Jeffco Preps With Pleuss is a monthly roundup of Jeffco prep highlights hosted by Dennis Pleuss, Jeffco Public Schools’ sports information director. Dakota Ridge (Class 4A Jeffco League champs) and Pomona (Class 5A Jeffco League champs) opened up the football postseason with impressive offensive performances. The victories moved the Eagles and Panthers into the state semifinals for the second straight season. Chatfield’s football team rallied in the second half to grab a season-ending victory over Green Mountain. Ralston Valley rolled to a win over rival Arvada West at the NAAC. We also give a look at the renovations made at Trailblazer Stadium.
Tag: Arvada West
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No. 10 Ralston Valley football corrals victory against rival Arvada West
ARVADA — Ralston Valley senior Devin McNearney put the finishing touches on what was likely the final game of the season at the North Area Athletic Complex for the Mustangs.
McNearney intercepted a pass from Arvada West junior Xavier Nail on the opening drive of the second half Thursday night. The two-way player then finished off the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter.
Arvada West junior Cade Russel (28) fights for yards during the Wildcats’ lone scoring drive Thursday against Ralston Valley. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) “That was pretty sweet. He just lobbed it up,” McNearney said of his first interception of his varsity career. “Then the touchdown, that was my big boys up front blocking for me. I love every single one of them. They always get it done. I really appreciate them.”
Ralston Valley — No. 10 in the CHSAANow.com Class 5A football rankings — cruised to a 35-7 victory over rival Arvada West (1-5, 0-5 in 5A Jeffco League).
Senior Tyler Roybal got the Mustangs (4-2, 3-1) started with a 1-yard touchdown run to close out the opening drive of the game. However, A-West answered with a nice drive where they had Nail run ‘Wildcat’ for most of the drive. Junior Cade Russel finished the drive with a 1-yard run.
It was all tied up 7-7 after the first quarter, but it was all Ralston Valley for the final three quarters.
“We kind of expected Arvada West to pull something out of the bag for us specifically,” Ralston Valley senior defensive back Cole Kumpf said of A-West running ‘Wildcat’ to start the game. “We had confidence that we were going to stop it after a little bit.”
After a 23-yard touchdown pass from Ralston Valley junior quarterback Zach Friedman to senior Rocco Tate and McNearney’s first touchdown run of the game gave the Mustangs a 21-7 lead.
Kumpf had a huge defensive play intercepting A-West sophomore quarterback Ethan Cook in the final minutes before halftime and returning it for a touchdown pushing the lead to 28-7 at halftime.
“I was just in a good spot and I got lucky with the tip,” Kumpf said of the pick-6. “I saw it. Got it in my hands and scored.”
Ralston Valley senior Cole Kumpf (11) returns an interception for a touchdown to give the Mustangs a 28-7 lead going into halftime Thursday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) McNearney’s second touchdown with 6:27 left in the third quarter was the only score of the second half.
“It seems like we haven’t put our best foot forward all year,” Kumpf said. “This was the game we wanted to do it finally.”
It’s been a wild ride for Ralston Valley. Trying to find games after several scheduled opponents had to cancel games against the Mustangs due to COVID issues has been an ongoing issue for Ralston Valley. That included Ralston Valley not playing No. 5 Columbine last week when the Rebels had to be quarantined.
The Mustangs picked up No. 2 Valor Christian for a non-league game to replace Columbine last week. After giving the Eagles a solid test the first half, Valor pulled away in the second half on the way to a 45-7 win.
“We were just trying to make a better comeback from last week,” Ralston Valley coach Matt Loyd said referring to the loss against Valor.
A-West got off to a good start with a non-league victory over ThunderRidge to kickoff the season. However, the Wildcats are on a 5-game losing streak. That includes close losses to Mullen and Lakewood in conference play.
Ralston Valley has an outside shot on making the 8-team 5A state field. The Mustangs sat at No. 11 in the CHSAA seeding index before the start of Week 6 games. Ralston Valley would need a lot of things to fall in its favor to make the postseason with a 4-2 record.
“A shortened season wasn’t what I wanted for any one of our seniors,” Loyd said. “(McNearney) had a really good game tonight. He is fun to watch.”
The Mustangs’ two losses were against undefeated and Top-5 ranked teams — Valor and Pomona. Ralston Valley is planning on having playing a Week 7 non-playoff game next week if it doesn’t make the state tournament.
A-West is planning on having its Week 7 non-playoff game against Standley Lake next week. That game will likely be played Thursday, Nov. 19, at NAAC.
Ralston Valley senior Rocco Tate, far right, tries to break free from an Arvada West defender during the first quarter Thursday night at the North Area Athletic Complex. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) -
Photos: No. 10 Ralston Valley football takes down Arvada West
In the regular season finale for both teams, Class 5A No. 10 Ralston Valley football beat Arvada West 35-7 on Thursday.
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No. 4 Pomona football grinds out victory over rival Arvada West
ARVADA — It was a bit of a scary first half on Halloween at the North Area Athletic Complex for the No. 4 ranked Pomona Panthers.
While Pomona’s defense allowed rival Arvada West only one first-down in the first half, the Panthers’ offense only mustered up a 26-yard field by senior Joevannie Rosales and 3-yard touchdown run by senior Jack Pospisil. Pomona held a 10-0 lead at halftime.
Pomona senior Jack Pospisil (2) rolls out to get off a pass as Arvada West junior Xavier Nail (10) closes in. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) “We started off slow with a lot of penalties and mistakes. That held us back,” Pomona junior Chase Muller said. “In the second half we played good.”
Muller was the spark Pomona’s offense needed. The two-way player — running back and safety — scored on touchdown runs 45, 25 and 28 yards in the second half to power the Panthers to a 33-14 victory.
While A-West (1-3, 0-3 in Class 5A Jeffco) has perhaps closed the gap between the Wildcats and Panthers, Pomona (4-0, 3-0) still completed the sweep for the Arvada City Championship title between Arvada West, Ralston Valley and Pomona.
“Their (A-West’s) Columbine game was close. They lost against Mullen because of a couple of big plays,” Pomona coach Jay Madden said after coaching in his 300th career game. “They have fought hard all year. I think Brad (Pyatt) has done a great job. They came after us.”
Pomona’s defense came after A-West sophomore quarterback Ethan Cook, who was getting his first start under center for A-West. Facing one of the best defensives in the state that already has a pair of shutout victories under its belt, Cook struggled early.
The sophomore did break-up the shutout bid with a 21-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Andrew Martinez with 3 minutes left in the third quarter.
Pomona junior Junior Gonzales (52) and senior Juju Howard (41) apply pressure on Arvada West quarterback Ethan Cook (8). The Panthers’ defense was stout in the 33-14 victory over the rival Wildcats. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) “He (Cook) is going to be a great quarterback. I’ve got a lot of confidence in him,” A-West coach Brad Pyatt said. “He has a bright future.”
Pomona did get the final lick in on Cook. Seniors Juju Howard and Marcus Geypens combined for a sack of Cook in the end zone for safety in the fourth quarter.
“The defense is really playing well. It’s exciting,” Madden said. “It’s fun to watch and makes calling offensive plays a lot easier. You know your defense can go out there and get a stop.”
Pomona has plenty of player makers on defense. Senior Jayson Barber had an interception that set up Muller’s second touchdown run in the third quarter.
“We have so much talent on this team,” Muller said.
Pomona has a short week, hosting Mullen (1-2, 1-2) on Thursday, Nov. 5, at NAAC. The regular season has been building toward a showdown against No. 3 Columbine (4-0, 3-0) on Thursday, Nov. 12, at Jeffco Stadium.
However, Madden knows his team can’t look past Mullen.
“I’m happy with where we are at, but we have to make sure we understand the Mullen is the big game,” Madden said. “We can’t be thinking about Columbine. Mullen is the big game. We proved today that if we don’t come out with everything we’ve got we can be in a dogfight.”
A-West is on a three-game losing streak after a Week 1 victory, but Pyatt is excited about the future of the program.
“I’m proud of how we fought,” Pyatt said. “Our culture is changing. We are losing games, but we are battling.”
Arvada West sophomore quarterback Ethan Cook (8) attempts to hold off Pomona senior Connor Walklett (54) from getting a sack during the first quarter Saturday afternoon at the North Area Athletic Complex. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) -
Video: Jeffco Preps With Pleuss (October)
Jeffco Preps With Pleuss is a monthly roundup of Jeffco prep highlights hosted by Dennis Pleuss, Jeffco Public Schools’ sports information director. Prep football action started up in early October. We’ve got highlights from four games — Columbine vs Arvada West, Pomona vs Lakewood, Central of Grand Junction vs Dakota Ridge and Wheat Ridge vs Chatfield — from the first few weeks of the 6-game regular season. Boys tennis season wrapped up with Lakewood and Ralston Valley having good showings at the Class 5A state tournament at Gates Tennis Center in Denver. Cross country season also concluded with the Jeffco League Championships that led into the state meet held in Colorado Springs.
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All-state softball teams for the 2020 season
The 2020 all-state softball teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These team were created following a process where the coaches voted upon a list of nominees. Players who were named first-team all-league are eligible for the all-state ballot.
Coaches also voted specifically for player and coach of the year.
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Class 5A
(Tim Bourke/TimBourke.com) Player of the year: Nikki McGaffin, Fossil Ridge
Coach of the year: Dave Philop, Fossil Ridge
First Team Name School Pos. Year Kodi Alvord Fossil Ridge C/UTIL Sophomore Myah Arrieta Grand Junction Central Senior Katie Dack Rock Canyon Senior Isabelle DiNapoli Chatfield Senior Nikki McGaffin Fossil Ridge P/INF Junior Jenna Medhus Cherokee Trail P/UTIL Junior Mya Murdock Grand Junction Central SS Senior Hadlee Reichert Broomfield Senior Anna Reimers Rock Canyon Senior Second Team Name School Pos. Year Kelsey Bell Cherokee Trail SS/3B Senior Courtney Bidwell Chatfield Senior Genevieve Bower Douglas County C/UTIL Senior Delaney Farnsworth Smoky Hill P/DP/1B Junior Izzy Giroux Smoky Hill 1B/DP/3B Junior Kayla Locke Legend Senior Destiny Martinez Lakewood P/OF/2B Junior Courtney McAllister ThunderRidge CF Senior Jordan West Ralston Valley SS Senior Honorable mention:
- Naiah Ackerman, Chaparral, Junior
- Jenny Allen, Grandview, Senior
- Alexis Alvarado, Fountain-Fort Carson, Junior
- Emilie Angel, Grand Junction, Senior
- Tatum Aragon, Fort Collins, Junior
- Amrajie Bass, Smoky Hill, Junior
- Emma Bracken, Castle View, Junior
- Audrey Burt, Rock Canyon, Senior
- Brooke Carey, Regis Jesuit, Sophomore
- Savannah Clausen, Arvada West, Senior
- Rylee Crouch, Horizon, Senior
- Ryleigh Cruz, Cherokee Trail, Junior
- Katie Cummings, Denver East, Senior
- Caitlin Cushenbery, Cherokee Trail, Junior
- Kaylyn English, Legend, Sophomore
- Zoey Gallegos, Prairie View, Junior
- Jaiden Geist, Ralston Valley, Senior
- Gabi Giroux, Smoky Hill, Sophomore
- Alesia Grimaldo, Westminster, Senior
- Alex Gruitch, Cherry Creek, Senior
- Kylie Harpman, Rocky Mountain, Senior
- Alex Hendrian, Eaglecrest, Senior
- Brianna Jennings, Rampart, Senior
- Bryna Kapelke, Broomfield, Senior
- Aragon Kendall, Legacy, Junior
- Darby Kramp, Heritage, Junior
- Abby Larson, Poudre, Senior
- RyAnn LeBlanc, Adams City, Senior
- Jenna Madison, Douglas County, Freshman
- Katie Maney, Arapahoe, Senior
- Alexia Martinez, Dakota Ridge, Senior
- Reagan Medina, Lakewood, Junior
- Alexis Mohr, Horizon, Junior
- Nevaeh Ogden, Columbine, Senior
- Ivy Robinson, Rangeview, Senior
- Sydney Rodriguez, Brighton, Junior
- Lindsey Sais, Northglenn, Junior
- Peyton Shepard, Chatfield, Junior
- Jaidyn Studebaker, Monarch, Junior
- Kennedy Vis, Grand Junction Central, Junior
- Valerie Warszawski, Mountain Vista, Junior
- Kaylie Whidden, Valor Christian, Freshman
- Demi Woolsey, Prairie View, Senior
- Desi Woolsey, Prairie View, Senior
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Class 4A
(Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com) Player of the year: Cassidy Chvatal, Holy Family
Coach of the year: Moriah Nguyen, Holy Family
First Team Name School Pos. Year Cassidy Chvatal Holy Family P Senior Abby Edwards Holy Family C Junior Veronica Elsis Mead C/UTIL Senior Peyton Gale Frederick 3B/P Senior Maddie Kuehl Silver Creek RHP/1B/OF Senior Cheyenne Prieto Conifer P/1B/3B Junior Lee Quezada Wheat Ridge SS/2B Senior Emily Sauvageau Mead 1B/OF Junior Joslynn Veltien Mead P Sophomore Second Team Name School Pos. Year Alex Cantu Roosevelt C Senior Carly Eldredge Holy Family 2B/SS/P Senior Aubrey Garbarek D’Evelyn C/3B/UTIL Senior Avery Garbarek D’Evelyn P/SS/UTIL Junior Jordyn Johnson Bear Creek P/1B Senior Makenna Meyer Riverdale Ridge P/C Senior Kylee Ornstein D’Evelyn 3B/C/OF Senior Aliyah Rothstein Wheat Ridge CF/OF Senior Tyler Whitlock Holy Family OF Senior Honorable mention:
- Emily Abraham, Pueblo South, Sophomore
- Claire Adams, Mead, Junior
- Brina Baysinger, Air Academy, Junior
- Kieya Belmont, Pueblo Centennial, Senior
- Abigail Bonuales, Rifle, Senior
- Bailey Carlson, Mountain View, Senior
- Malaya Coleman, Roosevelt, Junior
- Aiyana Cordero, Northfield, Sophomore
- Juliana Dickson, Denver South, Senior
- Kaleigh Duran, Pueblo East, Senior
- Hanna Espinoza, Elizabeth, Sophomore
- Gracie Flores, Berthoud, Sophomore
- Kambry Fraser, Erie, Senior
- Brynna Frey, Evergreen, Junior
- Rissy Garcia, Thornton, Junior
- Destiny Hackney, Riverdale Ridge, Senior
- Hannah Hall, Widefield, Senior
- Abby Hayes, Elizabeth, Junior
- Halle Herrera, Pueblo South, Senior
- Hayle Herrera, Pueblo County, Senior
- Sierra Hilgner, Woodland Park, Junior
- Brooklyn Horn, Kennedy, Senior
- Alina Jones, Pueblo West, Senior
- Kaleena Jones, Cheyenne Mountain, Sophomore
- Ava Kuszak, Holy Family, Junior
- Megan Leick, Longmont, Junior
- Ariadna Martinez, Mesa Ridge, Senior
- Isabella Martinez, Wheat Ridge, Junior
- Isabelle Martinez, Silver Creek, Sophomore
- Bella Marusich, George Washington, Junior
- Peyton Marvel, D’Evelyn, Freshman
- Ayva McComas, Niwot, Junior
- Jaycee Montes-Duran, Pueblo West, Senior
- Isabelle Murphy, Discovery Canyon, Senior
- Tatum Neppl, Ponderosa, Senior
- Avery Panozzo, Mullen, Senior
- Caroline Pigati, Bear Creek, Junior
- Natalia Puchino, Severance, Junior
- Lawrencia Randle, Aurora Central, Sophomore
- Niviya Rivera, Palisade, Senior
- Brooklyn Ruiz, Pueblo Central, Senior
- Julia Shiesley, Boulder, Senior
- Ashley Silvernale, Conifer, Junior
- Cheyenne Simpson, Falcon, Senior
- Angela Smith, Air Academy, Senior
- Savannah Starr, Coronado, Junior
- Ava Symanski, Eagle Valley, Junior
- Jayah Tellez, Northridge, Sophomore
- Devyn Thornton, Windsor, Senior
- Elizabeth Uhl, Wheat Ridge, Sophomore
- Gianna Uyemura, Greeley Central, Senior
- Ellie Yuska, Berthoud, Senior
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Class 3A
(Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com) Player of the year: Sadie Ross, Eaton
Coach of the year: Dale Hughes, Eaton
First Team Name School Pos. Year Bree Bandy Limon 3B Senior Brooke Carwin Lutheran 3B/2B Senior Jennifer Jarnagin Eaton INF Senior Andi Padilla University C Senior Alyssa Ponich Lutheran P/1B Senior Yaritza Puente Eaton 3B/C Senior Sadie Ross Eaton INF/P Freshman Brooke Rule Brush SS/CF Senior Delaney Wieneke University CF Senior Second Team Name School Pos. Year Lexi Fernandez Rocky Ford P/1B Senior Grace Georgieu Brush C Senior Baylie Krueger Rocky Ford 3B Senior Keely Porter Delta C/INF Senior Emi Reeves Sterling INF Senior Hannah Schweiger Lyons Senior Autumn Stone Strasburg 2B/OF/UTIL Sophomore Ya Mei Wilson Burlington Senior Jaymie Woody Eaton P/1B/OF Senior Honorable mention:
- Jadyn Baggett, The Academy, Senior
- Kiersten Bohler, Sterling, Senior
- Brooklyn Enny, Lyons, Sophomore
- Taylor Fells, Fort Lupton, Junior
- Sierra Finn, James Irwin, Junior
- Stephanie Framel, Burlington, Junior
- Azalea Gamez, La Junta, Senior
- Jayda Hernandez, Lamar, Senior
- Alisha Jaramillo, Rocky Ford, Junior
- Taby Jones, Wray, Senior
- Kayla Kingsley, University, Junior
- Alexis Knapp, Resurrection Christian, Sophomore
- Shantel Koester, Lyons, Senior
- Maya Lindgren, Basalt, Senior
- Trista Marx, Limon, Junior
- Cassidy McQuiston, Weld Central, Senior
- Stephanie Medrano, Strive Prep – Smart Academy, Senior
- Rozzie Mendoza, Fort Lupton, Sophomore
- Jamie Meyer, Cedaredge, Senior
- McKayla Meyer, Cedaredge, Senior
- Lexi Nunez-Rebel, La Junta, Junior
- Brynlyn Owens, Limon, Sophomore
- Carina Paul, Sand Creek, Senior
- Heidi Price, Strasburg, Sophomore
- Britt Propernick, Gunnison, Senior
- Jamie Rader, Peak to Peak, Senior
- Macy Rowan, Wiley, Senior
- Keslie Sandoval, Delta, Senior
- Abbey Smith, Alamosa, Sophomore
- Zoe Stanzyk, Lutheran, Freshman
- Bethany Summers, Wiley, Freshman
- Haley VanOverbeke, Holyoke, Senior
- Zoe Wadman, The Classical Academy, Senior
- Madison Wiley, La Junta, Sophomore
- Kaden Wyatt, University, Sophomore
- Joy Ziegler, Faith Christian, Junior
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No. 2 Columbine takes care of business in home opener versus A-West
LAKEWOOD — Columbine junior Wes Jones is the Rebels’ latest multiple dimensional player.
The junior had a rushing touchdown, receiving touchdown and interception on defense — not to mention handling some of the kicking duties — Friday night at Jeffco Stadium.
“I’m just going to do whatever I can because we are kind of short on seniors this year,” Jones said after carrying a heavy load in the Rebels’ home opener. “Coaches have been talking to all the underclassmen that we need to step it up. I’ve taken that to heart.”
Columbine junior Seth Cromwell (34) breaks free for a 73-yard touchdown run in the first quarter Friday at Jeffco Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) Jones helped lead Columbine — No. 2 in the CHSAANow.com Class 5A rankings — to a 34-10 victory over Arvada West in a 5A Jeffco League opener.
“He (Jones) is one of the top athletes on our team,” Columbine coach Andy Lowry said. “He can run, jump and catch. He can do everything. We are trying to get him into some situations and find guys who are playmakers. That’s our biggest challenge.”
Columbine graduated a ton of seniors from last year’s 5A state runner-up squad. The new pieces in the Rebels’ well-oiled machine has Columbine (2-0, 1-0 in league) undefeated so far this season.
Columbine junior Seth Cromwell got the Rebels’ ground attack going early. The junior fullback scored on a 73-yard touchdown run on Columbine’s second play from scrimmage to give the Rebels’ a 7-0 lead with 8:46 left in the first quarter. Cromwell already had five rushing touchdowns on the season.
“I just busted it out,” Cromwell said of his long touchdown run.
Senior Isaiah Miller finished off a 12-play, 78-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter to put Columbine ahead 14-0.
A-West did mount a nice long drive, but had to settle for a 24-yard field goal by sophomore Ethan Kerstiens in the second quarter. Columbine answered late in the second quarter capitalizing on a short field after an A-West punt.
Cromwell scored his second touchdown of the first half with an 11-yard touchdown run with 17 seconds left before halftime to give the Rebels a 20-3 lead at halftime after a missed PAT.
“Seth is a really great fullback for us. He does a lot of the work for us,” Jones said. “He is a really good power player and lays out a lot of good blocks. He really opens the field open.”
Columbine junior Dominic Esquibel (10) zeroes in on Arvada West quarterback Evan Hurlburt during the Class 5A Jeffco League opener. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) Jones opened the fourth quarter with a 1-yard dive into the end zone. His interception of Arvada West senior quarterback Evan Hurlburt led eventually to Miller’s touchdown run in the first quarter.
“He is a stud,” Cromwell said of Jones.
Jones finished off the Rebels’ scoring with a 42-yard touchdown catch from Columbine junior quarterback Brock Zanetell early in the fourth quarter to put the Rebels up 34-3. A-West scored a late touchdown on a 19-yard touchdown catch by sophomore Andrew Martinez to make the final score 34-10.
Columbine is back at Jeffco Stadium next week. The Rebels face Lakewood (0-2, 0-1) on Friday, Oct. 23. The Tigers were shut out 42-0 Thursday night by No. 4 Pomona in another Jeffco League opener.
“Our guys are young,” Lowry said of the missed execution against A-West that featured several penalties. “We just have to be patient with them.”
The Rebels toughest test in conference play will come in the final two games of the scheduled regular season. Columbine faces Ralston Valley on Nov. 6 and squares off against Pomona on Nov. 12.
“Our team will be more molded together,” Cromwell said of facing Ralston Valley and Pomona late in the regular season.
A-West stays on the road next week. The Wildcats head to Mullen to face the Mustangs (0-1, 0-1). Mullen suffered a 21-3 loss Thursday night to No. 5 Ralston Valley (2-0, 1-0).
A-West has surpassed its win total after last season’s 0-10 record of 2019. Coach Brad Pyatt had guided the Wildcats to three straight winning seasons prior to last year, including a pair of postseason appearances in 2017 and 2018.
Arvada West senior quarterback Evan Hurlburt (16) gets some protection from his offensive line before getting off a pass against Columbine on Friday night at Jeffco Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) -
All-state boys golf teams for the 2020 season
The 2020 all-state boys golf teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created based upon results at the state championships.
The athletes who won championships at their classification were named golfers of the year.
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Class 5A
(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) Player of the year: Lucas Schulte, Valor Christian
Coach of the year: Justen Byler, Valor Christian
First Team Name Year School Graham Dzengelewski Senior Arapahoe Wesley Erling Sophomore Pine Creek Charlie Flaxbeard Sophomore Cherry Creek Trey Kirschner Senior Ralston Valley Ryan Liao Senior Lakewood Gage Messingham Junior Ralston Valley Jeff Nelson Senior Prairie View Ryan Occhionero Senior Regis Jesuit Lucas Schulte Senior Valor Christian Hayden Woelk Junior Liberty Second Team Name Year School Jack Armstrong Junior Valor Christian Owen Cornmesser Senior Fossil Ridge Nick Fallin Senior Rock Canyon Teddy Hummel Senior Regis Jesuit Will Kates Junior Arapahoe Nathan Kim Freshman Rock Canyon Caleb Michaels Sophomore Monarch Alex Rogers Junior Fossil Ridge Charlie Tucker Freshman Rock Canyon Tyler Tyson Senior Arvada West Colin Young Sophomore Valor Christian Honorable mention:
- Langdon Bradley, Valor Christian
- Luke Cushman, Castle View
- Drex Duffy, Columbine
- Kade Hayward, Fruita Monument
- Thomas Hicks, Cherry Creek
- Casey Jacobsen, Castle View
- Grant Juergens, Arapahoe
- Aiden Krusoe, Highlands Ranch
- Max Lange, Lakewood
- Jack Larson, Ralston Valley
- Ty Nelson, Rocky Mountain
- Ryan Parker, Legend
- Josh Stouder, Fruita Monument
- Kenny VanWormer, Grandview
- Matthew Wilkinson, Arapahoe
- Liam Wood, Regis Jesuit
- Andrew Wright, Castle View
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Class 4A
(Paul Soriano) Player of the year: Jordan Jennings, Montrose
Coach of the year: John Carricato, Cheyenne Mountain
First Team Name Year School Traejan Andrews Junior Northridge Jake Chesler Junior Frederick Mario Dino Senior Mullen Jordan Jennings Senior Montrose Rhett Johnson Senior Mullen Jack Mitchell Senior Evergreen Connor Moberly Senior Cheyenne Mountain Toby Salinas Senior Pueblo West Carter Surofchek Sophomore Cheyenne Mountain Hunter Swanson Junior Northfield Second Team Name Year School Jake Crawford Junior Eagle Valley Dakota Dolph Senior Conifer Oliver Gibbons Senior Green Mountain Campbell Grage Junior Cheyenne Mountain Ben Harding Sophomore Silver Creek Thomas Herholtz Sophomore Cheyenne Mountain Noah Keller Junior Coronado Reese Knox Sophomore Falcon Brentyn Paiz Junior Windsor Ryan Vaver Senior Centaurus Noah Wagner Sophomore Pueblo West Johnny Williams Senior Ponderosa Honorable mention:
- Landon Ball, Windsor
- Will Balliet, Riverdale Ridge
- Ryley Cibula, Summit
- Adam Gannon, Longmont
- Brock Golden, Ponderosa
- Justin Hudson, Lewis-Palmer
- Jake Legg, Montrose
- Gregory Lewis, Lewis-Palmer
- Tyler Nakos, Summit
- Jack Policaro, Green Mountain
- Noah Richmond, Montrose
- Travis Seitz, Steamboat Springs
- Levi Tichi, Durango
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Class 3A
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com) Player of the year: Nic Pevny, Aspen
Coach of the year: Beth Folsom, Colorado Academy
First Team Name Year School Stewie Bruce Freshman Vail Mountain Luke Calvin Senior St. Marys Connor Downey Junior Vail Christian Garrett Exelbert Freshman Basalt Trey Kuntz Senior Sterling Lance Peters Senior Primero Nic Pevny Junior Aspen Thayer Plewe Sophomore Montezuma Cortez Tayleb Schaefer Junior Sterling J.T. Timmers Sophomore Colorado Academy Jeffrey Zhou Senior Kent Denver Second Team Name Year School Ross Anderson Sophomore Vail Christian Jacob Dietrich Junior Kent Denver Jacob Gilbert Junior Strasburg Jackson Lowe Sophomore Lutheran Max Noffsinger Senior Frontier Academy Jack Pashel Junior Colorado Academy Peter Stinar Senior St. Marys Bo Turnage Junior Colorado Academy Braden Wedel Junior Stratton Honorable mention:
- dave andujo, Moffat County
- Jason Arbuckle, Prospect Ridge
- Brendan Archer, Kent Denver
- Justin Brunner, Montezuma Cortez
- Jacob Buckendorf, Resurrection Christian
- Jimmy Clark, Lamar
- RJ Davis, St. Marys
- Chance Donlon, Rye
- Jackson Grace, Holy Family
- Austin Guerette, Severance
- Tiki Jaffe, Vail Mountain
- AJ Papajohn, Lutheran
- Hunter Salani, Vail Mountain
- Tyler Sims, Basalt
- Skylor Wild, Gunnison
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Photos: Arvada West football holds off ThunderRidge in Week 1
Arvada West football opened the season with a 30-23 win over ThunderRidge on Saturday.
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5A boys golf: Graham Dzengelewski helps Arapahoe to Day 1 lead
(Brad Cochi) ARVADA – The Arapahoe boys golf team has been full of surprises at the Class 5A state tournament these past couple years.
Last fall, it was then-sophomore Will Kates who came out of nowhere on Day 2 to claim the individual title as a relative unknown. This time around, it’s a different Warriors golfer who has put himself, and his team, in position to win it all with a strong final round on Day 2. He’s also got some company as a leading man emerging out of darkhorse status.
Facing some exceedingly windy conditions that made Rolling Hills Golf Course even tougher than usual on Monday, Arapahoe senior Graham Dzengelewski led nearly wire-to-wire on his way to carding a 2-over 73 that ties him with Pine Creek sophomore Wesley Erling for the lead heading into Day 2. The two tied one another for 37th place at last year’s state tournament and certainly weren’t counted among the top contenders when they arrived at the 2020 championships.
(Brad Cochi) They are now.
“With Will last year, that was a surprise to everybody,” Dzengelewski said. “But I think we all know we all have a chance at it every year, so it’s nice to be able to have that team and have a bunch of guys who come to state ready to go for it.”
Dzengelewski showed up to his final state tournament ready.
The Arapahoe senior started out the day with an eagle on the first hole, a 521-yard par 5. He added two more birdies on the front nine and hit the turn at 3-under. Getting to 3-under quickly turned out to be exactly the cushion he needed to finish the day with a share of the lead, as Dzengelewski picked up three strokes over the final three holes while Erling went 2-under on the back nine.
With Dzengelewski and Erling battling atop the leaderboard, the Arapahoe boys finished Day 1 a single stroke ahead of Valor Christian for the team lead.
“That’s probably the best start I’ve had in a while,” Dzengelewski said. “I think I played the wind pretty well but, ultimately, it comes down to hitting fairways, hitting greens and making putts. I hit a few bad shots but that happens and felt like I put myself in good positions out there so I’ll try to keep doing that tomorrow.”
Behind the Day 1 leaders, Valor Christian senior Lucas Schulte ended his day with a birdie on No. 9 and carded matching 37’s for an overall 74 that tied him with Cherry Creek sophomore Charlie Flaxbeard for third. Sophomore Colin Young, Schulte’s teammate with the Eagles, shot a 75 and will enter Day 2 tied for fifth with Rocky Mountain senior Ty Nelson.
“We started on the back and we had like forty-mile-per-hour winds straight in our face,” Schulte said. “That was tough, so getting off to a good start was important. On No. 8, so my 17th hole, I hit two bad tee shots out on the right. Long story short, I had to take a penalty and then I made a thirty-foot bogey putt. I made a birdie on the last to finish off so I’ll try to carry that over to tomorrow.”
Despite the blustery conditions, 24 golfers shot in the 70’s on Monday. Among them was Kates, who began his title defense with a 77 and is currently in a six-way tie for 10th.
Arvada West sophomore Yusuke Ogi was not among the players who shot in the 70’s, but he might have had the most special day of anyone at Rolling Hills. On the par-3 13th hole, Ogi sank his tee shot from 219 yards out for the second hole in one of his prep career. His first was at regionals last season.
“I was like eight over by the time I got to that hole and I just didn’t feel like I had it,” Ogi said. “The wind was blowing and I don’t know how that happened. I was just in disbelief.”
With Monday’s eventful first round in the books, Colorado’s 5A players will certainly go to bed tonight hoping they wake up to more favorable conditions in which to go for it all on Tuesday.