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.
Wiggins (in Class 2A), Dolores (2A), Bennett (3A), Evergreen (4A) and Rocky Mountain (5A) have each joined their respective volleyball rankings this week.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
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.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Castle View (9)
10-1
99
1
2-0
2
Mountain Vista
8-2
85
3
0-1
3
Rock Canyon
8-3
59
4
1-1
4
Chatfield
9-2
49
6
5-0
5
Fossil Ridge (1)
7-3
48
2
1-1
6
Highlands Ranch
10-1
47
5
2-0
7
Rocky Mountain (1)
10-1
45
–
1-1
8
Fort Collins
7-1
42
7
2-0
9
Fruita Monument
10-1
36
9
2-0
10
Cherry Creek
9-2
31
8
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Chaparral 21, Coronado 13, Denver East 11, Eaglecrest 6, Legacy 5, Dakota Ridge 3, Legend 2, Regis Jesuit 2, Pine Creek 1.
Dropped out
Chaparral (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Lewis-Palmer (10)
11-0
109
1
3-0
2
Niwot
9-1
83
4
2-0
3
Valor Christian
6-3
78
5
2-1
4
Pueblo West (1)
7-1
71
3
2-0
5
Holy Family
11-2
60
2
2-0
6
Palmer Ridge
10-1
48
9
1-0
7
Longmont
9-2
33
8
1-1
8
Thomas Jefferson
8-3
30
7
0-1
9
D’Evelyn
9-0
19
10
5-0
10
Evergreen
7-3
18
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Durango 14, Ponderosa 9, Windsor 9, Silver Creek 6, Eagle Valley 4, Cheyenne Mountain 3, Mountain View 3, Glenwood Springs 2, Mullen 2, Palisade 2, Pueblo County 2.
Dropped out
Cheyenne Mountain (6).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Eaton (13)
10-1
130
1
2-1
2
University
9-2
103
2
2-0
3
Resurrection Christian
10-2
96
3
2-0
4
Lutheran (1)
10-2
60
7
1-0
5
Faith Christian
7-3
58
4
1-1
6
Lamar
11-1
56
8
2-0
7
Bayfield
7-3
54
6
1-1
8
Valley
8-4
40
5
1-1
9
Bishop Machebeuf
10-2
35
10
2-1
10
Bennett
9-1
27
–
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Middle Park 21, Coal Ridge 18, Centauri 11, Platte Valley 9, The Academy 8, Sterling 7, Colorado Springs Christian 6, Frontier Academy 6, Aspen 5, Colorado Academy 5, Pagosa Springs 5, Weld Central 5, Jefferson Academy 4, The Vanguard 4, Manitou Springs 1.
Dropped out
Middle Park (9).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Yuma (7)
8-1
88
1
2-0
2
Lyons
9-4
55
2
1-2
3
Dayspring Christian
9-1
53
3
4-0
4
Simla
10-2
47
5
4-0
5
Swink
7-1
45
6
1-0
6
Paonia (2)
8-1
42
4
1-0
7
Denver Christian
9-1
37
7
2-0
8
Dolores
8-1
30
–
2-0
9
Hoehne
8-3
28
8
4-1
10
Wiggins
12-1
21
–
5-0
Others receiving votes:
Meeker 10, Dawson School 7, Fowler 6, Ignacio 6, John Mall 6, Union Colony 6, Rocky Ford 5, Wray 2, Telluride 1.
Dropped out
Meeker (9), Fowler (10).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Kit Carson (7)
11-0
95
1
3-0
2
Fleming (1)
10-1
78
2
1-0
3
Holly (2)
9-1
76
4
0-0
4
McClave
8-1
65
5
4-1
5
La Veta
9-0
61
3
1-0
6
Otis
8-3
48
6
0-2
7
Flagler/Hi-Plains
6-2
38
9
4-0
8
Briggsdale
10-2
30
8
3-0
9
Wiley
7-2
22
7
0-1
10
Belleview Christian
9-0
10
10
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Eads 8, Cheyenne Wells 6, Kim/Branson 4, Pikes Peak Christian 4, Weldon Valley 4, Dove Creek 1.
The 2016 all-state football 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 vote of head coaches across the state.
Players were placed onto the first-team, second-team and honorable mention based upon the number of votes they received. In 5A-1A, spots were reserved for linemen and one kicker/punter, while 8-man reserved spots for linemen.
CHSAA does not determine who makes or doesn’t make the team; they are created entirely from the results of the coaches’ vote.
[divider]
Class 5A
(Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Player of the year: Dylan McCaffrey, Valor Christian
Watch any play this season from Dolores High School and you’re almost guaranteed to see number 55 on the field. Forest Pejsa starts at linebacker, center, punter and kicker for the Bears.
“It helps us get momentum going,” Pejsa, a sophomore, said of his work load. “I’m always in there and always trying to encourage everyone no matter where I’m at. I try to be a playmaker even if I’m at center, middle linebacker, at punter, anything.”
This isn’t new to Pejsa, either. Pejsa logged 119 tackles as a freshman and an all-conference nod all while never coming off the field for Dolores, a Class 1A team.
“It makes me have to work a lot harder in conditioning since I’m not going off the field,” Pejsa said. “There’s a lot more that I have to think about and visualize myself doing on the field that it just takes a lot more mental preparation.”
This season, Pejsa has 47 tackles through three games. That stat is good for seventh overall in Colorado. Four of the top six tackles leaders have played four games.
“You look at a kid that’s at a 5A program, as a linebacker, that’s all he does is play linebacker. When their offense in the field, that linebacker is over there taking a break, getting some water, and having time to be coached on the sideline,” head coach Chris Trusler said. “With Forest never leaving the field, he doesn’t have that luxury. He’s putting up massive numbers that kids that only play one side of the ball can’t get.”
Trusler imagines the potential Pejsa could contain if he played just one position.
“It would be kind of scary to think, if we had a big enough team to where Forest only played linebacker and he had three or four plays on the sideline to get a break, how much more he would be able to dominate the game,” Trusler said.
With the incredible workload Pejsa takes on, challenges with mental errors or frustration due to fatigue should be expected, but Pejsa credits his teammates with keeping him level.
“There’s definitely challenges no matter where I’m at,” Pejsa said. “I also have (senior Tristan Medina) and our other captains to keep me in place and make sure that I’m being the best leader that I can be. Even when I’m having a tough time, they encourage me to play harder.”
However, according to Medina, Pejsa is the one giving the encouragement.
“There’s really no need to pick up Forest, I’d say he’s one to pick up other people,” Medina said. “He’s never one to get negative or hang his head.”
Trusler attests there haven’t been any mental errors from Pejsa despite having no time on the sidelines to take a break.
“We haven’t seen those moments and I think that’s a true testament to the offseason preparation that Forest does and the commitment that he’s made not only to himself, but to his team,” Trusler said.
Pejsa is just a sophomore, but has already been named the captain because of his play, work ethic and leadership.
“He’s a bigger captain and role model than anyone on the team,” Medina said. “I definitely look up to him as a captain, as a friend, he leads by example. He knows when it’s time to get to work.”
Pejsa embodies exactly what Trusler and the Dolores coaching staff look for in a student-athlete.
“We ask our players to do certain things; we ask them to commit, to be coachable, to be good students and to be leaders on and off the field. He takes that to heart and he does everything that we ask all of our guys to do,” Trusler said. “It’s a pure joy to be able to coach guys like that because you know their heart is in it and you know that they’re going to give 100 percent every play. It’s great to have guys like that because they separate themselves as being a leader.”
Trusler mentioned that he uses Pejsa as a frequent reference point for the rest of the team.
“He definitely sets a mark for other student-athletes to follow,” Trusler said. “When another student-athlete says, ‘Hey, I keep getting pushed around out here, what can I do to get better?’ Well, go work out with Forest Pejsa.
“If kids have dreams or aspirations of playing at the next level and they ask what they need to do, well, go watch Forest Pejsa and that’ll show you what you need to do to have that opportunity.”
Pejsa not only offers an example of the type of player the Bears want, he also creates favorable matchups for his teammates defensively.
“When he’s out at linebacker, teams double- or triple-team him on every play,” Trusler said. “That really gives some of the other guys on the team opportunities to make sacks or tackles in the backfield.”
“It opens up another hole for my teammates to go get and I have no problem with that,” Pejsa said.
Even with the double and triple teams Trusler mentioned, Pejsa still finds a way to get his tackles in.
“He’s in on every tackle basically,” Medina said. “Whether it’s right, left, middle, you can count on Forest to make big plays.”
The coaching staff looks to Pejsa for his ability to take over games at any point in the contest.
“Defensively, if we need a big turnover or a big stop, we’ve challenged him before several times in timeouts and the problem gets handled,” Trusler said.
Pejsa attributed his success to the work he put in during the offseason. It’s only fitting that Pejsa is a three-sport athlete. He plays basketball and is a member of the track and field team in addition to football.
“During the summer, a lot of days he’s lifting weights, and then an hour later he’s working out with the basketball program,” Trusler said.
One could argue there is no offseason for Pejsa.
“He’s continually working year-round to get better,” Trusler said. “With what we’ve already seen, I still think there’s a huge amount of upside for Forest. We should be looking at him playing Division I football in a couple years when he graduates.”
Pejsa takes pride in always being in the game, but also takes pride in his grades as a student-athlete.
“I try to remain with straight A’s,” Pejsa said. “I try to be a leader on and off the field.”
“As we teach all our guys, they are student-athletes. Student coming first,” Trusler said. “Our kids being in athletics is a privledge, not a right. Even with all the sports and practices and everything that he’s a part of, he still maintains a very high GPA, he doesn’t make excuses. He gets it done.”
Pejsa is there for his teammates in any way he can be.
“Whether he’s busy or not he goes there for football lifting, whether we have to lay sod, whether we have to do concessions, you can count on him to be there,” Medina said.
“If I had a whole team of Forest Pejsa’s, we would win a state title every year,” Trusler said. “No question about it.”
Trusler’s declaration is telling not only of Pejsa’s blistering start to the season, but of the kind of role model that Pejsa is on the field and in the community.
“Any time you have a student-athlete that models all the values, dedication and leadership that you would want, there’s nothing better than that,” Trusler said. “He’ll have respect from me for the rest of his life because of the effort that he has put out.”
Griffin Barlea competes at the 5A boys golf championship last fall. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
A trio of Colorado golfers wrapped up play at the U.S. Junior Amateur championship this week, but not with the results they were after.
Soon to be seniors Griffin Barlea (Lakewood) and Trevor Olkowski (Grand Junction) both missed the cut on the boys side. Barlea finished at 12-over while Olkowski finished 16-over.
At the Class 5A state tournament last fall, Olkowski finished at 1-over, good enough to finish third at the event. Barlea was only off Olkowski by one stroke, finishing at 2-over which put him in a tie for fifth place.
On the girls side, 2016 Dolores graduate Kiselya Plewe shot 13-over in two days, missing the cut by four strokes.
Plewe also shot 13-over at the 4A girls state tournament in May, which put her in a tie at fourth place.
A graduate of Montezuma-Cortez, Plewe competed for the Dolores golf team through high school. She will attend Weber State this fall and compete on the golf team there.
In the now and in the future, Lauren Murphy is poised to be the big name in the 4A class. She is the next big thing.
The Glenwood Springs sophomore notched a top-10 finish in last year’s state tournament and made the CHSAANow.com all-state team. She was the only freshman on the list. Logic says she is one of the hot names to watch in 2016, but she won’t go as far to say that a state championship should be expected out of her.
“I wouldn’t say I’m one of the favorites,” Murphy said. “I’m just going to try and play my best and you never know who is going to be there or how they’re going to play.”
But for some reason, golf has this odd consistency about it. Kupcho came into River Valley Ranch as a clear favorite to repeat as the individual champion. Kylee Sullivan led a Cheyenne Mountain team that had the talent from top to bottom to take the team title.
This year, six all-state players return and will battle for the 4A title at the Pueblo Country Club in May.
The one difference for Murphy this season is that she hopes to be joined by her teammates so that Glenwood can also vie for the team championship.
“There’s a good team around her,” Demons coach Clem Michel said. “I think the prospect for her finishing better at state is good and taking a team to state is looking pretty good as well.”
The team aspect of high school golf is one of the most appealing parts of competing for Murphy. Throughout the summer and the fall when she is competing, it’s a very individualized game. The high school season gives her the chance to compete alongside her friends.
Lauren Murphy. (Photo courtesy of Brian Murphy)
“(During the high school season) I get to be with a different group of people than I usually play with,” she said. “I have a lot of friends on my team now and playing with a bunch of different people, I really enjoy that.”
It doesn’t hurt that she also lives and gets to play predominantly on the Western Slope. She has honed her game on mountain courses which provide regular challenges that most golfers don’t see much of.
But that won’t come into play this year.
The course at the Pueblo Country Club plays is a par 71. While bunkers and trees are regular obstacles on the course, the overall change in elevation keeps the course on a level playing field.
“I’ve played down in Pueblo before and the courses are pretty flat down there,” Murphy said. “I don’t think there’s any advantage or disadvantage to playing there.”
So it will all come down to who hits the best shots over 36 holes. Murphy is already known as a player to watch in 2016. If she comes away with a state championship, she’s looking at three years of potential dominance throughout the state of Colorado.
Returning all-state golfers: Alexis Chan, Jr., Rock Canyon; Delaney Elliott, Sr., Monarch; Jennifer Hankins, Sr., Legacy; Maddy McCambridge, Sr., Fairview; Jaclyn Murray, Jr., Regis Jesuit; Morgan Sahm, Sr., Grandview; Mary Weinstein, Sr., Regis Jesuit.
Class 4A
Defending individual champion: Jennifer Kupcho, Jefferson Academy (graduated)
Defending state champion: Cheyenne Mountain
Regular season begins: Mar. 3
Regional tournaments: May 12-13
State tournament: May 23-24, Pueblo Country Club, Pueblo
T.J. Shelton pins Custer County’s Edgar Pedigo in the quarterfinals on Friday. More photos. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
DENVER — Meeker senior T.J. Shelton, who is aiming for a fourth wrestling championship, cruised to the semifinals with a win on Friday morning.
Shelton, wrestling in Class 2A’s 170-pound bracket, pinned Edgar Pedigo of Custer County in 1:12 to secure the quarterfinal win. He also pinned his opponent in the first round.
Shelton is set to face Jeramiah Hillman in the semifinals, which begin around 7:15 p.m. on Friday. Hillman has also pinned both of his opponents in the first two rounds.
Greeley Central’s Ben Euresti rallies from down 12-0
Ben Euresti had himself a quarterfinal comeback.
He found himself down early to Pueblo County’s Nathan Bonham, a freshman who was favored coming into the 106-pound quarterfinal match. And in no time, Bonham showed exactly why. Before Euresti knew what had happened, he found himself down 5-0 and knew that he had to start turning things around.
“He was so long that I had to adjust my style to see what he was doing,” Euresti said. “He gave me a perfect little head right there and I took advantage of it.”
By that point, Bonham had a 12-0 lead. But Eurseti was able to get Bonham’s shoulders on the mat and register a pin despite nearly being the victim of a technical fall.
The Greeley Central junior will face Windsor freshman Will Vombaur in the 4A semifinals Friday night.
Ponderosa’s Hunter Matney ends Tomas Gutierrez’s bid at third title
The plan for Ponderosa junior Hutner Matney was simple: keep it close.
He was able to do just that in his 5A 120-quarterfinal battle with two-time state champion Tomas Gutierrez. The Pomona senior held a 2-1 lead in the third period, but little did he know that Matney had him right where he wanted him.
“I could feel him start to wear down a little bit,” Matney said. “That’s when I turned it on and went full speed.”
This is Matney’s third year at the state wrestling tournament and he has never won a championship. He fell in the 106-pound finals in 2015 to Pomona’s Dayton Marvel.
After taking down Gutierrez in Thursday’s early session, he feels good about his odds at coming away with with the 5A 120 title.
“The kid I wrestle next (Poudre’s Job Greenwood) I’ve beaten so I should be good to go there,” Matney said. “Then it’s just one-by-one, match-by-match.”
Mountain View’s Kaley Barker wins in consolation bracket
Mountain View’s Kaley Barker. More photos. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Kaley Barker, who became the seventh girl to wrestle at the state tournament Thursday, won her first round consolation match on Friday afternoon.
Barker pinned her opponent, Evergreen’s Connor Williams in 4:00. She now advances to the second round of the consolation bracket and will face Thompson Valley sophomore Kasey Gault on Friday night.
Of the seven girls who have qualified for state, just two — Soroco’s Lauryn Bruggink in 2010 and Grand Valley’s Cody Pfau in 2013 — have ever won multiple matches.
Defending champion Rocky Ford sits in second place in the 2A team race. Enriquez Romero won his consolation match on Friday. More photos. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Meeker trailed Rocky Ford by 2.5 points after the first day of competition on Thursday. But, with five wrestlers advancing to the semifinals and two more advancing in the consolation bracket, the Cowboys have jumped into the team lead with 63 points following the early session on Friday.
Rocky Ford, the defending champion, is now second with 59.5 points, while Centauri remains in third with 58.
Meeker has won eight team wrestling championships, the most recent coming when it captured 2A in 2005. That was actually the third of three-straight titles.
Valley aiming for a third-straight 3A title
Valley has won the past two team championships in 3A, and the Vikings seem intent on doing it again.
The team led the 3A race after the first day of competition, and it remains there following the quarterfinals. Valley has placed six wrestlers into the semifinals and has 64 points.
Dolores Huerta has moved up to second place in 3A with 51.5 points.
The most recent three-time champion was Paonia (2012-14) in 2A. And prior to Valley’s run in 3A, Alamosa won three-straight 3A titles from 2011-13.
Pueblo County in control of 4A
The Willits brothers aren’t going just for individual titles. Their run to the semifinals has Pueblo County in the lead for the 4A team title with 82 points as semifinals are slated to begin Friday night.
Greeley Central trails by only eight, sitting at 74 points.
Cheyenne Mountain, Mesa Ridge, defending 4A team champion Thompson Valley and Pueblo East are all locked in a battle for control of third place with the four teams being separated by only seven points.
Pomona has a grip on 5A race
Pomona was ranked No. 1 in 5A by On The Mat for most of the season. Through the first two sessions at state wrestling, the Panthers are living up to that billing.
Pomona led the team race after Day 1 action, and continues to do so following Friday’s early session. The Panthers have 59 points, ahead of second-place Legacy (46). Ponderosa sits third with 44.5 points.
Arvada West, the two-time defending champion, is 21st with 14 points.
The Panthers’ last title came in 2013, just prior to Arvada West’s recent run.
Returning champs, unbeatens continue to roll
Each of the returning champions in 4A and 3A moved to the semifinals. Likewise, all of the unbeaten wrestlers in each of those classes, as well as 2A, also advanced.
2A featured seven returning champions, and five undefeated wrestlers. Six returning 2A champions are still alive. On Friday, Limon’s Jayden Hilferty (285 pounds) lost in the quarterfinals. Only one 2A wrestler, Paonia’s Bo Pipher, a 145-pounder, is a returning champion who is also unbeaten at 46-0.
In 3A, there are six returning champions, as well, and three unbeatens. Likewise, the classification only has one returning wrestler who is unbeaten: Dalton Robertson of Weld Central, who is now 43-0 in the 182-pound field.
In 4A, there are 10 returning champions and five unbeatens. Two, Thompson Valley’s Parker Simington (160) and Fort Morgan’s Toby McBride (285), fit into both categories.
The 5A returning champions took a hit. As noted above, two-time champ Tomas Gutierrez fell to Ponderosa’s Hunter Matney. His teammate, Dayton Marvel lost to Riley Garner-Orr of Grand Junction Central on a 4-2 decision. Heading into semifinals, three returning champions remain.
There were no unbeaten wrestlers in 5A heading into the tournament.
Notables
Pueblo County’s Grant Willits. More photos. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Pueblo County’s Grant Willits, on a mission after missing weight at state a year ago, advanced to the semifinals with a 6-0 win over Windsor’s Sam Zdenek in the 4A 126 bracket. Willits was a champion two years ago at 106 pounds.
Willits’ twin brother, Hunter, himself a two-time champion, moved to the semifinals with a 10-0 major decision over Colin Saiz of Denver South at 4A 152.
For the fourth year in a row, Cherry Creek will have at least one Finesilver brother wrestling in the semifinals. This also marks the third-consecutive tournament that at least two of the Finesilver brothers have made the semifinals. This year, twins Josh (126) and Matt (152) have both advanced.
Of the schools with one qualifier, just five advanced their lone wrestler to the semifinals: Dolores, Holy Family, Centaurus, Douglas County, and Horizon.
The semifinals in all classes will begin at 7:15 p.m. at the Pepsi Center. The 2A/3A consolation bracket resumes at 5:45 p.m., and the 4A/5A consolation does so at 7:15 p.m.
