Tim Yount of On The Mat provides weekly wrestling rankings for teams and individuals in all weight classes. To see individual rankings, you can subscribe to On The Mat’s full rankings.
To subscribe via PayPal, choose your subscription option on this page click on the corresponding PayPal button. To subscribe by mail or fax and pay by personal check, click here for a printable subscription form. Email Tim Yount at tim@onthematrankings.com with questions.
To purchase individual weeks of the rankings (as opposed to the entire season), you will need to use the printable subscription form and pay by check. The season ranking subscriptions are offered at a discounted rate.
Tim Yount of On The Mat provides weekly wrestling rankings for teams and individuals in all weight classes. To see individual rankings, you can subscribe to On The Mat’s full rankings.
To subscribe via PayPal, choose your subscription option on this page click on the corresponding PayPal button. To subscribe by mail or fax and pay by personal check, click here for a printable subscription form. Email Tim Yount at tim@onthematrankings.com with questions.
To purchase individual weeks of the rankings (as opposed to the entire season), you will need to use the printable subscription form and pay by check. The season ranking subscriptions are offered at a discounted rate.
It was not a good week to be ranked as the 2015 football season began in earnest.
When the dust settled on Friday night, here’s what we were left with:
Three No. 1 teams lost on Friday night. 5A’s Valor Christian was clipped by No. 3 Pomona. 2A’s Brush, the defending champion, last to 3A No. 2 Fort Morgan, and 8-man’s Caliche fell to unranked Kiowa.
Ranked teams are just 35-23 so far in Week 1. That includes three ranked 4A teams which lost to unranked opponents on Friday alone.
In all, there have been 16 upsets so far in Week 1, including 13 ranked teams losing to unranked opponents.
To the games.
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3A/2A: (2) Fort Morgan 47, (1) Brush 7
Fort Morgan controlled this rivalry game from start to finish — a game that had a new twist with new Brush coach Reid Kahl, who graduated from Fort Morgan.
“I consider Reid Kahl one of my good friends. When I got to Fort Morgan, the Kahls took me in,” Fort Morgan coach Harrison Chisum told Colorado Preps’ Scoreboard Show. “I’m glad it’s over. It’s tough coaching against friends. He’s an outstanding coach and I have a lot of respect for him. … I’m just glad it’s done and we’re still friends.”
Brush had won five consecutive games in the rivalry.
“It was a little more enjoyable this year,” Chisum said. “Five years in a row, they’ve had our number. To finally come out on top, it feels good. The boys did a good job.
“I didn’t realize it was five years. I think I was trying to forget some of those years. … It’s pretty nice to be able to start off with a win.”
[divider]
8-man: Kiowa 12, (1) Caliche 6
In a rare low-scoring game, Kiowa knocked off the No. 1 team, and defending champions.
Kiowa led 12-0 after the first quarter, and it turned out to be all the points it would need.
The win avenged last season’s 49-6 loss to Caliche. Kiowa went on to finish 2-7 in 2014. This win actually snapped a six-game losing streak.
Conversely, Caliche had won nine games in a row — including a Zero Week game against Soroco.
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4A: Loveland 36, (5) Denver South 18
Quarterback Ayden Eberhardt had four total touchdowns to lead Loveland to the upset of Denver South.
“Our quarterback is just a great, nifty little runner and can do things,” Loveland coach Wayne McGinn told the newspaper. “You don’t know where he’s going. I don’t know where he’s going half the time.”
[divider]
6-man: (3) Arickaree/Woodlin 58, (5) Peetz 50
Arickaree/Woodlin, the defending 6-man champion, out-gunned Peetz in a shootout despite having a young roster.
“Our starting six or seven have a lot of experience, but they’re in some different positions this year,” Arickaree/Woodlin coach David Saffer told the Scoreboard Show. “And we’ve got a bunch of young kids and they’re just kind of learning high school football and adjusting to the speed and learning what it takes to win at this level.”
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Notables
Arvada beat Sheridan 27-14, and in doing so, snapped an 18-game losing streak which dated to 2013. The Bulldogs’ last win came on Sept. 13, 2013, in overtime against Skyview. The program had been 1-22 over its past 23 games going back to 2012.
Manitou Springs recovered five onside kicks in its game against Faith Christian. Faith Christian, however, won 46-32.
It was a top-5 matchup in 2A as No. 5 Platte Valley beat No. 3 Strasburg 30-7.
In 3A, Mitchell beat Widefield 34-28 in double overtime. It wasn’t the night’s only extra time. 1A’s Olathe beat Hotchkiss in overtime, 29-27, and in 5A, Cherokee Trail beat ThunderRidge 22-15.
In 1A, No. 1 Paonia beat No. 7 Monte Vista 21-7.
Dakota Ridge, ranked No. 3 in 4A, opened with a big 38-9 win over 5A Monarch. “We challenged our kids all week that they needed to play physical and play tough,” coach Ron Woitalewicz told the Scoreboard Show. “Our kids really rose to that expectation.”
Eaglecrest led 5A No. 9 Ralston Valley 14-13 at halftime, but the Mustangs stormed back to take a 33-27 win. Ralston Valley nearly fell victim to a comeback of its own, as it held a 33-14 lead in the fourth quarter but had to hold on.
5A No. 6 Fairview led Grand Junction 21-0, but had to hold on for a 21-12 win.
Lakewood handed 5A No. 8 Fountain-Fort Carson its second straight loss, this one a 31-21 decision.
Chaparral played 5A No. 7 Grandview tough early, but the Wolves pulled away for a 29-12 win.
Six more Colorado teams played out-of-state opponents on Friday, going 4-2. Durango, Holly, La Junta and Sedgwick County all notched wins, while Wray and Montezuma-Cortez lost on Friday. So far in 2015, Colorado teams are 8-2 against out-of-state foes.
The 2015 baseball players of the year. From left: Jordan Ernst, Dove Creek (1A); Trent Hughes, Rye (2A); Ryan Madden, Fairview (5A); Cole Shetterly, Green Mountain (4A); Lane Greiman, Eaton (3A). (Photos: Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com; Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com; Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com; Pam Wagner/CHSAANow.com)
The 2015 all-state baseball teams honor the best players in the sport as judged by the leagues and coaches. They are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues and coaches, and then a vote of coaches. Players had to be first-team all-league in order to be on the all-state ballot.
Players and coaches of the year were also selected by a vote of the coaches.
Joseph Prieto of Holy Family and Austin Shank of Olathe wrestle in a 3A 145-pound semifinal. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
DENVER – Ryan Nordyke and Joseph Prieto spent Friday proving that it doesn’t matter where you start – the finish is what counts in the long run.
The two seniors are both returning state champions – Holly’s Nordyke captured the Class 2A 138-pound title last season and Holy Family’s Prieto did the same in 3A. Yet both wrestlers found themselves without a top-two seed at the 2015 state tournament.
Neither individual took it as a sign of disrespect, though. Instead they made it their mission to take out whoever was in their path and now have the opportunity to end their prep careers with a second consecutive championship.
Ryan Nordyke of Holly and Gunnar Chesnik of Paonia wrestle in a 2A 145-pound semifinal. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
“It didn’t matter where they put me,” said Nordyke, who posted a 12-6 decision over Paonia’s Gunnar Chesnik in the 145-pound semifinals Friday night at Pepsi Center. “I was going to have a tough run at it – it just didn’t really matter to me.”
Nordyke will meet Meeker’s Anthony Watt for the state championship Saturday night. Watt pinned another former champion, Swink’s Blake Denton, in the quarterfinals before doing the same to Rocky Ford’s Diego Reyes in the semis.
As Nordyke was taking care of business on one end of the floor, Prieto was doing the same on the opposite end.
The Holy Family standout pinned top-seeded Austin Shank of Olathe in three minutes, 34 seconds to advance to the 3A 145-pound finale. Prieto will meet a familiar opponent in Berthoud’s Jimmy Fate, who captured his first championship a year ago in the 4A ranks.
The undefeated Fate posted a 15-8 decision over Prieto in the 3A Region 1 finals last weekend.
“I’m excited. I want revenge,” said Prieto, whose twin brother Julian will wrestle for the 138-pound title. “I want to get the two-time.”
The state tournament yielded four brackets that featured two returning state champions, two each in 3A and 2A. Every classification had its share of “loaded” brackets that included multiple state placers. In 5A’s 138 field, five returning placers did battle, and six state placers from a year ago were in the 4A 145-pound bracket.
Pueblo County sophomore Chris Sandoval – a state runner-up a year ago – found himself in a challenging field in 4A at 126 pounds. Former state champion Josh Villa of Windsor and runner-up Michael Ramirez of Pueblo South were the bracket’s top two seeds; Sandoval was undefeated but had sustained a broken collarbone that kept him out for part of the season.
While both Villa and Ramirez were upset in the quarterfinals, Sandoval score victories by technical fall and pin Friday. He’ll meet Falcon freshman Jacob Butler for the title.
Sandoval said he wasn’t surprised that there were some upsets in the bracket.
“I knew there were other tough kids in there,” Sandoval said. “Anything can happen in wrestling.”
That’s the attitude that both Nordyke and Prieto embraced as well. Prieto said his seeding didn’t come as a surprise after the loss to Fate in the regional, but he also wasn’t concerned with who else was in the bracket or where they were seeded.
“I don’t pay attention to names, I don’t pay attention to records,” he said. “I have the mindset that I’m going to go out there, I’m going to do my best and I’m going to win. Whether that happens or not, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Nordyke, who has been competing with a torn ACL in his right leg that he sustained in December, also wasn’t thinking about facing top seeds or former champions. He said there are no easy brackets, but at the same time, no one is unbeatable.
Ryan Nordyke of Holly and Gunnar Chesnik of Paonia. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
“Our approach was just take one match at a time,” Holly coach Dean Crum said. “Focus on the person ahead of us and not look at the brackets.”
That mental toughness will be just as important Saturday night against Watt. Nordyke plans to have surgery on his injured leg in early March, but until then will keep pushing through the pain.
“One of my mentors told me it’s just a hurdle. I just have to jump over it,” he said. “I can’t think about that one hurdle all the time, I just have to do whatever it takes to overcome it.”
There are two championship matches Saturday night to feature two former state champions.
One comes in 3A at 132 pounds, where Valley’s Ruben Lucero will face off with Mead’s Sage Budd. The other is also in 3A, at 160, where Weld Central’s Dalton Robertson will face Valley’s Brendan Gonzales.
Joseph Prieto of Holy Family and Austin Shank of Olathe. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
There are three new teams in the Class 4A girls basketball rankings this week.
No. 7 Pueblo South, No. 8 Silver Creek and No. 10 Palisade were all unranked a week ago, but garnered enough votes to break into CHSAANow.com’s poll.
All five No. 1 teams stayed the same this week: ThunderRidge (5A), Canon City (4A), Sterling (3A), Peyton (2A) and Kit Carson (1A).
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. These will be the final polls of the regular season.
Arapahoe 23, Fossil Ridge 20, Grand Junction 10, Castle View 3, Fort Collins 3, Rocky Mountain 2, Loveland 1.
Dropped out
Grand Junction (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Canon City (13)
21-0
174
1
2-0
2
Valor Christian (4)
20-2
164
2
3-0
3
Pueblo West (1)
17-4
128
3
2-0
4
Holy Family
17-4
115
4
2-0
5
D’Evelyn
16-5
95
6
2-0
6
Sand Creek
17-3
69
9
3-0
7
Pueblo South
16-5
57
–
3-0
8
Silver Creek
17-4
44
–
2-0
9
Montrose
15-4
37
5
1-1
10
Palisade
18-2
29
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Evergreen 26, Pueblo East 26, Glenwood Springs 6, Mullen 6, Mesa Ridge 3, Windsor 3, Durango 2, Longmont 2, Weld Central 2, Thomas Jefferson 1, Thompson Valley 1.
Dropped out
Pueblo East (7), Evergreen (8), Glenwood Springs (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Sterling (9)
19-0
159
1
2-0
2
Pagosa Springs (7)
17-0
151
2
3-0
3
Lutheran
17-1
136
3
1-0
4
Manitou Springs (1)
16-2
112
5
1-0
5
St. Mary’s
17-1
102
4
1-0
6
Eaton
16-2
82
6
2-0
7
Olathe
16-1
61
7
2-0
8
La Junta
14-4
44
8
2-0
9
Centauri
12-5
22
9
1-1
10
Liberty Common
13-3
17
–
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Faith Christian 12, Platte Valley 8, Lamar 7, Machebeuf 7, Kent Denver 5, Colorado Academy 3, The Vanguard 3, Bennett 2, Salida 1, Trinidad 1.
Dropped out
Platte Valley (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Peyton (9)
17-0
99
1
2-0
2
Hoehne (1)
18-0
83
3
2-0
3
Akron
16-2
78
5
2-0
4
Caliche
16-1
72
4
2-0
5
Yuma
14-3
65
2
0-1
6
Cedaredge
16-1
51
6
1-0
7
Paonia
14-4
37
7
2-0
8
Meeker
13-4
21
8
3-0
9
Ellicott
13-4
14
9
2-0
10
Highland
14-4
9
–
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Sanford 4, Byers 3, Ignacio 3, Clear Creek 2, Del Norte 2, Rye 2, Sargent 2, Soroco 2, Wray 1.
Dropped out
Del Norte (10).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Kit Carson (8)
18-0
98
1
2-0
2
Norwood (2)
15-0
88
2
2-0
3
Sangre De Cristo
15-1
75
3
2-0
4
South Baca
15-2
59
6
2-0
5
Idalia
14-2
58
4
1-0
6
Genoa-Hugo
15-2
46
5
1-1
7
Rocky Mountain Lutheran
15-2
42
8
2-0
8
Briggsdale
13-4
22
9
1-0
9
La Veta
15-3
18
–
3-0
10
Flagler
10-4
10
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Fleming 9, Eads 7, Jim Elliot 6, Cheraw 5, Shining Mountain 5, Antonito 1, Plateau Valley 1.
Tim Yount of On The Mat provides weekly wrestling rankings for teams and individuals in all weight classes. To see individual rankings, you can subscribe to On The Mat’s full rankings.
To subscribe via PayPal, choose your subscription option on this page click on the corresponding PayPal button. To subscribe by mail or fax and pay by personal check, click here for a printable subscription form. Email Tim Yount at tim@onthematrankings.com with questions.
To purchase individual weeks of the rankings (as opposed to the entire season), you will need to use the printable subscription form and pay by check. The season ranking subscriptions are offered at a discounted rate.
Sand Creek has joined the Class 4A girls basketball rankings at No. 9 this week.
The Scorpions, now 14-3, have won 10 games in a row. They totalled 33 points to break into CHSAANow.com’s rankings.
Each of the five No. 1 teams stayed atop their respective rankings. Those are ThunderRidge (5A), Canon City (4A), Sterling (3A), Peyton (2A) and Kit Carson (1A).
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
Tim Yount of On The Mat provides weekly wrestling rankings for teams and individuals in all weight classes. To see individual rankings, you can subscribe to On The Mat’s full rankings.
To subscribe via PayPal, choose your subscription option on this page click on the corresponding PayPal button. To subscribe by mail or fax and pay by personal check, click here for a printable subscription form. Email Tim Yount at tim@onthematrankings.com with questions.
To purchase individual weeks of the rankings (as opposed to the entire season), you will need to use the printable subscription form and pay by check. The season ranking subscriptions are offered at a discounted rate.
