LAKEWOOD — Green Mountain and Battle Mountain boys basketball teams got some extra court time late Friday night.
The Rams and Huskies went double-overtime in the semifinal of the Paul Davis Classic at Green Mountain High School. Green Mountain eventually took a 55-50 victory.
Senior Blake Schell opened and closed the 2OT period for the Rams. Schell’s layup off the opening tip of the second overtime period gave Green Mountain a 47-45 lead. His pair of free throws in the final seconds clinched the 5-point victory.
Schell finished with a game-high 13 points. Junior Austin Peterson finished with 11 points for Green Mountain.
Battle Mountain was led by senior Liam McKenny (11 points) and junior Luis Truillo (10 points). A highlight for the Huskies came from senior Dalton Patterson, who nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the first half. The shot came from well beyond the half-court line.
The Rams (2-0 record) face rival Evergreen (3-0) in the championship game of the annual tournament at 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at Green Mountain High School.
The Cougars defeated Palmer 50-42 in the other semifinal Friday night to set up the all-Jeffco championship game.
The four classifications of boys soccer released their state tournament brackets on Monday.
Seeded No. 1 overall in each bracket are: Colorado Rocky Mountain (2A), Salida (3A), Battle Mountain (4A), and Legacy (5A). The schools all finished No. 1 in the final RPI standings of the regular season, which is the primary seeding criteria.
The brackets are also available on the CHSAANow app.
With a snowstorm rolling in on Sunday, and continuing to snow through Tuesday, along with very cold temperatures, the first-round dates have been pushed back. The first rounds will now begin on:
2A: Nov. 2
3A: Nov. 1
4A: Nov. 2
5A: Nov. 1
Additionally, the 2A quarterfinals has been moved from Nov. 2 to Nov. 6.
All other originally-scheduled dates remain the same. The second round is set for Nov. 5 (3A and 4A) and Nov. 6 (5A). Quarterfinals are Nov. 6 (2A), and Nov. 9 (3A/4A/5A).
Semifinals will be held on:
2A: Nov. 9, Englewood HS
3A: Nov. 13, All-City Stadium, Denver
4A: Nov. 13, Legacy Stadium, Aurora
5A: Nov. 13, Echo Park, Parker
All championship games will be held at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The 5A championships is Nov. 15, a Friday, at 6 p.m. The 2A (1:30 p.m.), 3A (11 a.m.) and 4A (4 p.m.) games will be held on Nov. 16.
Legacy, now 12-1-0 this season, has moved up to the No. 1 spot in this week’s Class 5A boys soccer rankings.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday during the regular season.
Voted upon by coaches and select 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
Legacy (7)
12-1-0
78
5
2-0-0
2
Boulder
10-2-0
67
1
3-0-0
3
Cherry Creek (2)
8-2-2
65
3
0-0-0
4
Rampart
13-0-1
57
2
1-0-1
5
Broomfield
11-2-0
46
4
1-1-0
6
Grandview
8-2-2
40
7
1-0-0
7
Fairview
10-3-0
34
6
2-1-0
8
Regis Jesuit
10-1-2
24
9
3-0-0
9
Castle View
10-1-2
22
10
0-0-0
10
Arvada West
10-2-0
18
8
0-0–1
Others receiving votes:
Arapahoe 9, Brighton 8, Smoky Hill 7, Overland 6, Eaglecrest 4, Denver East 3, Mountain Vista 3, Aurora Central 2, Far Northeast Warriors 1, Gateway 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Battle Mountain (6)
12-0-1
86
1
1-0-0
2
Golden (2)
12-1-1
78
2
2-0-0
3
Skyview
12-0-1
73
3
2-0-0
4
Silver Creek
10-1-2
61
4
2-0-0
5
Air Academy
10-4-0
49
5
2-0-0
6
Lewis-Palmer (1)
11-3-0
43
7
2-0-0
7
Alameda
13-1-0
40
6
2-0-0
8
Holy Family
11-2-0
21
8
2-0-0
9
Glenwood Springs
10-1-3
12
9
1-0-1
10
Discovery Canyon
10-3-0
10
–
2-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Erie 7, Loveland 7, Regis Groff 4, Denver North 2, Niwot 1, The Classical Academy 1.
Dropped out
Loveland (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Kent Denver (5)
14-0-0
84
1
2-0-0
2
Salida (4)
12-0-1
75
2
3-0-0
3
Atlas Preparatory School
12-0-1
69
4
3-0-0
4
Roaring Fork
10-1-1
63
3
2-0-0
5
Delta
11-3-0
49
6
2-0-0
6
Colorado Academy
9-3-1
39
5
0-1-1
7
Aurora West College Prep Academy
11-1-0
27
7
0-0-0
8
Liberty Common
8-3-1
23
8
2-1-0
9
Arrupe Jesuit
10-2-1
20
9
2-0-0
10
Faith Christian
8-3-1
16
10
2-0-0
Others receiving votes:
DSST: Byers 10, Middle Park 6, Lutheran 5, KIPP Denver Collegiate 4, Jefferson Academy 2, Lamar 1, The Acåademy 1, Vail Mountain 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Crested Butte (4)
10-3-1
25
1
0-0-0
2
Dawson School (2)
9-3-1
24
2
2-0-0
3
Fountain Valley
10-3-0
17
3
3-0-0
4
Heritage Christian
10-2-0
16
–
2-0-0
5
Colorado Rocky Mountain (1)
6-3-1
12
–
1-1-0
Others receiving votes:
Lotus School For Excellence 6, Denver Christian 4, Telluride 1.
Boulder (5A) and Crested Butte (2A) have taken over as the No. 1 ranked teams in their respective boys soccer rankings this week.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday during the regular season.
Voted upon by coaches and select 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
Boulder (3)
7-2-0
78
2
1-0-0
2
Rampart (2)
12-0-0
71
1
2-0-0
3
Cherry Creek (2)
8-2-2
67
6
1-0-0
4
Broomfield (1)
10-1-0
66
3
2-0-0
5
Legacy (1)
10-1-0
63
4
2-0-0
6
Fairview (1)
8-2-0
56
5
2-0-0
7
Grandview
7-2-2
36
8
1-0-0
8
Arvada West
10-2-1
31
7
0-0-0
9
Regis Jesuit
7-1-2
23
9
1-0-0
10
Castle View
10-1-2
19
–
2-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Arapahoe 9, Denver East 7, Smoky Hill 7, Overland 6, Eaglecrest 4, Mountain Vista 3, Aurora Central 2, Far Northeast Warriors 1, Rangeview 1.
Dropped out
Valor Christian (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Battle Mountain (6)
11-0-1
86
1
3-0-0
2
Golden (2)
10-1-1
80
2
1-0-0
3
Skyview
10-0-1
72
4
2-0-0
4
Silver Creek
8-1-2
58
5
1-0-0
5
Air Academy
8-4-0
50
3
1-1-0
6
Alameda
11-1-0
48
6
1-0-0
7
Lewis-Palmer (1)
9-3-0
36
–
2-0-0
8
Holy Family
9-2-0
16
–
1-0-0
9
Glenwood Springs
9-1-2
14
10
2-0-0
10
Loveland
9-1-0
12
9
0-0-0
Others receiving votes:
The Classical Academy 9, Erie 4, Regis Groff 4, Discovery Canyon 3, Pueblo West 2, Niwot 1.
Dropped out
Regis Groff (7), Discovery Canyon (8).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Kent Denver (4)
12-0-0
76
1
1-0-0
2
Salida (4)
9-0-1
67
2
1-0-0
3
Roaring Fork
8-1-1
55
4
2-0-0
4
Atlas Preparatory School
9-0-1
49
3
1-0-0
5
Colorado Academy
9-2-0
45
8
2-0-0
6
Delta
9-3-0
39
5
2-0-0
7
Aurora West College Prep Academy
11-1-0
30
7
2-0-0
8
Liberty Common
6-2-1
22
9
1-1-0
9
Arrupe Jesuit
8-2-1
16
10
1-0-1
10
Faith Christian
6-3-1
15
6
0-1-0
Others receiving votes:
KIPP Denver Collegiate 9, Middle Park 8, Lutheran 3, Vail Mountain 3, Jefferson Academy 2, The Academy 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Crested Butte (3)
10-3-1
20
2
2-0-0
2
Dawson School (1)
7-3-1
18
1
0-1-0
3
Fountain Valley
7-3-0
10
–
0-0-0
4
Campion Academy (1)
8-0-1
9
3
1-0-1
5
Denver Christian
6-5-0
7
–
0-1-0
Others receiving votes:
Heritage Christian 6, Colorado Rocky Mountain 4, Telluride 1.
Dawson School has moved up to No. 1 in this week’s Class 2A boys soccer rankings.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday during the regular season.
Voted upon by coaches and select 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
Rampart (7)
10-0-0
91
1
1-0-0
2
Boulder (1)
6-2-0
88
2
0-0-0
3
Broomfield (1)
8-1-0
82
4
1-0-0
4
Legacy
8-1-0
79
3
1-0-0
5
Fairview (1)
6-2-0
64
6
0-0-0
6
Cherry Creek (1)
7-2-2
58
9
1-0-0
7
Arvada West
10-2-0
40
7
2-0-0
8
Grandview
6-2-2
36
5
0-1-0
9
Regis Jesuit
6-1-2
24
8
1-0-1
10
Valor Christian
8-1-1
14
–
1-0-1
Others receiving votes:
Castle View 7, Fossil Ridge 5, Gateway 5, Ralston Valley 4, Denver East 3, Pine Creek 2, Smoky Hill 2, Aurora Central 1.
Dropped out
Fossil Ridge (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Battle Mountain (7)
8-0-1
103
1
0-0-0
2
Golden (2)
9-1-1
94
2
1-0-0
3
Air Academy (2)
7-3-0
75
9
2-0-0
4
Skyview
8-0-1
69
6
2-0-0
5
Silver Creek
7-1-2
67
5
3-0-0
6
Alameda
10-1-0
52
3
2-1-0
7
Regis Groff
8-2-0
33
10
2-0-0
8
Discovery Canyon
8-2-0
32
7
1-1-0
9
Loveland
9-1-0
29
4
1-1-0
10
Glenwood Springs
7-1-2
15
8
1-1-0
Others receiving votes:
Pueblo West 9, Denver North 5, Holy Family 5, Mullen 3, Pueblo Centennial 3, Pueblo East 3, The Classical Academy 3, Palmer Ridge 2, Ponderosa 2, Standley Lake 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Kent Denver (5)
11-0-0
86
1
2-0-0
2
Salida (4)
8-0-1
75
2
0-0-1
3
Atlas Preparatory School
8-0-1
67
4
1-0-1
4
Roaring Fork
6-1-1
53
5
1-0-0
5
Delta
7-3-0
40
3
0-1-0
6
Faith Christian
6-2-1
37
7
1-0-0
7
Aurora West College Prep Academy
9-1-0
35
6
2-0-0
8
Colorado Academy
7-2-0
27
8
2-0-0
9
Liberty Common
5-1-1
22
9
2-0-1
10
Arrupe Jesuit
7-2-0
14
–
0-1-0
Others receiving votes:
Lutheran 12, Middle Park 11, KIPP Denver Collegiate 5, The Academy 5, Vail Mountain 3, Jefferson Academy 2, Lamar 1.
Dropped out
Lutheran (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Dawson School (2)
7-2-1
28
4
1-0-0
2
Crested Butte (4)
8-3-1
24
2
0-1-0
3
Campion Academy (1)
7-0-0
13
–
2-0-0
4
Colorado Rocky Mountain
4-2-1
12
–
1-0-0
5
Ridgway
6-0-3
8
5
1-0-1
Others receiving votes:
Denver Christian 7, Fountain Valley 6, Heritage Christian 5, Lotus School For Excellence 1, Telluride 1.
The most impressive moment of the season (so far) for Battle Mountain boys soccer didn’t even come in an official game.
But it certainly showed the degree of talent that the Huskies possess on the pitch. It was during a foundation game that a ball was heading right at senior Danny Barajas. Rather than knock it down with his chest or try to head the ball to a teammate, he did something only seen on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays.
He let loose a vicious bicycle kick and sent the ball into the net.
“It was spectacular,” Battle Mountain coach David Cope said when describing the moment.
In a way, Cope is also trying to describe his team with that adjective. Battle Mountain’s season has been nothing short of spectacular to this point. The Huskies (8-0-1 overall) have certainly gained the attention of the CHSAANow.com poll voters and currently stand as the No. 1 team in the state.
Yet in a way, they still manage to fly under the radar a bit.
“We always feel like we’re fighting a little bit for respect even though we’ve been to state final twice, we went in 2012 and 2016,” Cope said. “Anytime we go down to the Front Range we still fight for credibility.”
(Rex Keep)
Once they take the field, the credibility tends to become a little more real. The Huskies have arguably the perfect balance of talent in all 11 positions. It starts with Barajas, a “special player” according to Cope. His 10 goals lead the team and he’s second on the Huskies when it comes to assists.
Midfielder Louis Castillo sets the tone defensively, even though he has the ability to play up and help on the offensive side.
His work defensively also makes sophomore keeper Cruz Ramirez better in his position. To date this season he has four shutouts to his name and has only let five shots get by him. And it’s an experience he gets to share with his brother, Bryant.
A football player a year ago, Bryant made the switch to soccer in part for the chance to play with Cruz. It’s paying off as they have a chance to do something special this season.
“(Bryant) watched his brother play last year and he wanted to be a part of it,” Cope said. “I have a really good relationship with the football coaches and we just talked about it. That’s a really great opportunity for the two of them to play together. And so this spring he made the decision to come over and play soccer this year.”
The timing worked out and with two goals this season, Bryant has helped the team get to where it is. But it’s not satisfied with a No. 1 ranking by its name in October. The goal is for the Huskies to battle through the Class 4A playoffs, amid tough competition from teams like Air Academy, Durango and Glenwood Springs.
A semifinal team last year, Glenwood Springs is the only team responsible for a slight blemish on Battle Mountain’s record, a 1-1 tie on Sept. 26.
With just a couple of weeks away from the start of the postseason, Cope and his boys like what they see on the field and think they have the talent and the drive to make 2019 a special season.
I look at our starting 11 and even out to 14 deep and there’s not a visible weakness,” Cope said. “Out of everyone on the 2016 team that got to the final, he was the only freshman that was playing in that game.”
And he has every intention in playing in that game again later this fall and maybe letting loose one or two more spectacular bicycle kicks.
