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.
Chatfield boys basketball is ranked No. 10 this week. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
Once again, there were minimal changes to the top of the CHSAANow.com boys basketball rankings.
Overland, Longmont, Colorado Springs Christian School, Sanford and Fleming all maintain their positions as the No. 1 teams in their respective classes. And while new teams made their way into this week’s set of polls, it appears that taking down the top teams in every class is going to be a formidable challenge.
The Class 5A poll might’ve had the most interesting turnaround since last week. Cherokee Trail certainly got the attention of a lot of teams with their 85-81 win over Denver East. The win helped the Cougars jump from No. 10 to No. 6.
Eaglecrest and Regis Jesuit each climbed two spots and remain undefeated on the young season.
On the strength of a 4-1 start, Chatfield joins the 5A rankings, coming in at No. 10 this week.
In 4A, the top seven teams remain the same from last week, with only Pueblo West and Sand Creek changing positions. The two teams swapped spots, putting the Cyclones at No. 5 and the Scorpions at No. 6.
The largest set of newcomers to any poll took place with the 4A rankings as Vista Ridge, Thomas Jefferson and Conifer come in this week and occupy the last three spots of the top 10.
Very few changes took place in the 3A poll as there were no newcomers. Lutheran and DSST-Stapleton each jumped two spots with Lutheran landing at No. 5 and DSST-Stapleton coming in at No. 7.
Dayspring Christian jumps into the 2A poll this week at No. 10. They are the lone newcomer.
After going 3-0 last week, Meeker made a significant jump in the poll, going from No. 8 to No. 5 as they look to set themselves up as a contender. Paonia also jumped three spots from No. 9 to land at No. 6 this week.
The top nine teams of the 1A poll went unchanged, although Arickaree/Woodlin did move from No. 7 to No. 5. Norwood cracked the top 10 this week, taking the No. 10 spot.
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.
Boulder 21, Aurora Central 13, Grand Junction Central 6, Doherty 6, Mountain Vista 4, Cherry Creek 3, George Washington 2, Greeley West 2, Rampart 2, Dakota Ridge 1.
Dropped out
Arvada West (8).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Longmont (14)
3-0
183
1
2-0
2
Valor Christian (3)
5-0
161
2
3-0
3
Pueblo South (2)
5-0
152
3
1-0
4
Lewis-Palmer
5-1
121
4
2-0
5
Pueblo West
7-1
102
6
4-1
6
Sand Creek
3-1
75
5
1-1
7
Golden
3-1
68
7
1-0
8
Vista Ridge
5-0
46
–
4-0
9
Thomas Jefferson
4-2
28
–
3-0
10
Conifer
6-0
16
–
3-0
Others receiving votes:
Pueblo Central 15, Denver South 14, Windsor 12, Evergreen 10, Ponderosa 10, Mead 9, D’Evelyn 8, Mountain View 3, Air Academy 2, Centaurus 2, Holy Family 2, Rifle 2, Wheat Ridge 2, Green Mountain 1, Vista Peak 1.
Dropped out
Pueblo Central (8), Mead (9), Green Mountain (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Colorado Springs Christian (10)
3-0
125
1
1-0
2
Colorado Academy (2)
3-3
94
2
2-1
3
Sterling
3-1
86
4
1-1
4
Faith Christian
3-4
77
3
2-2
5
Lutheran
6-1
67
7
3-0
6
Alamosa
4-2
56
6
2-1
7
DSST-Stapleton (1)
5-0
55
9
2-0
8
Bennett
4-1
34
5
1-1
9
Eaton
2-1
21
10
1-1
10
Grand Valley
3-1
21
8
1-1
Others receiving votes:
The Pinnacle 17, St. Mary’s 16, DSST-Green Valley Ranch 13, Manual 6, Platte Valley 6, SkyView Academy 5, Buena Vista 3, Peak to Peak 3, James Irwin 2, Kent Denver 2, Pagosa Springs 2, Strasburg 2, Jefferson Academy 1, Manitou Springs 1.
Dropped out
.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Sanford (10)
5-0
100
1
3-0
2
Resurrection Christian
5-0
87
3
2-0
3
Ignacio
4-0
71
2
1-0
4
Sedgwick County
4-0
62
5
2-0
5
Meeker
3-0
48
8
3-0
6
Paonia
4-0
39
9
2-0
7
Holyoke
2-0
34
4
1-0
8
Rye
1-2
26
6
0-1
9
Dayspring Christian
4-0
24
–
1-0
10
Simla
3-0
20
10
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Center 14, Highland 9, Crowley County 5, Burlington 4, Akron 3, Rocky Ford 2, Soroco 2.
Dropped out
Burlington (7).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Fleming (8)
3-1
80
1
2-0
2
Kit Carson
3-0
70
2
2-0
3
South Baca
5-0
64
4
3-0
4
Ouray
2-0
50
5
1-0
5
Arickaree/Woodlin
2-1
36
7
1-0
6
Sierra Grande
3-1
35
6
1-0
7
Holly
2-2
30
3
1-2
8
Wiley
2-1
26
8
1-1
9
Shining Mountain
2-1
25
9
1-0
10
Norwood
3-1
8
–
3-1
Others receiving votes:
Longmont Christian 5, Otis 4, Springfield 2, Creede/Lake City 1, Dove Creek 1, Eads 1, Heritage Christian 1, Walsh 1.
Highlands Ranch is the new No. 1 team in 5A girls basketball. (CHSAANow.com file photo)
The CHSAANow.com girls basketball polls saw three new No. 1 teams crowned this week, including Highlands Ranch, who takes over the No. 1 spot in Class 5A.
It is the biggest shift at the top of the polls since the start of basketball season.
The big story of the week came as ThunderRidge fell to Cherry Creek, 32-27. The Grizzlies had held the top spot in 5A since the preseason poll. But the Bruins couldn’t capitalize on the win. They turned around and lost their next game to Broomfield, which kept them firmly in the No. 7 spot this week.
Poudre and Loveland were the two new teams added to the 5A rankings as they come in at No. 9 and No. 10, respectively.
Sand Creek was one of two teams to hold on the top this week, as they remain No. 1 in the 4A poll. Mesa Ridge jumped from No. 3 to No. 2, continuing their climb and showing that they intend to be a force this year, much like they were in 2014 when they won the 4A title.
Joining the 4A rankings this week is Pueblo East, who comes in at No. 10. The Eagles started the season at 1-2, but have played well enough lately to earn the votes needed to crack the top 10.
Pagosa Springs takes the top spot in the 3A rankings away from Manitou Springs, despite the Mustangs starting 4-0.
In fact, the Mustangs received six first-place votes last week, only to get two this week. Manitou falls to No. 3 in this week’s poll.
Lamar made a two-spot jump this week to come in at No. 7 and Grand Valley comes in at No. 10 as the lone newcomer to the 3A rankings.
Yuma remains firmly at the top of the 2A rankings and had a nice showing last week, going 3-0. The big jump in that class was Wray leaping from No. 9 to No. 5. They got the attention of the voters by taking Yuma to the limit and only falling to the Indians 69-66. Highland and Sanford break in as the two newcomers to the 2A polls, landing at No. 9 and No. 10, respectively.
With Idalia’s 48-43 loss to Otis, the Wolves fell out of the top spot in the 1A rankings. That helped Otis break into the top 10 where they come in at No. 7 this week. Kim at No. 8 and Briggsdale at No. 10 also joined this week’s rankings.
Sangre de Cristo takes to the top spot this week, jumping from No. 3 to No. 1.
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.
Ralston Valley is No. 7 in this week’s girls basketball rankings in 5A. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
Just like the boys, the top teams in all five CHSAANow.com rankings all held their positions this week.
ThunderRidge, Sand Creek, Manitou Springs, Yuma and Idalia all enter the second the week of the season as the No. 1 teams in their respective classes. But with competition starting off fast and furious in Week 1, it was inevitable that some changes would indeed occur.
In Class 5A, ThunderRidge looked like a top team as they jumped out to a 3-0 start, but it was Ralston Valley that started especially hot, going 3-0 last week and capping the run with a 55-29 win over Cherry Creek, who comes in at No. 7 this week. The Mustangs jumped from No. 7 to No. 4 this week.
Dakota Ridge is the lone newcomer to the rankings on the strength of wins against Rampart and Loveland. The Eagles land at No. 9.
Despite dropping their home opener to Poudre, Sand Creek remains the No. 1 team in 4A. They rebounded nicely with a win over Sierra.
Mesa Ridge looks like they could be returning to their state championship form of 2014 as they jumped from No. 8 to No. 3 and even snagged a first place vote in the process.
Two new teams jumped in the 4A poll this week with Berthoud (No. 9) and Golden (No. 10) all join the party.
Manitou Springs sure played like 3A’s No. 1 team during their 74-34 win over Bishop Machebeuf. They followed that up with a win over Colorado Academy, jumping out to a quick 2-0 start.
The top eight teams in the 3A rankings went for a combined 13-0 last week, easily the best showing for any class.
A couple of 3-0 starts from Lamar and Trinidad helped both teams join the rankings this week, coming in at No. 9 and No. 10, respectively.
Like Sand Creek, Yuma held on to their spot in the 2A rankings, despite an early loss. They still garnered nine first place votes this week.
The top six spots from the preseason rankings went unchanged this week. Although there was some shifting in the bottom three spots, Wray was the only new team to the poll as they jumped in at No. 9.
Prairie and Antonio join this week’s 1A poll at No. 6 and No. 10. Idalia held on to the top spot, though not unanimously as Kit Carson took one first place vote.
Flagler made the biggest jump in 1A this week, going from No. 8 to No. 4.
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.
Loveland 14, Fairview 10, Rocky Mountain 9, Rampart 8, Chaparral 6, Monarch 6, Mountain Vista 6, Poudre 5, Pine Creek 4, Arapahoe 3, Fruita Monument 3, Horizon 3, Brighton 1, George Washington 1.
Dropped out
Monarch (8).
Note: The 4A rankings have been updated to correct a mistake where votes for D’Evelyn were incorrectly tabulated for Delta.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Sand Creek (7)
1-1
130
1
1-1
2
Longmont (4)
1-0
105
4
1-0
3
Mesa Ridge (1)
3-0
102
8
3-0
4
Valor Christian (1)
2-1
96
2
2-1
5
Holy Family
1-2
70
5
1-2
6
Pueblo West
3-1
62
7
3-1
7
Evergreen
2-0
43
9
2-0
8
D’Evelyn (1)
1-3
41
3
1-3
9
Berthoud
4-0
32
–
4-0
10
Golden
4-0
31
–
4-0
Others receiving votes:
Pueblo East 28, Falcon 22, Windsor 16, Montrose 15, Pueblo South 9, Green Mountain 5, Mullen 5, Canon City 4, Palisade 3, Air Academy 2, The Classical Academy 2, Thomas Jefferson 1, Vista Ridge 1.
Dropped out
Pueblo East (6), Montrose (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Manitou Springs (6)
2-0
100
1
2-0
2
Sterling (2)
2-0
97
2
2-0
3
Pagosa Springs (3)
3-0
96
3
3-0
4
St. Mary’s
3-0
76
6
3-0
5
Lutheran
0-0
46
5
0-0
6
Eaton
0-0
42
4
0-0
7
Centauri
3-0
30
7
3-0
8
Moffat County
0-0
27
8
0-0
9
Lamar
3-0
26
–
3-0
10
Trinidad
3-0
19
–
3-0
Others receiving votes:
Liberty Common 13, Faith Christian 12, Colorado Springs Christian 7, La Junta 4, Olathe 4, Alamosa 2, Strasburg 2, Grand Valley 1, Platte Valley 1.
Dropped out
Liberty Common (9), Faith Christian (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Yuma (9)
1-1
129
1
1-1
2
Paonia (5)
3-0
128
2
3-0
3
Akron
2-0
107
3
2-0
4
Cedaredge
3-0
97
4
3-0
5
Del Norte
2-0
79
5
2-0
6
Peyton
1-0
62
6
1-0
7
Simla
2-0
39
10
2-0
8
Hoehne
2-1
30
7
2-1
9
Wray
2-0
29
–
2-0
10
Ellicott
1-0
25
9
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Calhan 10, Ignacio 9, Sanford 8, Caliche 4, Kiowa 4, Highland 3, Resurrection Christian 2, Union Colony 2, Dayspring Christian 1, Haxtun 1, Swink 1.
Dropped out
Ignacio (8).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Idalia (7)
2-0
79
1
2-0
2
Kit Carson (1)
2-0
70
2
2-0
3
Sangre De Cristo
3-0
51
3
3-0
4
Flagler
2-0
39
8
2-0
5
South Baca
2-0
36
4
2-0
6
Prairie
3-0
29
–
3-0
7
Fleming
2-0
23
10
2-0
8
Norwood
1-1
21
5
1-1
9
Genoa-Hugo
1-1
15
6
1-1
10
Antonito
2-1
14
–
2-1
Others receiving votes:
Kim 13, Jim Elliot 10, La Veta 8, Sierra Grande 8, Briggsdale 7, Eads 7, Springfield 5, Wiley 2, Cheraw 1, Cornerstone Christian 1, Walsh 1.
Video courtesy of Quentin Sickafoose/The Coloradoan
(3) Windsor 20, (11) Palmer Ridge 14 (OT)
For much of the afternoon, Palmer Ridge looked like it might pull off the upset. But Windsor quarterback Brad Peeples had a 52-yard run in the fourth quarter to tie the game.
“After last year’s second-round loss, I told the boys, ‘The sun will come up tomorrow,’” Windsor coach Chris Jones told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show after the game. “And today’s speech was, ‘The sun came up. It’s tomorrow. It’s our moment.’ They just had faith that they were going to get it done no matter what.”
After Shields scored, “It was a great moment of euphoria for all of our fans, our players, our coaches,” Jones said.
Palmer Ridge led 14-7 at halftime, and it stayed that way until Peeples’ touchdown.
“We had a lot of ups and downs to overcome early in the game and in the third quarter,” Jones said. “It was a very gut-wrenching game there at the end there.”
The Wizards get a rematch with Longmont. The two teams played a tight defensive battle during the regular season, which ended in a Hail Mary score to give Longmont a win.
Longmont beat Denver South. More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
Longmont’s Conlan Berger rushed for two touchdowns and also had a receiving score, while Eli Sullivan returned two interceptions for touchdowns, and also added a four-yard rushing score.
In addition, Ethan Gabrielle had a rushing TD, and David Speidel threw a touchdown.
Pine Creek cruised to its 37th-straight win, this one coming after yet another fast start. It was 36-0 at halftime.
Brock Domann passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another, while his brother JoJo had a rushing TD, and was on the receiving end of one of the passing score.
Joey Long scores two rushing touchdowns, and Kacin Nowlin had a receiving touchdown.
“We just didn’t give up the big plays,” Fort Morgan coach Harrison Chisum told the Scoreboard Show. “We were able to be aggressive yet disciplined on their counters. A lot of the end-arounds, we were able to set the edge.”
The Mustangs will play at defending champion Pueblo East in the semifinals.
Roosevelt advanced to the semifinals. More photos. (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)
(2) Roosevelt 42, (7) Evergreen 19
Roosevelt built a big lead early in cruising to the semifinals. The Roughriders led 14-0 after the first quarter and 28-6 at half. It was 42-6 after three.
Carlos Ortega had two rushing touchdowns, and a receiving score for Roosevelt. Cameron Hurtado added two passing touchdowns, and also rushed for one.
“Our guys showed up to play today, and I think the scoreboard shows it,” Roosevely coach Noland Eastin told the Scoreboard Show. “It doesn’t get any easier, but it’s a good way to end a good week of practice.”
Roosevelt will face Delta in the semifinals at home.
The game was a rematch of a regular season game, also won by Pueblo East.
Pueblo East will be home in the semifinals.
(3) Delta 27, (6) The Classical Academy 14
Delta trailed 14-13 at halftime, but rallied to secure a spot in the semifinals.
Kole Roberts gave his team the lead for good with a 1-yard touchdown in the third quarter, and then the quarterback found Tristan Brown for an insurance score in the fourth quarter.
“We knew that it was going to be a battle. It was 13-7 at the half. So we knew they were a tough team, that we just had to put our hats on,” coach Gary Heide told the Scoreboard Show.
Of the second half, Heide said, “We came out on defense, played well … and then we drove the ball down and scored. … When we scored, I knew that we were here to play the second half.”
Kelton McCoy threw four touchdowns and rushed for two more in leading Bayfield to the win. Brody McGhehey was on the receiving end of two of those scores.
Wyatt Freier and Taed Heydinger each had a receiving touchdown, while Zane Phelps scored on the ground.
Bayfield was last in a championship game in 2011, when it lost to Florence.
(3) Platte Valley 29, (2) Kent Denver 23
Platte Valley, down 17-0 in the second quarter and 23-7 at halftime, had a furious rally to reach the title game.
The Eagles rallied late to earn a chance at defending their championship yet again.
Paonia, which is a two-time defending champion, got a touchdown from Jeremiah Hillman with 3:06 to play, then got a late interception to seal the win.
“It was third down, and we just ran a little off-tackle play, and Jeremiah Hillman just buried it in,” Paonia coach Brent McRae told the Scoreboard Show.
The win sets up a rematch with Buena Vista for the 1A title. The championship game will be in Buena Vista.
“We’re pretty familiar with each other in the postseason,” McRae said. “It’s going to be very interesting, a very competitive ballgame.”
(1) Buena Vista 42, (5) Crowley County 0
The top seed rolled into the championship game, which it will host next weekend.
“The score doesn’t do the game justice. It was a pretty hard-fought battle. It was 14-0 at half,” Buena Vista coach Matt Flavin told the Scoreboard Show. “But we got the win, and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.”
Keenan Barr had two rushing touchdowns and a defensive score, and Keegan Wentz also scored twice on the ground.
Of the rematch with Paonia, Flavin said, “Those guys, the last few years, have just been the dominant team. … I hope we can rise to that occasion.”
(1) Sedgwick County 50, (4) Sargent 8
The Cougars led 20-0 after the first quarter and 42-0 at halftime in rolling to the championship game.
“We got a couple of quick scores, and that always helps,” Sedgwick County coach Chris Michel told the Scoreboard Show.
This marks the first appearance in a title game for the Sedgwick County football co-op, which is comprised of Julesburg and Revere. Julesburg has won four titles in school history, and Revere has won nine. That program was last in a title game in 2004, when it lost to Hi-Plains for the 6-man championship.
“The boys are excited, the community is excited,” Michel said. “It should be a fun week.”
The championship against Akron will be a rematch of a 22-3 Sedgwick County win on Oct. 30.
“They say it’s always hard to beat a good team twice, and Akron’s a very good program,” Michel said. “They’ve got a good defense. We’re going to have our work cut out for us.”
(3) Akron 16, (2) Norwood 0
Akron’s defense pitched a shutout as the Rams advanced to a title game for the first time since 2009. That was the last appearance in a stretch of five-straight for the program.
“Our kids just showed up to play today and did a really good job,” Akron coach Jerome Weers told the Scoreboard Show. “Our kids definitely have a very good defensive mindset, and they like playing it. They’re going to have to play good next week against SedgCo.”
Overland, which won last season’s title, leads the 5A boys basketball ranking. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)
Overland, Longmont, Colorado Springs Christian, Sanford and Fleming lead CHSAANow.com’s preseason 2015-16 boys basketball rankings.
Of the group, Overland, Colorado Springs Christian and Sanford won championships last season. Longmont and Fleming finished as a runner-up.
Overland was the lone unanimous selection as the No. 1 team, and the Trailblazers lead the Class 5A poll with all 15 first-place votes. They return probably the top player in the state in senior De’Ron Davis, who recently committed to Indiana.
Behind Overland is Legend, a team which reached the Great 8 last season. The Titans return their top six scorers, who were all juniors last season.
In the preseason No. 3 spot, by the narrowest of margins, is ThunderRidge. Last season’s runner-up, who spent a significant time in the No. 1 5A spot during the regular season, figure to be led by Wyoming commit Austin Mueller.
George Washington is No. 4, and Rangeview rounds out the top-5. Regis Jesuit, Denver East, Cherokee Trail, Eaglecrest and Dakota Ridge comprise the rest of the 5A preseason top-10.
Longmont is No. 1 in the preseason 4A poll. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)
In 4A, Longmont received 14 of the 19 first-place votes to lead that classification’s preseason ranking. The Trojans return reigning 4A player of the year Justinian Jessup, a Boise State commit.
Valor Christian, under the guidance of new coach Troy Pachner, is second, and got two first-place votes. Lewis-Palmer also received a first-place vote, and is third. Pueblo Central, and it’s twoDivision I commits, is No. 4. Golden rounds out the top-5.
Defending champion Air Academy received two first-place votes and is No. 7 to begin the year.
Colorado Springs Christian leads the 3A ranking with nine of the 13 first-place votes. Colorado Academy and Harvard commit Justin Bassey, the reigning 3A player of the year, are second with four first-place votes.
In 2A, defending champion Sanford leads the way with nine of the 10 first-place votes. Their roster includes reigning 2A player of the year Miles Caldon. Resurrection Christian, runner-up a season ago, is second, and got the other first-place vote.
The 1A preseason poll is led by Fleming, which received six first-place votes. Defending champion Holly is second, and received two first-place votes.
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.
Rampart 13, Fossil Ridge 12, Mountain Vista 12, Rock Canyon 12, Arvada West 11, Boulder 8, Doherty 8, Cherry Creek 5, Abraham Lincoln 3, Aurora Central 3, Greeley West 1, FNE Warriors 1.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Longmont (14)
0-0
185
2
Valor Christian (2)
0-0
135
3
Lewis-Palmer (1)
0-0
128
4
Pueblo Central
0-0
90
5
Golden
0-0
65
6
Sand Creek
0-0
64
7
Air Academy (2)
0-0
58
8
Denver South
0-0
47
9
Pueblo West
0-0
46
10
Pueblo South
0-0
38
Others receiving votes:
Sierra 30, Windsor 30, Thomas Jefferson 27, D’Evelyn 26, Holy Family 19, Mead 17, Vista Ridge 8, Evergreen 7, Vista Peak 7, Cheyenne Mountain 5, Ponderosa 4, Pueblo East 3, Mesa Ridge 2, Mountain View 2, Durango 1, Falcon 1, Green Mountain 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Colorado Springs Christian (9)
0-0
126
2
Colorado Academy (4)
0-0
111
3
Faith Christian
0-0
88
4
Sterling
0-0
49
5
Alamosa
0-0
47
6
Kent Denver
0-0
44
7
Jefferson Academy
0-0
40
8
Lutheran
0-0
38
9
St. Mary’s
0-0
36
10
Brush
0-0
34
Others receiving votes:
Pagosa Springs 15, Bayfield 14, The Pinnacle 12, Bennett 10, Buena Vista 10, Eaton 9, Machebeuf 9, Manitou Springs 8, Grand Valley 5, Manual 5, Moffat County 5.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Sanford (9)
0-0
99
2
Resurrection Christian (1)
0-0
90
3
Ignacio
0-0
79
4
Rye
0-0
52
5
Holyoke
0-0
44
6
Burlington
0-0
41
7
Meeker
0-0
36
8
Sedgwick County
0-0
31
9
Simla
0-0
22
10
Paonia
0-0
14
Others receiving votes:
Akron 9, Highland 7, Rocky Ford 5, Merino 4, Yuma 4, Center 3, Crowley County 3, Swink 3, Ellicott 2, Mancos 1, Peyton 1.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Fleming (6)
0-0
74
2
Holly (2)
0-0
68
3
Sangre De Cristo
0-0
48
4
Kit Carson
0-0
43
5
South Baca
0-0
42
6
Ouray
0-0
32
7
Arickaree/Woodlin
0-0
24
8
Norwood
0-0
16
9
Heritage Christian
0-0
12
10
Jim Elliot
0-0
11
Others receiving votes:
Denver Waldorf 10, Granada 10, Primero 10, Shining Mountain 8, Wiley 8, Genoa-Hugo/Karval 6, Rocky Mountain Lutheran 6, Sierra Grande 6, Springfield 6, Prairie 4.
ThunderRidge girls basketball opens the 2015-16 season as No. 1 in 5A. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Three teams which finished second last season now open this season as No. 1 in their respective classification.
ThunderRidge, Sand Creek, Manitou Springs, Yuma and Idalia are the preseason No. 1 teams in CHSAANow.com’s girls basketball rankings, which were released on Friday. Of those, ThunderRidge, Sand Creek and Yuma finished as runner-up in 2014-15. Idalia is the lone defending champion of the bunch.
ThunderRidge, led by new coach Matt Asik and Wyoming commit Taylor Rusk, received 13 of the 17 first-place votes to lead the Class 5A poll. The Grizzlies return four of their five leading scorers, including Rusk, a first-team all-state pick in 5A last season.
Grandview and super junior Michaela Onyenwere, also a first-team all-state pick, are No. 2 in the preseason. The Wolves received two first-place votes.
Highlands Ranch and its trio of Division Icommits are third, while defending champion Broomfield is fourth. Lakewood rounds out the top-5.
Also ranked in 5A’s preseason top-10 are No. 6 Cherry Creek, No. 7 Ralston Valley, No. 8 Monarch, No. 9 Fossil Ridge and No. 10 Regis Jesuit.
Sand Creek is No. 1 in Class 4A. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
In 4A, Sand Creek leads the way with 13 of the 19 first-place votes. The Scorpions, who lost to Valor Christian in last season’s 4A title game, return their top five leading scorers. That includes Division I commits Liah Davis and Oliana Squires. Both girls earned all-state recognition last season, with Squires making the first team.
Defending champion Valor Christian is second, with three first-place votes, and D’Evelyn is No. 3. Longmont and Holy Family round out the top-5.
Manitou Springs was a Final 4 team a season ago. On Friday, the Mustangs received five of the 11 first-place votes to lead 3A’s preseason rankings. All nine girls return from last season’s varsity roster, including first-team all-state pick Shelby Megyeri.
Sterling, last season’s 3A runner-up, is second, and defending champion Pagosa Springs is No. 3. Eaton and Lutheran round out the top 5.
Yuma heads the preseason 2A poll with eight of the 10 first-place votes. The team graduated just two seniors and returns more than 80 percent of its offense. Logan Hixon was a first-team all-state pick in 2014-15.
Defending champion Akron is No. 3 to begin the year, just behind No. 2 Paonia.
In 1A, the reigning champ Idalia received nine of 10 first-place votes to lead the preseason ranking. The Wolves are led by returning first-team all-state pick Reagan Shaffer. Their top three scorers are back.
Kit Carson is No. 2, and last season’s runner-up, Sangre de Cristo, is No. 3.
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.
Horizon 22, Rampart 17, Denver East 15, Pine Creek 15, Mountain Vista 14, Rock Canyon 6, Fairview 4, Fruita Monument 4, Grand Junction 4, Loveland 3, Mullen 2, Rocky Mountain 2, Grand Junction Central 1, Gateway 1.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Sand Creek (13)
0-0
184
2
Valor Christian (3)
0-0
154
3
D’Evelyn (1)
0-0
113
4
Longmont
0-0
94
5
Holy Family
0-0
88
6
Pueblo East (2)
0-0
85
7
Pueblo West
0-0
64
8
Mesa Ridge
0-0
44
9
Evergreen
0-0
33
10
Montrose
0-0
31
Others receiving votes:
Pueblo South 27, Palisade 19, Air Academy 17, Silver Creek 17, Falcon 15, Green Mountain 13, Golden 10, Canon City 6, Littleton 6, Mullen 6, Thompson Valley 5, Berthoud 4, Windsor 4, Durango 2, Sierra 2, Mead 1, Thomas Jefferson 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Manitou Springs (5)
0-0
98
2
Sterling (3)
0-0
89
3
Pagosa Springs (3)
0-0
84
4
Eaton
0-0
60
5
Lutheran
0-0
59
6
St. Mary’s
0-0
40
7
Centauri
0-0
35
8
Moffat County
0-0
30
9
Liberty Common
0-0
22
10
Faith Christian
0-0
18
Others receiving votes:
Trinidad 16, Kent Denver 11, Colorado Springs Christian 10, Lamar 7, Machebeuf 7, Olathe 6, Platte Valley 6, Strasburg 4, La Junta 2, Sky View Academy 1.
Prairie 15, Springfield 14, La Veta 12, Plateau Valley 10, Heritage Christian 6, Antonito 5, Cheraw 4, Dove Creek 4, Aguilar 3, McClave 3, Otis 3, Kim 2, Hanover 1, Holly 1, Walsh 1.
