Voted upon by coaches and 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
Cherokee Trail (7)
7-1
111
1
2-0
2
Rampart (4)
5-0
107
6
2-0
3
Legend (1)
6-2
98
3
1-1
4
Chaparral (1)
7-2
94
2
2-0
5
Valor Christian
5-0
75
4
2-0
6
Fairview
6-0
48
5
1-0
7
Fort Collins
5-1
39
8
1-0
8
Cherry Creek
7-2
38
7
5-1
9
Broomfield
7-0
32
–
4-0
10
Grandview
5-4
19
9
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Eaglecrest 15, Heritage 13, Pine Creek 8, ThunderRidge 5, Chatfield 4, Grand Junction 4, Mountain Vista 4, Horizon 1.
Dropped out
Eaglecrest (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Mead (2)
5-1
90
2
1-0
2
Discovery Canyon (3)
7-1
64
5
1-0
3
Palmer Ridge
5-2
60
3
4-1
4
Lewis-Palmer (2)
4-3
59
1
3-2
5
Coronado
4-3
58
8
3-2
6
Pueblo County (2)
6-1
52
–
3-0
7
Pueblo West (2)
5-2
50
–
4-2
8
Skyline
5-0
33
–
0-0
9
Cheyenne Mountain
4-3
29
4
2-3
10
Mullen
5-2
28
7
1-2
Others receiving votes:
Silver Creek 27, Woodland Park 26, Montrose 22, Air Academy 13, Ponderosa 11, Skyview 10, Frederick 6, Erie 5, Evergreen 4, Palisade 4, Glenwood Springs 3, Thomas Jefferson 3, Longmont 2, Holy Family 1.
Dropped out
Silver Creek (6), Niwot (9), Montrose (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Lutheran (7)
2-0
95
1
1-0
2
Faith Christian (1)
5-0
73
4
4-0
3
Eaton
5-1
71
2
3-1
4
Colorado Springs Christian (1)
5-0
65
3
2-0
5
Alamosa
7-1
63
5
2-0
6
Sterling
6-0
55
6
5-0
7
Cedaredge
5-0
33
10
1-0
8
Valley
4-3
32
7
4-2
9
Eagle Ridge Academy
8-1
18
–
4-1
10
Platte Valley
4-3
13
9
3-3
Others receiving votes:
Coal Ridge 10, Fort Lupton 10, University 10, Englewood 9, Lamar 8, Brush 7, Frontier Academy 6, Stargate School 6, James Irwin 5, Montezuma-Cortez 4, Peak to Peak 4, SkyView Academy 3, The Pinnacle 2, Bayfield 1, Centauri 1, Prospect Ridge Academy 1.
Dropped out
University (8).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Denver Christian (9)
7-0
99
1
2-0
2
Limon
4-1
81
2
2-0
3
Union Colony Prep (1)
6-0
77
4
1-0
4
Meeker
6-1
62
5
3-0
5
Wiggins
6-2
51
3
4-2
6
Fowler
4-0
42
–
2-0
7
Ignacio
4-1
27
7
1-1
8
Rye
5-1
25
–
2-0
9
West Grand
7-1
23
–
3-0
10
Sedgwick County
5-2
12
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Yuma 11, Highland 9, Swink 9, Dawson School 8, Hoehne 5, Lyons 4, John Mall 2, Telluride 2, Simla 1.
Dropped out
Yuma (6), Swink (8), Highland (9), Hoehne (10).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
La Veta (8)
7-0
86
1
2-0
2
Prairie
6-0
74
7
5-0
3
Kit Carson
3-1
71
2
1-0
4
Briggsdale
5-2
59
3
1-1
5
Merino
5-1
54
4
1-0
6
Fleming
6-1
47
5
5-0
7
Genoa-Hugo/Karval
5-1
34
8
2-1
8
Otis
5-2
18
6
1-2
9
Weldon Valley
4-3
11
9
1-2
10
Stratton/Liberty
4-1
7
–
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Dove Creek 6, Pikes Peak Christian 4, Sangre de Cristo 3, South Baca 3, Aguilar 2, Haxtun 2, Springfield 2, Kim/Branson 1, Wiley 1.
Ignacio volleyball coach Thaddeus Cano has a lot of time to think about his team. Cano faces a 50-minute commute to the school where he is in his seventh year as the coach of the Bobcats.
He has a lot of time to think and a lot of time to evaluate how well his team is playing each season. Although it’s still early in 2019, his time in the car has led him to a big conclusion about this year’s squad.
It’s good. Really good, in his mind.
Part of the reason for that is he decided early on that he was going to let this team invest in itself. He’s the coach and he’ll always final say, but he was more than happy to give his girls ownership of how this program was going to work.
“I really empowered the players in the decision-making process of the team from the team rules right there to how we’re going to handle stuff that may come up,” Cano said. “They’re just really excelling and grabbing the bull by the horn.”
Ignacio is off to a fast start this season taking the current spot as the No. 7 team in the Class 2A state volleyball rankings. The Bobcats are 3-0 and have dropped just a single set in that span. In a way, that one set was a vital loss because it help him and his team realize that in some ways, their success this season is only limited by themselves.
“That one set, the girls got kind of quiet,” he said. “I asked them what happened and they told me they had stopped communicating. How easy is it for volleyball when you’re all commuting? It’s really easy to coach right there.”
A lot of times when a team is starting to mesh and play well, a lot of seniors can be seen on a roster. But not for the Bobcats. Makayla Howell is the only senior on the team and she’s playing like it on the offensive end. She leads the team with 25 kills and provides the steady hand of a veteran.
That can be needed when a couple of freshmen are making themselves essential to the team. Laci Brunson and Grace Gonzales have provided a spark that hasn’t just improved the Bobcats’ play this season, but provides a lot of hope for what they can do in future years.
It also helps that one of the outside hitters on the team in Alexis Pontine is also an underclassman.
“I have two really talented freshmen,” Cano said. “And of my two outside hitters, one of them is a sophomore. I haven’t seen (this kind of talent and chemistry) in my entire time here at Ignacio.”
Brunson has been vital to the team as a defensive specialist, giving Cano the sense that his squad is very well-rounded. And that’s before even addressing the Bobcats’ primary strength.
Ignacio is best on the serve and it’s something Cano wants each and every one of his opponents knowing about. While lots of coaches would rather downplay their strengths to the media, he has no problem bragging about them. And daring teams to stop it.
“We’ve always been known as a strong serving team and we’re definitely upholding that tradition with a little bit extra,” he said. “One of our players, Grace Gonzales, I’m actually working on a hybrid serve with her and that’s coming along nicely. We may or may not open that up in our next match.”
Cano will have plenty of time to think about that decision on his 50-minute commute to the school. But either way, each minute he gets to spend coaching this team has made the drive well worth it.
Voted upon by coaches and 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
Cherokee Trail (7)
5-1
101
1
0-0
2
Chaparral (1)
5-2
95
2
2-0
3
Legend (2)
5-1
87
3
1-0
4
Valor Christian (1)
3-0
72
4
2-0
5
Fairview (1)
5-0
48
8
1-0
6
Rampart
3-0
46
–
2-0
7
Cherry Creek
2-1
43
5
1-0
8
Fort Collins
4-1
30
7
1-0
9
Grandview
4-3
26
9
2-0
10
Eaglecrest
5-2
21
6
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Heritage 17, Loveland 15, Broomfield 11, Legacy 9, Pine Creek 9, Chatfield 6, ThunderRidge 5, Dakota Ridge 4, Ralston Valley 3, Windsor 3, Castle View 2, Columbine 2, Mountain Vista 2, Fossil Ridge 1, Highlands Ranch 1, Lakewood 1.
Dropped out
Chatfield (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Lewis-Palmer (4)
1-1
89
1
1-1
2
Mead (3)
4-1
82
3
3-1
3
Palmer Ridge (1)
1-1
66
2
0-1
4
Cheyenne Mountain (2)
2-0
62
8
2-0
5
Discovery Canyon (1)
6-1
48
4
5-1
6
Silver Creek
1-0
42
6
0-0
7
Mullen
4-0
39
–
2-0
8
Coronado
1-1
33
10
0-1
9
Niwot
0-0
32
5
0-0
10
Montrose (1)
3-0
31
–
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Air Academy 30, Skyline 26, Longmont 20, Denver West 17, Fort Morgan 16, Pueblo West 16, Frederick 14, Woodland Park 10, Golden 6, Ponderosa 6, Eagle Valley 5, Battle Mountain 4, Skyview 4, Evergreen 3, Glenwood Springs 3, Standley Lake 3, Thomas Jefferson 3, Kennedy 2, Mesa Ridge 1, Wheat Ridge 1.
Dropped out
Longmont (7), Air Academy (9).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Lutheran (7)
1-0
94
2
1-0
2
Eaton (1)
2-0
85
1
0-0
3
Colorado Springs Christian (1)
3-0
76
3
2-0
4
Faith Christian
1-0
75
4
1-0
5
Alamosa (1)
5-1
61
5
4-1
6
Sterling (1)
1-0
55
7
1-0
7
Valley
0-1
33
8
0-1
8
University
2-2
30
6
1-2
9
Platte Valley
1-0
22
10
1-0
10
Cedaredge
4-0
18
–
4-0
Others receiving votes:
La Junta 15, Englewood 10, Fort Lupton 10, Coal Ridge 9, Eagle Ridge Academy 8, Lamar 8, Brush 7, Peak to Peak 7, Frontier Academy 6, Centauri 5, James Irwin 5, Manitou Springs 4, Resurrection Christian 4, SkyView Academy 3, The Pinnacle 2.
Dropped out
Resurrection Christian (9).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Denver Christian (8)
5-0
80
1
4-0
2
Limon
2-1
62
4
2-1
3
Wiggins
2-0
61
3
1-0
4
Union Colony Prep
5-0
47
6
3-0
5
Meeker</tdå>
3-1
36
5
3-1
6
Yuma
1-1
35
2
1-1
7
Ignacio
3-0
19
–
1-0
8
Swink
4-1
16
–
2-0
9
Highland
4-2
14
–
1-1
10
Hoehne
3-3
10
8
0-3
Others receiving votes:
Simla 9, Fowler 8, Sedgwick County 8, Dawson School 7, West Grand 6, Clear Creek 5, Rye 4, Akron 3, John Mall 3, Lyons 3, Telluride 3, Hayden 1.
Dropped out
Lyons (7), Akron (9), Vail Mountain (10).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
La Veta (7)
5-0
70
2
1-0
2
Kit Carson
2-1
60
1
1-1
3
Briggsdale
4-1
51
4
1-0
4
Merino
4-1
43
7
2-0
5
Fleming
1-1
40
3
1-1
6
Otis
4-0
28
5
4-0
7
Prairie
1-0
25
10
1-0
8
Genoa-Hugo/Karval
3-0
22
–
2-0
9
Weldon Valley
3-1
18
6
2-1
10
Haxtun
1-4
8
–
0-1
Others receiving votes:
Dove Creek 5, Sangre de Cristo 5, Stratton/Liberty 5, Springfield 2, Kim/Branson 1, Pikes Peak Christian 1.
Sterling, No. 2 in the preseason, has moved up to the No. 1 spot in this week’s Class 3A 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
Grandview (9)
0-0
97
1
0-0
2
ThunderRidge
2-0
84
3
2-0
3
Smoky Hill (1)
2-0
76
4
2-0
4
Overland
1-2
52
6
1-2
5
Rangeview
1-0
50
8
1-0
6
Regis Jesuit
1-1
43
7
1-1
7
Chaparral
1-0
39
2
1-0
8
Rock Canyon
2-1
27
–
2-1
9
Eaglecrest
1-0
19
10
1-0
10
George Washington
2-2
18
9
2-2
Others receiving votes:
Columbine 14, Mountain Vista 9, Denver East 8, Mullen 5, Doherty 4, Arvada West 2, Cherry Creek 2, Highlands Ranch 1.
Dropped out
Denver East (5).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Lewis-Palmer (9)
3-0
132
1
3-0
2
Longmont (3)
3-0
118
2
3-0
3
Lincoln (1)
3-0
91
5
3-0
4
Pueblo West
4-0
74
3
4-0
5
Cheyenne Mountain
3-1
69
7
3-1
6
Holy Family
2-1
60
4
2-1
7
Mead
0-1
38
6
0-1
8
Centaurus
2-1
27
–
2-1
9
Pueblo South (1)
0-3
25
9
0-3
10
Golden
1-2
22
10
1-2
Others receiving votes:
Silver Creek 16, Air Academy 14, Harrison 11, Falcon 10, Evergreen 8, Thomas Jefferson 8, Pueblo East 7, Steamboat Springs 7, Discovery Canyon 6, Coronado 5, Montrose 5, Widefield 5, Sierra 4, Green Mountain 3, Littleton 2, Mesa Ridge 2, Palmer Ridge 1.
Dropped out
Pueblo East (8).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Sterling (11)
3-0
116
2
3-0
2
The Vanguard
2-0
90
4
2-0
3
Coal Ridge
2-0
66
6
2-0
4
Manual
0-0
61
5
0-0
5
Colorado Academy
1-1
60
1
1-1
6
Lutheran
2-1
56
3
2-1
7
Resurrection Christian
2-1
53
7
2-1
8
Kent Denver
2-0
33
–
2-0
9
Platte Valley
3-0
28
9
3-0
10
Faith Christian
1-1
23
10
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Alamosa 21, Bayfield 16, Basalt 7, Eaton 6, La Junta 5, Strasburg 5, DSST: Stapleton 4, Colorado Springs Christian 3, Montezuma-Cortez 3, Lamar 2, Delta 1, St. Mary’s 1.
Dropped out
Bayfield (8).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Yuma (15)
1-0
150
1
1-0
2
Highland
2-0
118
2
2-0
3
Limon
2-0
110
4
2-0
4
Simla
2-0
99
5
2-0
5
Holly
1-0
77
7
1-0
6
Sanford
1-0
71
6
1-0
7
Sedgwick County
0-0
35
9
0-0
8
Byers
0-2
34
3
0-2
9
Ignacio
1-1
21
–
1-1
10
Vail Christian
1-1
18
10
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Fowler 15, Mancos 15, Del Norte 11, Holyoke 10, Heritage Christian 9, Meeker 9, Akron 5, Crowley County 4, Denver Christian 4, Front Range Christian 4, Paonia 3, Peyton 3.
Dropped out
Crowley County (8).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Sangre de Cristo (4)
2-0
66
1
2-0
2
Peetz (2)
2-0
60
4
2-0
3
De Beque (2)
2-0
54
6
2-0
4
Arickaree/Woodlin
2-0
51
3
2-0
5
Cornerstone Christian (1)
3-0
47
8
3-0
6
Kit Carson
0-0
46
2
0-0
7
Springfield
2-0
29
–
2-0
8
Front Range Baptist
2-1
27
7
2-1
9
Creede
2-1
21
–
2-1
10
Sierra Grande
1-1
13
–
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Haxtun 12, South Baca 11, Walsh 11, Cheraw 9, Evangelical Christian 9, Merino 8, Otis 6, Pikes Peak Christian 5, Longmont Christian 4, Eads 3, McClave 2, Primero 1.
Hinkley’s football team is off to its best start in more than a decade following a 14-10 homecoming win over Kennedy on Friday night.
The Thunderbirds are now 3-0 this season — something the program hasn’t done since at least 2004.
On Friday, Hinkley trailed Kennedy 3-0 early, but responded with a quick touchdown, and added a safety to go up 8-3 at halftime.
Kennedy did grab a 10-8 lead after the third quarter, but Hinkley responded with a fourth-quarter touchdown to continue its perfect start to the 2018 campaign.
[divider]
Colorado PrepsCast audio recap
[divider]
1A: (2) Limon 25, (9) Meeker 16
Limon raced out to a 18-0 lead after three quarters, then held on for a 25-16 win over Meeker.
“That’s a really good football team, and they’re extremely well-coached,” Limon coach Mike O’Dwyer told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show. “One thing about a Meeker team is they’re never going to give up.”
But, ultimately, “I was pleased that our kids just kind of stayed with what we do,” O’Dwyer said.
The Badgers are now 3-0 this season.
[divider]
5A/4A: (5A 2) Valor Christian 28, (4A 1) Pine Creek 7
(Paige Stingley/Valor Christian HS)
In a heavyweight matchup of big-school powers, Valor Christian quarterback passed for a touchdown and rushed for two others to lead his Eagles to another important win.
The game was tied at 7 after the first quarter before McCaffrey connected with Gavin Sawchuk on a 29-yard touchdown pass less than two minutes into the frame. McCaffrey added his second rushing score of the game 10 minutes later to put Valor up 21-7 at halftime.
Marcus Staples capped the scoring for Valor Christian with a three-yard rushing touchdown later in the fourth quarter.
Max Lofy scored Pine Creek’s lone touchdown on a 95-yard kickoff return in the first quarter.
Radio: Highland, Mesa Ridge among winners on Friday
Clips courtesy of KFKA 1310, Orange and Blue 760 and Xtra Sports 1300.
[divider]
Notables
In a cross-classification matchup of ranked teams, 2A No. 9 Salida took care of 1A No. 10 Buena Vista 43-0. Vince Deleo had four touchdowns for Salida.
A week after breaking a long losing streak, Niwot football has a second-straight win. The Cougars beat Littleton in the final seconds.
3A No. 7 Thomas Jefferson is 3-0 for the third year in a row following a 22-14 win over No. 9 Fort Morgan.
Another top-10 game in 3A: No. 4 Discovery Canyon beat No. 6 Holy Family in a shootout, 52-34. “We were fortunate to get out of that game with the score that we did, for sure,” coach Shawn Mitchell told the Scoreboard Show. Here’s a game recap from BoCoPreps.com.
Castle View beat rival Douglas County 28-0 and is now 3-1 this season. Its the best start for the Sabercats since the 2011 season, when they began 6-0 and finished 11-2.
LOVELAND — Bradley Carnes-Clabey might want to consider adding another hyphenated word to his name: Clutch.
The Crowley County senior came up big in a 48-41 win for the top-seeded Chargers (24-0) over No. 8 Sanford on Thursday at the Budweiser Events Center. Carnes-Clabey finished with a game-best 20 points and had five blocked shots — three in the first half and one crucial denial in the final minutes — to lead the way in the Class 2A boys basketball quarterfinal game.
His performance was a memorable one, and something he’d been looking forward to since long before he grew into the 6-foot-4 Charger he is now.
“I’ve been dreaming about coming and playing at state since I was like an eighth grader,” Carnes-Clabey said. “All season we’ve been preaching to each other and from our coach to just hustle and play defense. Getting those blocked shots is part of my defensive game plan, just protecting the paint. Coming out I just wanted to work hard for my teammates and that’s what I did.”
Though a matchup of an unbeaten No. 1 seed and a No. 8 seed is, at least on paper, lopsided, the game was anything but. Sanford, a tradition-rich program with eight state titles to its name, refused to go away and went on a 6-0 run to end the half trailing by only three points.
The Chargers zoomed out to an 8-0 run of their own to open the third quarter and build their biggest lead of the night at 30-19, only to see that lead dwindle and fizzle in the third quarter when a steal-and-score from Sanford senior Zach Sittler tied it up at 34.
“We knew it was going to be a dog fight going into it, (Sanford) has been here for I don’t know how many years in a row,” Crowley coach Brett Rusler said. “(At halftime) I just told the guys, ‘That’s not us.’ We needed to play like we knew how, and they responded well.”
Chris Meyer broke the tie with a steal-and-score of his own, and Carnes-Clabey’s late fourth quarter block and ensuing layup ultimately put the game out of reach at 42-34 with 3:21 to play.
Now Crowley County, which hasn’t won a state title since 1968 and is making its first tournament appearance since 1994, is in the state semifinals with an entire Arkansas Valley community behind it.
“That community, they always have our back no matter what,” Carnes-Clabey said. “Just seeing the looks in everybody’s eyes…I just love my community and I’m happy to be able to represent them.”
[divider]
(2) Yuma 62, (7) Ellicott 28
Yuma took care of business Thursday thanks in large part to the efforts of juniors Victor Mendoza (16 points) and Jake Chrisman (15 points). The two scored all of Yuma’s 14 points in the third quarter to propel their team into the semis.
[divider]
(3) Byers 65, (6) Ignacio 44
A 25-point first quarter and a 26-point effort from senior Austin Davis were the key cogs in a quarterfinal victory for the Byers Bulldogs. They’ll now take on No. 2 Yuma in the semis at 8:30 p.m. on Friday.
[divider]
(4) Highland vs. (5) Meeker
The Cowboys shot 54 percent from the field in the first half while simultaneously stifling the Highland offense, riding a hot start to secure a 74-59 win and a trip to the semifinals.
Highland sophomore Tate Bessire put forth a 30-point effort, scoring 19 in the second half, but Meeker survived as the only lower-seeded team to win a quarterfinal game.
The Cowboys face No. 1 Crowley County Friday at 5:30 p.m.
