Kent Denver is No. 1 in 2A. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Six of the seven defending champions lead CHSAANow.com’s preseason football rankings.
The lone non-champion to head a classification’s poll is Kent Denver, which is No. 1 in Class 2A.
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 media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Kit Carson is No. 1 in 1A. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
No surprise: Four of the five defending champions are ranked No. 1 in CHSAANow.com’s preseason volleyball rankings.
The lone exception is Kit Carson, which is top-ranked in Class 1A after finishing runner-up to Fleming last season.
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 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
1
Fossil Ridge (9)
0-0
104
2
Chatfield
0-0
67
3
Rock Canyon (2)
0-0
66
4
Chaparral
0-0
62
5
Mountain Vista
0-0
58
6
Cherry Creek
0-0
47
7
Denver East
0-0
27
8
Arapahoe
0-0
20
9
Grandview
0-0
18
10
Fairview
0-0
17
Others receiving votes:
Highlands Ranch 17, Castle View 16, Cherokee Trail 14, Coronado 13, Fort Collins 13, Rocky Mountain 12, Fruita Monument 11, Legend 6, Pine Creek 6, Rampart 6, Eaglecrest 3, Regis Jesuit 2, Ralston Valley 1.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Lewis-Palmer (8)
0-0
103
2
Holy Family
0-0
73
3
Cheyenne Mountain
0-0
72
4
Pueblo West (2)
0-0
59
5
Valor Christian
0-0
56
6
Niwot (1)
0-0
41
7
Berthoud
0-0
33
8
Silver Creek
0-0
27
9
Thomas Jefferson
0-0
22
10
Eagle Valley
0-0
21
Others receiving votes:
Windsor 18, Air Academy 17, D’Evelyn 12, Montrose 9, Evergreen 8, Ponderosa 7, The Classical Academy 7, Battle Mountain 5, Mountain View 4, Mullen 4, Fort Morgan 3, Palmer Ridge 3, Thompson Valley 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Eaton (8)
0-0
98
2
Valley
0-0
74
3
University (1)
0-0
53
4
Sterling
0-0
51
5
Resurrection Christian
0-0
50
6
Middle Park
0-0
45
7
Colorado Springs Christian
0-0
43
8
Faith Christian (1)
0-0
37
9
Bayfield
0-0
28
10
Pagosa Springs
0-0
25
Others receiving votes:
Bishop Machebeuf 20, Coal Ridge 18, Platte Valley 13, Kent Denver 11, Delta 8, Lutheran 8, Jefferson Academy 4, La Junta 4, The Academy 4, Centauri 3, St. Mary’s Academy 3, Aspen 2, The Vanguard 2, Bennett 1, Prospect Ridge Academy 1, Weld Central 1.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Dayspring Christian (8)
0-0
98
2
Yuma
0-0
86
3
Lyons (1)
0-0
63
4
Paonia (1)
0-0
62
5
Hoehne
0-0
61
6
West Grand
0-0
36
7
Union Colony
0-0
33
8
Colorado Springs School
0-0
31
9
Simla
0-0
26
10
Denver Christian
0-0
18
Others receiving votes:
Fowler 16, Ignacio 6, Wray 5, Del Norte 3, Ridgway 2, Byers 1, Limon 1, Merino 1, Swink 1.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Kit Carson (4)
0-0
67
2
Fleming (3)
0-0
66
3
Prairie
0-0
53
4
McClave
0-0
34
5
Weldon Valley
0-0
32
6
Flagler
0-0
28
7
Otis
0-0
24
8
La Veta
0-0
22
9
Springfield
0-0
17
10
Kiowa
0-0
14
Others receiving votes:
Nucla 13, Aguilar 9, Holly 2, Rocky Mountain Lutheran 2, Dove Creek 1, Genoa Hugo/Karval 1.
Three defending state baseball champions are starting the season right where they left off. In the initial CHSAANow.com baseball rankings, Cherokee Trail, Valor Christian and Holly come in at No. 1 in their respective classes.
The Cougars claim the top spot of the 5A rankings with six first-place votes. Centennial League foe, Cherry Creek, sits right behind them at No. 2. The Bruins are looking to end a four-year championship drought in 2017.
Last year’s runner-up, Rocky Mountain, starts the season at No. 3.
Outside of the top three teams, only Rock Canyon (No. 7) and Pine Creek (No. 10) received first-place votes to start the season.
(Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com)
In 4A, Valor Christian, led by new coach Brian Bonn, claimed nine first-place votes to start the season with No. 3 Pueblo West being the only other ranked team to receive one.
Mountain View will start the year at No. 2 with Windsor and Longmont rounding out the top five.
Erie takes the No. 8 spot, meaning that the final four teams that remained in the 4A state tournament on the final weekend will come into the season ranked and carrying high expectations.
University will start the season as the No. 1 team in 3A. The Bulldogs advanced to the semifinals last year before losing 3-2 to Manitou Springs, who finished as the state runner-up.
The Mustangs enter the season at No. 7.
Delta, a 4A team a year ago, sits right behind Manitou at No. 8. Defending champion, Fatih Christian sits high in the rankings at No. 2 as they hope to defend their title.
Paonia enters the season as the No. 1 team in 2A. It’s the same seed the Eagles took into last year’s state tournament where they were upset by Limon in the semifinals.
Heritage 21, Broomfield 14, Mountain Vista 14, Dakota Ridge 12, Legend 11, Grand Junction Central 9, Chaparral 4, Legacy 4, Castle View 3, Chatfield 2, Douglas County 2, Denver East 1, Fairview 1, Grand Junction 1, Monarch 1, Prairie View 1.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Valor Christian (9)
0-0
99
2
Mountain View
0-0
78
3
Pueblo West (1)
0-0
67
4
Windsor
0-0
57
5
Longmont
0-0
42
6
Silver Creek
0-0
35
7
Canon City
0-0
32
8
Erie
0-0
28
9
Air Academy
0-0
24
10
Denver North
0-0
19
Others receiving votes:
Northridge 18, Evergreen 8, D’Evelyn 6, Lewis-Palmer 6, Wheat Ridge 6, Green Mountain 5, Pueblo South 4, The Classical Academy 4, Palmer Ridge 3, Discovery Canyon 2, Fort Morgan 2, Roosevelt 2, Thompson Valley 2, Pueblo Centennial 1, Pueblo County 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
University (6)
0-0
101
2
Faith Christian (2)
0-0
91
3
Lamar (1)
0-0
90
4
La Junta (1)
0-0
61
5
Valley
0-0
54
6
Eaton
0-0
51
7
Manitou Springs
0-0
49
8
Delta (1)
0-0
33
9
St. Mary’s
0-0
31
10
Bayfield
0-0
27
Others receiving votes:
Kent Denver 25, Colorado Springs Christian 16, Peak to Peak 10, Brush 6, Gunnison 6, Colorado Academy 5, Buena Vista 2, Lutheran 1, Resurrection Christian 1.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Paonia (5)
0-0
81
2
Dawson (2)
0-0
65
3
Dayspring Christian
0-0
49
4
Sedgwick County
0-0
46
5
Hotchkiss
0-0
37
6
Limon
0-0
35
7
Rocky Ford
0-0
31
8
Akron (2)
0-0
30
9
County Line
0-0
29
10
Sargent
0-0
18
Others receiving votes:
Crowley County 15, Swink 12, Peyton 10, Front Range Christian 9, Haxtun 9, Del Norte 5, Center 4, Denver Christian 3, Yuma 3, Clear Creek 2, Burlington 1, Gilpin County 1.
The top spots of three of the five CHSAANow.com boys basketball polls have a different look to them.
Pueblo West regains the top spot in Class 4A after relinquishing it a week ago, Resurrection Christian takes the No. 1 spot in 3A and Highland is the new top team in 2A.
The Cyclones fell out of the No. 1 spot after suffering its first loss of the season, falling to Rampart in overtime on Jan. 7. They regained it off the strength of a victory over Colorado Springs Christian School on Saturday.
Sand Creek jumped two spot to land at No. 2 with Valor Christian right behind the Scorpions at No. 3.
D’Evelyn jumped three spots, coming in at No. 4.
Silver Creek (No. 9) and Sierra (No. 10) are the two new teams to the 4A poll.
(Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com)
In 3A, Resurrection Christian takes the No. 1 position marking the first time someone other than defending champion CSCS holds the top spot.
The Lions fell to No. 4. Manitou Springs jumps to No. 2 with Sterling landing at N0. 3.
Bishop Machebeuf is the only new team in the 3A rankings, coming in at No. 9.
At 9-0, Highland takes the 2A No. 1 spot from Sedgwick County who suffered a t 43-38 loss to No. 5 Holyoke last week.
Two newcomers broke into the 2A rankings this week with Dawson coming in at No. 9 and Dayspring Christian rounding out the poll at No. 10.
In 5A, ThunderRidge holds the No. 1 spot after receiving 17 first-place votes.
George Washington comfortably sits behind the Grizzlies at No. 2.
Grandview jumped four spots, landing at No. 4.
At No. 9, Lakewood is the only new team in the 5A poll.
Holly remains the No. 1 team in 1A, but Cheyenne Wells jumped one spot to come in as the new No. 2.
Two new teams joined the 1A rankings with Front Range Baptist taking the No. 6 spot with Wiley landing 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.
Doherty 21, Cherokee Trail 5, Chaparral 4, Fort Collins 3, Legend 3, Denver South 1, Rampart 1, Regis Jesuit 1, Vista Ridge 1.
Dropped out
Doherty (9).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Pueblo West (8)
10-1
149
2
2-0
2
Sand Creek (6)
12-1
143
3
2-0
3
Valor Christian (1)
9-4
117
1
1-1
4
D’Evelyn (1)
10-2
107
7
2-0
5
Golden
11-2
100
5
2-0
6
Mead (1)
11-2
88
6
3-0
7
Vista PEAK
9-2
73
4
1-1
8
Pueblo South
8-4
49
10
1-0
9
Silver Creek
8-1
26
–
2-0
10
Sierra
9-3
23
–
3-0
Others receiving votes:
Durango 18, Holy Family 16, Northridge 12, Lewis-Palmer 7, Thompson Valley 3, Evergreen 2, Mesa Ridge 2.
Dropped out
Holy Family (8), Northridge (9).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Resurrection Christian (4)
11-0
131
2
2-0
2
Manitou Springs (5)
9-0
120
3
2-0
3
Sterling (1)
8-1
113
4
2-0
4
Colorado Springs Christian (4)
8-2
104
1
2-1
5
Alamosa (1)
8-1
84
5
2-0
6
Kent Denver
9-2
77
7
2-0
7
Faith Christian
7-3
44
6
1-1
8
DSST-Stapleton
8-1
33
9
3-0
9
Machebeuf
9-1
31
–
3-0
10
Basalt
8-1
25
10
2-0
Others receiving votes:
La Junta 11, DSST-Green Valley Ranch 10, Strasburg 10, Lutheran 9, Jefferson Academy 7, Lotus 5, Manual 5, Bayfield 4, Brush 2.
Dropped out
DSST-Green Valley Ranch (8).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Highland (5)
9-0
90
2
2-0
2
Sedgwick County (1)
8-1
80
1
1-1
3
Paonia (3)
9-1
78
3
2-0
4
Akron (1)
8-0
72
6
1-0
5
Holyoke
8-2
62
7
3-0
6
Del Norte (1)
7-3
56
4
0-2
7
Peyton
8-0
46
5
1-0
8
Fowler
8-1
32
8
2-0
9
Dawson
6-1
21
–
2-0
10
Dayspring Christian
6-2
12
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Crowley County 11, Sargent 9, Ignacio 7, Denver Christian 6, Haxtun 6, Merino 5, Dolores Huerta 4, Hotchkiss 3, Ellicott 2, John Mall 1, Telluride 1, Union Colony 1.
Dropped out
Sargent (9), Hotchkiss (10).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Holly (3)
10-0
78
1
2-0
2
Cheyenne Wells (4)
8-0
63
3
1-0
3
Flagler
9-1
62
6
2-0
4
Weldon Valley
9-0
53
2
1-0
5
Sierra Grande (1)
6-1
52
4
1-0
6
Front Range Baptist (1)
8-0
30
–
2-0
7
Fleming
5-3
26
8
2-0
8
Kit Carson
5-3
24
7
1-1
9
Wiley
6-4
21
–
3-0
10
Rocky Mountain Lutheran
8-1
18
10
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Peetz 16, Longmont Christian 13, Creede/Lake City 11, Otis 10, Denver Jewish Day 8, Primero 8, Heritage Christian 4, Arickaree/Woodlin 3, Sangre de Cristo 2, McClave 1, South Baca 1.
In third set of the CHSAANow.com boys basketball rankings, Colorado Academy is back in the Class 3A top-10.
The Mustangs come in at No. 9 on the strength of a 60-55 win over Grand Junction.
Colorado Springs Christian holds on to the No. 1 spot in the 3A poll with Resurrection Christian and Manitou Springs holding firm at No. 2 and No. 3 respectively.
In 5A, George Washington continues to show its the real deal, hence remaining at No. 1 this week.
Doherty (No. 6) and Chatfield (No. 7) each jumped three spots from a week ago.
There were no new teams in the 5A rankings.
Pueblo West remains undefeated and as a result, still at the top of the 4A poll. Vista PEAK, however, made a two-spot jump to land at No. 2.
Sand Creek jumped one spot to No. 5 thanks to its close win over No. 10 Sierra. Lewis-Palmer climbs two spots to come in at No. 8.
No new teams broke into the 4A rankings.
Sedgwick County received all but one first-place vote to hang on to the top spot in 2A.
Peyton made the big jump of the week, climbing four spots to come in at No. 5. At No. 10, Fowler is the only new team to crack the 2A rankings.
The 1A poll saw the most turnover of any class this week with Front Range Baptist (No. 8) and Rocky Mountain Lutheran (No. 10) cracking the ranks.
Holly held its spot as the No. 1 team in the class.
Peetz had the best jump of the week, gaining four spots from last week’s rankings to come in at 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.
Lakewood 26, Mountain Range 4, Regis Jesuit 3, Cherry Creek 2, Far Northeast 2, Legacy 1, Mountain Vista 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Pueblo West (12)
4-0
146
1
1-0
2
Vista PEAK (2)
7-0
124
4
1-0
3
Golden (1)
8-1
123
3
3-0
4
Valor Christian (1)
4-2
103
2
2-1
5
Sand Creek
7-1
92
6
2-0
6
Mead
6-1
82
7
3-0
7
Holy Family
5-1
78
5
2-0
8
Lewis-Palmer
4-2
34
10
1-1
9
D’Evelyn
6-2
27
8
1-1
10
Sierra
3-3
17
9
0-2
Others receiving votes:
Northridge 16, Silver Creek 11, Durango 6, Palmer Ridge 5, Thompson Valley 5, Evergreen 3, Ponderosa 3, Skyline 3, Mesa Ridge 1, Pueblo East 1.
Dropped out
.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Colorado Springs Christian (11)
5-0
160
1
2-0
2
Resurrection Christian (1)
7-0
137
2
2-0
3
Manitou Springs (2)
7-0
126
3
2-0
4
Sterling (1)
6-1
110
6
1-0
5
Alamosa (2)
5-1
100
4
0-0
6
Faith Christian
5-2
65
5
2-1
7
Kent Denver
6-1
47
9
1-1
8
DSST-Stapleton
4-1
41
8
0-0
9
Colorado Academy
5-3
21
–
1-2
10
Frontier Academy
5-2
20
7
0-2
Others receiving votes:
Strasburg 17, Basalt 13, Lutheran 13, Machebeuf 9, Manual 8, The Pinnacle 8, DSST-Green Valley Ranch 7, Jefferson Academy 7, Ridge View Academy 6, Monte Vista 4, Bayfield 3, Roaring Fork 3, The Vanguard 3, Weld Central 3, Grand Valley 2, Coal Ridge 1, La Junta 1.
Dropped out
Manual (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Sedgwick County (9)
5-0
99
1
2-0
2
Highland
6-0
81
2
2-0
3
Paonia
5-1
75
3
2-0
4
Del Norte (1)
6-1
56
5
1-0
5
Peyton
6-0
53
9
2-0
6
Akron
5-0
50
4
2-0
7
Holyoke
3-2
35
8
2-1
8
Dayspring Christian
4-1
30
7
1-1
9
Ignacio
3-1
29
10
2-1
10
Fowler
4-1
13
–
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Colorado Springs School 6, Sargent 6, Sanford 4, Plateau Valley 3, Burlington 2, Byers 2, Crowley County 2, John Mall 2, Dolores Huerta 1, Hotchkiss 1.
It’s still early in the 2016-17 boys basketball season, but George Washington has already made some impressive moves.
The Patriots come in as the new No. 1 team in the Class 5A CHSAANow.com boys basketball rankings. In the two weeks since the release of the preseason rankings, they have gone 5-0 which included a three-point win over No. 2 Rock Canyon and a 13-point win over defending state champion Overland.
With a five-point loss to Rock Canyon, preseason No. 1 Eaglecrest falls to No. 5.
Grandview jumped two spots to land at No. 7 while Smoky Hill (No. 8) and Chatfield (No. 10) are the two new teams in the 5A poll.
A 3-0 record over the first week and a half of the season has kept Pueblo West as the No. 1 team in 4A.
Valor Christian also holds tight at N0. 2, despite a season-opening loss to 5A No. 9 Doherty.
Vista PEAK has looked good early in the year, starting with a 6-0 run to start the season. The Bison made a five-spot jump to come in at No. 4 this week.
Lewis-Palmer is the only new team to the 4A rankings, coming in at No. 10.
Colorado Springs Christian holds its spot as the No. 1 team in 3A. Resurrection Christian jumped five spots to come in at No. 2. Manitou Springs (No. 3) and Alamosa (No. 4) each moved up two spots from the preseason rankings.
At No. 7 and No. 10 respectively, Frontier Academy and Kent Denver are the two new teams to the 3A rankings.
Sedgwick County takes over as the No. 1 team in the 2A poll after Sanford’s 74-game winning streak came to an end last week.
The Indians now sit at No. 6.
There was a high turnover rate in the 2A rankings as four new teams broke into the poll this week.
Akron comes in at No. 4, Del Norte lands at No. 5, Dayspring Christian sits at No. 7 and Peyton breaks in at No. 9.
Starting 5-0 has meant good things for Holly, the No. 1 team in 1A this week.
The Wildcats snagged six firs-place votes in the process.
Like the 2A poll, there was significant turnover in 1A this week.
Weldon Valley (No. 3), Eads (No. 7), Peetz (No. 9) and Sangre de Cristo (No. 10) are all newcomers to the rankings.
Fleming, who came in as the preseason No. 1 comes in at No. 6 this week.
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.
Lakewood 34, Regis Jesuit 22, Overland 10, Mountain Vista 8, Far Northeast 1, Fort Collins 1, Legend 1, Rampart 1, Rangeview 1.
Dropped out
Regis Jesuit (5), Mountain Vista (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Pueblo West (13)
3-0
157
1
3-0
2
Valor Christian (2)
2-1
114
2
2-1
3
Golden
5-1
102
4
5-1
4
Vista PEAK (1)
6-0
88
9
6-0
5
Holy Family
3-1
82
5
3-1
6
Sand Creek
5-1
81
3
5-1
7
Mead
3-1
71
7
3-1
8
D’Evelyn
5-1
50
8
5-1
9
Sierra
3-1
45
6
3-1
10
Lewis-Palmer
3-1
31
–
3-1
Others receiving votes:
Silver Creek 18, Green Mountain 10, Northridge 6, Widefield 6, Ponderosa 5, Evergreen 4, Thompson Valley 3, Mountain View 2, Palmer Ridge 2, Erie 1, Longmont 1, Pueblo South 1.
Dropped out
Evergreen (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Colorado Springs Christian (9)
3-0
140
1
3-0
2
Resurrection Christian (1)
5-0
107
7
5-0
3
Manitou Springs (2)
5-0
93
5
5-0
4
Alamosa (2)
5-1
81
6
5-1
5
Faith Christian
3-1
65
2
3-1
6
Sterling (1)
5-1
48
9
5-1
7
Frontier Academy
5-0
42
–
5-0
8
DSST-Stapleton
4-1
41
8
4-1
9
Kent Denver
5-0
41
–
5-0
10
Manual
2-2
33
4
2-2
Others receiving votes:
Lutheran 26, The Pinnacle 23, Colorado Academy 20, Machebeuf 18, DSST-Green Valley Ranch 13, Weld Central 8, Bayfield 5, Jefferson Academy 4, Monte Vista 4, Basalt 3, Ridge View Academy 3, The Vanguard 3, Roaring Fork 2, Coal Ridge 1, Strasburg 1.
Dropped out
Lutheran (3), Colorado Academy (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Sedgwick County (4)
3-0
79
4
3-0
2
Highland (2)
4-0
74
5
4-0
3
Paonia (3)
3-1
72
2
3-1
4
Akron
3-0
53
–
3-0
5
Del Norte
5-1
44
–
5-1
6
Sanford
2-2
40
1
2-2
7
Dayspring Christian (1)
3-0
38
–
3-0
8
Holyoke
1-1
37
3
1-1
9
Peyton
4-0
30
–
4-0
10
Ignacio
1-0
23
7
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Colorado Springs School 11, Sargent 11, Burlington 7, Dawson 5, Hotchkiss 5, Byers 4, Fowler 4, Yuma 4, Haxtun 3, Center 2, Crowley County 2, Dolores Huerta 1, Meeker 1.
Dropped out
Ellicott (6), Byers (8), Crowley County (9), Burlington (10).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Holly (6)
5-0
81
2
5-0
2
Sierra Grande (1)
5-0
67
6
5-0
3
Weldon Valley (1)
4-0
64
–
4-0
4
Cheyenne Wells
3-0
60
5
3-0
5
Kit Carson (1)
2-0
50
3
2-0
6
Fleming
1-1
38
1
1-1
7
Eads
3-0
28
–
3-0
8
Flagler
3-1
22
8
3-1
9
Peetz
4-0
18
–
4-0
10
Sangre de Cristo
3-1
14
–
3-1
Others receiving votes:
Wiley 12, Front Range Baptist 9, Shining Mountain 8, Creede/Lake City 7, Rocky Mountain Lutheran 7, ThornCreek Christian 6, Heritage Christian 3, Primero 1.
DENVER — Kristin Kurz struggled to put the right words together.
Her eyes watered up, she paused to take a deep breath before trying again.
“It’s just so special,” she said as the tears returned.
Saturday was a night Dayspring Christian Academy won’t forget after the volleyball coach and her team left the Denver Coliseum with the school’s first-ever girls state championship title since opening in 1975 with a 3-1 (25-22, 21-25, 25-22, 25-15) victory over defending champion Yuma.
To add to the occasion, Kurz got to share the experience with her daughters Katie, her junior outside hitter, and Emily, who serves as an assistant coach.
“That was something that we’ll all remember for a really, really long time,” said Kurz. “All the girls have been working so hard all year and to see it end like this is something more than we could ask for.”
It was a fitting end to the race for the Class 2A title. Dayspring Christian had been dominant, capping an undefeated 2016 season (29-0) against the team that had the best shot to spoil the Eagles’ storybook ending. The Indians were holding a 22-5 record that included a perfect 8-0 run through District 2 League play and survived one of the tougher pools (Pool IV) among the 2A state field.
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
“We had been here before just last year, but we knew that we would be getting our toughest match of the year against Dayspring,” Yuma coach Jenny Noble said. “We played with everything we had and you have to credit them for having one amazing season.”
Neither team showed any signs of letting up, especially early on as they exchanged point runs that took each of the first three sets down to the wire.
Dayspring Christian grabbed an early edge and a 25-22 opening-set victory that was led by a strong attack from Katie Kurz, who finished with a match-high 28 kills and junior Megan Roberts, who was close behind with 24.
Defensively, the Eagles were powered by senior Kelsi Donoho’s 56 assists and 19 digs, while Roberts and senior MaKayla Bell recorded 11 and 10 blocks, respectively.
Yuma was swift to respond in the following set with a 25-21 victory of its own to equalize the match heading into the break. The Indians showed offensive power in sophomore Chasey Blach, who finished with a team-high 17 kills and 22 digs, and sophomore Cody Robinson’s 15 kills. Junior Kenedy Roth led Yuma in assists with 32.
In the pivotal third set, Dayspring Christian found itself trailing by as many as six points as it wore late. Kurz took a timeout to regroup her team, which returned to claim seven of the final nine points to swing the momentum back in their favor.
“I just convinced them to calm down and play the way we knew we could play,” Kurz said. “Sometimes being in this environment can get the best of you.
With its first state title within reach, the Eagles fired on all cylinders in the fourth set, going on a seven-point run to bring home the championship with their fans getting louder with every point.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end our careers here,” said Bella Bryant, one of five seniors on Dayspring Christian’s roster. “This is what we’ve always dreamed about and it’s unbelievable that it’s finally come true.”
