Lewis-Palmer moved up to the No. 1 spot in this week’s boys basketball rankings.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
First-place votes are in parentheses.
Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Rangeview (13)
1-0
148
1
1-0
2
Overland (1)
3-0
130
2
3-0
3
Mountain Vista (1)
2-0
92
8
2-0
4
Grandview
1-1
73
3
1-1
5
Denver East
3-0
72
9
3-0
6
Eaglecrest
2-0
66
10
2-0
7
Smoky Hill
1-1
48
4
1-1
8
Highlands Ranch
3-0
47
–
3-0
9
Cherry Creek
2-1
28
5
2-1
10
George Washington
3-0
22
–
3-0
Others receiving votes:
Chaparral 19, Columbine 19, ThunderRidge 17, Fairview 9, Mullen 7, Ralston Valley 7, Legend 6, Doherty 3, Mountain Range 3, Vista Peak Prep 3, Fruita Monument 2, Arapahoe 1, Castle View 1, Regis Jesuit 1, Valor Christian 1.
Dropped out
ThunderRidge (6), Chaparral (7).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Lewis-Palmer (5)
3-0
118
3
3-0
2
Cheyenne Mountain (5)
4-0
100
4
4-0
3
Harrison (3)
3-0
96
1
3-0
4
Mead
2-1
78
2
2-1
5
Lincoln
2-1
45
7
2-1
6
Erie
2-0
44
–
2-0
7
Pueblo East
2-1
35
6
2-1
8
Green Mountain
3-0
34
–
3-0
9
Golden
2-1
31
–
2-1
10
Longmont
1-1
30
5
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Thomas Jefferson 19, Sand Creek 13, Evergreen 11, Palmer Ridge 10, Ponderosa 10, Northfield 9, Montrose 8, Frederick 6, Wheat Ridge 5, Centaurus 3, Silver Creek 3, Holy Family 2, Mitchell 2, Pueblo West 2, Coronado 1.
Dropped out
Thomas Jefferson (8), Centaurus (9), Pueblo West (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Lutheran (11)
2-0
163
1
2-0
2
Resurrection Christian (6)
3-0
155
3
3-0
3
Faith Christian
2-0
130
5
2-0
4
Manual
0-0
107
4
0-0
5
The Vanguard School
1-1
99
2
1-1
6
Sterling (1)
2-1
88
6
2-1
7
DSST: Byers (1)
2-0
65
7
2-0
8
St. Mary’s
3-0
36
–
3-0
9
University
3-0
33
–
3-0
10
Eaton
2-1
23
8
2-1
Others receiving votes:
Montezuma-Cortez 22, Kent Denver 17, Centauri 16, Coal Ridge 13, Gunnison 13, Manitou Springs 11, Colorado Springs Christian 10, Colorado Academy 7, DSST: Green Valley Ranch 7, Alamosa 6, DSST: Montview 5, Bennett 4, Delta 4, Pagosa Springs 4, Strasburg 4, Jefferson Academy 2, Lamar 1.
Dropped out
Colorado Academy (9), Coal Ridge (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Yuma (10)
1-0
144
1
1-0
2
Highland (4)
3-0
134
2
3-0
3
Fowler
1-0
119
4
1-0
4
Ignacio
2-0
76
10
2-0
5
Limon (1)
1-1
72
3
1-1
6
Mancos
0-0
62
5
0-0
7
Denver Christian
1-0
57
7
1-0
8
Holly
1-0
50
8
1-0
9
Wray
1-1
39
9
1-1
10
Sanford
0-1
38
6
0-1
Others receiving votes:
Vail Christian 18, Rocky Ford 5, Sedgwick County 4, Dawson School 3, Peyton 2, Dolores Huerta Prep 1, Heritage Christian 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
De Beque (7)
2-0
79
1
2-0
2
Evangelical Christian (1)
2-0
62
3
2-0
3
Sangre de Cristo
3-0
53
4
3-0
4
Kit Carson
0-0
48
2
0-0
5
Merino
2-0
41
5
2-0
6
Briggsdale
1-1
33
7
1-1
7
Mile High Academy
1-0
25
10
1-0
8
Genoa-Hugo/Karval
2-0
21
–
2-0
9
Kim/Branson
2-1
16
–
2-1
10
Haxtun
0-2
13
6
0-2
Others receiving votes:
Cotopaxi 9, Peetz 8, Ouray 7, Cheraw 6, Longmont Christian 4, Fleming 3, Idalia 3, Walsh 3, Belleview Christian 2, Pikes Peak Christian 2, Granada 1, South Baca 1.
The preseason boys basketball rankings are out, and Rangeview, Harrison, Lutheran, Yuma and De Beque head the polls.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
First-place votes are in parentheses.
Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Rangeview (9)
0-0
136
2
Overland (5)
0-0
124
3
Grandview
0-0
83
4
Smoky Hill
0-0
79
5
Cherry Creek
0-0
77
6
ThunderRidge
0-0
62
7
Chaparral
0-0
60
8
Mountain Vista (1)
0-0
53
9
Denver East
0-0
39
10
Eaglecrest
0-0
33
Others receiving votes:
Columbine 23, Regis Jesuit 21, Ralston Valley 20, Rock Canyon 17, Fairview 15, George Washington 13, Doherty 10, Arapahoe 7, Douglas County 2, Mullen 2, Valor Christian 2, Boulder 1, Cherokee Trail 1.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Harrison (5)
0-0
85
2
Mead (2)
0-0
74
3
Lewis-Palmer (2)
0-0
63
4
Cheyenne Mountain
0-0
59
5
Longmont (1)
0-0
51
6
Pueblo East
0-0
43
7
Lincoln
0-0
35
8
Thomas Jefferson
0-0
29
9
Centaurus
0-0
27
10
Pueblo West
0-0
25
Others receiving votes:
Holy Family 18, Wheat Ridge 14, The Classical Academy 6, Green Mountain 5, Northfield 5, Golden 3, Frederick 2, Glenwood Springs 2, D’Evelyn 1, Evergreen 1, Sand Creek 1, Sierra 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Lutheran (7)
0-0
119
2
The Vanguard School (1)
0-0
97
3
Resurrection Christian (2)
0-0
85
4
Manual (1)
0-0
75
5
Faith Christian
0-0
71
6
Sterling (1)
0-0
68
7
DSST: Byers (1)
0-0
43
8
Eaton
0-0
24
9
Colorado Academy
0-0
20
10
Coal Ridge
0-0
14
Others receiving votes:
Centauri 13, Colorado Springs Christian 13, Kent Denver 13, University 11, Gunnison 9, Manitou Springs 9, Delta 7, Montezuma-Cortez 7, DSST: Montview 5, Pagosa Springs 4, St. Mary’s 3, The Academy 3, Alamosa 1, La Junta 1.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Yuma (10)
0-0
119
2
Highland (2)
0-0
106
3
Limon (1)
0-0
95
4
Fowler
0-0
93
5
Mancos
0-0
53
6
Sanford
0-0
46
7
Denver Christian
0-0
41
8
Holly
0-0
32
9
Wray
0-0
24
10
Ignacio
0-0
14
Others receiving votes:
Vail Christian 13, Holyoke 10, Sedgwick County 10, Byers 9, Peyton 8, Rye 8, Plateau Valley 7, Sargent 7, Swink 6, Del Norte 4, Simla 4, Meeker 3, Burlington 2, Paonia 1.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
De Beque (5)
0-0
79
2
Kit Carson (2)
0-0
70
3
Evangelical Christian (1)
0-0
67
4
Sangre de Cristo
0-0
56
5
Merino (1)
0-0
48
6
Haxtun
0-0
34
7
Briggsdale
0-0
25
8
Ouray
0-0
18
9
Walsh
0-0
17
10
Mile High Academy
0-0
15
Others receiving votes:
Fleming 9, Kim/Branson 7, Prairie 7, Sierra Grande 7, Creede 6, Cheraw 5, Flagler/Hi-Plains 5, Genoa-Hugo/Karval 4, Cotopaxi 3, Peetz 3, South Baca 3, Belleview Christian 2, Cheyenne Wells 2, Denver Waldorf 2, Stratton/Liberty 2, Longmont Christian 1, Pikes Peak Christian 1.
Fruita Monument 29, Golden 20, Hinkley 17, Ponderosa 8, Longmont 6, Wheat Ridge 6, Skyline 5, Vista Ridge 5, Greeley West 3, Monarch 2, Air Academy 1, Mesa Ridge 1, Windsor 1.
Dropped out
Hinkley (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Palmer Ridge (16)
5-1
194
1
W
2
Mead (4)
6-0
173
2
W
3
Pueblo South
5-1
165
3
W
4
Discovery Canyon
5-1
111
4
W
5
Conifer
6-0
100
8
W
6
Frederick
6-0
85
6
W
7
Durango
4-2
55
9
W
8
Lutheran
4-2
51
7
L
9
Green Mountain
4-2
47
5
L
10
Harrison
5-1
27
–
W
Others receiving votes:
Holy Family 21, Thomas Jefferson 21, Erie 19, Pueblo Central 19, Palisade 15, Roosevelt 11, Northridge 10, Fort Morgan 9, Pueblo East 8, Battle Mountain 6, Evergreen 4, Littleton 3, Eagle Valley 1.
Dropped out
Palisade (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Rifle (18)
6-0
223
1
W
2
Sterling (2)
5-1
189
4
W
3
Platte Valley (1)
5-1
180
3
W
4
Resurrection Christian (2)
5-1
169
5
W
5
Delta
5-1
125
2
–
6
Faith Christian (1)
5-1
124
6
W
7
Basalt
6-0
114
7
W
8
Elizabeth
5-1
53
–
W
9
Eaton
4-2
48
9
W
10
The Classical Academy
4-2
42
10
W
Others receiving votes:
Lamar 14, Englewood 13, La Junta 12, Alamosa 9, Bennett 2, University 2, Aspen 1.
Dropped out
La Junta (8).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Strasburg (16)
6-0
178
1
W
2
Limon
5-1
151
2
W
3
Holyoke (2)
6-0
134
3
W
4
Florence
6-0
124
4
W
5
Colorado Springs Christian
5-1
95
7
W
6
Meeker
5-1
83
6
W
7
Centauri
5-1
81
5
W
8
Wray
5-1
38
8
W
9
Hotchkiss
5-1
32
10
W
10
Highland
3-3
22
9
L
Others receiving votes:
Flatirons Academy 15, Rye 14, Peyton 8, Buena Vista 7, Burlington 5, Grand Valley 3.
Dropped out
None.
8-man
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Sedgwick County (11)
7-0
145
1
W
2
Fowler (3)
6-0
134
2
W
3
Sanford
6-0
115
7
W
4
Merino
5-1
85
5
W
5
Mancos
5-1
76
3
L
6
Dayspring Christian Academy
5-1
66
4
L
7
Vail Christian (1)
6-0
57
8
W
8
Pikes Peak Christian
4-1
46
9
W
9
Caliche
4-2
30
6
L
10
Dove Creek
5-1
18
10
Bye
Others receiving votes:
Rangely 11, West Grand 10, Elbert 9, Holly 7, Hoehne 6, Sargent 6, Soroco 4.
Fairview quarterback Aidan Atkinson threw his 100th career touchdown pass during his team’s win over Legacy on Friday night.
Atkinson, a senior who is committed to Northwestern, threw seven touchdown passes (and 349 yards) in the win, including four in the first half. When the night was over, he ended up with 102 career TDs.
Atkinson becomes the fifth quarterback in state history to throw 100 touchdowns in his career.
The Knights beat Legacy 49-31 on Friday, thanks in large part to a 28-3 halftime lead. Legacy came out first in the second half, with a touchdown, onside kick, and another touchdown — but Fairview, when it finally got the ball back, responded right away with another touchdown from Atkinson.
Four of Atkinson’s TDs went to Henry Blackburn. Fairview, ranked No. 9, is now 5-1 this season.
[divider]
300 wins for Monarch’s Phil Bravo
(@PhilBravodblwng/Twitter)
Monarch beat Gateway 32-6 on Friday, giving their coach, Phil Bravo, the 300th win of his career.
Bravo has a head coach in Colorado at Centaurus and later Monarch since 1991, and was at Whittier Christian (Calif.) from 1986-90 prior to that.
In the lone matchup of top-10 teams on Friday night, Florence made a statement as the Huskies remained unbeaten at 5-0.
Florence running back Owen Busetti rushed for 294 yards and four touchdowns in the win, according to Austin White of the Pueblo Chieftain.
“He’s a great kid. And he’s the type of kid that’s done everything right in the offseason,” Jeremy Nix told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show after the game. “He’s special. He makes the coaches look good at times, and he does good things, he makes good cuts, good decisions. And the O-line is doing a heck of a job for him, too.”
Florence will continue its tough league schedule as the season rolls along, including contests against St. Mary’s, Buena Vista, Centauri, and Colorado Springs Christian.
“This is the grind part of our season,” Nix said, “so we’ll know what we’re made of, and our character will get tested.”
Gavin Sawchuk rushed for 220 yards and two touchdowns for the Eagles in the win.
[divider]
Notables
Colton Murray rushed for five touchdowns to help Peyton beat Ellicott 43-0 in 1A.
Quite the 6-man shootout between Kiowa in Genoa-Hugo, which Kiowa won 68-55.
Damien Barnes, the state leader in rushing touchdowns, added to his total with four more (and 249 yards) as Eads beat Walsh 60-28 in 6-man. He now has 19 through five games.
Evergreen knocked off 3A No. 7 Palisade, 19-17.
Arapahoe is now 5-1 following a big win over Cherokee Trail, 10-7. It is the program’s best start since winning their first 10 games in 2015.
In 1A, Wray beat No. 8 Burlington 14-0.
Rocky Mountain beat cross-city rival Poudre, 24-7, and the Lobos are now 3-3. “It was a great old-school high school football game tonight,” Rocky coach Mark Brook told the Scoreboard Show. “They played their hearts out tonight. Our kids stepped up and made some big plays when they needed to.”
Harrison beat Pueblo County in overtime, 21-14. “Tonight, it was just one heck of a football game,” coach Al Melo told the Scoreboard Show. The Colorado Springs Gazette has a full story.
Bayfield ended a two-game skid with a 28-10 win over Alamosa. “I think every played played to the best of their ability,” coach Gary Heided told the Scoreboard Show. “Every player went in and really tried to make amends for what’s happened the last couple of weeks.”
2A No. 7 Basalt handed Moffat County its first loss with a 49-7 win. The Longhorns are now 5-0. “The kids played really hard, and they flew around,” coach Carl Frerichs told the Scoreboard Show. Gavin Webb rushed for four touchdowns for Basalt.
5A No. 10 Legend snuck past Fountain-Fort Carson 23-21 to stay unbeaten at 6-0.
LAKEWOOD — An interception by Green Mountain’s multi-skilled quarterback Trey Towndrow turned the tide Friday night at Jeffco Stadium.
“When Towndrow took that to the house we knew this was our game,” Green Mountain senior Trey Corkin said after the Rams celebrated its opener and homecoming with a 42-14 victory over Harrison.
Green Mountain seniors Trey Towndrow (5) and Matthew Bowden (23) combine to tackle Harrison junior Kahli Dotison on Friday night at Jeffco Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Towndrow erased what was generally a less than stellar first quarter and a half for the Rams against Harrison (0-1 record). Green Mountain turned the ball over three times and trailed 7-0 midway through the second quarter, but an interception by Towndrow that he returned 75 yards for a touchdown gave the Rams a much-needed boost.
“That 6-pick I really thought got us going and changed the momentum,” Towndrow said. “It gave us some drive to let us do what we wanted to do.”
The Rams — No. 6 in the CHSAANow.come Class 3A football rankings — eventually scored 42 unanswered points to avenge a season-opening loss to the Panthers last season.
“It took us awhile to settle in for some reason, but Trey kind of got us the momentum there,” Green Mountain coach Jesse German said. “Then we were able to get some scores together and some (defensive) stops.”
Towndrow wasn’t done after his pick-6. The three-year starting quarterback threw a pair of touchdown passes to Corkin in the final two minutes before halftime to take a 21-0 lead into the locker room.
Harrison senior running back Timmy Evan (21) looks for running room against the Rams’ defense Friday night at Jeffco Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Senior Quinn Meinert set up Corkin’s first touchdown catch. Meinert broke off a 58-yard run to set the Rams up deep in Harrison territory. Corkin grabbed a 3-yard touchdown catch to push the lead to 14-0.
A poor punt by Harrison gave Green Mountain the football with a minute to play in the second half. Towndrow hit Corkin for a 32-yard touchdown to give the Rams their third touchdown in less than six minutes.
Corkin’s third touchdown was a 91-yard catch and run early in the fourth quarter that gave Green Mountain a 35-7 advantage.
“I didn’t necessarily envision scoring three touchdowns,” said Corkin, who led the Rams with 735 yards receiving and seven touchdowns last season. “I envisioned me doing my job and my teammates doing their jobs and coming out with the win.”
A nine-play, 85-yard touchdown drive by Green Mountain to begin the second half pushed the Rams’ advantage to 28-7. Towndrow capped off the drive with a 4-yard touchdown pass to senior Braydon Schulz.
Senior Jacob Chavez hauled in a 16-yard touchdown to finish off the scoring for the Rams. Towndrow finished with five touchdown passes on the night.
Harrison’s two scores bookended the 42-point run by the Rams. Junior quarterback Jaseim Mitchell had a 4-yard touchdown run to open the scoring in the first quarter. Senior Romero Wells capped off the game with a 3-yard touchdown in the final minutes.
“Those guys have been playing together for two and three years now,” German said of his skilled position players. “We have high expectations of those guys.”
Green Mountain returns to action next Friday night on the Western Slope. The Rams travel to Palisade to face the Bulldogs. Palisade, ranked No. 2 in 3A, took a 25-18 victory over Durango on Friday night in its opener.
Green Mountain junior Allen Ortiz, left, isn’t able to haul in a pass during the first half Friday night against Harrison. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
The start of football season in Colorado is just two short weeks away. With some players having graduated and moved on from every team, a new set of standout student-athletes will be in the spotlight in 2019.
But there are plenty of players coming back this season and with them come numbers that were impressive even a year ago.
Looking at the offensive side of the ball, there are plenty of reasons to be excited for the start of football season in 2019.
[divider]
Passing:
When it comes to passing stats, Fairview quarterback Aidan Atkinson led the way for all quarterbacks in 2018. The senior to be threw for a staggering 3,952 yards last year. It was a record-setting year all the way around for him and the Knights.
For comparison, Highlands Ranch quarterback Jake Rubley threw for 1,951 yards and comes into the season No. 2 behind Atkinson in returning passing yards.
The top-three passers in 4A all return in 2019 making the prospect of an aerial battle late in the season very intriguing.
(Kevin Prickett/prickettpix.com)
Skyline’s Chase Silva threw for 2,829 yards as he helped the Falcons reach the 4A championship game. Centaurus’ Nick Faraca threw for 2,436 yards with Grand Junction Central’s Max Marsh threw for 2,296. The combination of Marsh and LSU football commit Kole Taylor is going to be a major attraction on the Western Slope this fall.
The top five passers from 3A all graduated a year ago making George Washington’s Jaydon Green the top returning passer in the class as he threw for 1,722. Pueblo South’s Logan Petit (1,581 yards) and Durango’s Jordan Woolverton (1,560 yards) are other 3A names to keep an eye on.
Aspen’s Tyler Ward led 2A with 2,202 yards last year and will be back as a junior in 2019 as will Meeker’s Ryan Phelan who topped all 1A passers with 1,869 in 2018.
Front Range Christian’s Luke Hiltman led all 8-man passers with 2,079 yards and will be back this fall. Briggsdale senior Tyler Blickem returns with 2,368 passing yards from last year which topped all of 6-man.
Granada sophomore Dominic Coleman got the attention of the class by throwing for 1,609 yards as a freshman.
In terms of touchdowns, Atkinson set the standard state-wide with 55. Blickem threw for 36 and Silva connected on 30 touchdown passes.
Rushing:
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
The ground attack throughout the state lost a lot of spild performers from last year. Smoky Hill’s Obasanjo Sanni returns as the top returning rusher as he cleared the 2,000-yard mark last year and averaged 181 yards per game.
Legacy’s Dakota Key (1,799) and Fountain-Fort Carson’s Q. Jones (1,406) round out 5A’s top three returning rushers.
There were standout runners from 3A that are also making their way back this year. Palisade’s Cam Tucker ran for 1,662 and Thomas Jefferson’s Daveon Hunter ran for 1,410 yards in nine games.
In 4A, the top two returners both come out of Academy District 20 as Pine Creek’s David Moore III returns with 1,494 yards from last year. Down the road at Rampart, Chris Yoo totaled 1,317 yards and both backs will be seniors this fall.
The biggest loss of production on the ground comes in 2A where 10 of the top 12 rushers from last year were seniors. Coming into this season, just Brush’s Nick Wellen (1,250) and Bishop Machebeuf’s Darius Richards (1,012) return with over 1,000 rushing yards from last year.
That’s a big difference in 1A where the top two rushers from 2018 will be back as seniors this fall. Colorado Springs Christian senior Peyton Brones led all of 1A with 1,724 yards last year while Monte Vista’s Kaidon Wenta sat right behind him on the leaderboard with 1,475.
Dove Creek’s Chorbin Cressler broke into the top five of all 8-man rushers as just a freshman last year with 1,243 yards and will look to build on that momentum this season. Pikes Peak Christian’s Hudson Grant is 8-man’s No. 2 returning rusher with 1,188 yards in 2018.
Tucker returns with the most rushing touchdowns from last year with 28. Stratton/Liberty’s Jaret Lichty ran for 27 and Brones punched the ball in 24 times.
Receiving
Losing Kain Medrano was always going to be a big deal for Pueblo East. But if there is a silver lining, it’s that Marvon London, Jr. appears ready to fill the void.
The senior receiver for the Eagles amassed more receiving yards than any other player returning in 2019. His 1,083 yards were seventh in the state last fall and with Medrano gone, the number has a chance of increasing this season.
Palmer Ridge’s Deuce Roberson (937) and Harrison’s Seth Fuller (928) are the other top 3A receivers coming back.
Fairview’s Henry Blackburn hauled 890 receiving yards to lead all 5A returners and should thrive again with Atkinson still tossing passes for the Knights.
Heritage junior Terrance Ferguson totaled 972 receiving yards making him the top returning 4A receiver this season.
Two of last season’s top three receivers will be back in 2A. Aspen’s Max Ufkes led the class with 920 receiving yards and Englewood’s Nate Gravagno ranked third with 824.
As much as 1A had coming back in terms of rushing production, that is not the case with receiving. Estes Park sophomore Calum Torrey had 442 receiving yards last year which is the most for anyone who was not a senior.
Sangre de Cristo’s Mario Enriquez leds all 8-man returners with 594 yards while Deer Trail’s Dayne Woodis comes back with 730 yards which was second in 6-man last year.
Blackburn returns with the most receiving touchdowns form last year with 17. Woodis and Roberson each hauled in 11 touchdown catches last year.
