Fort Collins (5A) and Battle Mountain (4A) head the preseason hockey rankings.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches, are the official polls of the Association. They are a factor in the postseason. During the regular season, the poll will release each Monday.
The preseason boys basketball rankings are out. Leading the way are Cherry Creek (5A), Mead (4A), Lutheran (3A), Limon (2A), and Mile High Academy (1A).
The rankings, voted upon by coaches, are the official polls of the Association. They are a factor in the postseason. During the regular season, the poll will release each Monday.
Fossil Ridge 40, Douglas County 40, Ralston Valley 37, Vista PEAK 26, Horizon 25, Boulder 22, Doherty 20, Arapahoe 19, Rock Canyon 19, Columbine 18, Adams City 15, Chatfield 12, Rocky Mountain 6, Pine Creek 5, Mullen 4, Broomfield 4, Rampart 4, Silver Creek 3, Hinkley 3, Dakota Ridge 2, Cherokee Trail 2, Arvada West 2, Brighton 1, Far Northeast Warriors 1
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Mead (10)
0-0
238
2
Lewis-Palmer (4)
0-0
192
3
Longmont
0-0
169
4
Windsor (1)
0-0
115
5
Golden
0-0
111
6
Evergreen
0-0
109
7
Montrose (1)
0-0
87
8
Harrison
0-0
86
9
Erie
0-0
82
10
Pueblo Central
0-0
81
11
Pueblo East
0-0
80
12
Centaurus
0-0
77
13
Cheyenne Mountain
0-0
70
14
Holy Family
0-0
54
15
Green Mountain
0-0
52
Others receiving votes:
Northfield 47, Lincoln 42, Widefield 37, Sand Creek 36, Thomas Jefferson 36, Glenwood Springs 35, Frederick 34, Pueblo Centennial 27, Canon City 24, D’Evelyn 20, The Classical Academy 20, Thompson Valley 19, Wheat Ridge 17, Pueblo South 16, Discovery Canyon 16, Steamboat Springs 14, Mesa Ridge 12, Berthoud 11, Aurora Central 10, Niwot 10, Coronado 9, Riverdale Ridge 9, Eagle Valley 9, Palmer Ridge 9, Palisade 7, Mountain View 7, Mitchell 5, Falcon 4, Roosevelt 4, Sierra 3, Denver North 2, Severance 2, Rifle 2, Durango 1
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Lutheran (16)
0-0
321
2
Faith Christian
0-0
231
3
Sterling (1)
0-0
223
4
Manitou Springs
0-0
205
5
Resurrection Christian (5)
0-0
194
6
Manual
0-0
182
7
St. Mary’s
0-0
180
8
Centauri
0-0
169
9
Eaton
0-0
161
10
Coal Ridge
0-0
115
11
University
0-0
103
12
Alamosa
0-0
94
13
Gunnison
0-0
92
14
DSST: Byers
0-0
76
15
The Vanguard School (1)
0-0
60
Others receiving votes:
Colorado Academy 57, Kent Denver 51, Bishop Machebeuf 46, Highland 40, Strasburg 39, Englewood 38, DSST: Green Valley Ranch 35, Florence 33, Ellicott 26, Colorado Springs Christian 21, Salida 15, Valley 15, Jefferson Academy 14, Middle Park 12, Stargate School 12, KIPP Denver Collegiate 11, DSST: Montview 10, DSST: College View 10, Aspen 10, Moffat County 10, Frontier Academy 9, DSST: Conservatory Green 8, Woodland Park 8, Estes Park 8, James Irwin 5, Grand Valley 4, Roaring Fork 4, Lamar 3, Bruce Randolph 3, Pagosa Springs 2, Banning Lewis 2, The Academy 1, Jefferson 1, Peak to Peak 1
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Limon (14)
0-0
252
2
Yuma (3)
0-0
230
3
Fowler
0-0
180
4
Wray
0-0
171
5
Sanford
0-0
165
6
Denver Christian
0-0
153
7
Peyton
0-0
149
8
Ignacio
0-0
128
9
Holly
0-0
120
10
Sedgwick County
0-0
116
11
Mancos
0-0
114
12
Crested Butte
0-0
48
13
Meeker
0-0
32
14
Holyoke
0-0
29
15
Vail Mountain
0-0
26
Others receiving votes:
Dayspring Christian Academy 23, Heritage Christian 22, Monte Vista 19, Vail Christian 11, Dawson School 10, Wiggins 8, Burlington 6, Crowley County 4, Thomas MacLaren 4, Rangely 3, Rye 3, Cedaredge 2, Hotchkiss 2, Plateau Valley 2, Dolores 2, Olathe 1, South Park 1, Dolores Huerta Prep 1, Sargent 1
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Mile High Academy (7)
0-0
228
2
De Beque (6)
0-0
226
3
Merino
0-0
157
4
Kit Carson (2)
0-0
123
5
Briggsdale
0-0
113
6
Primero
0-0
102
7
Genoa-Hugo
0-0
95
8
Belleview Christian (1)
0-0
89
9
Sangre de Cristo
0-0
87
10
Haxtun
0-0
77
11
Walsh
0-0
69
12
Evangelical Christian
0-0
68
13
Granada
0-0
61
14
Kim/Branson
0-0
59
15
Ouray (1)
0-0
55
Others receiving votes:
Cheraw 46, Denver Jewish Day 42, Cheyenne Wells 41, Simla 41, Eads 34, Edison 32, Fleming 28, Stratton/Liberty 28, Flatirons Academy 23, Denver Waldorf 19, Pikes Peak Christian 17, Springfield 14, Prairie 11, Longmont Christian 11, Sierra Grande 10, Manzanola 8, Front Range Baptist 7, Dove Creek 6, Cotopaxi 6, Wiley 3, Caprock Academy 3, McClave 1
Among the many changes for high school hockey this year comes a very important one, one that would’ve been made even if COVID-19 hadn’t reared its ugly head on planet Earth.
Hockey is growing in the high school ranks and because of that, an additional classification has added to play for the 2021 season. The sport is now split into Class 5A and 4A which signifies significant interest in the sport as well as increased opportunities for student-athletes, which is in line with the values of high school athletics.
“It’s heading in the right direction,” Battle Mountain coach Derek Bryon said. “I think if we can continue to grow both levels of 4A and 5A, we’re going to put out some really competitive hockey and it only gives kids more opportunities to be successful as teams and programs.”
Since 2017, eight total teams have advanced to the state hockey semifinals. Of those eight, three teams (Regis Jesuit, Chaparral and Valor Christian) have gone three times. Regis Jesuit had made the semis every year in that span.
With the growth of the number of kids playing and the programs that are starting throughout the state, the addition of a 4A class just made too much sense and gives coaches and players alike renewed enthusiasm for those additional opportunities.
“We’re here in Crested Butte with a population of maybe 10,000 people,” Crested Butte coach Billy Watson said. “We don’t have a big pool of kids to pull from and even when it was just (one classification), we played those teams very competitively, but I think it gives our kids a new opportunity. It’s a good way to do this, to classify those (bigger) teams.”
This isn’t a situation that’s unique to hockey. In recent years, additional classifications have been added to sports such as girls lacrosse, girls golf, girls swimming, girls tennis, and boys lacrosse. There is consistently talk of adding additional classes in football, basketball, and girls volleyball.
It’s an indication that high school athletics, as whole, continue to grow and see more participation.
As that happens, there will be a natural classification system put in place in order to maintain a level of competitive balance for programs throughout the state.
“These small mountain towns like ours, we’re not going to have 200 kids at tryouts,” Byron said. “We’re going to take everyone that comes and to have the opportunity to compete against smaller schools that are doing the same thing is big for us.”
Perhaps the most exciting prospect about an additional class is the addition of a second state championship game. In recent years, Ball Arena (formerly Pepsi Center) has hosted the state hockey championship and the opportunity to provide more kids with the experience of playing on the same sheet of ice as the Colorado Avalanche is something that everyone can get behind.
“Playing at any kind of NHL arena, the atmosphere is great,” Watson said. “The kids feel like they’re professionals and it’s kind of cool. This gives them a taste of what it’s like to play at that level and if they have that motivation to continue their growth, this will be great for the kids.”
The 2019-20 all-state and all-conference hockey teams are a joint project between the Colorado High School Ice Hockey Coaches Association and CHSAANow.com.
These teams were created following a meeting of coaches.
The preseason girls soccer rankings were released on Monday, and leading the charge are preseason No. 1 teams Grandview, Evergreen, Colorado Academy and Denver Christian.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association.
New polls are released each Monday during the regular season.
Salida 14, Manitou Springs 13, Stargate School 9, Lutheran 8, The Academy 8, Colorado Springs Christian 7, Roaring Fork 6, Eagle Ridge Academy 5, St. Mary’s Academy 5, Faith Christian 3, Basalt 2, Frontier Academy 2, Delta 1, DSST: Montview 1.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Denver Christian (5)
0-0
77
2
Dawson School (3)
0-0
73
3
Fountain Valley
0-0
50
4
Flatirons Academy
0-0
47
5
Crested Butte
0-0
42
6
Telluride
0-0
41
7
Colorado Rocky Mountain
0-0
30
8
Loveland Classical
0-0
22
9
Rye
0-0
15
10
Front Range Christian
0-0
12
Others receiving votes:
Ridgway 10, Del Norte 7, Belleview Christian 5, Vail Christian 5, Rocky Mountain Lutheran 2, Thomas MacLaren School 2.
Kit Carson has taken over as the top-ranked team in Class 1A boys basketball this week.
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 (11)
21-0
128
1
3-0
2
Grandview (2)
16-5
103
2
1-1
3
Cherry Creek
17-4
88
4
3-0
4
Ralston Valley
18-3
80
5
2-0
5
Smoky Hill
17-4
79
3
3-0
6
Fairview
17-3
67
6
2-0
7
Columbine
17-3
48
7
2-0
8
Valor Christian
15-6
42
8
3-0
9
Boulder
18-3
29
9
3-0
10
Chaparral
15-6
21
10
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Eaglecrest 17, Denver East 8, Pine Creek 5.
Dropped out
None.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Mead (12)
20-1
120
1
3-0
2
Longmont
18-3
91
3
3-0
3
Northfield
17-4
89
2
1-1
4
Cheyenne Mountain
20-1
83
4
3-0
5
Glenwood Springs
18-3
59
6
3-0
6
Golden
15-6
56
7
1-0
7
Harrison
15-4
55
5
1-1
8
Skyline
16-5
23
–
2-0
9
Pueblo West
15-6
18
8
2-1
10
Erie
16-4
16
9
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Montrose 14, Pueblo East 12, Green Mountain 10, Thomas Jefferson 9, Silver Creek 5.
Dropped out
Montrose (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Resurrection Christian (15)
18-0
167
1
3-0
2
Lutheran (1)
16-2
152
2
1-0
3
Sterling
16-3
125
3
2-0
4
The Vanguard School
16-1
113
4
3-0
5
Faith Christian
15-3
107
5
2-0
6
DSST: Byers (1)
16-1
56
7
2-0
7
Alamosa
15-4
53
10
2-0
8
Manitou Springs
15-3
43
9
2-0
9
Eaton
15-3
38
8
2-0
10
Centauri
16-2
37
6
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Gunnison 14, DSST: College View 6, Manual 6, DSST: Montview 5, St. Mary’s 3, University 3, Coal Ridge 2, Eagle Ridge 2, Jefferson Academy 2, DSST: Green Valley Ranch 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Highland (14)
16-1
149
1
2-0
2
Yuma (1)
15-2
133
2
2-0
3
Limon
16-2
109
4
3-0
4
Fowler
16-2
94
5
2-0
5
Denver Christian
13-3
79
3
0-1
6
Ignacio
14-2
66
6
2-0
7
Mancos
14-3
55
7
2-0
8
Sedgwick County
17-1
51
8
2-0
9
Sanford
13-4
31
9
1-0
10
Crested Butte
15-2
23
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Vail Christian 21, Holly 7, Wray 4, Dawson School 1, Heritage Christian 1, Peyton 1.
Legacy, now 12-1-0 this season, has moved up to the No. 1 spot in this week’s Class 5A boys soccer rankings.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday during the regular season.
Voted upon by coaches and select 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
Legacy (7)
12-1-0
78
5
2-0-0
2
Boulder
10-2-0
67
1
3-0-0
3
Cherry Creek (2)
8-2-2
65
3
0-0-0
4
Rampart
13-0-1
57
2
1-0-1
5
Broomfield
11-2-0
46
4
1-1-0
6
Grandview
8-2-2
40
7
1-0-0
7
Fairview
10-3-0
34
6
2-1-0
8
Regis Jesuit
10-1-2
24
9
3-0-0
9
Castle View
10-1-2
22
10
0-0-0
10
Arvada West
10-2-0
18
8
0-0–1
Others receiving votes:
Arapahoe 9, Brighton 8, Smoky Hill 7, Overland 6, Eaglecrest 4, Denver East 3, Mountain Vista 3, Aurora Central 2, Far Northeast Warriors 1, Gateway 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Battle Mountain (6)
12-0-1
86
1
1-0-0
2
Golden (2)
12-1-1
78
2
2-0-0
3
Skyview
12-0-1
73
3
2-0-0
4
Silver Creek
10-1-2
61
4
2-0-0
5
Air Academy
10-4-0
49
5
2-0-0
6
Lewis-Palmer (1)
11-3-0
43
7
2-0-0
7
Alameda
13-1-0
40
6
2-0-0
8
Holy Family
11-2-0
21
8
2-0-0
9
Glenwood Springs
10-1-3
12
9
1-0-1
10
Discovery Canyon
10-3-0
10
–
2-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Erie 7, Loveland 7, Regis Groff 4, Denver North 2, Niwot 1, The Classical Academy 1.
Dropped out
Loveland (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Kent Denver (5)
14-0-0
84
1
2-0-0
2
Salida (4)
12-0-1
75
2
3-0-0
3
Atlas Preparatory School
12-0-1
69
4
3-0-0
4
Roaring Fork
10-1-1
63
3
2-0-0
5
Delta
11-3-0
49
6
2-0-0
6
Colorado Academy
9-3-1
39
5
0-1-1
7
Aurora West College Prep Academy
11-1-0
27
7
0-0-0
8
Liberty Common
8-3-1
23
8
2-1-0
9
Arrupe Jesuit
10-2-1
20
9
2-0-0
10
Faith Christian
8-3-1
16
10
2-0-0
Others receiving votes:
DSST: Byers 10, Middle Park 6, Lutheran 5, KIPP Denver Collegiate 4, Jefferson Academy 2, Lamar 1, The Acåademy 1, Vail Mountain 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Crested Butte (4)
10-3-1
25
1
0-0-0
2
Dawson School (2)
9-3-1
24
2
2-0-0
3
Fountain Valley
10-3-0
17
3
3-0-0
4
Heritage Christian
10-2-0
16
–
2-0-0
5
Colorado Rocky Mountain (1)
6-3-1
12
–
1-1-0
Others receiving votes:
Lotus School For Excellence 6, Denver Christian 4, Telluride 1.
Boulder (5A) and Crested Butte (2A) have taken over as the No. 1 ranked teams in their respective boys soccer 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 during the regular season.
Voted upon by coaches and select 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
Boulder (3)
7-2-0
78
2
1-0-0
2
Rampart (2)
12-0-0
71
1
2-0-0
3
Cherry Creek (2)
8-2-2
67
6
1-0-0
4
Broomfield (1)
10-1-0
66
3
2-0-0
5
Legacy (1)
10-1-0
63
4
2-0-0
6
Fairview (1)
8-2-0
56
5
2-0-0
7
Grandview
7-2-2
36
8
1-0-0
8
Arvada West
10-2-1
31
7
0-0-0
9
Regis Jesuit
7-1-2
23
9
1-0-0
10
Castle View
10-1-2
19
–
2-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Arapahoe 9, Denver East 7, Smoky Hill 7, Overland 6, Eaglecrest 4, Mountain Vista 3, Aurora Central 2, Far Northeast Warriors 1, Rangeview 1.
Dropped out
Valor Christian (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Battle Mountain (6)
11-0-1
86
1
3-0-0
2
Golden (2)
10-1-1
80
2
1-0-0
3
Skyview
10-0-1
72
4
2-0-0
4
Silver Creek
8-1-2
58
5
1-0-0
5
Air Academy
8-4-0
50
3
1-1-0
6
Alameda
11-1-0
48
6
1-0-0
7
Lewis-Palmer (1)
9-3-0
36
–
2-0-0
8
Holy Family
9-2-0
16
–
1-0-0
9
Glenwood Springs
9-1-2
14
10
2-0-0
10
Loveland
9-1-0
12
9
0-0-0
Others receiving votes:
The Classical Academy 9, Erie 4, Regis Groff 4, Discovery Canyon 3, Pueblo West 2, Niwot 1.
Dropped out
Regis Groff (7), Discovery Canyon (8).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Kent Denver (4)
12-0-0
76
1
1-0-0
2
Salida (4)
9-0-1
67
2
1-0-0
3
Roaring Fork
8-1-1
55
4
2-0-0
4
Atlas Preparatory School
9-0-1
49
3
1-0-0
5
Colorado Academy
9-2-0
45
8
2-0-0
6
Delta
9-3-0
39
5
2-0-0
7
Aurora West College Prep Academy
11-1-0
30
7
2-0-0
8
Liberty Common
6-2-1
22
9
1-1-0
9
Arrupe Jesuit
8-2-1
16
10
1-0-1
10
Faith Christian
6-3-1
15
6
0-1-0
Others receiving votes:
KIPP Denver Collegiate 9, Middle Park 8, Lutheran 3, Vail Mountain 3, Jefferson Academy 2, The Academy 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Crested Butte (3)
10-3-1
20
2
2-0-0
2
Dawson School (1)
7-3-1
18
1
0-1-0
3
Fountain Valley
7-3-0
10
–
0-0-0
4
Campion Academy (1)
8-0-1
9
3
1-0-1
5
Denver Christian
6-5-0
7
–
0-1-0
Others receiving votes:
Heritage Christian 6, Colorado Rocky Mountain 4, Telluride 1.