Voted upon by coaches around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings are part of the postseason seeding process.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Vista PEAK Prep (6)
0-0
66
2
Denver East (1)
0-0
49
3
Rangeview (1)
0-0
46
4
Westminster
0-0
39
5
Denver South
0-0
34
6
Far Northeast
0-0
31
7
Boulder
0-0
30
8
Fort Collins
0-0
28
Others receiving votes:
Mountain Range 14, Northglenn 4, Hinkley 3
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Thomas Jefferson (2)
0-0
58
2
Harrison (2)
0-0
54
3
Falcon
0-0
45
4
Denver North
0-0
31
5
Lincoln (1)
0-0
29
6
Skyview
0-0
26
7
Aurora Central
0-0
25
8
Gateway
0-0
24
Others receiving votes:
Sierra 18, Centaurus 13, George Washington 12, Kennedy 5
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Basalt (3)
0-0
45
2
Rifle (1)
0-0
37
3
The Classical Academy
0-0
33
4
Faith Christian
0-0
28
5
Aspen (1)
0-0
23
6
Glenwood Springs
0-0
18
7
Kent Denver
0-0
12
8
Northfield (1)
0-0
10
Others receiving votes:
Steamboat Springs 4, The Academy 3, Salida 1, Sand Creek 1, Denver West 1
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.
State championship season rolls on as the boys golf tournaments are set to begin play on Monday. The Class 5A tournament will take place at Rolling Hills in Lakewood, the 4A tournament will be played at the Country Club of Colorado in Colorado Springs and the 3A tournament is at Dos Rios in Gunnison.
Each classification has several standout teams as well as multiple teams that can battle for a team state championship. Below is breakdown of what to expect at each tournament when the boys start launching them Monday morning.
Weather forecast: Sunny, temperatures in high 70’s (both days)
Outlook: The 5A tournament might have some of the best talent the state has on display. Cherry Creek sophomore Charlie Flaxbeard and teammate TJ Hicks both shot career rounds at regionals and will take a lot of momentum into state. Combined with the veteran presences that players like Kates and teammate Matthew Wilkinson bring and it could make for a fun two-day battle at Rolling Hills. The team race between Cherry Creek, Arapahoe, Lakewood and Ralston Valley should also be fun to track.
Others to watch: Ralston Valley’s Gage Messingham is the top-ranked 5A player according to iWanamker rankings, Lakewood’s Ryan Liao has finished in the top four in the last two years of the 5A tournament and Prairie View’s Jeff Nelson has put together some of the best rounds in the state during the course of the regular season.
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Class 4A
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Course: Country Club of Colorado in Colorado Springs
Weather forecast: Sunny, temperatures in mid-to-high 70’s (both days)
Outlook: After winning the last three team championships, Montrose is going to have its work cut out for it this year. Micah Stangebye is gone but Jordan Jennings has done a great job of leading the team as a senior. The individual race should be an intriguing one as Discovery Canyon’s Kaden Ford and Northfield’s Hunter Swanson return after tying for second place. Lewis-Palmer’s Greg Lewis was right there as a sophomore and has only gotten better in the last year. The team race could come down to host Cheyenne Mountain battling it out with the likes of Mullen, Pueblo West and Windsor.
Others to watchk: Falcon’s Reese Knox has been on fire lately as has Coronado’s Noah Keller. Frederick’s Jake Chesler has been steady all year and Durango junior Levi Tichi has found himself under par on several occasions.
Weather forecast: Sunny, temperatures in low 70’s (both days)
Outlook: The 3A tournament certainly brings the most collective talent from the widest range across the state. Aspen’s Nic Pevny finished with in a three-way tie for third with Kent Denver’s Jeffrey Zhou and Stering’s Tayleb Schaefer at the end of last year’s tournament. All three competitors are back which means the second day of the tournament could look more like a men’s club Friday night shootout than a final round of stroke play. Aspen, Kent Denver, St. Mary’s, Sterling and Vail Christian will all have a shot to make a run at a team title and it could be the results on the first day that could put either of those teams in the driver seat.
Others to watchk: Montezuma-Cortez’s Thayer Plewe has more poise on a golf course as a sophomore than most men have in their 30’s. He’s looking to keep his hand steady and play his way into contention. Primero’s Lance Peters has shown no fear when feeling the need to pull driver out of his bag. The narrow fairways of Dos Rios might give some players pause before going for the big dog, but if Peters has a spot in mind and needs driver to get there, he’ll waste no time swinging away.
DENVER — The Montrose boys golf team is heading back to the Class 4A state tournament after winning their fifth straight regional championship.
As a team, Montrose shot a combined score of 236. Summit took second with a 244, good enough to also send a team to state .Steamboat Springs third at 249 and Green Mountain fourth at 252.
Northfield’s Hunter Swanson claimed the individual championship by shooting a bogey-free 5-under-par 67. Montrose was led by Jordan Jennings who shot 74.
Jennings’ teammate, freshman Noah Richmond and Summit’s Ryley Cibula each shot 76 to finish in a tie for third.
“I am extremely happy with our team and that they captured another regional championship,” Montrose Coach Steve Skiff said. “Green Valley Ranch was a tough golf course, but the boys stayed patient and kept battling all day. I am also very proud of our senior leader Jordan Jennings who finished second with a 74.
Jordan played a very solid round of golf today and hit the ball well.He is such a great leader for us. Noah Richmond got off to a slow start, but stayed with the course and finished with a strong 76. (Sophomores) Jake Legg and Rocco Manuel grinded all day long and (both) shot 86. We are very excited to qualify the team again for the state tournament and look forward to playing Country Club of Colorado on Oct. 5 & 6.”
Montrose has claimed the last three 4A team titles and is looking to make it four in a row. Last year’s individual champion, Micah Stangebye, is gone, but this crop of player knows all they needed to do was to qualify to give themselves a shot. They have the experience of playing at a big-level event and can’t wait to once again defend their title.
“I’m just excited that we got our whole team to state,” Jordan Jennings said. “We need to buckle down these next few weeks to get our games sharp for state.”
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Around the state:
Aspen conquers River Valley Ranch
Aspen’s Nic Penvy bogeyed the final hole at River Valley Ranch in Carbondale to shoot 73, but he was still two shots clear of Vail Christian’s Ross Anderson in claiming a regional championship. Both Aspen and Vail Christian qualified full teams for the 3A state tournament at Dos Rios in Gunnison.
Montezuma-Cortez’s Plewe goes low at Hollydot
Thayer Plewe wasn’t messing around when it came to qualifying for state. The Montezuma-Cortez sophomore pounded Hollydot into submission by firing a 65 to claim a regional title.
Colorado Academy had all four players finish in the top 12 to claim the team title and send a full squad to Dos Rios.
Mullen, Riverdale Ridge get teams out of Quail Dunes
Mullen’s Mario Dino had a bit of an adventurous round but finished his day at even par to claim the individual championship at Region 3 at Quail Dunes. The Mustangs also claimed the team title as Rhett Johnson and Andrew Brady claimed top 16 finishes.
Riverdale Ridge was the team runner-up and its squad of Will Balliet, Aiden Sweeney and Bradley Weinmaster will all head to the Country Club of Colorado in less than two weeks.
DENVER — Gov. Jared Polis made good on his pledge to attend the first day of high school sports competition.
Polis visited the DPS Invitational at Wellshire Golf Course on Thursday morning, a tournament that marked the first day high school sports competition in the state since the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic shut down athletics in mid-March.
“It’s great to have high school sports back,” Polis said. “High school sports are a big part of who we are, and it drives a lot of kids to be part of their school environment, to socialize, to learn those skills that are so important in the work force: being a member of a team, leadership, stepping up when you need to be part of the whole.
“It’s great that high school sports are back, really due to the hard work of Coloradans. The fact that Coloradans are being safe, they’re wearing masks, they’re staying six feet from others,” Polis continued. “We see that in having lower viral numbers than a lot of the other states that are hot spots. Part of that reward for that is that kids are going to have all of the different high school sports season that we have, and they’ll have an opportunity to participate in organized high school sports this year.”
The DPS Invitational included 15 teams: Denver North, Erie, Cherry Creek, Cheyenne Mountain, Arvada West, Regis Jesuit, Denver East, Lakewood, Denver South, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Rock Canyon, Boulder, Northfield and Conifer.
COLORADO SPRINGS — Hunter Swanson’s approach shot on the seventh hole of the Country Club of Colorado was everything that a player wants.
The flight looked good, the distance felt good and when the smacked the green just a few inches from the pin it hopped just once then stayed put. The spin was enough to make sure the ball didn’t release to the back side of the green but not enough to pull it right off the putting surface.
It was the kind of shot that Swanson hit several times last fall that helped Swanson finish for a tie in second place at the Class 4A boys golf state tournament at The Bridges in Montrose.
“There was no beating Micah (Stangebye) that tournament,” Swanson said. “I was playing for second.”
That’s where he finished and he’s aiming to better that result the next chance he gets. Heading into just his junior year, he’ll have plenty of chances to play high-level golf under the Northfield banner.
He was certainly moving that direction at the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s first major of its summer tour season, the PGA Championship at the Country Club of Colorado. He made his kick-in birdie on seven and then made another on No. 9 to make the turn at 2-under for the third and final round.
Prospect Ridge graduate Walker Franklin’s lead was too much to overcome, however, and Swanson finished tied for sixth along with Arapahoe’s Will Kates, the defending 5A champion. Playing alongside Kates and Holy Family grad Jacob Mason is the kind of competition that Swanson knows will help him when he gets another crack at state.
“When I’m playing with skilled people in my groups like today, it makes you play a lot better and it makes you more motivated,” Swanson said. “You don’t mess as much. When they’re throwing darts at the green, it’s not an option to miss.”
Swanson couldn’t help but take the opportunity to pick Kates’ mind a bit about winning a state title. It’s on a list of several goals that Swanson hopes to accomplish in the next two years.
“I talked with Will a bit about his state championship,” Swanson said. “He really liked it and he said it was a fun experience. I can definitely learn from that going into state next year.”
Until that opportunity comes around, he’s going to play as much golf as he can. Before playing this week at CCC — where even the best putters in the state can lose a sense of sanity on the greens — he won a tour event the week before at King’s Deer just east of Monument.
He held off Discovery Canyon’s Kaden Ford by a stroke. Swanson and Ford were the two players to tie for second at state last year.
If the result at King’s Deer is any indication, the battle between Ford and Swanson throughout the year should be one of the better matchups throughout the state regardless of sport.
