PUEBLO — Thanks to a strong second-half performance, Wray High School’s girls basketball team is moving on in the Class 2A state tournament.
Holding a two-point lead at half, the Eagles found another gear soaring to a 62-40 victory over Swink in a quarterfinal game at Colorado State University-Pueblo’s Massari Arena.
“I think depth was the difference,” Wray coach David Reed said. “We were playing 10 kids and they were playing six kids and that makes a huge difference. We were able to run a little more and control the rebounds with our big girls, and we were able to get some easy lay-ups.”
The Eagles (19-5 overall) advance to play Paonia (24-1) at 4 p.m. Friday in a semifinal game.
Wray won girls state basketball titles in 2008 and 2009, defeating Paonia in 2009 in the championship game.
“Coach (Scott) Rienks (of Paonia) does a great job with his team,” Reed said. “We’re going to have to use our depth, 10 players, and take care of the ball a little bit better and control the tempo and give ourselves a shot to win.”
Wray held a slim 30-28 lead at intermission, but then took control in the third outscoring the Lions 16-6.
“I told the girls at half that we needed to control our emotions a little better, and make better decisions,” Reed said.
When Bailey Reed, the coach’s daughter, hit a 3-pointer in the right corner with 26 seconds left in third she gave the Eagles a 46-34 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Eagles kept pushing the pace in the final quarter and were up 52-34 after Maddie Soehner’s transition lay-up with 5:47 remaining.
Hannah Lenz and Soehner had 15 and 12 points, respectively for the Eagles. Kyla O’Neal was Swink’s lone player in double-figures with 11.
(1) Yuma 86, (8) Custer County 25
Logan Hixon had 32 points and Peighton Roth added 18 points, powering top-seeded Yuma to a victory over the Bobcats.
Yuma jumped out to a 23-8 lead at the end of the first quarter and were never threatened.
Yuma (24-1) has been in the state championship game three years in a row, losing to Akron (2013), Lutheran (2014) and Akron again last year.
The Indians were trying to win their first girls state basketball championship since 1997.
Elizabeth Mullett paced Custer County (10-13) with nine points.
(2)Paonia 52, (7)Sanford 25
Taylor Carsten and Ashley Van Vleet had 10 points each as the Eagles muscled past the Indians.
The Eagles raced out to a 21-8 first-quarter lead on the strength of Carstens seven points – six of them coming via two 3-pointers.
Any chance Sanford had of getting back in the game in the second half was snuffed out as the Eagles only allowed the Indians 10 points total in the third and fourth quarter.
Cedaredge 53, Kiowa 41
With a chance for victory slipping away, Cedaredge came alive.
The Bruins finished the game on an 18-0 run in the last six and a half minutes of the game to claim the victory.
“It got a little out of control,” Cedaredge coach Ryan Hilbig said. “I was about to call a timeout and then we hit one three, and then we hit another three and we woke up. It was a big win for us.”
Cedaredge ran its record to 22-2 and will meet top-seeded Yuma at 7 p.m. Friday in the semifinals. Kiowa dropped to 19-5.
This is the Bruins first appearance in the semifinals since 2007 and that bid didn’t seem like it was going happen early in the fourth quarter.
Courtney Freeman hit drained a 3-pointer from the left of the top of the key with 5:08 left to give the Bruins a 44-41 lead they would never surrender.
Nellie Freeman, a senior and Courtney’s older sister, led the team with 15 points and Kendall McHugh added 12.
Kiowa’s Helen Janes and Melanie Deering had 12 points each on the loss.
The South Central League already had plenty of representation in the Class 4A CHSAANow.com girls basketball rankings. But Pueblo South was apparently feeling left out.
The Colts stormed their way into the 4A poll, landing at No. 6. They were unranked a week ago. They join league foes Pueblo West and Pueblo East, who have been fixtures in the poll all season.
Sand Creek still has a strong grip on the No. 1 spot in the class as they received 11 of 14 votes this weeks.
The top spot in 5A continues to be held by Highlands Ranch as the Falcons show no desire to relinquish their hold as the regular season nears its end.
No new teams were able to play their way into the 5A poll.
Manitou Springs couldn’t overtake Pagosa Springs for the top spot in the 3A poll, despite an impressive blowout win over No. 4 St. Mary’s last week.
After falling out of the rankings last week, La Junta rejoins the ranks at No. 10.
Yuma is still the unanimous No. 1 team in 2A, a welcome sight as they inch closer to the start of the playoffs.
Swink was able to give the 2A poll a fresh face as the Lions come in at No. 10.
Kit Carson hangs on to the No. 1 spot that they took over last week in 1A. While the order was somewhat different, the 10 teams in last week’s 1A poll remain the same.
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.
By the slimmest of margins, Kit Carson is the new No. 1 team in the Class 1A CHSAANow.com girls basketball rankings.
The Wildcats registered 95 points, only one point better than former No. 1 Sangre De Cristo, which falls to No. 2.
Kim jumped from No. 10 to No. 7 this week, but there were no new teams added to the 1A poll.
Highlands Ranch maintains the No. 1 spot in the 5A rankings, taking 13 of 15 first-place votes. In fact, the top seven teams in the 5A poll maintained their position from last week.
Rocky Mountain did join the rankings, landing at No. 10.
The 4A rankings also saw few changes as Sand Creek is still the top team with Mesa Ridge still nipping at the Scorpions’ heels.
Montrose is No. 10 in 4A this week. (Tom Hoganson)
The Western Slope got some love from the votes as Montrose breaks into the 4A poll, coming in at No. 10.
The two remaining unbeaten teams in 3A continue to sit atop their rankings. Pages Springs and Manitou Springs remain entrenched at No. 1 and No. 2 respectively. St. Mary’s moved up to No. 4 and have a looming showdown with Manitou on Tuesday.
Liberty Common joins the 3A poll at No. 10.
No new teams were added to the 2A poll, which still has Yuma as the No. 1 overall team.
Kiowa did make a two-spot jump from last week, coming in at No. 7.
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.
Although Highlands Ranch, Sand Creek, Pagosa Springs, Yuma and Sangre de Cristo all held on to their respective No. 1 rankings, there was an influx of new teams added to this week’s CHSAANow.com girls basketball polls.
The Falcons continue to have their talons firmly grasped on the No. 1 ranking in Class 5A and with only one more ranked opponent on their schedule, appear to be in control of the top spot for the remainder of the regular season.
Regis Jesuit joined the 5A girls basketball rankings this week. (Dennis Pleuss)
Pine Creek and Regis Jesuit are shaking up the 5A poll by joining its ranks this week.
The Eagles come in at No. 9 while the Raiders take over the No. 10 spot this week.
Sand Creek continues to hold off fellow Colorado Springs-area powerhouse Mesa Ridge for the top 4A spot.
The 4A rankings from top to bottom went unchanged from a week ago.
Pagosa Springs took nine of 13 first-place votes to keep the top 3A spot this week. Manitou Springs sits right behind them at No. 2, with both teams still undefeated on the year.
La Junta is the lone newcomer to the 3A poll as the Tigers come in at No. 10.
The top of the 2A poll also looks familiar with Yuma keeping a firm grasp on the top spot. Haxtun made a significant jump this week, landing at No. 5, three spots better than last week.
Kiowa joins the 2A ranks at No. 9 this week.
Sangre de Cristo still sits atop the 1A poll, claiming 80 percent of the first-place votes. The 1A poll also welcomes two new teams as Briggsdale lands at No. 8 and Norwood comes in at No. 9.
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.
The 2015 football players of the year. From left: Dylan Dixon of Eads; Keegan Wentz of Buena Vista; JoJo Domann of Pine Creek; Dylan McCaffrey of Valor Christian; Daniel Martin of Pueblo East; Kelton McCoy of Bayfield; Trey Walter of Sedgwick County. (Photos: Jack Eberhard/JacksActoinShots.com; Bill Cronin; Matt Daniels/MattDanPhoto.com; Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com; Jeff Tucker; and Sedgwick County HS)
The 2015 all-state football teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues and then a vote of coaches.
The state volleyball tournaments begin play Friday and with the release of the brackets and pairings on Monday, teams now know what’s in store for them come tournament time.
Chatfield, Cheyenne Mountain, Eaton, Resurrection Christian and Otis were given top seeds heading into the weekend tournaments.
All classifications will be begin play at 8 a.m. on Friday. Pre-sale tickets for Friday and Saturday are available online.
In 5A, a major shakeup occurred over the weekend as Coronado won Region II, taking No. 2 Mountain Vista out of the tournament. As a result, Cherokee Trail, Chaparral and Rock Canyon each slid up one spot in the seeding. Those three, along with Chatfield, are the top seeded teams in the four pools.
In all, five teams that went on the road in regionals came away with state tournament berths. Joining Coronado as the non-regional host winners are Regis Jesuit, Denver East, Arapahoe and Fairview.
The Rangers are the No. 2 seed coming into this weekend’s tournament with Ponderosa and Holy Family making up the top teams from their respective pools.
Silver Creek and Mead qualified for the 4A tournament after winning regionals on the road.
Undefeated Eaton comes in as the top-seeded in team in 3A with fellow Patriot League representatives University and Platte Valley coming in at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.
Colorado Springs Christian School takes the No. 4 spot.
Hoping for a third-straight Final 4 appearance, the No. 7 Manitou Springs Mustangs will have some work to do as their first match comes against No. 2 University. The Mustangs looked good over the weekend, sweeping their region to capture a state berth.
Frontier Academy and Sterling hit the road to win their regions and qualify for state.
Joining defending 2A champion Resurrection Christian as a top seed are Yuma, Lyons and Paonia.
Kiowa, Fowler and Limon all won their respective regions despite not hosting them. Lyons, Union Colony, Ridgway and Colorado Springs School all qualified for the 2A tournament with wildcard berths.
Horizon was stuffed on fourth down with less than three minutes to play, and it looked like Legacy might escape with a big win in Class 5A football. But then the Hawks got a game-changing, go-ahead safety and walked away with a 22-21 win on Friday night.
The game was a wild one.
Legacy jumped out 14-0 in the second quarter, but Horizon battled back to tie it at 14 in the third quarter.
Legacy took the lead when quarterback Matt Lynch, a UCLA commit, threw a touchdown pass later in that quarter. Horizon answered with a Cade Verkler rushing score, but the extra point missed, making it a 21-20 Legacy lead in the fourth quarter.
Late in the fourth quarter, Horizon had a 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard-line. The Hawks were stuffed. But two plays later, Horizon got the key safety. It was 22-21, and the Hawks would hold on to win.
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2A/1A: (3) Bayfield 35, (1) Paonia 0
Bayfield ended Paonia’s 26-game winning streak in stunning fashion.
“We had to be physical up front, and we had to stop them,” coach Gary Heide told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show. “The plan worked to perfection.”
Paonia’s 26-game streak was the second-longest in the state.
“I’m kind of a low-key, one-game-at-a-time, and, ‘No game is no more important than the other’ guy, but this morning, I just realized the opportunity that Bayfield had, along with getting a win,” Heide said. “A game like this, you end up gaining a lot of confidence.”
“We don’t pass a whole lot, but when we do, we try to do it at optimal times. Tonight, it really worked out,” Heide said. “Kelton McCoy threw some really nice passes.”
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3A: (1) Pueblo East 47, Discovery Canyon 36
Discovery Canyon nearly pulled off a major upset, but Pueblo East was able to pull out a win.
“It was a fun night,” Pueblo East coach Lee Meisner told the Scoreboard Show. “We knew we were going to get everything they had. … We had a heck of a game.”
This game featured 10 ties or lead changes, including a number in the final quarter. It also had a 99-yard kickoff return.
Discovery Canyon led 28-27 going to the fourth. Pueblo East soon went ahead 33-28, and Discovery Canyon answered to retake the lead at 36-33.
Then, with 2:45 to go, Pueblo East took the lead for good at 40-36. The Eagles added a late touchdown to ice the game.
Said Meisner: “We just kept preaching to our kids: ‘We have to play four quarters of football. No matter what the score is, just at the end of it, do your job, and then worry about the score.’”
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5A: Doherty 24, Fruita Monument 21 (OT)
Doherty jumped out to an 18-0 lead at halftime, but then Fruita Monument started to chip away.
Limon pulled off the upset of its rival, and improved to 4-0 this season.
“Our kids really stepped up tonight,” Limon coach Mike O’Dwyer told the Scoreboard Show. “I thought they played really well. By far, the best game we’ve played all year.”
Of the shutout, O’Dwyer said, “Anytime you play Burlington, they’re so disciplined and so well-coached, you have to play assignment defense and everybody has to do their job and not worry about what everybody else is doing. You just have to take care of your job. I thought tonight, our assignment defense really played very, very well.”
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1A: (5) Cedaredge 40, (10) Center 13
It was 14-13 at halftime, but Cedaredge pulled away to notch a huge top-10 win to move to 4-0.
“They had some turnovers and we capitalized on those turnovers,” coach Brandon Milholland told the Scoreboard Show. “Another important piece that I realized late in the fourth quarter is we’re starting to get out of our own way and kind of believe in what we’ve going on.”
Cedaredge pulled away to 25-13 after the third quarter, then put the game away in the fourth.
“We got a lucky bounce,” coach Brandon Alexander told the Scoreboard Show. “We scored quick, and turned the ball over, and scored again. Two scores early in the third quarter, that was really huge for us.
“Sargent was a great team, they were very athletic and fast, so it was exactly what we had to have.”
There were a number of games decided by wide margins on Friday. By the time the night was over, there were 22 total shutouts, 11 of which were decided by 40 or more points. In all, the average margin of victory for all games was 27.8 points.
Ranked teams are 39-9 so far in Week 4, but only two of those losses have come to unranked teams.
In 5A, TJ Jones had six touchdowns, including the game winner, to help Boulder beat Prairie View in overtime, 41-35.
8-man’s West Grand beat Elbert 46-0, and gave head coach Chris Brown career win No. 302. He’s four shy of the all-time mark of 306 held by longtime Denver East and Machebeuf coach Pat Panek. The Mustangs are 4-0 this season.
Alameda moved to 4-0 for the first time in more than a decade following a 38-0 win over Denver North in 2A. The Pirates are ranked No. 10.
In 8-man, No. 8 Granada escaped an upset with a 28-26 win over Kiowa.
A bit of a surprise, also in 8-man: No. 2 Sedgwick County handled No. 10 Holly 64-7.
Cheyenne Mountain picked up its first win of the season in 4A, beating Mitchell 36-35 on a 28-yard field goal with 7.2 seconds remaining.
In 6-man, No. 4 Arickaree/Woodlin beat No. 6 Otis 53-14.
3A No. 4 Rifle shutout Eagle Valley 26-0. “That’s a pretty tough place to go play, but ultimately we’re very happy with the way our kids played,” Bears coach Damon Wells told the Scoreboard Show. “We’ve been around long enough to know that any time you win a game in our league, it’s worth cherishing.”
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.”
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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.”
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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.
