Platte Valley players celebrate with the 2A championship trophy. (Jon E. Yunt)
KERSEY — Platte Valley senior Jacob Smith summed it perfectly when he said, “It’s the perfect last chapter for our story.”
On Saturday, the Broncos won their first Class 2A state title since 2007 with a 28-19 win over Faith Christian at Bronco Stadium and it was their very own Trey Johnson that had the privilege of handing off the hardware to his teammates.
If you recall, Johnson suffered a severe brain injury during a game last year and fell into a coma shortly afterwards. His fight was the strength his teammates needed to bring home the gold ball.
“It’s a huge relief to just see Trey still here. What we lived through last year was very tough and nothing that you plan for,” said Platte Valley coach Troy Hoffman, whose team was on a mission since losing in the title game last season to Kent Denver. “We knew as a team we were going to continue to grow and to have him out here with us today and to want to be — and that is the biggest thing, because when an injury like that happen, you never know how it is going to affect him. We made him part of our team from Day 1, he never missed a practice and was at every team meal.
“So we really do find some inspiration through him, because what he is working through is way harder than any practice or way harder than any tackling drill.”
Even from their defeated huddle, the Faith Christian players and coaches applauded Johnson as he handed off the trophy, knowing that they were seeing something very special.
In a swift moving first half that featured just two possessions for each team, Platte Valley came away with two touchdowns compared to two 27-yard Stefan Knoerr field goals for the Eagles — one of which was on the heels of an 18-play drive that covered 70 yards in over nine minutes.
“We had really hoped that is was going to be a close game and really the two stops they had in the first half by forcing us to kick field goals were big,” Faith coach Blair Hubbard said. “We put touchdowns on the board there, it’s a different game and a different feel at halftime even though it was still only a one score game at the time.”
Platte Valley stretched its lead early in the third quarter when senior quarterback Logan Sitzman, who was being dragged down by an Eagles defender, heaved up a pass that Daniel Frantz was able to run underneath and haul in for a 29-yard score on 3rd-and-12.
Faith Christian would answer back on its next possession. Much like they had in the first half, the Eagles methodically churned up yards and clock behind the power running of Daniel Langewisch and Adam Buchmann. A 12-play drive that went 80 yards, including one fourth down conversion, was capped off by Langewisch from two yards out.
Faith Christian (10-3) would finally get the game’s first defensive stop when they watched Bailey Collins-Landwehr’s 46-yard field goal attempt sail wide left. Hubbard’s crew then marched the ball inside the Platte Valley 10-yard line and was one the brink of scoring when Langewisch was stripped at the 5-yard line and Broncos junior Cody Gabel jumped on the loose ball.
Trey Johnson awards the 2A championship trophy after the game. (Jon E. Yunt)
The Broncos failed to score on the next drive, but the damage was already done to the Eagles’ psyche.
“That was just a great play by some back-ups who were in there in crunch time too,” Hoffman said.
Smith would make it a two score game with 3:57 to play when he scored his second touchdown of the game on a two yard run.
“It was just a battle to the very end,” said a bloody Smith, who is an accomplished bull rider that will likely compete in rodeo for the University of Wyoming, or in Rangely next season. “We were just going blow-for-blow, and when we finally stopped them, that turned out to be huge.”
The Eagles scored with 2:03 left, Langewisch — who finished with 171 yards on 32 carries — scored from 1-yard out, but the Eagles’ two-point conversion never had a chance and the lead stayed at nine points. The ensuing onside kick was gobbled up by Smith and the Broncos were able to run out the clock.
Hofman’s team was efficient on offense. Caleb Creech lead the team on the ground with 88 yard on nine carries. Smith finished with 52 yards on 14 carries and quarterback Logan Sitzman had 46 yards on the ground to go along with a crisp 12-for-14 passing day for another 152 yards. His favorite target? Smith, who finished with six catches for 57 yards.
“Our motto all year long was to work to a near-perfect performance, and last week (against Manitou Springs) we didn’t have that, so I challenged the boys and told them ‘You have one more week. Are you still willing to improve and still willing to gain some opportunities to get better?’” Hoffman said. “And they all said ‘Yes!’ We came out here and we played near perfect. Logan was tremendous in his judgement today. Jake Smith was a hoss for us today and I can’t say enough about Caleb Creech.
“Those five lineman up front took it upon themselves to make sure we controlled the tempo today.”
Faith Christian will play at Platte Valley for the 2A championship. (Pam Wagner)
Class 2A
No. 4 Faith Christian (10-2) at No. 3 Platte Valley (10-1) 1 p.m. Saturday at Platte Valley HS
Faith Christian, mind you, started the 2013 season 2-2. Yes, it was a tough schedule — three of those four teams made the postseason in their respective classifications. The fourth just missed the field.
Still, Faith wasn’t exactly championship-game material four games into the season. Now, following eight-straight wins, the Eagles are. Saturday, they will play in the title game for the fifth time in school history. Faith Christian has won in each of the four previous trips (2009, 2006, 2004 and 1998).
Faith got to this point largely on the back of junior Daniel Langewisch, who has rushed for 1,557 yards and 22 touchdowns this season. Sophomore Adam Buchmann has 821 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, while senior Jonas Spitzer has 535 and eight.
Defensively, senior lineman Connor McCain has a team-high 80 tackles, nine tackles for a loss and 3.5 sacks.
McCain and his teammates will have to deal with Platte Valley quarterback Logan Sitzman, who has thrown for 10 touchdowns and 1,478 yards while rushing for 16 scores and 1,056 yards.
“They’ve got a different style of offense, that’s for sure, so we’ve got a lot of late nights ahead of us to try and prepare to stop them,” Faith Christian coach Blair Hubbard told ColoradoPreps.com’s Scoreboard Show on Saturday.
Platte Valley has also won eight games in a row. The Broncos have been to the championship game three times before, including a loss to Kent Denver last season. Platte Valley also won in 2007 and lost in 2006.
“I think their record may have been a little deceiving to some, because their two losses were to Holy Family to Kent Denver — a playoff team in 3A, and a playoff team in 2A,” Platte Valley coach Troy Hoffman told the Scoreboard Show of Faith Christian. “I think they had to kind of learn their offense and get going. They’re doing what we’ve been doing: they’re peaking at the right time. It’s going to be a lot of fun up in Kersey.
“That’s a program that consistently wins every year. We want to match with that. That’s what we want to be,” Hoffman added. “But I’m very proud — Platte Valley’s been in the finals now four times in the last eight years. I think we have a program that’s reaching some of that respect, as well.”
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Class 1A
No. 3 Centauri (11-1) at No. 4 Paonia (11-1) 1 p.m. Saturday at Paonia Town Park
Paonia was last in a championship game in 1962. It hasn’t won a championship since capturing what was then Class A in 1959. Centauri has never even appeared in a title game. The school opened in Jan. 1965.
So some sort of history will be made in the 1A title game on Saturday.
The game will be a rematch of Centauri’s 27-14 win on Sept. 14. That’s Paonia’s only loss this season.
“It’s like a storybook, really,” Paonia coach Brent McRae told the Scoreboard Show. “It’s a rematch, and (Centauri) coach (Kyle) Forster is going to have his kids ready, because he’s a great coach and Centauri’s a great team. It’s going to be a fun day.”
Sophomore Taylor Walters leads Paonia’s rushing attack with 24 touchdowns and 1,813 yards. Senior Will Austin has 1,376 yards and seven touchdowns.
Centauri is led by the trio of Jason Buhr, Jareb Aziz and KC Jarvies. Buhr, a senior, has 1,150 yards and 17 touchdowns rushing and 562 yards and six touchdowns receiving. Aziz, a junior, has 15 total touchdowns. Jarvies, the team’s quarterback, has thrown for 1,725 yards and 19 touchdowns.
“We’re ready to play this,” Forster told the Scoreboard Show. “This was a goal we had, shoot, 14 weeks ago. 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. It’s going to be a real big dog fight.”
Of the rematch, Forster said they wouldn’t take much away from the earlier win and added, “We’re going to have to really step up our game. Like I said, they’re playing some of the best football across the state.”
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8-man
No. 2 Dayspring Christian (12-0) at No. 5 Caliche (11-1) 1 p.m. Saturday at Caliche HS
Dayspring Christian beat Caliche 38-15 on Oct. 18. But, “You know what?” Dayspring coach Mick Holmes told the Scoreboard Show on Saturday. “That doesn’t mean anything.”
“They actually did not play a really good game against us the first time,” Holmes said. “The pressure’s on us: It’s harder to beat somebody twice than it is the first time. It’s just difficult. Plus, I know their head coach (Paul Zink), and he’ll have them ready. It should be a good game.”
Still, Holmes’ Eagles will be the favorite on Saturday, if for no other reason than the fact that they are still unbeaten.
Junior quarterback Kylar Mai is a do-everything guy for Daypsring. He has 19 passing touchdowns — and 35 on the ground. He’s thrown for 1,311 yards and rushed for 2,013. His 3,343 total yards (including 19 receiving) are second in the state, regardless of classification.
He’s had help, though: Senior Ty Eichman has 923 yards and 10 touchdowns rushing, and also 566 yards and seven scores receiving.
Caliche is led by senior Mitch Davidson, who has rushed for 15 touchdowns. Austin Yahn, Chase Debus and Austin Zink each have five rushing scores.
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.
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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.”
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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.”
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Class 2A
The 2A title matchup is set: Faith Christian will play Platte Valley. Both teams upset higher-seeded opponents 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.”
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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.”
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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.”
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6-man
Liberty/Stratton captured the 6-man title with a 44-40 win over Hi-Plains. Read the full story here.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Fairview is the No. 1 seed in 5A. (Courtesy photo)
The groundwork, as is so often the case, was laid four years ago. Tom McCartney saw it in his freshmen then. Those freshmen are now seniors, and that group has Fairview seeded No. 1 overall in the Class 5A football playoffs.
“We knew that it was a special group,” McCartney, Fairview’s coach, said Sunday morning. “We also knew that for them to do the things and reach some of the goals they’ve set, you’ve got to have junior compliments. You want to know that your juniors are also part of that.
“We’ve been kind of waiting on this group of seniors for a while, and a lot of them have gotten a lot of playing time as sophomores and juniors,” he continued. “When you get in those kinds of battles against teams like Pomona and Ralston Valley, and Legacy and Arvada West and Boulder — and Grandview in the playoffs last year, and Regis the year before — all of those experiences help. So, yes, to be honest with you, we’ve seen this coming from this particular group. We knew this was a talented group.”
The Knights were the lone 5A team to finish the regular season unbeaten (9-0). They were ranked No. 2 in the CHSAANow.com football poll in recent weeks, but were No. 1 in Wild Card points during that stretch, and finished atop the final Wild Card standings released Sunday morning.
And so, when the 5A bracket was unveiled, it was Fairview in the No. 1 spot. (See the full bracket.)
“It feels awesome,” McCartney said. “It’s playoff football. We’re just going to prepare. We understand that if you win you move on, and if you don’t you’re done. We want to keep playing. The best way to keep playing is to be prepared and to improve.”
Fairview draws No. 32 Mountain Vista (3-6) in the first round. The two teams played in 2010 and 2011, both Mountain Vista wins.
“Our seniors, when they were freshmen, played them. And so we know a little bit about them,” McCartney said. “We’ve got a ton of respect for coach (Ric) Cash. His teams are always prepared. They’re always hard-nosed.”
Rounding out the top-5 seeds in 5A were No. 2 Valor Christian, No. 3 Cherry Creek, No. 4 Regis Jesuit and No. 5 ThunderRidge.
The top 16 seeds host in the first round, meaning No. 6 Cherokee Trail, No. 7 Columbine, No. 8 Pomona, No. 9 Chatfield, No. 10 Grand Junction, No. 11 Mountain Range, No. 12 Doherty, No. 13 Prairie View, No. 14 Rangeview, No. 15 Ralston Valley and No. 16 Douglas County will get home games.
The 2A, 1A, 8-man and 6-man brackets were also released on Sunday.
Brush is 2A’s top seed. As the top-8 host in the first round, No. 2 Manitou Springs, No. 3 Platte Valley, No. 4 Faith Christian, No. 5 Gunnison, No. 6 Bennett, No. 7 Kent Denver and No. 8 Florence will all get home games.
Also qualifying in 2A were No. 9 Strasburg, No. 10 Lamar, No. 11 Olathe, No. 12 Fort Lupton, No. 13 Aspen, No. 14 Ridge View Academy, No. 15 Jefferson and No. 16 The Academy.
In 1A, Buena Vista got the top seed. No. 2 Limon, No. 3 Centauri, No. 4 Paonia, No. 5 Monte Vista, No. 6 Hotchkiss, No. 7 Yuma and No. 8 Platte Canyon will also host first-round games.
Additional 1A qualifiers were No. 9 Resurrection Christian, No. 10 Rye, No. 11 Burlington, No. 12 Cedaredge, No. 13 Colorado Springs Christian, No. 14 Wray, No. 15 Lyons and No. 16 Front Range Christian.
Hoehne is 8-man’s top seed. Also hosting in the first round will be No. 2 Dayspring Christian, No. 3 Norwood, No. 4 Simla, No. 5 Caliche, No. 6 Kiowa, No. 7 Sargent and No. 8 Dove Creek. Also qualifying were No. 9 Sanford, No. 10 Vail Christian, No. 11 Merino, No. 12 Walsh, No. 13 Akron, No. 14 West Grand, No. 15 Fowler and No. 16 Granada.
Liberty/Stratton grabbed 6-man’s top seed. Also qualifying were No. 2 Hi-Plains, No. 3 Eads, No. 4 Prairie, No. 5 Otis, No. 6 Peetz, No. 7 Hanover and No. 8 Flagler
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.
Windsor (4A), Lamar (3A), Vail Christian and Rocky Mountain Lutheran (1A) are newcomers to this week’s CHSAANow.com volleyball polls.
The five No. 1s from last week — Grandview (5A), Lewis-Palmer (4A), Manitou Springs (3A), Resurrection Christian (2A) and Caliche (1A) — all stayed put.
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
