Niwot is up to No. 5 in 3A boys soccer. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Despite the top teams remaining the same in the Class 5A, 4A and 3A CHSAANow.com soccer polls, there was plenty of changes from last week.
Of the four new teams who joined the 5A rankings, two of them fell out of the polls just last week. Arvada West (No. 7) and Pine Creek (No. 9) rejoin the top 10 after playing their way out of last week’s rankings. They’re joined by Legacy (No. 8) and Rocky Mountain (No. 10), who make their first appearance in the polls this season.
ThunderRidge also made a significant jump this season, going from No. 9 to No. 6 after going 2-0 last week.
Broomfield remained No. 1 in 5A.
The 10 teams from last week’s 4A polls remained the same, but Valor Christian did jump from No. 8 to No. 4. Cheyenne Mountain continued to lead the 4A ranking.
Pagosa Springs, which was unranked in the preseason, has made the jump to No. 3 in 3A this week. Salida climbs back into the polls at No. 5 after falling out of the top 10 last week. Aurora West lands at No. 8 as the other newcomer in 3A.
Kent Denver stayed on top of the 3A poll.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday during the regular season.
Voted upon by coaches and select media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Aurora Central 10, Castle View 10, Denver East 10, Rock Canyon 7, Rampart 6, Fossil Ridge 4, George Washington 3, Mountain Vista 2, Heritage 1.
Dropped out
Rangeview (5), George Washington (7), Denver East (8), Far Northeast (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Cheyenne Mountain (10)
3-0-0
117
1
2-0-0
2
Evergreen (2)
3-0-0
101
2
2-0-0
3
The Classical Academy
4-1-0
92
3
3-0-0
4
Valor Christian
5-0-0
66
8
2-0-0
5
Niwot
3-0-0
56
6
2-0-0
6
Denver West
3-0-0
52
5
0-0-0
7
Air Academy
3-1-0
43
7
3-0-0
8
Littleton
4-1-0
40
4
2-1-0
9
Ponderosa
3-2-0
14
9
1-1-0
10
Greeley West
3-0-0
11
10
1-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Mullen 10, Battle Mountain 9, Skyview 9, Vista Ridge 9, Denver North 8, Longmont 7, D’Evelyn 6, Eagle Valley 5, John F. Kennedy 3, Green Mountain 1, Lewis-Palmer 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Kent Denver (6)
3-0-0
69
1
0-0-0
2
KIPP (1)
4-0-0
46
4
1-0-0
3
Pagosa Springs
4-0-0
40
8
1-0-0
4
Colorado Academy
1-1-1
38
2
0-1-1
5
Salida
4-1-0
34
–
2-0-0
6
Faith Christian
3-1-0
28
6
2-1-0
7
Peak to Peak
3-1-0
26
5
1-1-0
8
Aurora West
4-1-0
23
–
2-0-0
9
Colorado Springs Christian
4-0-1
20
9
2-0-0
10
Frontier Academy
2-2-0
15
3
0-1-0
Others receiving votes:
DSST-Stapleton 13, Jefferson Academy 13, Coal Ridge 5, Jefferson 5, The Academy 5, Sheridan 4, Dawson School 1.
Manitou Springs, No. 3 in 3A, outlasted The Classical Academy in a five-set match on Tuesday. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
MANITOU SPRINGS — Manitou Springs volleyball edged The Classical Academy in a fantastic five-set match on Tuesday.
The Mustangs, ranked No. 3 in this week’s Class 3A rankings, beat the Titans, a 4A program, 3-2 (13-25, 25-13, 14-25, 25-17, 15-9). Jane Squires, the first-year Manitou coach, said that even though her team has had different scrimmages, the match, which was their first of the season, was going to have a few kinks to work out.
“It’s on the job training,” Squires said. “A lot of it’s confidence, this team has a lot of pressure on them, but as the game went on, we got more confident.”
The Mustangs and Titans had a high-energy first set. But for Manitou, the energy was misdirected.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
The Classical Academy took the first set 25-13 as the Titans were able to capitalize on the Mustangs’ power-packed lineup that delivered a handful of shots out of bounds.
The Titans took an early 3-1 lead and never lost it, extending to a five-point lead (8-3), into a 12-point win in the first set. Manitou senior and University of Tampa signee Katie McKiel logged three kills in the first set, and the Titans Amber Berns and Emma Porter added a kill each of their own to the victory.
In the second set, the tables turned and power player McKiel and the Mustangs found their momentum.
Setter Angala Jensen fed pass after pass to McKeil, whose kill number quadrupled in the second set. The Titans took a lead early in the set, their team motivated largely by libero Chloe Weeks’ crucial digs against McKeil’s kill attempts.
But the Manitou front line wore the Titans down, with their front line’s eight kills and four blocks paving the way to a 25-13 win. That frontline, composed of McKiel, Brooke Garretson and Angala Jensen all feel their chemistry as a trio works to their advantage
“We’ve been playing with each other since freshman year,” Garretson said.
Added Jensen: “We all mix well together, and I know how they all like their sets.”
All three seniors are aiming to set examples of intensity and positivity on the court this season.
In the third set, The Classical Academy once again took an early lead. This time, they kept it.
With her team trailing 13-5, Squires called a timeout, and her speech must have been something special. The Mustangs rallied to cut the lead to only five points at 16-11. But the Titans held their ground, with senior Chloe Storm adding two kills, and Berns with three digs.
TCA extended its lead back to ten points and a score of 21-12. The Classical Academy served with a 10-point cushion at 24-14, and took the third set.
Early in the fourth set, Manitou stormed out to an early 8-0 lead, but The Classical Academy came to play.
The Titans slowly cut away at the Manitou lead with five consecutive points, bringing the score to 9-5.
The teams continued to compete, with both groups showing their ability to work as a complete unit. Players from all over the court and from both sides stepped up and showed true endurance and athleticism.
Midway through the fourth set, McKeil had a crucial kill that set the Mustangs back in motion. Manitou took its six-point lead and ran with it, winning the set 25-17.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
TCA served first in the final set, breaking the first point through a jumble of confused Manitou players. The Mustangs answered, scoring six consecutive points before TCA head coach Kiyo Greene called a timeout.
The timeout didn’t seem to break Manitou’s momentum, though — the Mustangs found themselves up 12-3 with a third of the points coming from McKiel.
The Classical Academy’s Porter and her team continued to play, with Porter adding a kill, and the Titans wearing Manitou’s front line down to cut the lead to five.
The Mustangs couldn’t be stopped, though, and took the final set and the match with a score of 15-9.
Greene felt satisfied with TCA’s performance on Tuesday, nothing that “even though Manitou is much bigger, our defense was pretty good.”
Cheyenne Mountain boys soccer opened the season with a big win last week, and finds itself ranked No. 1 in Class 4A this week.
Cheyenne Mountain beat then-No. 2 The Classical Academy 3-2 in a season opener. Coupled with former No. 1 Air Academy’s loss to Evergreen, Cheyenne Mountain took over.
Evergreen, No. 8 in the preseason, moved up to No. 2 in the 4A poll, which is conducted by CHSAANow.com. The Classical Academy is No. 3, and Littleton made a big jump from No. 7 to No. 4.
Denver West, unranked in the preseason, is No. 5.
Niwot held steady at No. 6, Air Academy dropped to No. 7 and newcomer Valor Christian is No. 8. Ponderosa is No. 9 and another newcomer, Greeley West, rounds out the ranking.
Things were pretty crazy in the 5A ranking, which added six new teams. Yes, the Nos. 1 and 2 teams — Broomfield and Boulder — held their respective spots, but that was just about it.
Fort Collins was one of six new teams to the 5A poll, checking in at No. 3. (Aislyn Carrillo/CHSAANow.com)
Joining the ranking were No. 3 Fort Collins, No. 5 Rangeview, No. 7 George Washington, No. 8 Denver East, No. 9 ThunderRidge and No. 10 Far Northeast (formerly Montbello). Fairview (No. 4) and Cherry Creek (No. 6) were the other holdovers from the preseason.
The 3A poll also had similar shakeup. Four new teams joined: No. 4 KIPP, No. 8 Pagosa Springs, No. 9 Colorado Springs Christian and No. 10 Denver Science & Tech Stapleton.
Kent Denver retained the No. 1 spot in that poll.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday during the regular season.
Voted upon by coaches and select media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Liberty 16, Heritage 14, Rock Canyon 14, Legend 13, Fossil Ridge 12, Mountain Vista 12, Eaglecrest 9, Pine Creek 9, Westminster 8, Lincoln 7, Arapahoe 6, Arvada West 6, Castle View 5, Legacy 4, Smoky Hill 4, Adams City 3, Grand Junction 2, Ralston Valley 1.
Dropped out
Rock Canyon (4), Smoky Hill (5), Grandview (7), Pine Creek (8), Arvada West (9), Mountain Vista (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Cheyenne Mountain (8)
1-0-0
104
3
1-0-0
2
Evergreen (2)
1-0-0
90
8
1-0-0
3
The Classical Academy
1-1-0
85
2
1-1-0
4
Littleton
2-0-0
68
7
2-0-0
5
Denver West (1)
3-0-0
60
–
3-0-0
6
Niwot
1-0-0
56
6
1-0-0
7
Air Academy
0-1-0
55
1
0-1-0
8
Valor Christian (1)
3-0-0
54
–
3-0-0
9
Ponderosa
2-1-0
29
5
2-1-0
10
Greeley West
2-0-0
10
–
2-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Mullen 9, D’Evelyn 8, Skyline 7, Steamboat Springs 7, Eagle Valley 5, Frederick 5, Vista Ridge 5, Battle Mountain 4, Pueblo Centennial 4, Glenwood Springs 3, Green Mountain 2, Montrose 1.
Dropped out
D’Evelyn (4), Summit (9), Battle Mountain (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Kent Denver (6)
3-0-0
60
1
3-0-0
2
Colorado Academy
1-0-0
51
2
1-0-0
3
Frontier Academy
2-1-0
34
6
2-1-0
4
KIPP (1)
3-0-0
30
–
3-0-0
5
Peak to Peak
2-0-0
29
7
2-0-0
6
Faith Christian
1-0-0
27
10
1-0-0
7
Coal Ridge
0-1-0
26
5
0-1-0
8
Pagosa Springs
3-0-0
25
–
3-0-0
9
Colorado Springs Christian
2-0-1
24
–
2-0-1
10
DSST-Stapleton
1-0-0
22
–
1-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Salida 18, Jefferson Academy 12, Roaring Fork 8, Aspen 6, Denver Christian 5, Sheridan 3, St. Mary’s 2, The Academy 2, Basalt 1.
Dropped out
Denver Christian (3), Salida (4), Vail Mountain (8), Sheridan (9).
Longmont and Pueblo East played on Friday night. (Photo: @GoTrojanNation on Twitter)
It doesn’t get much bigger for Zero Week: One defending champion, one runner-up — both from different classifications.
On Friday, Longmont, the Class 4A runner-up last season, held off Pueblo East, the reigning 3A champ, with a 48-27 victory. The Trojans got five touchdowns from Conlon Berger, according to BoCoPreps’ Brad Cochi.
The game was actually knotted at 21 at halftime, but Longmont seized a two-touchdown lead just two drives into the second half. Pueblo East fumbled on the next possession, and Longmont’s Berger scored on the very next play.
Longmont, ranked No. 2 in 4A’s preseason poll, cruised thereafter to knock off top-ranked Pueblo East.
[divider]
1A/2A: (4) Resurrection Christian 15, (5) Platte Valley 13
Resurrection Christian scored two touchdowns in a span of 1:28, and it would be all the Cougars needed to upset 2A foe Platte Valley, 15-13.
Platte Valley battled back, and even scored a touchdown to make it 15-13 with 2:37 remaining, but couldn’t convert the two-point attempt to tie the game.
[divider]
3A: (9) Delta 38, The Classical Academy 35
In a game that featured seven lead changes, Delta was finally able to hold off The Classical Academy.
TCA led 28-24 with 8:29 to go in the third quarter, but Delta was able to rally to take a 31-28 lead heading to the fourth.
The Classical Academy drove down to the Delta 1-yard-line with a chance to take the lead, but turned the ball over. Delta scored on the ensuing possession to make it 38-28.
[divider]
8-man: (10) Sargent 40, (8) Springfield 28
Sargent built at 32-14 lead at halftime, and was able to pull the upset of Springfield.
The game looked to be a back-and-forth affair early on, but a 66-yard kickoff return for a score made it 24-8 and broke the game open.
[divider]
5A: Cherry Creek 31, Heritage 0
Cherry Creek, the defending 5A champion, shook off some Zero Week jitters to cruise to a season-opening win.
Pine Creek extended its state-best winning streak to 26 games by beating Pueblo Centennial 45-0. Paonia has the second-longest streak at 23 games.
Colorado teams were 4-0 on Friday against out-of-state opponents. Included: Valor Christian beating Bonneville (Idaho) 51-12; Bayfield topping Kirtland Central (N.M.) 43-0; Rifle over Grand County (Utah) 47-12; and Sedgwick County routing Creek Valley (Neb.) 94-8.
Durango pulled off a big upset in 3A, knocking off No. 10 Lutheran 33-7.
In 6-man, No. 8 North Park upset No. 5 Peetz, 60-26. Helmuth Wenneker had two rushing touchdowns, while Garrin Cox rushed for 170 yards and a score.
Tanner Patterson had six total touchdowns as 6-man No. 10 Otis beat Weldon Valley 50-7 — three passing and three rushing.
The Classical Academy, runner-up in 4A boys soccer last season, opens at No. 2 in the preseason poll. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)
[dropcap]P[/dropcap]erhaps the story of the year in 2014 boys soccer was that of The Classical Academy; a charter school right down the street from Air Academy in Colorado Springs which, due to attendance, rose from Class 3A to 4A last year and responded by going 19-1.
The Titans’ only loss? The state championship, to the very same Air Academy, which head coach Blake Galvin claims they can almost see from across I-25.
“I think that could develop into a pretty good rivalry in the future,” Galvin said. “But we’ve only been in 4A one year, so it’s hard to predict at this point.”
One can understand Galvin’s pragmatic answer to the often-loaded "rivalry" question. In fact, pragmatic is perhaps the best word to describe his squad’s approach to the upcoming season.
The Titans return all of their starting players from the team that finished runner-up a year ago and are among favorites to win it all in their sophomore campaign at 4A. TCA opened as No. 2 in the preseason poll — just behind preseason No. 1 Air Academy.
Yet besides last year’s disappointment in the final, TCA competed for 3A titles in 2010, 2011, and 2013 in efforts that all fell short.
“We’re doing everything we can, honestly, to not even talk about it,” Galvin said of his squad’s role as favorites this season. “We’re really trying to focus on being excellent in each moment.
“We’ve kind of made the decision as a team that if we can be excellent in each moment of the season, then whatever happens next for us is ‘right.’”
The Titans’ soccer program started in 2005, and Galvin has been with them since the beginning. They only fielded a JV squad that first year, but as the four state title appearances in the last five seasons indicate, things have progressed quickly since then. This year’s team will return a whopping six all-state players.
“We’ve kind of always had the thought that the top teams in 3A could compete with the top teams at 4A,” Galvin said. “We really didn’t ever know for sure though.
“I think the main difference (between 3A and 4A) is that the field is a lot deeper. Your first-round playoff matchup is always going to be tough at 4A, while that wasn’t always the case (at 3A).”
Because of TCA’s designation a school of choice, students enrolled there have the option to transfer to other public high schools in the area, one notably being Air Academy. TCA’s increased high school enrollment is unique in that they really get very few new enrollments in high school. More students who attended elementary and junior high school are simply electing to remain at The Classical Academy.
Still, Galvin stopped short of giving his program credit for part of the boom.
“It’s so rare that the school takes in new ninth graders that most of the players that I have have been going to school here since at least junior high or even kindergarten,” Galvin explained. “I’ve had some great players but if kids are sticking around, it’s because of some great things going on in the classroom.”
The coach hesitated for just a moment, then added, “But it doesn’t hurt that we’ve had some success on the athletic field as well.”
Air Academy and The Classical Academy battled for the 4A title last season. The teams open at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the 4A preseason poll. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)
Broomfield, Air Academy and Kent Denver lead the way in boys soccer’s preseason rankings, which were released on Monday.
All three teams won championships last fall. On Monday, when the CHSAANow.com Boys Soccer Polls were released, each sat atop their respective classifications.
Broomfield heads the Class 5A poll with eight of the 10 first-place votes, and 98 total points. Boulder is No. 2, and is followed by No. 3 Fairview, No. 4 Rock Canyon and No. 5 Smoky Hill.
In 4A, Air Academy got eight of the 11 first-place votes, and edged out The Classical Academy for the top spot. Cheyenne Mountain is No. 3, while D’Evelyn (No. 4) and Ponderosa (No. 5) round out the top five.
The 3A ranking is headed by Kent Denver, a unanimous pick with all seven first-place votes. Colorado Academy is No. 2.
Denver Christian is third in 3A, Salida is fourth and Coal Ridge is No. 5.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday during the regular season.
Voted upon by coaches and select media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Doherty 15, Heritage 14, Legend 8, Denver East 6, Fort Collins 5, Ralston Valley 5, Arapahoe 4, Monarch 2, Westminster 2.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Air Academy (8)
0-0-0
107
2
The Classical Academy (3)
0-0-0
98
3
Cheyenne Mountain
0-0-0
73
4
D’Evelyn
0-0-0
60
5
Ponderosa
0-0-0
55
6
Niwot
0-0-0
42
7
Littleton
0-0-0
41
8
Evergreen
0-0-0
30
9
Summit
0-0-0
26
10
Battle Mountain
0-0-0
15
Others receiving votes:
Montrose 14, Green Mountain 7, Valor Christian 7, Centaurus 6, Golden 6, Durango 4, Mullen 3, Palmer Ridge 3, Silver Creek 3, Greeley West 2, Lewis-Palmer 2, Vista Ridge 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Kent Denver (7)
0-0-0
70
2
Colorado Academy
0-0-0
47
3
Denver Christian
0-0-0
46
4
Salida
0-0-0
45
5
Coal Ridge
0-0-0
31
6
Frontier Academy
0-0-0
30
7
Peak to Peak
0-0-0
26
8
Vail Mountain
0-0-0
24
9
Sheridan
0-0-0
13
10
Faith Christian
0-0-0
11
Others receiving votes:
Crested Butte 9, KIPP 8, DSST-Stapleton 7, Roaring Fork 5, St. Mary’s 4, Jefferson Academy 3, Telluride 3, Bruce Randolph 2, Arrupe Jesuit 1.
The girls soccer players of the year. From left: Colorado Academy’s Marin McCoy (3A); Cheyenne Mountain’s Hannah Gerdin (4A); Mountain Vista’s Mallory Pugh (5A); Vail Mountain’s Tess Johnson (2A). (Photos: Ray Chen of ArrayPhoto.com & MaxPreps)
The 2015 all-state girls soccer teams honor the best players in the sport as judged by the leagues and coaches. They are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues and coaches, and then a vote of coaches.
Players and coaches of the year were also selected by a vote of the coaches.
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.
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.
Rank
School
Girls
Boys
Total
1
Cherry Creek
1
4
5
2
Grandview
4
0
4
2
Cheyenne Mountain
3
1
4
4
Eaton
2
1
3
4
Colorado Academy
3
0
3
4
Lyons
0
3
3
4
Valor Christian
2
1
3
8
Rock Canyon
1
1
2
8
Mountain Vista
1
1
2
8
Fossil Ridge
1
1
2
8
Palmer Ridge
0
2
2
8
Paonia
1
1
2
8
Overland
1
1
2
8
Air Academy
0
2
2
8
Broomfield
1
1
2
8
Kent Denver
0
2
2
8
Alamosa
0
2
2
18
Cheyenne Wells
1
0
1
18
Vail Christian
1
0
1
18
Bishop Machebeuf
1
0
1
18
Manitou Springs
1
0
1
18
Bennett
1
0
1
18
Glenwood Springs
1
0
1
18
Ponderosa
1
0
1
18
Castle View
1
0
1
18
Chaparral
1
0
1
18
Green Mountain
0
1
1
18
Rye
0
1
1
18
Dove Creek
0
1
1
18
Regis Jesuit
1
0
1
18
Aspen
0
1
1
18
Vail Mountain
1
0
1
18
Fountain-Fort Carson
0
1
1
18
Lutheran
0
1
1
18
Springfield
0
1
1
18
Cherokee Trail
1
0
1
18
Niwot
1
0
1
18
Heritage Christian
1
0
1
18
Colorado Springs Christian
0
1
1
18
Sanford
0
1
1
18
Holly
0
1
1
18
Pagosa Springs
1
0
1
18
Akron
1
0
1
18
Idalia
1
0
1
18
Arvada West
0
1
1
18
Thompson Valley
0
1
1
18
Valley
0
1
1
18
Rocky Ford
0
1
1
18
Battle Mountain
0
1
1
18
Summit
1
0
1
18
Evergreen
1
0
1
18
Pine Creek
0
1
1
18
Pueblo East
0
1
1
18
Brush
0
1
1
18
Caliche
0
1
1
18
Arickaree/Woodlin
0
1
1
18
Lewis-Palmer
1
0
1
18
Resurrection Christian
1
0
1
18
Fleming
1
0
1
18
Standley Lake
1
0
1
18
Mountain View
0
1
1
18
Fort Collins
0
1
1
18
Coronado
0
1
1
18
Sterling
0
1
1
18
La Junta
1
0
1
[divider]
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.
