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.
Ninth-ranked Regis Jesuit beat No. 1 ThunderRidge in 5A on Friday night. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)
It was not a good night to play at the top.
The No. 1 teams in CHSAANow.com’s football polls for classes 5A, 4A and 3A all lost on Friday night. ThunderRidge, top-ranked in 5A, lost to No. 9 Regis Jesuit 35-12. Monarch, atop 4A, lost to No. 2 Montrose in a wild game, 39-34. And 3A Silver Creek was taken down 31-28 on a last-second field goal from Frederick.
“They believed in themselves and were able to play as one unit and we were able to come up with a big win,” Frederick coach Thad Lear told ColoradoPreps.com’s Built Ford Tough Scoreboard Show on Friday night.
Frederick trailed 14-0 in its game but was able to cut things to 14-7 before the half. Then, the Warriors scored on their first possession in the second half to make it 14-13.
“We missed the PAT, but the kids were excited, they believed in one another and they never let up,” Lear told the Scoreboard Show. “They never stopped.”
Frederick would eventually take a 28-21 lead before Silver Creek tied things at 28-all with 1:28 remaining. That set the stage for one more drive — and the game-winning 30-yard field goal from sophomore Dalton Nelson.
“They tried a pooch kick and we were able to get the ball on the 30, and we decided to run the ball a few times to see where we could get it to,” Lear told the Scoreboard Show. “We got a first down and completed a couple of short passes, and we had a couple of timeouts. … I think it ended up being a 30-yard field goal and we were excited to have the opportunity.
“I can’t say enough about our kids, and our kicker, he stepped in. He’s a sophomore, first year playing football, and he kicked the game-winner.”
Likewise, Montrose had to dig its way out of a hole, this one 21-0 to top-ranked Monarch midway through the second quarter.
The Indians clawed their way back to 21-18 with 2:16 to play in the third, but Monarch responded with a quick touchdown which made it 28-18.
Montrose had an answer of its own, and cut things to 28-25 before recovering an onside kick and scoring again. At that point, it was 32-28 Indians and 8:30 remained in the game.
Monarch marched down and regained the lead at 34-32 with 3:47 to go, but it was short-lived. Montrose countered with a scoring drive, and took the lead at 39-34. Monarch had one final drive, but fell just short deep in Montrose territory. Read a full recap of the game here.
Regis Jesuit’s upset of ThunderRidge in 5A was a different story. The Raiders led from the outset and were up 28-0 at the half.
ThunderRidge got within 28-6 in the third, but Regis put things out of reach on Jalen Williams’ five-yard run with 11 minutes remaining. Find photos from the game here.
It wasn’t all bad for No. 1 teams on Friday night. Top-ranked Brush beat University in 2A, 56-13; 8-man’s Hoehne handled Manzanola 55-8; and 6-man’s Liberty/Stratton beat Cheraw 74-6. Buena Vista, No. 1 in 1A, plays Salida on Saturday.
In other top-10 action, 5A No. 7 Fairview beat No. 4 Ralston Valley 43-18; 4A No. 6 Montbello beat No. 5 Wheat Ridge 20-0; 2A No. 5 Manitou Springs beat No. 4 Florence 26-14; and 1A No. 4 Hotchkiss beat No. 3 Cedaredge. Find a complete top-10 scoreboard here.
Brush took down former No. 1 Platte Valley on Friday. Monday, the Beetdiggers took its spot atop CHSAANow.com’s Class 2A football poll.
Brush, which won the game 28-10, was ranked second last week. It received all 10 first-place votes in the poll. Platte Valley dropped to third, behind Kent Denver.
The 2A poll added Faith Christian (No. 8) and Aspen (No. 10) this week.
In 5A, ThunderRide continued to lead the way and received 13 first-place votes to No. 2 Valor Christian’s 11. Columbine remained in third, and Ralston Valley stayed at No. 4.
Chatfield moved up from seventh to fifth, and is followed by No. 6 Cherokee Trail and No. 7 Fairview. Grandview is eighth, Regis Jesuit is ninth, and Cherry Creek rejoined the ranking at No. 10.
Monarch stayed atop 4A’s ranking, but there’s a new No. 2 team in that poll: Montrose, which moved up from third. It’s excellent timing, considering the two teams play Friday.
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.
Wheat Ridge junior Anthony McGinnis turns up field during the Farmers’ 28-point second quarter Thursday night at Jeffco Stadium. The Farmers had four rushing touchdowns and freshmen quarterback Ryen Kahl threw for two more scores in Wheat Ridge’s 42-0 victory over Golden. (Dennis Pleuss)
LAKEWOOD — A smothering defense and huge special teams play turned out to be the biggest helping hand for Wheat Ridge and its new starting freshmen quarterback.
Wheat Ridge (3-1) gave its homecoming crowd something to cheer about with a 42-0 victory against rival Golden (0-4) on Thursday night at Jeffco Stadium. It was also the first start under center for Ryen Kahl, son of Wheat Ridge head coach Reid Kahl.
“Anybody who know me knows I want to win,” Coach Kahl said about giving his son his first varsity start. “I want what’s best for Wheat Ridge football.”
The Farmers’ defense carried its share of the load, never allowing Golden to get anything going offensively. The Demons didn’t have a first down on offense until their first drive in the second half. However, the game remained scoreless through almost the first quarter.
Wheat Ridge, ranked No. 6 in this week’s CHSAANow.com 4A poll, got a much-needed spark to put some points on the scoreboard late in the first quarter. Junior Dakota Koenecke came through with a blocked punt, giving the Farmers the ball on the Demons’ 6-yard-line.
“We came out excited, but at first we were a little flat,” Koenecke said. “Once we had that punt block we came together as a team. We went from there and played good.”
Two plays after the punt block, senior Tanner Weakland scored a 1-yard touchdown to begin a 35-point scoring burst over a span of 11 minutes by the Farmers. When the halftime festivities rolled around, Wheat Ridge had a comfortable 35-0 lead.
Junior Jordan Jones had a pair of two touchdown runs in the second quarter. Weakland crossed the goal line for the second time on the night, and the young quarterback got into the action with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Koenecke.
“Playing as a freshman is pretty hard, but as soon as I threw that first touchdown (nerves) just went away,” Ryen Kahl said. “It was awesome and a great experience.”
Kahl finished the game 4-for-8 passing for 116 yards and two touchdowns. His 59-yard touchdown strike to senior Averee Mason midway through the third quarter was the lone score in the second half as the 40-point running clock rule went into affect.
Coach Kahl believes the move at quarterback will make his offensive more diverse.
“Teams put eight or nine in the box trying to stop our running game,” Coach Kahl said. “This opens up the running game because we’ll be able to stretch the field.”
Golden had some positive plays on offense in the second half by juniors Jake McCormick and Devin Rothrock. Still, the Farmers kept the Demons scoreless.
“Bright spots are hard to find right now,” Golden first-year coach Jason Neely said. “Defensively at times when we do what we are supposed to do we look OK.”
The Demons forced two punts and a turnover on downs on Wheat Ridge’s first three offensive drives before the Farmers got things going.
Golden will attempt to get in the win column when it faces Littleton in the Demons’ homecoming game at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, at Campbell Field on the Colorado School of Mines campus in Golden.
Wheat Ridge has a tough test against Montbello (3-0) at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, at All-City Stadium in Denver. The Warriors entered the CHSAANow.com football poll at No. 9 this week.
“It will be a tough one,” Koenecke said looking ahead to Montbello. “But I think we’ll come out ready.”
Golden sophomore running back Dvaris Johnson is tackled by a trio of Wheat Ridge defenders that includes Anthony McGinnis, Emilo Herrera and Brandon Saunders on Thursday night at Jeffco Stadium. The Farmers’ defense shut out the Demons on the way at a 42-0 victory for No. 6 Wheat Ridge. (Dennis Pleuss)
Douglas County jumped into this week’s CHSAANow.com football poll in 5A at No. 6. It is the first time this season the Huskies have been ranked.
Cherry Creek, meanwhile, dropped all the way out in something of a surprise.
Cherokee Trail returned to the 5A ranking following a week on the outside looking in. The Cougars are eighth.
ThunderRidge held on to 5A’s top spot — but only narrowly. The Grizzles edged No. 2 Valor Christian by two overall points, despite beating then-No. 4 Grandview last week.
Columbine bumped up to third from fifth, and Ralston Valley went from sixth to fourth. Regis Jesuit rounds out the top five.
Chatfield is No. 7, Fairview is No. 9, and Grandview dropped from No. 4 to No. 10 following its loss to ThunderRidge.
Monarch continued to lead the 4A poll, which added Montbello for the first time this season, at ninth. Along with Denver South (No. 2 in 4A) and Denver West (No. 9 in 2A), it means Denver Public Schools has three ranked schools.
Cherry Creek 55, Pomona 31, Doherty 15, Grand Junction 15, Arapahoe 11, Mountain Vista 8, Legend 7, Fountain-Ft. Carson 4, Mullen 2.
Dropped out
Cherry Creek (3), Grand Junction (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Monarch (20)
2-0
214
1
Bye
2
Denver South (2)
3-0
186
2
W
3
Montrose (1)
4-0
170
4
W
4
Loveland
2-0
122
7
Bye
5
Falcon
3-0
112
6
W
6
Wheat Ridge
2-1
95
5
W
7
Pueblo West
2-1
69
3
L
8
Standley Lake
3-0
60
9
W
9
Montbello
3-0
43
–
W
10
Windsor
2-1
42
10
W
Others receiving votes:
Durango 34, Pine Creek 34, Mesa Ridge 22, Pueblo Centennial 21, Sand Creek 11, Thompson Valley 7, Widefield 6, Vista Ridge 5, Dakota Ridge 4, Mountain View 3, Broomfield 2, Longmont 2, Pueblo South 2.
Dropped out
Pine Creek (8).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Silver Creek (12)
2-0
159
1
Bye
2
Rifle (3)
3-0
140
3
W
3
Holy Family
2-0
122
4
Bye
4
Palisade
3-0
90
6
W
5
Elizabeth
2-1
88
10
W
6
Coronado (1)
4-0
81
8
W
7
Lutheran (2)
3-0
71
7
Bye
8
Roosevelt
1-1
59
9
Bye
9
Discovery Canyon
3-1
58
2
L
10
Conifer
2-1
26
5
L
Others receiving votes:
Delta 23, Erie 21, D’Evelyn 19, The Classical Academy 11, Evergreen 11, Eagle Valley 6, Pueblo East 3, Mead 2.
Dropped out
None.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Platte Valley (8)
2-0
96
1
Bye
2
Brush (1)
2-0
85
2
Bye
3
Kent Denver (1)
2-1
76
3
W
4
Florence
2-1
57
4
W
5
Manitou Springs
3-0
51
8
W
6
Lamar
3-0
45
9
W
7
Strasburg
3-0
43
6
W
8
Eaton
1-1
34
7
Bye
9
Denver West
3-0
15
–
W
10
Bayfield
2-1
11
10
W
Others receiving votes:
La Junta 9, Faith Christian 8, Fort Lupton 7, University 5, Aspen 3, KIPP 3, Sterling 2.
Dropped out
La Junta (5).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Buena Vista (9)
3-0
140
1
W
2
Limon (4)
3-0
112
2
W
3
Cedaredge (2)
3-1
109
3
W
4
Hotchkiss
2-1
74
4
W
5
Holyoke
3-0
71
5
W
6
Monte Vista
3-0
68
6
W
7
Crowley County
3-0
53
8
W
8
Wray
2-1
40
7
W
9
Centauri
2-1
39
–
W
10
Wiggins
2-0
36
9
Bye
Others receiving votes:
Meeker 20, Rye 12, Resurrection Christian 10, Clear Creek 8, Front Range Christian 7, Jefferson 7, Roaring Fork 7, Burlington 6, Paonia 3, Center 2, Cornerstone Christian 1.
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.
The expectations were already high. Now, perhaps, things have been kicked up a notch.
ThunderRidge, coming off a 36-18 win over then-No. 3 Ralston Valley, took over atop the CHSAANow.com football poll in 5A this week. The Grizzlies had been No. 2, but jumped Valor Christian, which lost in overtime to Bingham (Utah).
Valor has yet to play an in-state opponent this season, and the four-time defending champion still received half of the first-place votes. Still, the Eagles are No. 2 this week.
Cherry Creek had its own big win last week — over then-No. 6 Pomona — and moved up on place to No. 3.
Grandview (No. 4) also moved up one place, and faces ThunderRidge this week.
Columbine went from No. 7 to No. 5 to round out the top five.
Ralston Valley settled in sixth following its loss, Regis Jesuit is seventh and Fairview is eighth.
The 5A top-ten is rounded out by two newcomers: Chatfield (No. 9) and Grand Junction (No. 10).
In 4A, Monarch continued its hold on the No. 1 spot. Denver South moved up to second, and the ranking added Standley Lake at No. 9.
Class 1A also got a new No. 1 team this week with Buena Vista taking over at the top.
Pomona 42, Cherokee Trail 40, Arapahoe 34, Douglas County 20, Doherty 8, Horizon 4, Legend 2, Mullen 2, Mountain Range 1, Mountain Vista 1.
Dropped out
Pomona (6), Cherokee Trail (8).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
Monarch (19)
2-0
192
1
2
Denver South (1)
2-0
170
3
3
Pueblo West
2-0
120
7
4
Montrose
3-0
113
5
5
Wheat Ridge
1-1
98
2
6
Falcon
2-0
96
6
7
Loveland
2-0
88
8
8
Pine Creek
1-1
70
4
9
Standley Lake
2-0
31
–
10
Windsor
1-1
29
9
Others receiving votes:
Montbello 15, Dakota Ridge 14, Mesa Ridge 14, Durango 13, Pueblo Centennial 9, Longmont 7, Vista Ridge 5, Sand Creek 4, Ponderosa 3, Widefield 3, Green Mountain 2, Pueblo South 2, Thompson Valley 2.
Dropped out
Dakota Ridge (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
Silver Creek (8)
2-0
124
1
2
Discovery Canyon
3-0
97
2
3
Rifle (4)
2-0
89
3
4
Holy Family
2-0
80
6
5
Conifer
2-0
79
5
6
Palisade
2-0
53
8
7
Lutheran (1)
3-0
50
9
8
Coronado (1)
3-0
45
–
9
Roosevelt
1-1
35
7
10
Elizabeth
1-1
28
4
Others receiving votes:
Eagle Valley 16, Pueblo East 15, Northridge 10, Erie 4.
Dropped out
D’Evelyn (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
Platte Valley (7)
2-0
79
1
2
Brush (1)
2-0
64
4
3
Kent Denver
1-1
62
3
4
Florence
1-1
45
2
5
La Junta
2-0
40
6
6
Strasburg
2-0
36
8
7
Eaton
1-1
33
5
8
Manitou Springs
1-0
18
10
9
Lamar
2-0
16
9
10
Bayfield
1-1
12
–
Others receiving votes:
Fort Lupton 11, Denver West 7, Faith Christian 7, Ridgeview Academy 6, University 2, Aspen 1, KIPP 1.
Eaglecrest held onto its spot atop the CHSAANow.com softball poll, but things are getting close at the top of the Class 5A ranking.
Four different teams received first-place votes this week: Brighton (No. 2), Douglas County (No. 3) and Fossil Ridge (No. 5). Loveland was the lone newcomer to the poll, at tenth.
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.
Rock Canyon 17, Grand Junction 16, Standley Lake 12, Arvada West 10, Pine Creek 9, ThunderRidge 7, Chatfield 4, Rampart 4, Columbine 3, Rocky Mountain 3, Cherokee Trail 2, Mountain Vista 2.
Dropped out
Rock Canyon (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Wheat Ridge (12)
9-1-0
120
1
1-1-0
2
Erie
7-2-1
96
3
2-0-0
3
Pueblo East
7-2-1
90
2
2-0-0
4
Ponderosa
8-1-0
77
4
2-0-0
5
Frederick
6-3-0
61
5
2-1-0
6
Silver Creek
7-3-0
51
6
1-1-0
7
Berthoud
7-2-0
50
8
3-1-0
8
Broomfield
5-4-0
24
7
1-0-0
9
D’Evelyn
6-2-0
20
9
3-2-0
10
Pueblo South
7-2-0
17
–
1-1-0
Others receiving votes:
Valor Christian 14, Discovery Canyon 13, Pueblo West 12, Mullen 4, Roosevelt 4, Niwot 3, Thomas Jefferson 2, Thompson Valley 2, Falcon 1.
