Ryan Burr, a 2012 graduate of Highlands Ranch, became the first local player selected in this year’s MLB Draft on Tuesday.
Burr, now a junior standout at Arizona State, was taken by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the first pick in the fifth round on Tuesday.
“Couldn’t be happier!” Burr tweeted on Tuesday. “I am going to be a @Dbacks !!! Can’t wait to get after it!”
He led five locals who were selected on Tuesday, the second day of the draft. Joining him were Highlands Ranch shortstop Nick Shumpert (seventh round), Legend outfield Greg Pickett (eighth round), Cheyenne Mountain alum Bret Helton (ninth round) and Rocky Mountain outfielder Cole Anderson (tenth round).
Former Highlands Ranch star Ryan Burr, pictured during his senior season in 2012. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
At ASU, Burr developed into a shutdown closer, and set the school record with 38 saves. It was a record that had stood since 1967.
He was a first-team all-Pac-12 pick this season after going 8-2 with 14 saves to go along with a 2.91 ERA in 46 1/3 innings. He struck out 74 batters to just 25 walks, thanks in large part to a fastball which hits 97 mph, according to a scouting report on MLB.com.
Burr was also selected out of high school, going in the 33rd round to the Texas Rangers. He opted not to sign then, and moved on to Arizona State.
The first local 2015 graduate to go in this year’s draft was another Highlands Ranch product: Shumpert, a 6-foot, 180-pound shortstop, was picked by the Detroit Tigers in the seventh round, No. 220 overall.
Shumpert, who is committed to Kentucky, is the son of former big-leaguer Terry Shumpert, who spent 14 seasons in the MLB, including 1998-2002 with the Colorado Rockies.
During his senior season this spring, Shumpert hit .600 with five home runs and 14 RBIs. He also stole 33 bases. In addition, he drew 20 walks for an eye-popping .722 on-base percentage.
Shumpert led Class 5A in batting average, steals and on-base percentage in 2015.
“I want to thank the @tigers for giving me the opportunity to start my professional career,” Shumpert tweeted on Tuesday.
A round after Shumpert, Legend’s Pickett went No. 234 overall to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Pickett, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound outfield who is committed to Mississippi State, hit .420 with six home runs and 22 RBIs this spring.
Pickett is the first player from Legend — which was established in 2008 — to be selected in the MLB Draft.
Helton, the Cheyenne Mountain alum, was picked by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the ninth round. He was taken No. 277 overall.
Now a junior at Utah, Helton was 2-8 with a 5.72 ERA in 61 1/3 innings this season.
In the tenth round, the Colorado Rockies picked Anderson, the outfielder from Rocky Mountain. He was the No. 287 pick in the draft.
Anderson batted .405 with 25 RBIs this season, and led 5A with seven home runs. He also stole six bases.
The MLB Draft started on Monday, but there were no local selections in the first 75 picks — which spanned the first round, compensation round, both competitive balance rounds, and the second round.
It actually marked the first time since 2011 that no Colorado products were selected in the first round. Last season, Thomas Jefferson alum Kyle Freeland went No. 8 overall.
The draft’s third-through-tenth rounds are Tuesday, and rounds 11-40 are Wednesday.
Last season, 23 players who played high school baseball in Colorado were selected in the MLB Draft, including 12 who graduated in 2014.
Draws for the Class 5A girls tennis state tournament, held May 7-9 at Gates Tennis Center in Denver, are below.
All matches start at 9 a.m. each day. The first two rounds at each position will be played Thursday. Friday morning will be all semifinals, and the playback matches will start immediately afterwards. All third- and fourth-place matches and finals will be at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning.
Should weather intervene, check CHSAANow.com for contingency plans.
These results will be updated throughout the tournament.
For more information on the process for creating these brackets, click here or scroll down.
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Class 5A girls tennis state tournament
Click on a tab to see that bracket, or team scores.
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Information on the state tournament and draw creation
Only those teams who qualify four or more positions to state are eligible for the CHSAA state team championship title. The bracket creation process is as follows:
All 16 individuals/teams will be considered for placement on the draw.
The top 4 individuals/teams will be placed.
The committee shall consider the following factors (in no particular order of importance): strength of league, overall record, strength of competition, head-to-head competition and common opponents.
The remaining Regional Winners (#1’s) will be randomly drawn for places on the draw.
The Regional Finishers (#2’s) will then be randomly drawn for matches against a Regional Winner.
All Regional Winners will be paired against a Regional Finishers.
No two teams or individuals from the same Region will play each other during the first round of the state championship.
Wheat Ridge is the new No. 1 team in Class 4A. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
Wheat Ridge made a huge leap in taking over the top spot in the Class 4A baseball poll this week.
The Famers, No. 6 a week ago, beat then-No. 1 D’Evelyn, No. 5 Green Mountain, and No. 2 Evergreen as part of a 4-0 run last week.
They received five of the 12 first-place votes in CHSAANow.com’s poll, but it was the most any team got this week. Wheat Ridge also totalled 105 points, placing them just ahead of D’Evelyn, which got four first-place votes and 101 points.
Lewis-Palmer, which received two first-place tallies, is No. 3 in 4A this week. Evergreen dropped to No. 4, and Pueblo West completes the top-five.
The 4A poll added two newcomers: No. 6 Erie and No. 7 Palisade.
Green Mountain (No. 8), Ponderosa (No. 9) and Montrose (No. 10) round out the 4A poll.
The 5A ranking also saw a lot of change this week.
Cherokee Trail led three newcomers at No. 7 in the poll. Pine Creek (No. 9) and Legend (No. 10) also joined.
Rocky Mountain stayed atop the ranking with 11 of the 15 first-place votes.
The three other No. 1s also remained the same: Eaton (3A), Rye (2A) and Eads (1A).
Neither the 3A poll, nor 1A poll, had any newcomers this week. 2A added Swink (No. 9).
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association.
These will serve as the final polls of the season, as 1A’s regular season ended last Saturday, 2A’s is set to close this Saturday, and 3A, 4A, and 5A will end next Tuesday.
Monarch 18, Mullen 17, Grandview 11, Columbine 5, ThunderRidge 5, Douglas County 3, Grand Junction Central 3, Regis Jesuit 3, Legacy 2, Prairie View 1.
Dropped out:
Mullen (7), Monarch (8), Grandview (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Wheat Ridge (5)
14-3
105
6
4-0
2
D’Evelyn (4)
16-1
101
1
3-1
3
Lewis-Palmer (2)
14-2
78
4
3-0
4
Evergreen
13-3
67
2
2-2
5
Pueblo West (1)
14-3
60
3
1-1
6
Erie
14-2
52
–
4-0
7
Palisade
15-2
34
–
2-0
8
Green Mountain
12-5
32
5
3-1
9
Ponderosa
10-8
29
7
1-3
10
Montrose
11-5
27
10
3-1
Others receiving votes:
Air Academy 24, Pueblo East 21, Valor Christian 15, Pueblo South 7, Canon City 4, Durango 3, Windsor 1.
Dropped out:
Pueblo East (8), Valor Christian (9).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Eaton (6)
14-0
95
1
4-0
2
Lamar (3)
15-1
90
2
3-0
3
Bayfield (1)
14-2
66
4
3-0
4
Manitou Springs
13-1
56
5
2-0
5
University
11-5
48
8
3-2
6
Brush
12-3
47
6
3-1
7
Sterling
10-5
36
9
2-1
8
Gunnison
12-2
34
3
2-1
9
Faith Christian
10-6
32
7
3-1
10
Valley
11-6
21
10
2-2
Others receiving votes:
Kent Denver 12, St. Mary’s 11, Alamosa 1, Lutheran 1.
Dropped out:
None.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Rye (9)
12-0
108
1
2-0
2
Resurrection Christian (1)
11-2
93
3
3-0
3
Sedgwick County (1)
14-0
82
2
3-0
4
Dayspring Christian
13-0
79
4
3-0
5
Hotchkiss
15-2
52
6
4-0
6
McClave/Wiley
12-1
46
8
1-0
7
Paonia
15-2
44
5
2-0
8
Las Animas
13-3
34
7
1-1
9
Swink
11-5
18
–
2-0
10
Yuma
10-4
16
9
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Haxtun 8, Crowley County 7, Kiowa 6, Holyoke 5, Limon 4, Custer County 3.
The 2014-15 boys basketball players of the year, by class. From left: Miles Caldon, Sanford (2A); Justin Bassey, Colorado Academy (3A); De’Ron Davis, Overland (5A); Justinian Jessup, Longmont (4A); Bryan Ortiz, Holly (1A).
The 2014-15 all-state boys basketball teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues, and then a week-long vote of coaches.
A specific player of the year vote was held in each class, as was a vote for coach of the year.
Use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.
GREENWOOD VILLAGE — Blake Benedetti went 4-for-4 with two triples and four RBIs as No. 2 Cherry Creek baseball beat No. 4 Legend 13-3 on Wednesday.
The Bruins (4-0) now own three wins over top-10 teams, including then-No. 7 Dakota Ridge last week, and No. 1 Regis Jesuit on Monday. They play No. 10 Mountain Vista on Friday, adding to a loaded non-league schedule.
Wednesday, Aeneas Roberson went 3-for-3 with three runs and a triple, while freshman Tanner O’Tremba was 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a home run. Blake Goldsberry pitched all five innings of the mercy-rule-shortened game. He allowed three earned runs and struck out five against just two walks.
Things got a bit crazy when this week’s Class 4A baseball poll was released.
Three new teams — Pueblo West, Pueblo East and Mountain View — joined CHSAANow.com’s ranking after going unranked in the preseason.
Pueblo West jumped all the way up to No. 3 following its 4-0 start which includs a win over then-No. 4 Palmer Ridge, as well as an impressive showing at a tournament in New Mexico.
Pueblo East is No. 5 this week, while Mountain View is No. 8.
Green Mountain remained No. 1 in the 4A poll. In fact, none of the No. 1s changed from the preseason, meaning Regis Jesuit (5A), Eaton (3A), Resurrection Christian (2A) and Dove Creek (1A) all held firm.
In 5A, Columbine joined the poll at No. 9. They were the lone newcomer to that ranking.
The 3A poll added La Junta (No. 10), while Dayspring Christian (No. 9) and Dolores (No. 10) are new to 2A. 1A added No. 9 Springfield and No. 10 Fleming.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association.
Dakota Ridge 10, Rock Canyon 10, Fruita Monument 9, Grand Junction 8, Highlands Ranch 6, Adams City 5, Douglas County 5, Mountain Range 5, Ralston Valley 5, Pine Creek 4, Heritage 3, Brighton 2, Chaparral 2, Mullen 2, Grand Junction Central 1, Lincoln 1.
Dropped out
Dakota Ridge (7).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Green Mountain (7)
1-0
98
1
1-0
2
Montrose (2)
3-0
80
2
3-0
3
Pueblo West (1)
4-0
72
–
4-0
4
Lewis-Palmer (1)
0-0
70
5
0-0
5
Pueblo East
3-0
43
–
3-0
6
Valor Christian
0-1
33
3
0-1
7
Ponderosa
1-0
28
7
1-0
8
Mountain View
2-1
25
–
2-1
9
Wheat Ridge
0-1
23
6
0-1
10
Palmer Ridge
0-1
17
4
0-1
Others receiving votes:
Erie 16, Canon City 11, D’Evelyn 11, Falcon 11, Air Academy 10, Vista Ridge 9, Windsor 9, Mead 7, Cheyenne Mountain 5, Mesa Ridge 5, Pueblo County 5, Discovery Canyon 4, Elizabeth 3, Longmont 3, Pueblo South 3, Thomas Jefferson 3, Palisade 1.
Eaglecrest is on to the Final 4 following its win over Legend. More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
DENVER — Eaglecrest brothers Elijah and Colbey Ross took charge Saturday afternoon at the Denver Coliseum.
Elijah, a senior, and younger brother Colbey, a sophomore, combined for 42 points to lead the Raptors to a 64-49 victory over Legend in the Class 5A boys basketball Great 8. Eaglecrest, top seed in the Ray C. Ball Region, advances to the Final 4 next Friday, March 13, at the Coors Events Center in Boulder.
“(Legend) came out on us quick. Honestly, I think we were a little nervous at first,” Elijah Ross said of Legend snagging an early first-quarter lead before the Raptors went on runs of 13-0 and 17-0 during key stretches. “We just took over the game and took hold of it.”
A 3-pointer from Legend junior Danny Garrick with 1:10 left in the third quarter cut Eaglecrest’s lead to 37-36. The Raptors responded with an eventual 17-0 run that started and ended with buckets from senior Blend Avdili (16 points).
Eaglecrest pushed its biggest lead to 19-points late in the fourth quarter thanks to a brilliant effort at the free-throw line. The Raptors went 14-for-15 from the charity stripe in the final quarter. Sophomore Colbey Ross was 8-for-8 in the fourth quarter on his way to a game-high 23 points.
“Sometimes I get a little too mad at guys. I’m still learning as well,” Eaglecrest’s floor general Elijah Ross (19 points) said. “I let him (Colbey) do whatever he wants to do out there. I have faith in all my guys. I just try to keep everyone positive and have fun.”
Eaglecrest captured the 5A state championship in 2013. That same year Legend advanced to its first Final 4 in the program’s history.
“I’m thinking about the next game first, but obviously that the ultimate goal for me,” Elijah Ross said of the Raptors two wins away from another state title. “As a player my senior year that would be the best thing ever.”
Legend got off to a hot start shooting in the opening minutes making its first three field goals. However, the Titans cooled off and finished the first half just 2-for-13 from 3-point range.
Legend junior Jared Small (18 points) took over the game at times for the Titans by attacking the rim and scoring seven points in both the second and third quarters to help Legend cut the Raptors’ lead to 39-36 going to the fourth quarter.
“Jared is a great player. I just told everybody you are on an island out there,” Elijah Ross said of handling Small and the Titans’ outside shooters. “You have to guard your man.”
Eaglecrest’s defense tightened up in the fourth quarter. Legend didn’t score in the final quarter until there was 2:25 left in the game and outscored the Titans 25-13 in the decisive quarter.
— Dennis Pleuss
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(1) Overland 64, (2) Mountain Vista 36
Overland returned to the Final 4. More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Overland sealed its second straight Final 4 by clipping Mountain Vista’s wings in a dominant 64-36 effort.
The Trailblazers tamed the Golden Eagles’ potent offense by eliminating their points off turnovers (four), something they thrive off of, taking them out of transition, and making every offensive look difficult in the half-court.
During several stretches, the Continental League challenger appeared rattled while forcing off-balance, contested jumpers. Mountain Vista only shot 13-of-57 from the field, a 22 percent clip, and went 1-of-10 from beyond the arc.
Senior point guard Austin Conway, a four-year starter for the Trailblazers, said his team was able to smother the Eagles thanks in large part to their transition defense.
“We did a good job containing their speed and containing their offense and capitalizing every time we stopped their offense,” Conway said. “We had five guys locating every man in transition, making sure they weren’t getting easy buckets. That was our focal point. We made sure to sprint back on defense.”
Meanwhile, Mountain Vista was unable to get many second chance opportunities as Overland dominated the boards 51-35 with a clear advantage in size and leaping ability.
More than anything, Conway and company displayed their seasoning Saturday. A year after losing in the state semifinals to eventual champion Denver East, Overland wants more.
“I think it was a mature win by us,” Conway said. “We came in and showed that we have experience. We grew up as a basketball team and we played a mature basketball game.”
On offense, the ‘Blazers were balanced, another of their attributes this season, as Reggie Gibson (14 points), Conway (12), Ryan Swan (10), Padiet Wang (8), and De’Ron Davis (7) all contributed.
Vista never got into rhythm as their leading scorer, Ray Beresford (17.3 ppg), was held to three. Brady Subart did lead all scorers with 16 points. Beresford and Subart, key members of last year’s Final 4 run, are seniors.
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(1) ThunderRidge 52, (3) Chaparral 47
ThunderRidge players their Final 4 berth with fans. More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
With a trip to the 5A boys basketball Final 4 on the line, ThunderRidge turned to its defense Saturday at the Denver Coliseum.
Chaparral senior Chris Moody buried a long 3-pointer with 2:13 left in the fourth quarter to tie the game, 44-44. ThunderRidge proceeded to hold the Wolverines without a point for the next two minutes while making 8-of-10 free throws in the final minutes to take a 52-47 victory.
“We are a defensive program and that’s our strength,” ThunderRidge coach Joe Ortiz said after the Grizzlies advanced to its seventh Final 4 in the program’s history. “It was just a battle possession by possession.”
ThunderRidge (23-3) was led by senior Zach Pirog’s 21 points. However, Noah Szilagyi, Austin Mueller and Troy Brady were all key down the stretch combining to go 7-for-8 from the charity stripe in the final minutes.
Mueller (nine points) actually had the Grizzlies’ lone field goal in the fourth quarter with 3:12 left in the game.
“It was huge. We needed some momentum because everything was just still,” Mueller said of his bucket. “We picked it up. As a team we hit the free throws in the end and played good defense.”
Moody (14 points) missed his final four shots of the game as ThunderRidge’s defense stiffed late. Senior Jake Holtzmann (13 points) also finished in double-figures for the Wolverines (18-8).
The quarterfinal between the Continental League foes was actually their third meeting of the season. ThunderRidge cruised to a 15-point victory over Chaparral in the first week of the season in the ThunderRidge/Chaparral Tip Off Tournament.
The Wolverines took a 24-point victory in the conference battle on Feb. 17. Moody was dominating for Chaparral with 32 points and 13 rebounds to even the season series.
“Third time playing (Chaparral) we knew it would be tough,” Mueller said. “Holtzmann and Moody are great players. I’ll miss playing against them. I told them that after the game.”
Pirog had a big second quarter with 10 points to help give the Grizzlies a 29-26 lead at halftime. Holtzmann had a quiet first half until scoring the Wolverines’ final seven points in the last couple of minutes before halftime.
“I thought we started to separate in the second quarter, then both of them (Moody and Holtzmann) hit 24-footers,” Ortiz said.
ThunderRidge’s last Final 4 appearance was in 2009. The Grizzlies won back-to-back 5A championships in 2002 and 2003.
“It’s great. Anytime you get into the Final 4 it’s a great feeling,” Mueller said. “I’m really happy for my teammates and the program.”
ThunderRidge squares off against Eaglecrest in the semifinals March 13, at the Coors Events Center in Boulder.
— Dennis Pleuss
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(6) Denver East 53, (1) Regis Jesuit 48
Brian Carey (11) led Denver East to the Final 4, again. More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
For most of Denver East’s Great 8 showdown against No. 1 seed Regis Jesuit, Brian Carey just couldn’t get in rhythm.
The senior point guard, the state’s leading scorer, did finish though. Carey went on a late scoring frenzy with 10 points in the final frame to seal a 53-48 thrilling win for the Angels. East will be making their third straight trip to the Final 4.
“I couldn’t really find it throughout the whole game,” Brian said of his shooting touch. “But, I was able to knock a couple down in the fourth. Everyone else stepped up in the meantime.”
A season after losing four starters, including all-state talents in Dominique Collier and Ronnie Harrell, the defending 5A champions have gelled the new group around Carey and Jordan Willis, the lone returning players from the 2014 rotation. Several Angels have stepped up in the playoffs.
One such player, Samba Dioum, helped turn the tide for East after Regis held early leads of 13-2 and 16-7.
The Angels decided to start a smaller lineup with four guards surrounding forward Willis to counter Regis’ talented backcourt. The plan backfired as Regis bullied East on the glass 25-8 in the first half as they held a 15-3 advantage in offensive rebounds alone.
The Denver Prep power calmed the early storm shooting 10-of-22 from the field, but still trailed 28-27 at the half.
Then Dioum started the second half, grabbed six rebounds, and teamed up with Willis to bring down several “grown man” boards and eliminate Regis’ early advantage.
But in a game with 11 lead changes, Regis held in as Taylor Kallsen hit timely triples in scoring 17 points and the Raiders were rigorous defensively. Plus, Carey hadn’t found his touch yet. When he did the Angels, a rather shockingly low six seed, clinched a win over the Raiders, giving Regis (23-3) only their third loss of the season.
East (17-10) and Overland will have a Final 4 rematch from 2014 when they face off at the Coors Events Center on Friday, a contest the Angels won 77-65 before beating Fossil Ridge in the state finals. This year will be a role reversal as the Trailblazers are the favorites.
East lost 10 regular season games, three to out-of-state opponents and several in heartbreaking fashion to top-flight teams while trying to incorporate new talent. But, they’re back in a familiar position now.
“We felt a little disrespected,” Carey said of earning a number six seed, “but we always feel like no matter what seed we get, we can win the whole thing. We’re not done. We can be happy, but we’re not satisfied.”
The point guard only shot 10-of-27 from the field, but scored 25 points. Jack Buckmelter chipped in 11 and Willis grabbed nine rebounds for East.
Regis, a senior laden group, got 17 points from Kallsen. Geoff Kelly had 9 points and 13 rebounds.
