals. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    View the 3A football playoff bracket.

    No. 9 Silver Creek (9-2) at No. 13 Delta (9-3)
    1 p.m. Saturday, Delta HS

    If there’s a busted bracket, it’s in 3A. Still alive are the classification’s Nos. 6, 7, 9 and 13 seeds. Nos. 1, 4 and 5 went down in the first round; Nos. 2 and 3 lost last week. So it’s clear than anything can happen here.

    Still, if there is a favorite of the remaining teams, one might look to Silver Creek. The Raptors are the defending champions, after all. And 2013 is shaping up to look very much like 2012.

    Last season, Silver Creek was unbeaten, ranked No. 1 and rolling along before it was stunned in back-to-back games in the middle of the season — losses to Skyline and Roosevelt. Suddenly, the Raptors fell completely off the radar. They entered that postseason as the No. 10 seed — then promptly marched through the postseason en route to the school’s first football championship.

    This year, Silver Creek was again rolling and ranked first following a dismantling of then-No. 3 Holy Family in Week 3. Then, the Raptors dropped a 31-28 game to Frederick. Three games later, Roosevelt again beat Silver Creek. So when the 2013 playoffs started, Silver Creek was a No. 9 seed and again off the radar.

    Well, following wins over Evergreen and Pueblo East, the Raptors are back in the semifinals, and back on the radar.

    As is typically the case with Silver Creek, they’ve done it through the air. Senior Ben Sjobakken has thrown for 27 touchdowns — 11 to Zane Lindsey. Still, the rushing attack has held its own this year. Sophomore Anthony Kasper has nine scores and senior Josh Quiroz has six. Together, the two have combined for 1,681 yards.

    On the other side, Delta is in search of its first championship game appearance since 1961. The 13th-seeded Panthers have upset No. 4 Holy Family and No. 12 Glenwood Springs to get to this point.

    Against Glenwood Springs, it took a stop at the 2-yard line in the final seconds to preserve a 13-9 win.

    “To be able to limit a team like that, especially at the end, is just tremendous,” Delta coach Ben Johnson told the Glenwood Springs Post-Independent after the game.

    Like Silver Creek, Delta can also put the ball up — junior Cade Gafford has 23 touchdown passes to just three interceptions, and senior Ryan Whiteside has 14 scoring receptions — but its ground-game is a focus. Sophomore Jonney Pounce has 1,668 yards and 16 touchdowns, and senior Tyler Sandoval has 10 scores. Delta has been a 60/40 run-to-pass team, but threw the ball just seven times in a wet game last week.

    [divider]

    No. 7 The Classical Academy (10-2) at No. 6 Coronado (11-1)
    1 p.m. Garry Berry Stadium

    Two weeks ago, The Classical Academy had never won a postseason game. Now, the Titans are in the semifinals. So, yes, it is their first time reaching this point in the postseason.

    The school opened in 1997, and as recently was 2011 was 2-8. Now, TCA has won seven games in a row.

    “It’s hard to put words to what this is like,” Titans coach David Bervig told the Colorado Springs Gazette this week. “We went off the radar and our kids never stopped believing and they are fighting for each other and there’s a great chemistry.”

    Eight different players have scored at least two rushing touchdowns for TCA this season. Tops among them is senior Andrew Register, who has nine scores and 810 yards.

    Junior Peter Troupe has seven rushing touchdowns, and three more scoring catches. Quarterback Jantzen Ryals has throw 13 touchdowns and for 1,692 yards.

    Coronado began the season 9-0 and was ranked No. 1 heading into its final regular season game with Discovery Canyon. The Cougars lost that game, but have rebounded for consecutive hard-fought wins over Rifle (34-31) and Roosevelt (29-27) in the playoffs.

    Junior running back Austin Micci has rushed for 1,254 yards and 13 touchdowns this season. Fellow junior Isaah Duvall has 996 and 10.

    The semifinal game will be a rematch of Coronado’s 16-6 win on Aug. 29.

    “We saw a little bit of their offensive scheme, and they’ve gotten a lot better at it,” Coronado coach Bobby Lizzarraga told ColoradoPreps.com’s Scoreboard Show on Saturday. “It’s a new offense that they ran this year. Obviously, they’ve gotten very good at it, so we need to go back and fine-tune what we’re doing to prepare for TCA.”

    Coronado has reached the championship game just once, in 1982, when it lost to Loveland in 3A.

  • Playoff football roundup: Pueblo South tops Dakota Ridge to move to semis

    A roundup of Saturday’s playoff football games. Find Friday’s roundup here.

    Class 5A

    ThunderRidge claimed the final semifinal spot with a 13-9 win over Grandview. Backup quarterback Branden Brenning led the Grizzlies to the win. Read the full story here.

    [divider]

    Class 4A

    Pueblo South is headed to the semifinals for the first time since 2004 with a 27-21 win over Dakota Ridge.

    “We got them to fumble in their first possession, and we marched it right down and got a big score, got some momentum going in our favor,” Pueblo South coach Ryan Goddard told Colorado Preps’ Scoreboard Show. “Then we had a big interception and a long return, and were able to make some plays off of that and turn that into points, as well. We’ve been pretty successful this year in winning the turnover battle. If you win turnovers and third downs, you’re going to be OK most of the time.”

    Pueblo South will face Montrose in the semifinals.

    “Our kids were excited after the game, and I was excited for them,” Goddard said. “I told them they did a good job, and that they’re a special team and they have an opportunity to do something special here, and they’re making their impact on the program. But it’s time to go to work on Monday and we’ve got to start thinking about Montrose.”

    Montrose beat Denver South 47-27 on Saturday. The Indians led 33-6 at halftime.

    “Our guys did a great job of just executing. We were able to get on them on some special teams stuff and get a couple of short fields,” Montrose coach Todd Casebier told the Scoreboard Show. “We had some good special teams in the first half.

    “South kept playing until the very end, but we were just too much for them today.”

    [divider]

    Class 3A

    Defending champion Silver Creek rolled into the semifinals. The Raptors handled Pueblo East, 34-14.

    “It was a really big win. That Pueblo East team was as good a team as we’ve played,” Silver Creek coach Mike Apodaca told the Scoreboard Show. “We’re real fortunate to get a win.”

    Silver Creek will play Delta in the semifinals. Delta beat Glenwood Springs 13-9 on Saturday.

    “We’re excited about the trip,” Apodaca said. “Western Slope football is good football. … It’s exciting. It’s good 3A football, and a good community, so it’s an exciting trip for our kids.”

    Coronado beat Roosevelt 29-27 to claim a spot in the other semifinal. It will meet The Classical Academy, which upset Palisade on Friday.

    “There’s special things happening with these young men,” Coronado coach Bobby Lizzarraga told the Scoreboard Show. “It’s showing up on the field.”

    [divider]

    Class 2A

    The 2A title matchup is set: Faith Christian will play Platte Valley. Both teams upset higher-seeded opponents on Saturday.

    Faith Christian, seeded fourth, beat No. 1 Brush 24-14 on Saturday.

    “In the first half, it was one of those games where it looked like neither team was going to punt, because we couldn’t stop each other,” Faith Christian coach Blair Hubbard told the Scoreboard Show. “Then, the adjustments and the turnovers in the second half were just a big part of it.”

    No. 3 Platte Valley beat No. 2 Manitou Springs, 13-7. The Broncos are making a second-consecutive trip to the title game.

    “We made some mistakes that have been uncharacteristic of what we’ve been doing the last few weeks,” Platte Valley Troy Hoffman told the Scoreboard Show, “but we fought back, we regrouped very well in the fourth quarter and the kids fought through this barrier, this obstacle and they came through with a victory today. I’m very proud of them.”

    [divider]

    Class 1A

    Paonia will face Centauri in the 1A championship next week.

    Centauri topped Limon 21-8 to reach the title game for the first time in school history.

    “We’re ready to play this,” Centauri coach Kyle Forster told the Scoreboard Show. “This was a goal we had 14 weeks ago, and it’s come true. Now we’re just going to have to go in and play our best because Paonia is playing their best football of the year right now, too. So it’s going to be a real big dog-fight.”

    Paonia beat Buena Vista 28-14 on Saturday.

    “We came out and we were ready to go,” Paonia coach Brent McRae told the Scoreboard Show, “but getting (an early) score and then the first three-and-out we got and scoring again — just the confidence. Our kids knew they would be able to run the ball and that just carried us the whole game.”

    Of the title game, McRae said, “It’s going to be a fun day.”

    [divider]

    8-man

    Caliche and Dayspring Christian will play for the 8-man title.

    Caliche topped top-seeded Hoehne 44-40, while Dayspring Christian edged Norwood 44-43 with a 22-yard field goal in the final moments.

    “We made big plays. That’s probably what the difference was,” Dayspring Christian coach Mick Holmes told the Scoreboard Show. “It came down to a field goal with seven seconds left. It’s kind of funny — we talked about it all week: ‘It may come down to a field goal.’ And we put it through the uprights.”

    [divider]

    6-man

    Liberty/Stratton captured the 6-man title with a 44-40 win over Hi-Plains. Read the full story here.

  • State volleyball roundup: No. 9 seeds Elizabeth, Yuma into semis

    State volleyball elizabeth montrose
    Elizabeth is in the 4A volleyball semifinals. (Pam Wagner)

    DENVER — They weren’t supposed to be in the semis. Not as a No. 9 seeds.

    Yet, Class 4A’s Elizabeth and 2A’s Yuma — ninth-seeded, both — were the first two teams to punch their tickets to Saturday’s semifinals during the first day of the state volleyball tournaments at the Denver Coliseum on Friday.

    “Today, we’re just here,” Elizabeth coach Russ Haman said. “Nobody expects much out of us.”

    Haman’s Cardinals topped No. 4 Montrose to start the day, 3-1 (25-22, 23-25, 25-22, 25-10), then ruined No. 5 Thomas Jefferson’s coming-to-state party with another 3-1 win (25-22, 18-25, 25-23, 25-21).

    “We felt we could compete with everybody,” Haman said. “We didn’t set expectations. We were just like, ‘We’re going to do the best we can and play together as a team.’ That’s what we’ve had to work on all year, is playing as a team. That’s what they’ve chosen to do.”

    In preparation for big-time moments and teams his squad faced Friday, Haman scheduled matches and scrimmages with some of the elite programs in the state — including Lewis-Palmer, Cherry Creek, Cherokee Trail and Lakewood.

    “You get with those big-hitting teams and we learned how to try to work a defense around that,” Haman said. “Ideally, we want to play the hard, hard teams and get better and better.”

    Elizabeth could match up with Lewis-Palmer, 4A’s top seed, in the semifinals. It would be a fun personal matchup — Rangers coach Susan Odenbaugh “got me into coaching,” Haman said.

    State volleyball yuma
    Yuma advanced to the 2A semifinals. (Pam Wagner)

    Yuma also took No. 4 and 5 seeds en route to the semis. The Indians beat No. 5 Sangre de Cristo 3-1 (25-12, 25-8, 24-26, 25-13) and No. 4 Paonia 3-0 (25-18, 25-8, 25-19).

    “You know, we were a little disappointed in our seed, but I think it kind of lit a fire under the girls and they wanted to prove it a little bit more,” Yuma coach Megan Martinez said. “They came out ready to play.”

    This week, Martinez scheduled early practices to help her girls acclimate to playing so early in the day.

    “That got them ready to go,” Martinez said.

    Elsewhere, 5A’s top seed Grandview swept Castle View in its only match of the day. The Wolves will face No. 8 Rampart for a semifinal berth on Saturday morning.

    State volleyball cherry creek
    Cherry Creek. (Pam Wagner)

    No. 4 Mountain Vista and No. 5 Cherry Creek both beat No. 9 Fruita Monument, meaning their Saturday morning matchup will also determine a semifinal spot.

    No. 2 Arapahoe and No. 7 Doherty will play for the semis on Saturday following their wins over No. 11 Cherokee Trail. Doherty rallied from a 2-0 hole to beat CT 3-2.

    The final semifinal spot in 5A comes down to No. 3 Fossil Ridge and No. 6 Eaglecrest, who both topped No. 10 Pine Creek on Friday.

    In 4A, No. 1 Lewis-Palmer beat No. 12 Coronado 3-1, and No. 8 Roosevelt swept Coronado. Those teams meet Saturday morning to determine the semifinalist from Pool I.

    No. 2 Longmont and No. 7 Ponderosa will play for a semifinal berth out of Pool II. Both teams beat No. 11 Pueblo West.

    Pool III has a Colorado Springs flavor, with No. 3 Cheyenne Mountain and No. 6 Air Academy battling for the semis after both beating No. 10 Valor Christian.

    In 3A, No. 1 Eaton and No. 8 Bayfield both beat No. 12 Lamar, so they’ll play for a semifinal spot on Saturday. Out of Pool IV, No. 4 Platte Valley and No. 5 Holy Family both topped Coal Ridge and meet for a semifinal berth on Saturday.

    Valley, seeded second, and No. 7 University will play for the semis on Saturday. Both teams beat No. 11 Machebeuf.

    No. 3 Manitou Springs and No. 6 Gunnison are set to play for the final 3A semifinal spot after taking down No. 10 Sterling.

    State volleyball dove creek kit carson
    Dove Creek playing Kit Carson. (Pam Wagner)

    In 2A, No. 12 Meeker upset No. 8 Ridgway in Pool I. Couple with No. 1 Resurrection Christian’s later win over Meeker, it could make Saturday morning’s match between Ridgway and Resurrection Christian interesting. Should Resurrection Christian win, it’ll get the semifinal spot. But if Ridgway wins, the semifinalist will be determined on a tiebreaker.

    No. 2 Lutheran and No. 7 Lyons will battle for the semis after both beat No. 11 C.S. School.

    Pool III sets up like Pool I with No. 10 Akron beating No. 6 Swink on Friday. It means No. 3 Fowler can win the pool with a win over Swink, but a Swink win in that game sets up the tiebreaker scenario.

    In 1A, No. 1 Dove Creek and No. 8 Vail Christian will play for a semifinal spot following wins over No. 12 Kit Carson. Out of Pool IV, No. 4 Fleming and No. 5 Eads will meet for that semifinal spot after both teams beat No. 9 Stratton.

    No. 3 Otis and No. 6 Flager are set to play for the semis on Saturday. Both teams beat No. 10 Rocky Mountain Lutheran.

    Pool II has a potential tiebreaker scenario. No. 11 Idalia beat No. 7 Hi-Plains but lost to No. 2 Caliche on Friday. That means if Caliche beats Hi-Plains on Saturday, it gets the semifinal berth. If Hi-Plains wins, the teams will go to the tiebreak.

  • 3A football playoff bracket

    Football’s 2013 state playoff bracket for Class 3A.

    2013 CHSAA State Football Championships CHSAA 3A Football Championship

  • 4A football poll adds Windsor and Denver South

    (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
    (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    Windsor and Denver South have both returned to the CHSAANow.com 4A football poll.

    The Wizards are ranked ninth this week, while Denver South is No. 10.

    Likewise, the 3A poll added two new teams: Conifer (No. 9) and The Classical Academy (No. 10).

    Montrose (4A) and Coronado (3A) continued to lead each poll.

    Complete rankings are below.

    [divider]

    CHSAANow.com Football Polls

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

    Go to: 4A | 3A

    Class 4A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Montrose (10) 8-1 163 1 W
    2 Monarch (5) 7-1 146 3 W
    3 Pine Creek (2) 7-2 139 2 W
    4 Falcon (1) 8-1 117 4 W
    5 Pueblo South 8-1 106 5 W
    6 Loveland 7-1 95 9 W
    7 Durango 7-2 74 6 L
    8 Standley Lake 8-1 57 10 W
    9 Windsor 7-2 34 W
    10 Denver South 7-2 33 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Longmont 19, Pueblo Centennial 3, Broomfield 2, Dakota Ridge 1, Montbello 1.
    Dropped out
    Longmont (7), Broomfield (8).

    Class 3A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Coronado (8) 9-0 150 1 Bye
    2 Palisade (6) 8-1 148 3 W
    3 Discovery Canyon 8-1 130 2 W
    4 Holy Family (1) 7-1 117 4 W
    5 Elizabeth (1) 7-2 80 6 W
    6 Silver Creek (1) 6-2 74 8 W
    7 Rifle 7-2 59 10 W
    8 Roosevelt 6-2 58 9 W
    9 Conifer 7-2 38 W
    10 The Classical Academy 7-2 37 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Evergreen 23, Mead 14, Glenwood Springs 7, Lutheran 5, Delta 4.
    Dropped out
    Mead (5), Delta (7).
  • Football poll adds Mountain Range in 5A; Coronado on top in 3A

    (Pam Wagner)
    Mountain Range is ranked 10th this week. (Pam Wagner)

    Mountain Range, 7-1 this season, has joined this week’s CHSAANow.com football poll in Class 5A.

    The Mustangs, ranked No. 10, are riding a four-game winning streak, including a 22-16 decision against Rocky Mountain last week. Their lone loss this season came at Grand Junction on Sept. 20.

    Valor Christian remained atop the 5A ranking with 19 of the 22 first-place votes. Fairview, which got the other three first-place votes, stayed in the No. 2 spot following its big win over Pomona, and continued to be followed by No. 3 Regis Jesuit, No. 4 Cherry Creek and No. 5 ThunderRidge.

    Columbine stayed in sixth this week, while Cherokee Trail bumped up two spots to seventh. Pomona remained in eighth and Grand Junction moved up to ninth after beating 4A No. 1 Montrose.

    Despite the loss, Montrose remained atop the 4A ranking. Pine Creek moved up to No. 2, jumping Monarch, which fell to No. 3.

    Coronado is now atop the 3A poll after Palisade’s loss to Delta. Discovery Canyon is second and Palisade dropped to third.

    Delta joined the ranking at No. 7, as did Roosevelt (No. 9) following its win over then-No. 3 Silver Creek. Silver Creek dropped to No. 8 this week.

    Complete rankings for all polls are below.

    [divider]

    CHSAANow.com Football Polls

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

    Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A | 8-man | 6-man

    Class 5A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Valor Christian (19) 7-1 217 1 W
    2 Fairview (3) 7-0 193 2 W
    3 Regis Jesuit 7-1 165 3 W
    4 Cherry Creek 7-1 154 4 W
    5 ThunderRidge 7-1 144 5 W
    6 Columbine 7-1 103 6 W
    7 Cherokee Trail 6-2 89 9 W
    8 Pomona 6-2 60 8 L
    9 Grand Junction 6-2 42 10 W
    10 Mountain Range 7-1 13 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Ralston Valley 8, Arapahoe 7, Chatfield 5, Overland 5, Legend 4, Rock Canyon 1.
    Dropped out
    Chatfield (7).

    Class 4A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Montrose (10) 7-1 185 1 L
    2 Pine Creek (3) 6-2 169 3 W
    3 Monarch (7) 6-1 158 2 W
    4 Falcon (1) 7-1 122 4 W
    5 Pueblo South 7-1 110 5 W
    6 Durango 7-1 98 7 W
    7 Longmont 6-1 92 6 W
    8 Broomfield 5-2 69 8 W
    9 Loveland 6-1 54 10 W
    10 Standley Lake 7-1 48 9 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Windsor 25, Denver South 14, Pueblo West 6, Dakota Ridge 4, Wheat Ridge 1.
    Dropped out
    None.

    Class 3A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Coronado (9) 9-0 137 2 W
    2 Discovery Canyon (1) 7-1 127 4 W
    3 Palisade (4) 7-1 126 1 L
    4 Holy Family (1) 6-1 101 5 W
    5 Mead 7-0 91 8 W
    6 Elizabeth (1) 6-2 62 7 W
    7 Delta 6-2 52 W
    8 Silver Creek 5-2 45 3 L
    9 Roosevelt 5-2 40 W
    10 Rifle 6-2 39 10 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Conifer 33, The Classical Academy 12, Glenwood Springs 6, Evergreen 5, Lutheran 4.
    Dropped out
    Evergreen (6), Conifer (9).

    Class 2A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Brush (9) 7-0 99 1 W
    2 Manitou Springs (1) 8-0 86 3 W
    3 Platte Valley 6-1 84 2 W
    4 Faith Christian 7-2 57 6 W
    5 Florence 6-2 50 5 W
    6 Kent Denver 6-2 46 4 L
    7 Strasburg 6-2 36 7 W
    8 Bennett 6-2 32 9 W
    9 Gunnison 6-2 20 10 W
    10 Lamar 6-2 14 8 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Olathe 12, Jefferson 8, Fort Lupton 2.
    Dropped out
    None.

    Class 1A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Buena Vista (11) 8-0 153 1 W
    2 Limon (5) 8-0 148 2 W
    3 Centauri 7-1 122 4 W
    4 Paonia 7-1 104 7 W
    5 Hotchkiss 6-2 85 3 L
    6 Monte Vista 7-1 83 5 W
    7 Cedaredge 6-2 69 6 W
    8 Resurrection Christian 5-2 44 W
    9 Yuma 5-3 33 9 W
    10 Platte Canyon 7-1 19 10 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Rye 7, Burlington 4, Jefferson 4, Holyoke 2, Wray 2, Lyons 1.
    Dropped out
    Wray (8).

    8-man
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Hoehne (7) 8-0 97 1 W
    2 Dayspring Christian (3) 8-0 92 2 W
    3 Norwood 7-1 76 5 W
    4 Simla 7-0 71 4 W
    5 Caliche 7-1 61 3 L
    6 Kiowa 6-2 40 6 L
    7 McClave 7-1 37 9 W
    8 Sargent 6-2 28 10 W
    9 Dove Creek 6-2 23 8 L
    10 Walsh 6-2 13 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Merino 8, Akron 2, Sangre de Cristo 1, Springfield 1.
    Dropped out
    Akron (7).

    6-man
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Liberty/Stratton (8) 8-0 48 1 W
    2 Arickaree (2) 8-0 41 2 W
    3 Eads 7-1 26 4 W
    4 Hi-Plains 7-1 19 3 W
    5 Otis 5-2 13 5 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Prairie 3.
    Dropped out
    None.
  • Football roundup: Mullen knocks off No. 7 Chatfield

    There were a few brief minutes where Chatfield seized the lead against Mullen for the first time on Friday night. In those minutes, it seemed Chatfield would escape with a win.

    Not so.

    Mullen pulled off the upset against the No. 7 Chargers, 40-34, to pick up its second win this season. Chatfield fell to 6-2.

    Mullen led for nearly the entire game — including gaps of 24-9 and 31-16 — but Chatfield tied things at 31 early in the fourth, then took a 34-31 lead on a field goal with 5:46 remaining. The Mustangs answered right back with a touchdown to regain a lead at 37-34.

    Penalties set the ensuing kickoff up from Chatfield’s 30, and Mullen caught the Chargers off-guard with an onside kick. The Mustangs recovered at the 11-yard-line. They added a 23-yard field goal with 1:40 to play.

    Chatfield marched down the field and attempted a Hail Mary from midfield as time expired, but the pass was intercepted.

    The biggest upset of the night, though, came in 3A. That’s where unranked Delta knocked off No. 1 Palisade, 31-21. Palisade rallied from a 21-7 hole at halftime to tie things at 21 after three quarters. But Delta prevailed.

    “We had a good lead at half, and we threw a pick-6 in the third and we caused ourselves some problems and turned it into a football game,” Delta coach Ben Johnson told ColoradoPreps.com’s Built Ford Tough Scoreboard Show on Friday night.

    “Our kids played a wonderful game, and it was a big game,” he said. “Our kids played real well. We’ve got another one next week. Hopefully we can — our goal is to win this league.”

    Palisade plays No. 10 Rifle next week. Rifle beat Steamboat Springs 50-10 on Friday.

    3A saw two other big upsets on Friday night: Glenwood Springs beat No. 6 Evergreen 35-7, and Roosevelt took down No. 3 Silver Creek 23-20.

    “It was a very exciting game. I think everyone got their money’s worth tonight,” Roosevelt’s Nolan Eastin told the Scoreboard Show. “Silver Creek’s such a good team. They’re so talented. We had to grind one out: we had some early turnovers, we got behind. It shows a lot about our character.

    “The game of football is a funny game, it goes high and low,” he continued. “We had a lot of lows in the first quarter, but our guys just hung in there and kept fighting and scrapping and grinding away. We made some plays, and here come the Roughriders in the second half. We were able to hold them on ‘D’ and come away with a big win.”

    Roosevelt was able to secure the win by owning possession.

    “They can’t hurt you much when they’re not on ‘O’ — and they have a great ‘O,’” Eastin said. “They’re explosive on offense, and we knew that. So we wanted to try and chew up some clock and grind the ball away and kind of ground and pound it.”

    Elsewhere in 3A, No. 2 Coronado improved to a state-best 9-0 following a 27-9 win over Woodland Park.

    In 4A, eighth-ranked Broomfield picked up an impressive 21-13 win over Montbello.

    “They came over here and gave us everything we wanted,” Broomfield coach Gary Davies told the Scoreboard Show. “There was a penalty on the last play of the half, and we had to run one more play, and we scored from 85 yards out on a run, and that put us up 21-7. Basically, in the second half we just kind of hung on. But, you know, it was a win, and I’m very happy we were on that side of the score.”

    In recent weeks, Broomfield has beaten Denver South, Standley Lake and, now, Montbello. The Eagles have won five consecutive games.

    “We just seem to be able to find ways to win games,” Davies said. “I’m not sure any of our wins have been very pretty. The kids just keep hanging in there and they don’t quit. I like where we’re sitting.”

    Elsewhere in 4A, No. 7 Durango rallied to beat 5A Fruita Monument 17-10.

    At the 2A level, No. 9 Bennett beat No. 4 Kent Denver 14-7.

    “We’ve been itching at it for quite a few years with Kent,” Bennett coach Rick Jacoby told the Scoreboard Show. “It was a big for the kids, it was the program and our school and our town.

    “They were inside the 10 (yard-line) four times and our defense stepped up huge and kept them out of the end zone.”

    Elsewhere, it was No. 7 Strasburg over Eaton 32-7.

    “Overall, I thought we really kind of controlled the line of scrimmage, and were able to get enough points up there (in the first half) to be pretty comfortable in the second half,” Strasburg coach Jeff Giger told the Scoreboard Show.

    In 1A, Resurrection Christian upset No. 8 Wray 35-13.

    “We were able to get a few of our kids that had been hurt back, and I think that was a key tonight,” Resurrection Christian coach Mark Roggy told the Scoreboard Show. “I thought out defense played very well. We were able to control the tempo of the game against a very good, potent Wray ballclub, and we were able to balance our offense. That’s big for the way we think about football here.”

    Elsewhere, No.7 Paonia topped No. 3 Hotchkiss 21-0.

    “The kids played hard; it was a fun battle,” Paonia coach Brent McRae told the Scoreboard Show. “Our defense played well. They were so prepared and so disciplined and we put a lot of respect on our defensive side of the ball.”

    It was a big night for 8-man football with three games between ranked opponents. Included was No. 2 Dayspring Christian’s 38-15 win over No. 3 Caliche, as well as No. 4 Simla’s 40-8 win over No. 6 Kiowa.

    “It was an ugly game for both teams, a defensive battle even though there was 30 points on the board, but our kids played their tails off and Kiowa has a good football team,” Simla coach Shane Zimmerman told the Scoreboard Show of his team’s win.

    Also, fifth-ranked Norwood beat No. 8 Dove Creek 56-28.

    “Dove Creek out and (drove on) us right off the bat, but we had the depth to keep putting kids in and wore ’em down and started putting points on the board in the second half,” Norwood coach Brandon Alexander told the Scoreboard Show.

  • Mountain View now No. 3 in 4A girls cross country ranking

    Mountain View made a big jump in this week’s 4A Colorado Track XC/CHSAANow.com girls cross country poll, moving from seventh to third.

    The 2A poll was the only ranking to add new teams this week. Heritage Christian (No. 8) and Skyview Academy (No. 10) joined.

    Complete rankings for all classes are below.

    [divider]

    Colorado Track XC/CHSAANow.com Girls Polls

    Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org.

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

    Class 5A
    RK TEAM PTS PVS
    1 Fort Collins (9) 135 1
    2 Monarch (5) 130 2
    3 Cherry Creek 113 3
    4 Pine Creek 98 4
    5 ThunderRidge 63 5
    6 Legacy 62 9
    7 Rock Canyon 54 8
    8 Fairview 47 7
    9 Mountain Vista 32 6
    10 Grandview 12 10
    Others receiving votes:
    Castle View 10, Fossil Ridge 8, Heritage 5, Arapahoe 1.
    Dropped out:
    None.

    Class 4A
    RK TEAM PTS PVS
    1 Thompson Valley (7) 131 1
    2 The Classical Academy (3) 125 2
    3 Mountain View (3) 123 7
    4 Niwot 110 4
    5 Air Academy (1) 94 3
    6 Cheyenne Mountain (1) 86 5
    7 Battle Mountain 50 6
    8 Coronado 34 8
    9 Evergreen 33 9
    10 Durango 15 10
    Others receiving votes:
    Wheat Ridge 12, Palmer Ridge 10, Broomfield 3.
    Dropped out:
    None.

    Class 3A
    RK TEAM PTS PVS
    1 Salida (12) 120 1
    2 Holy Family 102 2
    3 Peak to Peak 87 3
    4 Colorado Academy 73 4
    5 Kent Denver 66 5
    6 Estes Park 54 6
    7 Moffat County 48 8
    8 Frontier Academy 45 7
    9 Bayfield 22 9
    10 Alamosa 18 10
    Others receiving votes:
    Pagosa Springs 12, St. Mary’s 9, Buena Vista 3, Platte Valley 1.
    Dropped out:
    None.

    Class 2A
    RK TEAM PTS PVS
    1 Hotchkiss (10) 106 1
    2 Lyons (1) 86 2
    3 Paonia 84 4
    4 Vanguard 80 3
    5 Resurrection Christian 74 6
    6 Denver Christian 49 5
    7 Nederland 39 9
    8 Heritage Christian 31
    9 Shining Mountain 24 7
    10 SkyView Academy 15
    Others receiving votes:
    Sargent 10, Mancos 3, Yuma 3, Rocky Ford 1.
    Dropped out:
    Sargent (8), Custer County (10).
  • 5A boys cross country poll adds No. 8 Thornton

    Thornton is the only new face in this week’s Colorado Track XC/CHSAANow.com 5A boys cross country poll.

    Complete rankings for all classes are below.

    [divider]

    Colorado Track XC/CHSAANow.com Boys Polls

    Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org.

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

    Class 5A
    RK TEAM PTS PVS
    1 Mountain Vista (13) 130 1
    2 Arapahoe 110 2
    3 Fort Collins 106 4
    4 Cherry Creek 93 3
    5 Monarch 68 8
    6 Boulder 66 5
    7 Pomona 45 6
    8 Thornton 34
    9 Rock Canyon 26 9
    10 Dakota Ridge 25 10
    Others receiving votes:
    Heritage 7, Grandview 2, Chaparral 1, Fossil Ridge 1, Smoky Hill 1.
    Dropped out:
    Heritage (7).

    Class 4A
    RK TEAM PTS PVS
    1 Coronado (10) 145 1
    2 Pueblo West (5) 132 2
    3 The Classical Academy 101 3
    4 Air Academy 97 5
    5 Cheyenne Mountain 80 4
    6 Palmer Ridge 75 6
    7 Broomfield 72 8
    8 Durango 67 7
    9 Niwot 27 9
    10 Thompson Valley 15 10
    Others receiving votes:
    Erie 9, Denver North 2, Evergreen 2, Mountain View 1.
    Dropped out:
    None.

    Class 3A
    RK TEAM PTS PVS
    1 Lamar (13) 130 1
    2 Peak to Peak 108 2
    3 Frontier Academy 99 3
    4 Alamosa 88 4
    5 Holy Family 75 8
    6 Salida 52 6
    7 Estes Park 45 5
    8 Faith Christian 44 7
    9 Brush 40 10
    10 Buena Vista 24 9
    Others receiving votes:
    Platte Canyon 3, St. Mary’s 2, University 2, Colorado Academy 1, Gunnison 1, Sterling 1.
    Dropped out:
    None.

    Class 2A
    RK TEAM PTS PVS
    1 Lyons (11) 110 1
    2 Vanguard 88 2
    3 Crested Butte 80 3
    4 Telluride 65 5
    5 Rocky Ford 60 4
    6 Heritage Christian 52
    7 Liberty Commons 48
    8 Hotchkiss 39 6
    9 Custer County 25 7
    10 Wiggins 11 8
    Others receiving votes:
    Denver Academy 9, Rye 6, Peyton 5, SkyView Academy 4, Mancos 2, Paonia 1.
    Dropped out:
    Rye (9), Peyton (10).
  • Grand Junction, Broomfield join respective football polls

    Grand Junction football
    Grand Junction is ranked No. 10 this week. (Courtesy photo)

    Grand Junction was idle last week. No matter, the Tigers have rejoined this week’s CHSAANow.com football poll in Class 5A.

    Grand Junction (5-2), last ranked Sept. 9, is No. 10 in the poll. The Tigers took the spot vacated by Arapahoe after the Warriors were upset by Lakewood last week. Up next for GJ: Unbeaten Montrose, which is No. 1 in 4A.

    Valor Christian continued to lead the 5A poll, and received 22 of the 23 first-place votes. Fairview remained in second, and Regis Jesuit in third. Cherry Creek is fourth and ThunderRidge fifth after the two schools swapped places.

    Columbine (No. 6) and Chatfield (No. 7) also stayed put, while Pomona moved up to No. 8. The Panthers, coming off a win over rival Ralston Valley, have a big showdown with Fairview on Friday afternoon.

    Montrose is a unanimous pick atop 4A, and Monarch remained in that poll’s No. 2 spot. Pine Creek bumped up to No. 3, Falcon is fourth and Pueblo South rounds out the top 5.

    (Pam Wagner)
    Broomfield is No. 8 in 4A. (Pam Wagner)

    Broomfield (4-2) joined the 4A ranking after beating then-No. 3 Standley Lake last week. The Eagles are eighth. Standley Lake fell to ninth.

    Conifer joined the 3A poll. The Lobos are No. 9 following consecutive wins over ranked opponents Lutheran, D’Evelyn and Rifle. Rifle, No. 3 last week, dropped to No. 10 this week.

    Gunnison (No. 10) is the lone newcomer to 2A, while 1A added Yuma (No. 9) and Platte Canyon (No. 10). 8-man added Sargent at No. 10, and 6-man added Otis (No. 5).

    Complete rankings for all classes are below.

    [divider]

    CHSAANow.com Football Polls

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

    Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A | 8-man | 6-man

    Class 5A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Valor Christian (22) 6-1 229 1 W
    2 Fairview (1) 6-0 192 2 W
    3 Regis Jesuit 6-1 158 3 W
    4 Cherry Creek 6-1 154 5 W
    5 ThunderRidge 6-1 153 4 W
    6 Columbine 6-1 101 6 W
    7 Chatfield 6-1 100 7 W
    8 Pomona 6-1 82 9 W
    9 Cherokee Trail 5-2 50 10 W
    10 Grand Junction 5-2 19 Bye
    Others receiving votes:
    Overland 10, Rock Canyon 6, Mountain Range 5, Arapahoe 4, Lakewood 1, Ralston Valley 1.
    Dropped out
    Arapahoe (8).

    Class 4A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Montrose (24) 7-0 240 1 W
    2 Monarch 5-1 189 2 W
    3 Pine Creek 5-2 180 5 W
    4 Falcon 6-1 151 6 W
    5 Pueblo South 6-1 118 8 W
    6 Longmont 5-1 109 7 W
    7 Durango 6-1 97 10 W
    8 Broomfield 4-2 64 W
    9 Standley Lake 6-1 62 3 L
    10 Loveland 5-1 59 4 L
    Others receiving votes:
    Windsor 23, Pueblo West 8, Denver South 6, Pueblo Centennial 6, Cañon City 4, Montbello 2, Sand Creek 2.
    Dropped out
    Montbello (9).

    Class 3A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Palisade (17) 7-0 179 1 W
    2 Coronado 8-0 126 2 W
    3 Silver Creek (1) 5-1 116 4 W
    4 Discovery Canyon 6-1 115 5 Bye
    5 Holy Family 5-1 96 6 W
    6 Evergreen 6-1 93 7 W
    7 Elizabeth 5-2 64 9 W
    8 Mead 6-0 57 8 W
    9 Conifer 5-2 38 W
    10 Rifle 5-2 33 3 L
    Others receiving votes:
    Roosevelt 26, The Classical Academy 24, Frederick 10, Delta 5, Glenwood Springs 5, Lutheran 1.
    Dropped out
    Roosevelt (10).

    Class 2A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Brush (11) 6-0 110 1 W
    2 Platte Valley 5-1 92 4 W
    3 Manitou Springs 7-0 84 3 W
    4 Kent Denver 6-1 81 2 W
    5 Florence 5-2 57 5 W
    6 Faith Christian 6-2 51 6 W
    7 Strasburg 5-2 38 9 W
    8 Lamar 5-2 31 7 L
    9 Bennett 5-2 29 8 W
    10 Gunnison 5-2 11 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Olathe 10, Jefferson 7, Fort Lupton 3, Denver West 2.
    Dropped out
    Eaton (10).

    Class 1A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Buena Vista (12) 7-0 163 1 W
    2 Limon (5) 7-0 154 2 W
    3 Hotchkiss 6-1 136 3 W
    4 Centauri 6-1 118 4 W
    5 Monte Vista 6-1 85 5 W
    6 Cedaredge 5-2 76 7 W
    7 Paonia 6-1 65 6 W
    8 Wray 4-3 40 8 W
    9 Yuma 4-3 27 W
    10 Platte Canyon 6-1 26 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Resurrection Christian 17, Lyons 13, Burlington 6, Cornerstone Christian 3, Rye 3, Crowley County 2, Wiggins 1.
    Dropped out
    Wiggins (9), Lyons (10).

    8-man
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Hoehne (6) 7-0 96 1 W
    2 Dayspring Christian (4) 7-0 93 2 W
    3 Caliche 7-0 72 3 W
    4 Simla 6-0 66 4 W
    5 Norwood 6-1 50 5 W
    6 Kiowa 6-1 48 6 Bye
    7 Akron 5-2 27 8 W
    8 Dove Creek 6-1 26 9 W
    9 McClave 6-1 25 7 W
    10 Sargent 5-2 20 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Vail Christian 12, Sanford 8, Springfield 5, West Grand 2.
    Dropped out
    Sanford (10).

    6-man
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Liberty/Stratton (7) 7-0 48 1 W
    2 Arickaree (4) 7-0 47 2 W
    3 Hi-Plains 6-1 25 5 W
    4 Eads 6-1 24 4 W
    5 Otis 4-2 16 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Briggsdale 5.
    Dropped out
    Briggsdale (3).