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.
Lakewood is No. 7 in this week’s 5A poll. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)
Lakewood, coming off a 4-0 week, has jumped into the 5A CHSAANow.com girls basketball ranking.
The Tigers (6-0) are No. 7 this week, and are joined by fellow newcomer Cherry Creek (3-1), which is No. 9 this week.
Regis Jesuit remained as the unanimous No. 1 pick in 5A. In fact, the Nos. 1-4 teams stayed the same this week. The Raiders continued to be followed by No. 2 Highlands Ranch, No. 3 ThunderRidge and No. 4 Grandview.
Fossil Ridge jumped up from ninth to fifth, and Rock Canyon from eighth to sixth. Castle View is eighth, and Monarch is tenth.
Broomfield (4A), Holy Family (3A), Yuma (2A) and Caliche (1A) all remained atop their respective rankings this week.
Pine Creek jumped up in the 5A wrestling rankings provided by On The Mat this week. The Eagles were No. 12 in the preseason, which goes to 15 teams. They are No. 6 this week.
The four No. 1 teams — Arvada West (5A), Broomfield (4A), Brush (3A), Paonia (2A) — remained the same from the preseason.
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.
[divider] Go to:5A | 4A | 3A | 2A
Regis Jesuit continues to be atop the 5A girls basketball ranking. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Fossil Ridge and Ralston Valley have joined this week’s CHSAANow.com 5A girls basketball poll.
Fossil Ridge is off to a 4-0 start, including in-state wins over Chaparral and Fruita Monument, as well as a 2-0 showing in Wyoming. The SaberCats are No. 9 this week.
Ralston Valley is No. 10 in the poll. The Mustangs went 2-1 last week with a loss to Rock Canyon, but beat Cherry Creek and then-No. 3 Arapahoe. Arapahoe dropped out this week.
The No. 1 teams from last week all stayed put. So Regis Jesuit (5A), Broomfield (4A), Holy Family (3A), Yuma (2A) and Caliche (1A) all continue to lead their respective polls.
Horizon 28, Lakewood 18, Cherry Creek 15, Arapahoe 14, Rampart 9, Chaparral 6, Bear Creek 4, Pine Creek 4, Denver East 3, Grand Junction 1, Palmer 1.
Dropped out
Arapahoe (3), Cherry Creek (9).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Broomfield (10)
2-0
125
1
2-0
2
Pueblo South (3)
1-0
118
2
1-0
3
Mesa Ridge
2-0
106
4
2-0
4
Pueblo West
3-0
63
6
3-0
5
Palmer Ridge
3-0
50
8
3-0
6
Sand Creek
1-1
48
5
1-1
7
Valor Christian
3-0
45
–
3-0
8
D’Evelyn
2-2
44
3
2-2
9
Silver Creek
3-0
41
–
3-0
10
Elizabeth
1-0
36
–
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Montrose 21, Conifer 4, Longmont 4, Pueblo County 4, Delta 2, Canon City 1, Mullen 1, Thompson Valley 1, Windsor 1.
Dropped out
Montrose (7), Canon City (9), Air Academy (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Holy Family (13)
2-0
130
1
2-0
2
Pagosa Springs
1-0
100
2
1-0
3
Centauri
3-0
86
5
3-0
4
Lamar
1-0
74
4
1-0
5
Eaton
3-0
64
7
3-0
6
St. Mary’s
0-0
56
6
0-0
7
Peak to Peak
1-0
35
9
1-0
8
Valley
0-0
34
8
0-0
9
Kent Denver
3-0
33
–
3-0
10
Sterling
2-1
24
10
2-1
Others receiving votes:
Bishop Machebeuf 23, Olathe 16, Faith Christian 7, Clear Creek 6, Grand Valley 5, Jefferson Academy 4, Manitou Springs 4, Estes Park 3, Coal Ridge 2, Denver Science & Tech 2, Platte Valley 2, Salida 2, Brush 1, Classical Academy 1, Trinidad 1.
Dropped out
Denver Science & Tech (3).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Yuma (7)
2-0
88
1
2-0
2
Akron (1)
1-0
76
2
1-0
3
Peyton
1-0
63
4
1-0
4
Lutheran (1)
1-0
57
3
1-0
5
Holyoke
1-0
45
6
1-0
6
Sangre de Cristo
3-0
37
5
3-0
7
Meeker
1-0
25
10
1-0
8
Paonia
1-1
20
7
1-1
9
Simla
1-0
18
–
1-0
10
Liberty Common
4-0
16
–
4-0
Others receiving votes:
The Vanguard 15, Wray 9, Highland 6, Hoehne 5, Del Norte 4, Limon 4, Rye 3, Heritage Christian 2, Kiowa 1, Springfield 1.
Dropped out
Rye (8), The Vanguard (9).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Caliche (5)
2-0
67
1
2-0
2
Eads
1-0
57
2
1-0
3
Norwood (2)
2-0
55
5
2-0
4
Idalia
2-0
43
4
2-0
5
Stratton
0-0
41
3
0-0
6
Kit Carson
0-0
34
6
0-0
7
Dove Creek
2-0
23
–
2-0
8
Hi-Plains
0-0
15
7
0-0
9
Belleview Christian
3-0
14
–
3-0
10
Holly
2-0
9
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Wiley 6, Briggsdale 5, Prairie 5, Walsh 4, McClave 3, Centennial 2, Jim Elliot Christian 1, South Baca 1.
Regis Jesuit begins 2013-14 atop the 5A girls basketball poll. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Regis Jesuit is the unanimous No. 1 selection in CHSAANow.com’s preseason girls basketball ranking in 5A.
The poll, released on Monday, featured 18 first-place votes. The Raiders received each one. And it makes sense: Regis Jesuit did not graduate any players from last year’s team which won the title. The squad also has six seniors committed to Division I schools, including Diani Akigbogun (Texas) and Justine Hall (Purdue).
Highlands Ranch, last season’s 5A runner-up, is No. 2 in the preseason ranking. Arapahoe is third, Grandview is fourth and Rock Canyon rounds out the top-5.
Monarch, with coach Gail Hook returning from a one-year hiatus, is sixth. Castle View is seventh, ThunderRidge is eighth, Cherry Creek is ninth and Poudre is tenth.
Holy Family is ranked No. 1 in 3A girls basketball. Broomfield is No. 1 in 4A. (Pam Wagner)
In 4A, Broomfield heads the preseason poll. The Eagles reached last year’s semifinals, where they lost to eventual champion Pueblo South by three points. Pueblo South begins the season ranked No. 2.
Holy Family is on top of the 3A ranking. The Tigers won last year’s championship.
The 2A poll is headed by Yuma, even though the Indians received three first-place votes to Akron’s four. Akron beat Yuma in last season’s title game, and is ranked second.
Caliche is the preseason No. 1 team in 1A. The Buffaloes lost in last season’s quarterfinals. Defending champion Wiley is unranked to begin the season.
Silver Creek 16, Windsor 15, Mullen 14, Valor Christian 14, Elizabeth 12, Pueblo County 9, Centaurus 8, Golden 5, Rifle 5, Evergreen 4, Greeley Central 4, Glenwood Springs 3, Thompson Valley 2, Berthoud 1, Conifer 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Holy Family (14)
0-0
140
2
Pagosa Springs
0-0
107
3
Denver Science & Tech
0-0
101
4
Lamar
0-0
70
5
Centauri
0-0
68
6
St. Mary’s
0-0
63
7
Eaton
0-0
42
8
Valley
0-0
35
9
Peak to Peak
0-0
30
10
Sterling
0-0
26
Others receiving votes:
Bishop Machebeuf 21, Kent Denver 15, Manitou Springs 11, Olathe 8, Coal Ridge 7, Grand Valley 7, Clear Creek 6, Platte Valley 4, Salida 3, Trinidad 3, Moffat County 2, Buena Vista 1.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Yuma (3)
0-0
82
2
Akron (4)
0-0
74
3
Lutheran (2)
0-0
67
4
Peyton
0-0
66
5
Sangre de Cristo
0-0
33
6
Holyoke
0-0
27
7
Paonia
0-0
26
8
Rye
0-0
18
9
The Vanguard
0-0
17
10
Meeker
0-0
16
Others receiving votes:
Ignacio 11, Del Norte 9, Hoehne 9, Simla 8, Las Animas 5, Liberty Common 5, Swink 5, Limon 4, Sanford 4, Burlington 3, Calhan 3, Heritage Christian 2, Springfield 2, Center 1, Highland 1.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Caliche (4)
0-0
57
2
Eads
0-0
56
3
Stratton
0-0
40
4
Idalia
0-0
39
5
Norwood (2)
0-0
35
6
Kit Carson
0-0
31
7
Hi-Plains
0-0
30
8
Kim
0-0
23
9
Pawnee
0-0
19
10
Walsh (1)
0-0
18
Others receiving votes:
Dove Creek 13, Wiley 9, Belleview Christian 4, Prairie 4, Cheraw 3, Otis 3, McClave 2, Jim Elliot Christian 1.
Arvada West, which placed eighth at last season’s Class 5A state wrestling tournament, begins the season atop the On The Mat rankings.
Defending champions Broomfield (4A) and Paonia (2A) also open the season as preseason No. 1s. Brush, a fifth-place finisher last season, is atop the 3A ranking.
Pomona, the defending 5A champion, opens the season at No. 4.
Alamosa won the 3A title last year, and is No. 5 in that preseason ranking.
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.
Paonia poses with the 1A football championship trophy on Saturday. (Eric Goold)
PAONIA — For the first time since 1959, the Class 1A state football championship trophy resides in Paonia.
The Eagles held on to beat visiting Centauri 32-24 on Saturday afternoon at Paonia Town Park, and members of that 1959 championship team were on hand to watch this year’s Eagles squad reclaim the golden trophy.
“It means a lot, with them being here and supporting us,” said Will Austin, who capped his outstanding senior season with 92 rushing yards and a touchdown. “It’s really cool that we have such a great community that rallies around us.”
Nothing came easy against a tough Centauri team that came to Paonia on a 10-game winning streak. The streak started in week three, when the Falcons handed Paonia its only loss all season, a 27-14 setback at Town Park.
The championship game was different, however. Paonia’s physical, bruising offensive line took control and allowed playmakers Austin and Taylor Walters to ignite the offense.
Paonia head coach Brent McRae only needed one word to describe the line’s performance.
“Unbelievable,” said McRae. “That’s the heart of our team.”
Centauri scored first when quarterback K.C. Jarvies threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to senior Jason Buhr, who made a fantastic mid-air catch on the play. The Falcons were ahead early 6-0, but Paonia came right back and tied it 6-6 on Austin’s 1-yard scoring run.
The Falcons regained the lead on their next possession when Jarvies again hooked up with Ruhr, this time on a 27-yard crossing route that gave Centauri a 12-6 lead.
Then Taylor Walters took over.
The sophomore standout who led Paonia all season broke open the game when he intercepted Jarvies in front of the Centauri sideline, then scampered 52 yards for a touchdown. Paonia was ahead for good at 13-12.
“We practiced that all week and watched tons of film on it,” said Walters. “When the receiver broke I knew what was coming and I was there to make the play.”
Walters then tossed a 36-yard touchdown pass to Josh Altman and Paonia took a 20-12 lead into halftime.
The Eagles wasted no time after receiving the second half kickoff. On the third play of the possession, Walters ripped off a 58yard scoring run on a counter play that upped the Eagles lead to 26-12.
“Our linemen have been awesome all year. It’s so great running behind them,” said Walters. “Being able to run the ball helps us so much.”
Centauri refused to go away, mounting a 90-yard, 19-play drive that ended with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Jarvies to senior Clay McCarroll. The 2-point play failed and the Falcons trailed 26-18.
“They never quit,” said Falcons coach Kyle Forster. “Jason Buhr is the emotional leader, and the leader overall. When he gets going everybody just follows. Clay McCarroll stepped up for us and had some great catches. Our seniors are going to be hard to replace.”
Paonia responded with its final score, a 29-yard touchdown pass from Walters to Logan Schopp, and the Eagles led 32-18. Walters finished with two touchdown passes and had 121 rushing yards in the game.
The Falcons kept it in doubt and Jarvies found McCarroll again, this time a 29-yard scoring strike that rounded out the scoring in the game with 3:07 left in the contest.
Eagles seniors Austin, Ty Coats, Tyler Jackson, Jesse Gillenwater, Jared Byrge, Tristan Littlejohn, Tony Darling and Drewe Lee ended their careers as state champions in Paonia for the first time in 54 years.
“Growing up here, I played football, my brother played football,” said Lee, whose outstanding play at center this year was matched only by the impressive facial hair he grew since the first practice in August. “We were never able to put it together until this year, and that means the world to me to end my season like this.”
For McRae, who led the Eagles to the golden trophy in his first year as head coach, the title might not have been as big a surprise as everyone thinks.
“In our first meeting with the parents, we told them they’ll have plans all the way to Thanksgiving,” he said. “We put it on the schedule. We told them we’re going to be playing football on the 23rd of November, and then we’re gonna have a Thanksgiving dinner with the trophy in the middle. That was back in August, so it was a self fulfilling prophecy I guess.”
Faith Christian will play at Platte Valley for the 2A championship. (Pam Wagner)
Class 2A
No. 4 Faith Christian (10-2) at No. 3 Platte Valley (10-1) 1 p.m. Saturday at Platte Valley HS
Faith Christian, mind you, started the 2013 season 2-2. Yes, it was a tough schedule — three of those four teams made the postseason in their respective classifications. The fourth just missed the field.
Still, Faith wasn’t exactly championship-game material four games into the season. Now, following eight-straight wins, the Eagles are. Saturday, they will play in the title game for the fifth time in school history. Faith Christian has won in each of the four previous trips (2009, 2006, 2004 and 1998).
Faith got to this point largely on the back of junior Daniel Langewisch, who has rushed for 1,557 yards and 22 touchdowns this season. Sophomore Adam Buchmann has 821 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, while senior Jonas Spitzer has 535 and eight.
Defensively, senior lineman Connor McCain has a team-high 80 tackles, nine tackles for a loss and 3.5 sacks.
McCain and his teammates will have to deal with Platte Valley quarterback Logan Sitzman, who has thrown for 10 touchdowns and 1,478 yards while rushing for 16 scores and 1,056 yards.
“They’ve got a different style of offense, that’s for sure, so we’ve got a lot of late nights ahead of us to try and prepare to stop them,” Faith Christian coach Blair Hubbard told ColoradoPreps.com’s Scoreboard Show on Saturday.
Platte Valley has also won eight games in a row. The Broncos have been to the championship game three times before, including a loss to Kent Denver last season. Platte Valley also won in 2007 and lost in 2006.
“I think their record may have been a little deceiving to some, because their two losses were to Holy Family to Kent Denver — a playoff team in 3A, and a playoff team in 2A,” Platte Valley coach Troy Hoffman told the Scoreboard Show of Faith Christian. “I think they had to kind of learn their offense and get going. They’re doing what we’ve been doing: they’re peaking at the right time. It’s going to be a lot of fun up in Kersey.
“That’s a program that consistently wins every year. We want to match with that. That’s what we want to be,” Hoffman added. “But I’m very proud — Platte Valley’s been in the finals now four times in the last eight years. I think we have a program that’s reaching some of that respect, as well.”
[divider]
Class 1A
No. 3 Centauri (11-1) at No. 4 Paonia (11-1) 1 p.m. Saturday at Paonia Town Park
Paonia was last in a championship game in 1962. It hasn’t won a championship since capturing what was then Class A in 1959. Centauri has never even appeared in a title game. The school opened in Jan. 1965.
So some sort of history will be made in the 1A title game on Saturday.
The game will be a rematch of Centauri’s 27-14 win on Sept. 14. That’s Paonia’s only loss this season.
“It’s like a storybook, really,” Paonia coach Brent McRae told the Scoreboard Show. “It’s a rematch, and (Centauri) coach (Kyle) Forster is going to have his kids ready, because he’s a great coach and Centauri’s a great team. It’s going to be a fun day.”
Sophomore Taylor Walters leads Paonia’s rushing attack with 24 touchdowns and 1,813 yards. Senior Will Austin has 1,376 yards and seven touchdowns.
Centauri is led by the trio of Jason Buhr, Jareb Aziz and KC Jarvies. Buhr, a senior, has 1,150 yards and 17 touchdowns rushing and 562 yards and six touchdowns receiving. Aziz, a junior, has 15 total touchdowns. Jarvies, the team’s quarterback, has thrown for 1,725 yards and 19 touchdowns.
“We’re ready to play this,” Forster told the Scoreboard Show. “This was a goal we had, shoot, 14 weeks ago. It’s come true. Now, we’re just going to have to go in and play our best, because Paonia is playing their best football of the year right now, too. It’s going to be a real big dog fight.”
Of the rematch, Forster said they wouldn’t take much away from the earlier win and added, “We’re going to have to really step up our game. Like I said, they’re playing some of the best football across the state.”
[divider]
8-man
No. 2 Dayspring Christian (12-0) at No. 5 Caliche (11-1) 1 p.m. Saturday at Caliche HS
Dayspring Christian beat Caliche 38-15 on Oct. 18. But, “You know what?” Dayspring coach Mick Holmes told the Scoreboard Show on Saturday. “That doesn’t mean anything.”
“They actually did not play a really good game against us the first time,” Holmes said. “The pressure’s on us: It’s harder to beat somebody twice than it is the first time. It’s just difficult. Plus, I know their head coach (Paul Zink), and he’ll have them ready. It should be a good game.”
Still, Holmes’ Eagles will be the favorite on Saturday, if for no other reason than the fact that they are still unbeaten.
Junior quarterback Kylar Mai is a do-everything guy for Daypsring. He has 19 passing touchdowns — and 35 on the ground. He’s thrown for 1,311 yards and rushed for 2,013. His 3,343 total yards (including 19 receiving) are second in the state, regardless of classification.
He’s had help, though: Senior Ty Eichman has 923 yards and 10 touchdowns rushing, and also 566 yards and seven scores receiving.
Caliche is led by senior Mitch Davidson, who has rushed for 15 touchdowns. Austin Yahn, Chase Debus and Austin Zink each have five rushing scores.
ThunderRidge claimed the final semifinal spot with a 13-9 win over Grandview. Backup quarterback Branden Brenning led the Grizzlies to the win. Read the full story here.
[divider]
Class 4A
Pueblo South is headed to the semifinals for the first time since 2004 with a 27-21 win over Dakota Ridge.
“We got them to fumble in their first possession, and we marched it right down and got a big score, got some momentum going in our favor,” Pueblo South coach Ryan Goddard told Colorado Preps’ Scoreboard Show. “Then we had a big interception and a long return, and were able to make some plays off of that and turn that into points, as well. We’ve been pretty successful this year in winning the turnover battle. If you win turnovers and third downs, you’re going to be OK most of the time.”
Pueblo South will face Montrose in the semifinals.
“Our kids were excited after the game, and I was excited for them,” Goddard said. “I told them they did a good job, and that they’re a special team and they have an opportunity to do something special here, and they’re making their impact on the program. But it’s time to go to work on Monday and we’ve got to start thinking about Montrose.”
Montrose beat Denver South 47-27 on Saturday. The Indians led 33-6 at halftime.
“Our guys did a great job of just executing. We were able to get on them on some special teams stuff and get a couple of short fields,” Montrose coach Todd Casebier told the Scoreboard Show. “We had some good special teams in the first half.
“South kept playing until the very end, but we were just too much for them today.”
[divider]
Class 3A
Defending champion Silver Creek rolled into the semifinals. The Raptors handled Pueblo East, 34-14.
“It was a really big win. That Pueblo East team was as good a team as we’ve played,” Silver Creek coach Mike Apodaca told the Scoreboard Show. “We’re real fortunate to get a win.”
Silver Creek will play Delta in the semifinals. Delta beat Glenwood Springs 13-9 on Saturday.
“We’re excited about the trip,” Apodaca said. “Western Slope football is good football. … It’s exciting. It’s good 3A football, and a good community, so it’s an exciting trip for our kids.”
Coronado beat Roosevelt 29-27 to claim a spot in the other semifinal. It will meet The Classical Academy, which upset Palisade on Friday.
“There’s special things happening with these young men,” Coronado coach Bobby Lizzarraga told the Scoreboard Show. “It’s showing up on the field.”
[divider]
Class 2A
The 2A title matchup is set: Faith Christian will play Platte Valley. Both teams upset higher-seeded opponents on Saturday.
“In the first half, it was one of those games where it looked like neither team was going to punt, because we couldn’t stop each other,” Faith Christian coach Blair Hubbard told the Scoreboard Show. “Then, the adjustments and the turnovers in the second half were just a big part of it.”
No. 3 Platte Valley beat No. 2 Manitou Springs, 13-7. The Broncos are making a second-consecutive trip to the title game.
“We made some mistakes that have been uncharacteristic of what we’ve been doing the last few weeks,” Platte Valley Troy Hoffman told the Scoreboard Show, “but we fought back, we regrouped very well in the fourth quarter and the kids fought through this barrier, this obstacle and they came through with a victory today. I’m very proud of them.”
[divider]
Class 1A
Paonia will face Centauri in the 1A championship next week.
Centauri topped Limon 21-8 to reach the title game for the first time in school history.
“We’re ready to play this,” Centauri coach Kyle Forster told the Scoreboard Show. “This was a goal we had 14 weeks ago, and it’s come true. Now we’re just going to have to go in and play our best because Paonia is playing their best football of the year right now, too. So it’s going to be a real big dog-fight.”
Paonia beat Buena Vista 28-14 on Saturday.
“We came out and we were ready to go,” Paonia coach Brent McRae told the Scoreboard Show, “but getting (an early) score and then the first three-and-out we got and scoring again — just the confidence. Our kids knew they would be able to run the ball and that just carried us the whole game.”
Of the title game, McRae said, “It’s going to be a fun day.”
[divider]
8-man
Caliche and Dayspring Christian will play for the 8-man title.
Caliche topped top-seeded Hoehne 44-40, while Dayspring Christian edged Norwood 44-43 with a 22-yard field goal in the final moments.
“We made big plays. That’s probably what the difference was,” Dayspring Christian coach Mick Holmes told the Scoreboard Show. “It came down to a field goal with seven seconds left. It’s kind of funny — we talked about it all week: ‘It may come down to a field goal.’ And we put it through the uprights.”
[divider]
6-man
Liberty/Stratton captured the 6-man title with a 44-40 win over Hi-Plains. Read the full story here.
