We’ve got a No. 2 vs. No. 3 showdown on our hands this Saturday in Class 5A football.
ThunderRidge, following an impressive showing, bumped up one spot from its preseason No. 3 ranking in this week’s CHSAANow.com football poll. And Ralston Valley, the Grizzlies’ opponent this weekend, went from seventh to third after two big wins.
Valor Christian remained in the top spot, and garnered 22 of the 23 first-place votes. Cherry Creek stayed put at fourth, while Grandview (No. 5) and Pomona (No. 6) swapped spots.
Columbine is seventh in the 5A ranking, and Cherokee Trail dropped from second to eighth following its loss to Chatfield.
Regis Jesuit moved up one spot to ninth, and Fairview is the lone new team to the 5A poll, at tenth. The Knights edged Chatfield with 42 total points to the Chargers’ 38. Grandview and Arapahoe are also just on the fringe.
The 4A ranking continued to be led by Monarch, and added Montrose (No. 5), Loveland (No. 8) and Dakota Ridge (No. 10).
Silver Creek stayed on top of 3A, which added Palisade (No. 8), Lutheran (No. 9) and D’Evelyn (No. 10).
Platte Valley is the only new No. 1 team among all classifications, having taken over the top spot in 2A following a win over previous No. 1 Kent Denver.
Grandview 14, Pine Creek 10, Arvada West 6, Legend 6, Abraham Lincoln 5, Highlands Ranch 5, Mountain Vista 4, Adams City 3, Chatfield 2, Cherokee Trail 2, Liberty 1, Rangeview 1.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Battle Mountain (7)
1-0-0
88
1
1-0-0
2
Broomfield (2)
0-0-1
80
3
0-0-1
3
Niwot
1-0-0
55
7
1-0-0
4
Cheyenne Mountain
0-0-0
49
8
0-0-0
5
Air Academy
1-0-0
43
–
1-0-0
6
Denver South
1-0-0
42
5
1-0-0
7
Evergreen
0-1-0
32
6
0-1-0
8
Ponderosa
1-0-0
29
9
1-0-0
9
Sand Creek
1-0-0
20
10
1-0-0
10
Valor Christian
2-0-0
19
–
2-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Pueblo West 12, Palmer Ridge 6, Silver Creek 4, Windsor 4, Denver North 3, Wheat Ridge 3, Longmont 2, Mullen 2, Golden 1, Lewis-Palmer 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Colorado Academy (6)
1-0-0
73
1
1-0-0
2
The Classical Academy (2)
3-0-0
72
3
3-0-0
3
Basalt
2-0-0
55
9
2-0-0
4
Holy Family
1-0-0
45
6
1-0-0
5
Kent Denver
1-1-0
39
2
1-1-0
6
Coal Ridge
0-0-0
38
5
0-0-0
7
Faith Christian
1-1-0
34
4
1-1-0
8
Jefferson
1-0-0
20
8
1-0-0
9
Salida
2-0-0
14
–
2-0-0
10
Peak to Peak
2-1-0
13
–
2-1-0
Others receiving votes:
Manitou Springs 9, Lake County 8, Frontier Academy 7, St. Mary’s 6, Denver Christian 2, Heritage Christian 2, Roaring Fork 2, Machebeuf 1.
Three defending champions head the preseason boys cross country polls released on Tuesday.
Mountain Vista (5A), Coronado (4A) and Lyons (2A) won championships in their respective classifications last season and opened 2013 at the top spot in the Colorado Track XC/CHSAANow.com boys cross country rankings.
Valor Christian is the preseason No. 1 team in Class 5A. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Football is back, and things seem to be picking up right where we left them.
Valor Christian leads the first-ever CHSAANow.com 5A football poll, which is voted on by coaches and media members across the state. The Eagles are four-time defending champions across three classifications, and beat Cherokee Trail to win last year’s 5A crown. Cherokee Trail, not surprisingly, is No. 2 in the preseason poll.
ThunderRidge, a semifinalist a year ago, is third, followed by Cherry Creek and Pomona. Grandview is No. 6 to begin the season, Ralston Valley is No. 7, while Columbine (No. 8), Chaparral (No. 9) and Regis Jesuit (No. 10) round out the 5A poll.
A total of three teams received first-place votes in the ranking: Valor Christian got 14, while Cherokee Trail and Cherry Creek received one each.
Monarch, the defending 4A champion, leads the preseason ranking in that classification, while Denver South, runner-up a year ago, is second. Wheat Ridge, Pine Creek and Pueblo West round out 4A’s top five teams.
In fact, each of the defending champions lead their respective preseason rankings. That includes Silver Creek (3A), Kent Denver (2A), Cedaredge (1A), Hoehne (8-man) and Fleming (6-man).
