Tag: Denver West

  • Baseball’s Wild Card point standings, April 9

    Wild Card points help determine the postseason fields in 3A, 4A and 5A, with 4A and 5A also using them for seeding. Find a more detailed breakdown here.

    Baseball’s Wild Card point standings for April 9 are below.

    [divider]

    Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A

    Class 5A
    Rank School Points
    1 Chatfield 112.000
    2 Regis Jesuit 107.778
    3 Fairview 106.444
    4 ThunderRidge 105.750
    5 Columbine 105.100
    6 Arapahoe 101.778
    7 Mountain Vista 99.889
    8 Ralston Valley 99.600
    9 Chaparral 98.750
    10 Rock Canyon 96.444
    11 Grand Junction Central 96.385
    12 Fruita Monument 96.357
    13 Monarch 96.143
    14 Grand Junction 96.077
    15 Pine Creek 95.778
    16 Brighton 95.000
    17 Fossil Ridge 92.444
    18 Prairie View 92.000
    19 Arvada West 91.600
    20 Cherry Creek 91.556
    21 Horizon 91.444
    22 Mountain Range 90.250
    23 Dakota Ridge 89.000
    24 Douglas County 88.444
    25 Castle View 87.375
    26 Lincoln 87.250
    27 Eaglecrest 86.875
    28 Lakewood 86.800
    29 Rocky Mountain 86.714
    30 Northglenn 86.667
    31 Boulder 85.900
    32 Mullen 85.500
    33 Denver East 85.455
    34 Bear Creek 83.600
    35 Heritage 82.000
    36 Doherty 81.111
    37 Legend 81.000
    38 Rangeview 80.273
    39 Standley Lake 80.200
    40 Highlands Ranch 79.778
    41 Westminster 78.727
    42 Fort Collins 78.571
    43 Aurora Central 78.444
    44 Greeley West 77.111
    45 George Washington 76.923
    46 Overland 76.200
    47 Liberty 76.143
    48 Poudre 75.625
    49 Palmer 72.778
    50 Pomona 72.556
    51 Fountain-Fort Carson 72.100
    52 Littleton 71.375
    53 Legacy 70.875
    54 Smoky Hill 70.778
    55 Grandview 69.100
    56 Cherokee Trail 68.600
    57 Montbello 67.545
    58 Rampart 65.375
    59 Hinkley 64.545
    60 Loveland 63.444
    61 Gateway 60.700
    62 Adams City 59.273
    63 Thornton 53.571

    Class 4A
    Rank School Points
    1 Niwot 101.889
    2 Wheat Ridge 98.286
    3 Lewis-Palmer 97.889
    4 Montrose 97.800
    5 Elizabeth 96.222
    6 Evergreen 95.714
    7 Ponderosa 94.111
    8 Windsor 92.818
    9 Palmer Ridge 92.250
    10 Durango 92.100
    11 Delta 91.167
    12 Longmont 91.000
    13 Valor Christian 90.909
    14 Palisade 90.400
    15 Pueblo East 88.000
    16 D’Evelyn 87.875
    17 Thomas Jefferson 85.889
    18 Falcon 85.500
    19 Golden 85.125
    20 Canon City 85.000
    21 Pueblo Centennial 83.333
    22 Green Mountain 83.125
    23 Skyview 83.100
    24 Mesa Ridge 81.727
    25 Frederick 81.700
    26 Widefield 81.300
    27 Steamboat Springs 80.286
    28 Kennedy 80.077
    29 Thompson Valley 80.000
    30 Rifle 79.909
    31 Air Academy 79.857
    32 Denver North 79.444
    33 Northridge 79.444
    34 Skyline 79.000
    35 Greeley Central 78.400
    36 Eagle Valley 77.889
    37 Montezuma-Cortez 77.583
    38 Erie 77.000
    39 Pueblo South 76.900
    40 Vista PEAK Prep 76.818
    41 Discovery Canyon 76.667
    42 Mead 75.333
    43 Denver West 74.750
    44 Broomfield 73.000
    45 Mountain View 72.889
    46 Pueblo Central 72.778
    47 Pueblo West 71.571
    48 Coronado 71.556
    49 Glenwood Springs 70.625
    50 Fort Morgan 70.091
    51 Conifer 70.000
    52 Cheyenne Mountain 69.000
    53 Sand Creek 68.333
    54 Roosevelt 68.000
    55 Pueblo County 67.889
    56 Berthoud 67.000
    57 Silver Creek 66.455
    58 Summit 63.667
    59 Englewood 62.889
    60 Battle Mountain 61.778
    61 Vista Ridge 60.778
    62 Alameda 60.500
    63 Arvada 58.286
    64 Weld Central 58.167
    65 Woodland Park 57.125
    66 Denver South 54.250
    67 Centaurus 54.125
    68 Mitchell 50.000
    69 Sierra 48.778
    70 Harrison 38.571

    Class 3A
    Rank School Points
    1 Eaton 88.429
    2 Valley 87.889
    3 Bayfield 85.000
    4 Holy Family 82.700
    5 Faith Christian 81.571
    6 Brush 80.400
    7 Cedaredge 80.333
    8 Gunnison 78.625
    9 University 76.286
    10 The Classical Academy 76.000
    11 Arrupe Jesuit 74.000
    12 Platte Valley 73.500
    13 Lamar 73.400
    14 Basalt 71.167
    15 Buena Vista 71.000
    16 Centauri 69.000
    17 Kent Denver 68.400
    18 Florence 68.000
    19 Olathe 67.300
    20 St. Mary’s 65.875
    21 Moffat County 65.571
    22 Bennett 65.500
    23 Fort Lupton 65.273
    24 La Junta 65.100
    25 Pagosa Springs 64.125
    26 Peak to Peak 60.273
    27 Sheridan 60.182
    28 The Academy 59.333
    29 Trinidad 59.100
    30 Clear Creek/Gilpin County 58.500
    31 Colorado Academy 58.429
    32 Alamosa 58.200
    33 Manitou Springs 57.222
    34 Sterling 57.111
    35 Jefferson Academy 55.600
    36 Strasburg 54.600
    37 Bishop Machebeuf 53.100
    38 Platte Canyon 53.000
    39 Roaring Fork 51.556
    40 Monte Vista 51.143
    41 Coal Ridge 50.750
    42 Grand Valley 50.000
    43 Colorado Springs Christian 49.833
    44 Ellicott 47.750
    45 Dolores Huerta Prep 45.444
    46 Bruce Randolph 45.200
    47 Manual 44.250
    48 Salida 43.222
    49 Denver Science & Tech Stapleton 42.600
    50 Middle Park 41.667
    51 Jefferson 41.000
    52 Aspen 39.444
    53 Estes Park 39.286
    54 KIPP Denver Collegiate 25.000

    Class 2A
    Rank School Points
    1 Rye 73.000
    2 Peyton 72.250
    3 Hotchkiss 71.273
    4 Swink 71.000
    5 Sedgwick County 69.000
    6 Kiowa 68.500
    7 Resurrection Christian 67.500
    8 Rocky Ford 67.111
    9 Ignacio 66.250
    10 Lutheran 64.429
    11 Denver Christian 63.800
    12 Limon 63.250
    13 Holyoke 62.333
    14 Calhan 62.286
    15 Haxtun 59.818
    16 Nucla 59.429
    17 Yuma 58.500
    18 Paonia 56.625
    19 Custer County 56.250
    20 Las Animas 55.900
    21 Burlington 55.889
    22 Rangely 55.375
    23 Dolores 55.286
    24 Center 54.143
    25 Crowley County 54.000
    26 Alexander Dawson 52.000
    27 South Park 51.778
    28 Akron 50.857
    29 Lyons 50.143
    30 Fowler 48.625
    31 Dayspring Christian Academy 47.429
    32 Merino 45.167
    33 Sierra Grande 44.800
    34 Antonito 44.400
    35 Springfield 43.667
    36 Front Range Christian 42.286
    37 Wray 40.333
    38 John Mall 40.200
    39 Evangelical Christian 39.667
    40 Simla 38.571
    41 Sargent 36.600
    42 Highland 35.875
    43 County Line [Wiley/McClave] 35.556
    44 Longmont Christian 35.125
    45 Byers 35.000
    46 Meeker 33.333
    47 Sanford 30.800
    48 Denver Academy 28.333
    49 Wiggins 26.250
    50 Pikes Peak Christian 25.000
    51 Cripple Creek-Victor 18.571

    Class 1A
    Rank School Points
    1 Stratton 54.200
    2 Elbert 52.600
    3 Granada 48.800
    4 Dove Creek 46.333
    5 Cotopaxi 45.800
    6 Peetz 42.333
    7 Community Christian 41.000
    8 Caliche 40.889
    9 Fleming 37.500
    10 Eads 36.900
    11 Manzanola 36.875
    12 Holly 32.200
    13 Rocky Mountain Lutheran 28.500
    14 Cornerstone Christian Academy 24.500
    15 Cheyenne Wells 24.000
    16 Briggsdale 18.400
    17 Primero 13.750
    18 Walsh 12.500
    19 Denver Jewish Day 10.000
    20 Weldon Valley 10.000
  • Baseball’s Wild Card point standings, April 2

    Wild Card points help determine the postseason fields in 3A, 4A and 5A, with 4A and 5A also using them for seeding. Find a more detailed breakdown here.

    Baseball’s Wild Card point standings for April 2 are below.

    [divider]

    Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A

    Class 5A
    Rank School Points
    1 Chatfield 109.429
    2 Regis Jesuit 104.167
    3 Fairview 104.000
    4 ThunderRidge 103.286
    5 Columbine 101.000
    6 Dakota Ridge 97.125
    7 Arapahoe 96.143
    8 Douglas County 94.857
    9 Rock Canyon 93.667
    10 Monarch 92.800
    11 Ralston Valley 92.714
    12 Mountain Vista 92.500
    13 Grand Junction Central 92.000
    14 Fossil Ridge 91.857
    15 Grand Junction 91.400
    16 Fruita Monument 90.545
    17 Chaparral 90.333
    18 Prairie View 89.714
    19 Brighton 87.875
    20 Mullen 87.667
    21 Arvada West 86.875
    22 Rocky Mountain 86.400
    23 Lakewood 86.000
    24 Lincoln 85.667
    25 Castle View 85.500
    26 Cherry Creek 84.125
    27 Pine Creek 82.625
    28 Mountain Range 82.429
    29 Standley Lake 81.625
    30 Bear Creek 81.571
    31 Doherty 81.000
    32 Horizon 80.714
    33 Highlands Ranch 80.714
    34 Denver East 78.667
    35 Northglenn 76.625
    36 Grandview 76.400
    37 Rangeview 76.333
    38 Aurora Central 75.750
    39 Legend 75.714
    40 Greeley West 75.143
    41 Eaglecrest 74.500
    42 Boulder 73.857
    43 Overland 73.667
    44 Littleton 73.167
    45 George Washington 72.636
    46 Montbello 71.875
    47 Palmer 71.286
    48 Heritage 70.714
    49 Liberty 69.857
    50 Fountain-Fort Carson 69.714
    51 Westminster 68.875
    52 Pomona 67.429
    53 Poudre 67.167
    54 Legacy 64.333
    55 Rampart 63.875
    56 Cherokee Trail 63.400
    57 Hinkley 61.889
    58 Loveland 60.200
    59 Fort Collins 60.000
    60 Smoky Hill 59.429
    61 Gateway 57.444
    62 Adams City 51.111
    63 Thornton 49.000

    Class 4A
    Rank School Points
    1 Evergreen 99.500
    2 Niwot 99.250
    3 Elizabeth 99.167
    4 Ponderosa 95.000
    5 Montrose 94.875
    6 Lewis-Palmer 94.000
    7 Wheat Ridge 93.250
    8 Windsor 92.625
    9 Green Mountain 92.600
    10 Delta 91.222
    11 Longmont 90.143
    12 Skyview 88.143
    13 Falcon 87.714
    14 Palmer Ridge 86.857
    15 Skyline 86.000
    16 Air Academy 85.400
    17 Valor Christian 84.625
    18 Canon City 83.800
    19 Durango 83.625
    20 D’Evelyn 82.000
    21 Palisade 81.625
    22 Golden 80.200
    23 Pueblo Centennial 79.333
    24 Thomas Jefferson 79.250
    25 Mesa Ridge 79.222
    26 Northridge 77.833
    27 Widefield 77.500
    28 Mountain View 74.750
    29 Rifle 74.429
    30 Erie 74.333
    31 Frederick 74.286
    32 Denver North 74.250
    33 Vista PEAK Prep 74.222
    34 Conifer 74.000
    35 Steamboat Springs 73.500
    36 Kennedy 73.273
    37 Montezuma-Cortez 72.750
    38 Denver West 71.500
    39 Battle Mountain 71.500
    40 Alameda 71.000
    41 Pueblo Central 70.667
    42 Pueblo West 70.333
    43 Greeley Central 70.222
    44 Eagle Valley 69.500
    45 Pueblo East 69.500
    46 Silver Creek 69.375
    47 Pueblo South 68.857
    48 Mead 68.750
    49 Thompson Valley 67.333
    50 Berthoud 67.167
    51 Discovery Canyon 66.571
    52 Coronado 64.000
    53 Vista Ridge 64.000
    54 Pueblo County 62.833
    55 Sand Creek 62.667
    56 Arvada 62.000
    57 Fort Morgan 60.333
    58 Englewood 60.143
    59 Cheyenne Mountain 60.000
    60 Broomfield 59.600
    61 Woodland Park 55.500
    62 Centaurus 53.000
    63 Summit 52.000
    64 Glenwood Springs 51.000
    65 Roosevelt 50.833
    66 Denver South 48.909
    67 Weld Central 45.833
    68 Sierra 45.571
    69 Mitchell 38.000
    70 Harrison 34.000

    Class 3A
    Rank School Points
    1 Eaton 90.500
    2 Valley 82.000
    3 Kent Denver 82.000
    4 Cedaredge 80.800
    5 Holy Family 80.667
    6 Gunnison 79.000
    7 The Classical Academy 79.000
    8 University 78.000
    9 Lamar 77.167
    10 Faith Christian 77.000
    11 Arrupe Jesuit 75.333
    12 Basalt 75.000
    13 Brush 69.750
    14 Fort Lupton 69.250
    15 Centauri 67.000
    16 Platte Valley 66.600
    17 Florence 65.500
    18 St. Mary’s 65.000
    19 Olathe 63.111
    20 Moffat County 61.286
    21 Strasburg 61.000
    22 Bennett 60.750
    23 Sheridan 60.571
    24 Manitou Springs 58.000
    25 La Junta 57.125
    26 Buena Vista 56.500
    27 Bishop Machebeuf 54.429
    28 Pagosa Springs 54.333
    29 The Academy 53.200
    30 Peak to Peak 53.000
    31 Clear Creek/Gilpin County 51.667
    32 Alamosa 51.333
    33 Ellicott 51.250
    34 Sterling 50.125
    35 Trinidad 49.714
    36 Roaring Fork 46.000
    37 Colorado Springs Christian 45.500
    38 Dolores Huerta Prep 44.143
    39 Monte Vista 43.800
    40 Jefferson Academy 42.000
    41 Salida 41.000
    42 Denver Science & Tech Stapleton 39.500
    43 Coal Ridge 38.833
    44 Grand Valley 38.750
    45 Platte Canyon 38.600
    46 Middle Park 36.250
    47 Colorado Academy 36.000
    48 Estes Park 35.571
    49 Aspen 34.286
    50 Manual 34.200
    51 Bruce Randolph 33.250
    52 Jefferson 28.333
    53 KIPP Denver Collegiate 20.000

    Class 2A
    Rank School Points
    1 Rye 69.143
    2 Peyton 69.143
    3 Swink 67.333
    4 Hotchkiss 65.000
    5 Kiowa 65.000
    6 Sedgwick County 63.000
    7 Front Range Christian 62.500
    8 Rangely 62.200
    9 Denver Christian 59.500
    10 Sierra Grande 59.333
    11 Resurrection Christian 59.000
    12 Springfield 59.000
    13 Ignacio 58.667
    14 Rocky Ford 58.143
    15 Yuma 57.750
    16 Fowler 57.400
    17 Limon 56.429
    18 Holyoke 55.667
    19 Crowley County 54.200
    20 Nucla 53.800
    21 Burlington 53.667
    22 Lyons 52.833
    23 Dolores 52.714
    24 Center 51.286
    25 Lutheran 51.200
    26 Alexander Dawson 49.714
    27 Custer County 49.667
    28 Haxtun 49.000
    29 South Park 48.143
    30 Paonia 47.167
    31 Akron 45.000
    32 Calhan 44.667
    33 John Mall 44.000
    34 Las Animas 42.000
    35 Evangelical Christian 39.500
    36 Wray 39.000
    37 Dayspring Christian Academy 38.000
    38 Merino 37.500
    39 Longmont Christian 35.286
    40 Sargent 33.000
    41 Highland 32.750
    42 Meeker 32.500
    43 Simla 30.000
    44 Sanford 27.500
    45 Antonito 26.000
    46 Wiggins 25.000
    47 Denver Academy 20.000
    48 County Line [Wiley/McClave] 15.750
    49 Pikes Peak Christian 15.000
    50 Cripple Creek-Victor 10.000

    Class 1A
    Rank School Points
    1 Stratton 62.333
    2 Elbert 61.250
    3 Weldon Valley 50.000
    4 Granada 44.500
    5 Dove Creek 44.500
    6 Cotopaxi 40.250
    7 Peetz 38.000
    8 Community Christian 36.857
    9 Manzanola 33.800
    10 Eads 28.857
    11 Caliche 28.286
    12 Rocky Mountain Lutheran 25.750
    13 Cheyenne Wells 23.333
    14 Fleming 22.500
    15 Cornerstone Christian Academy 22.000
    16 Holly 13.333
    17 Primero 11.667
    18 Briggsdale 10.000
    19 Denver Jewish Day 7.500
  • Denver West, en route to reviving glory days, advances in 4A boys tournament

    (Brock Laue)
    (Brock Laue)

    COLORADO SPRINGS — Denver West boys basketball had a tradition of producing great teams and players in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

    Robert Coyne played on a national championship team at Kansas in the 1980s and in the NBA. Gary Rhoades had an illustrious career at Denver West, setting the DPL single season record for points per game with a 29.9 average during the 1968-69 season and was an all-conference player at Colorado State. Prolific basketball coach Bob Caton, the head man at Highlands Ranch, was an all-city player for Denver West and then a starter at Colorado State.

    The Cowboys have a history of excellence in boys basketball, but had been a consistent bottom feeder in the Denver Prep League in the 2000s.

    Denver West is officially back in the hoops picture with one of the state’s premier 4A teams.

    The Cowboys, led by first-year head coach Ray Valdez, the younger brother of Lincoln head coach Vince Valdez, displayed their best team in at least 15 years Friday afternoon. No. 3-seeded Denver West defeated No. 6 Frederick 81-72 in a fast-paced, hot shooting second round game at Sand Creek, the No. 2 seed in the Guy Gibbs Region and host school for the game.

    Denver West, a young team with two sophomores and a freshman starting, began the game on fire with a 28-point first quarter led by Eduardo Rosales’ 11 points and Alpha Diallo’s ten points.

    They held a 13-point lead to start the second quarter, but Frederick fired back as seniors Austin Rivera and Alex Therrien, the leading scorers this season for the Warriors, caught fire. Rivera pumped in 10 points and Therrien had eight in the quarter as the two combined for all of the team’s points.

    Rivera tallied 17 first-half points, but Denver West continued their efficient display offensively and led 43-33 at the break.

    “We’ve been preaching to them that they have to play each play like it’s their last and they did that tonight. They kept attacking,” Frederick coach Larry Frank said about Therrien and Rivera.

    Frederick was unable to contain Diallo, though.

    The ultra-talented 6-foot-6 sophomore wing used his quickness and all-around athletic ability to score 17 first-half points. He also grabbed several rebounds and showed off vision and passing ability in the open floor. Diallo is considered one of the premier sophomores in Colorado and looked it Friday.

    “My teammates did a good job setting me up for open shots and I just had to repay them by hitting the shot,” Diallo said afterward.

    “He’s really good,” Valdez said of Diallo. “We’re able to plug him into a hole where we think there may be a weakness and the other guys are so good at spacing around him. They do a really good job of getting into his vision lane. Our guys do a really good job of going to where he can see them and they space him really well, so that he is able to do some of the things that he is pretty dynamic at.”

    Frederick’s Therrien, averaging 14.9 points per contest, continued to keep the Warriors within striking distance with 15 third-quarter points.  He drained a ridiculously tough buzzer-beating 3 from just inside half-court to end the quarter down 61-53. He was dynamic shooting the ball as West struggled all evening getting out on the senior.

    For how hot Therrien was throughout, Denver West was even hotter and never let up. Diallo had a quiet two points in the third, but closed strong with nine fourth quarter points and helped seal the 81-72 victory for the Cowboys.

    “They were really, really good at handling their first playoff game,” Valdez said afterwards. “You walk in nervous and instead of trying to overdo things, they kind of allowed themselves to do the things that they know they can do well. They did a wonderful, wonderful job.”

    The Cowboys exhibited pure talent with the likes of Alpha Diallo, savvy and intelligent sophomore guard Eduardo Rosales, a great shooter, quick and dynamic playmaking freshman Jose Rodriguez, and 6-foot-8 inch Jesus Martinez, a sophomore shot-blocker.

    They showed leadership with senior guard Jason Medina, a do it all guard who is a tough defender.

    “Jason’s really made it smooth,” Valdez said of his senior leader’s help in guiding the young team. “We’re young and do silly things, but Jason has been like another assistant. He’s been like an on-floor coach.”

    Denver West revealed a well-oiled system on offense and defense, and they displayed great coaching with Valdez and former Lincoln players, Eric Carrasco and Saul Torres, as two of his assistants.  Carrasco and Torres were starters on Lincoln’s 4A state championship teams in 2007 and 2008, the first state titles of any kind at the school since 1968, so they are all too familiar with building successful programs at schools like Denver West.

    Diallo finished the game with a team high 28 points. Rosales and Rodriguez had 14 points each and Medina chipped in 13 for Denver West.

    “He has to learn a little more heel and not so much attack,” Valdez said, laughing when describing Rodriguez, “but he’s very dynamic in a lot of the things he does. He’s just really fearless.”

    Frederick’s Therrien went off for 32 points, 21 in the second half alone. Rivera scored 21 points as the two senior guards combined for 53 of the Warriors’ 72 points and were poised and effective all game.

    “They answered every one of our runs,” Frank said after the defeat. “When you shoot 75 percent — which I don’t know if that’s the actual figure yet, but today they (Denver West) shot the ball extremely well.

    “They deserved the victory, but the best part about it is I’m so proud of my team. They could’ve easily folded and they gave it their all and laid it all out on the court. That’s what sports and life, in general, is about. There’s only one team that’s going to end up with a win at the end of their season and that’s the state champs. We had a great season, set the school record in wins, and it was a great group of kids, great group of three seniors.”

    Frederick went 18-6 this season and reached the second round, a year after a 17-7 campaign that saw a first-round exit with a 62-55 loss to Greeley Central. The Warriors had a very strong season with a second place finish behind Mead in the Tri-Valley League.

    Denver West continues its dream season with an appearance in the Sweet 16 for the first time in as long as anyone can remember. The Cowboys will take on No. 2 seed Sand Creek, the co-champions of the perennially tough Pikes Peak League, and a team featuring Air Force recruit Dylan Clark.  Clark and Langston Bell form a talented backcourt for the Scorpions. Sand Creek defeated Steamboat Springs 64-49 in the night game at Sand Creek on Friday.

    The Sweet 16 game between Denver West and Sand Creek, the host, is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Saturday evening. The winner will take on either D’Evelyn or Mead in the Great 8 at the Denver Coliseum on Saturday, March 8.

    Denver West boys basketball, a serious Final Four contender in 4A, is tasting a little bit of their glory years again.

  • Ball Fever: Previewing the 5A and 4A boys basketball tournaments

    (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
    Mountain Vista is a No. 1 seed in the Ray Ball Region. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    Ball Fever is a regular installment written by Thomas Trotman which rounds up boys basketball action in Class 5A and 4A.

    Colorado prep hoop fans! What an exciting time in Colorado as our big school divisions have produced one memorable regular season with some excellent team play and amazing individual performances, as well.

    The buzz about Colorado hoops is legit and we can thank a growing basketball community for that from our peewee rec leagues to competitive club ball, increasing individual personal training opportunities and truly dedicated high school staffs. The basketball product hitting the Colorado hardwood is improving and colleges of all levels are taking notice! Great time to be a part of Colorado hoops and now lets get to the madness!

    Now, on to the tournament previews:

    [divider]

    Class 5A

    Ray Ball Region

    The top seed coming out of this region is an extremely hot Mountain Vista (22-1) squad which is riding a 14-game winning streak. That includes their Continental League-clinching overtime thriller vs. Highlands Ranch to cap the regular season. The confident, Denver-bound Jake Pemberton leads Vista’s fast-paced attack which keeps opponents gasping for air.

    Our Fever Crew discussed Chatfield playing with a bit of a chip on their shoulder in this region after going 14-2 in league and winning the Jeffco but earning a No. 3 seed.

    Eaglecrest celebrates winning the 2013 5A boys basketball championship. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
    Eaglecrest celebrates winning the last year’s 5A basketball championship. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    The defending champs? Oh yes, the Eaglecrest Raptors again have a balanced attack with numerous athletes who are likely very hungry to taste the title again. Junior Blend Advili continues to be a jack of all trades for the Raptors, while LaDerian King and Jaisean Jackson’s senior leadership will make the defending champ a scary matchup. 

    Favorites: Mountain Vista and Eaglecrest. In our opinion, both are Boulder-capable teams but only one will get there. 

    Watch out for: Fort Collins can be a sneaky No. 4 seed here in our opinion. Colorado State commit Toby Van Ry and his running mate Will Duggan (Black Hills State commit) will not go down without a fight. Possible Sweet 16 match-up with Mountain Vista for Fort Collins.

    Chatfield was discussed above and they may have to face a tough, well-coached ThunderRidge squad right away. Coach Joe Ortiz and crew will use the lessons learned in the tough Continental League and be prepared should that game become reality.

    Chauncey Billups Region:

    Fossil Ridge Monarch boys basketball
    Fossil Ridge is No. 1 seed in the Chauncey Billups Region. (Pam Wagner)

    One year ago, we sat in the Fossil Ridge gym and watched that 2013 team battle Arapahoe to exciting last-second finish. While looking at their roster all one could think was, “This squad is going to be tough next year!”

    That turned out to be a huge understatement as the SaberCats have posted a perfect 23-0 season with their first league title and many voting them as our state’s No. 1 team. The SaberCats’ lead man is Alex Semadeni, who leads their balanced attack with 14 points per game. Our Fever Crew got to see many of these young men playing club ball together as well in tough venues such as Indianapolis and Las Vegas.

    Regardless of how things end up for the SaberCats, congrats are in order for coach Matt Johannsen and the entire Fossil Ridge hoops family.

    With all the attention Mountain Vista and Highlands Ranch got towards the end of the season, it may have been easy to overlook Regis Jesuit but don’t make that mistake as coach Ken Shaw will have his crew prepped for postseason action. The Raiders have a No. 2 seed but some tough potential opponents in Smoky Hill, Standley Lake and possibly an Arapahoe if both can advance to Sweet 16.

    Favorites: Fossil Ridge and Regis. After a tough two-point loss to Mountain Vista, Regis has quietly ran off seven in a row. Many feel Fossil Ridge/Regis have similar rosters and would love to see the two great coaches match wits as well.

    Watch out for:

    • A fun first-round match up in Rock Canyon and Lincoln. If you like guard play check out Lincoln’s leader Michael Sparks vs. the Jaguars tandem of Tyler Garcia and Mitch Lombard.
    • Arapahoe and Smoky Hill have impressive “Centennial-tough” league wins and wouldn’t mind playing for a rubber match after splitting their season matchups.

    Jim Baggot Region:

    Denver East Cherokee Trail boys basketball
    Denver East’s Dom Collier. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

    The season had to have a bit of a “rock star” feel for this region’s top seed Denver East Angels while they had the opportunity to play top national competition in Utah, Florida and Nebraska.

    The Angels finished the season with a 19-4 mark with each loss coming out of state. CU-bound Dominique Collier and Creighton commit Ronnie Harrell lead a very celebrated starting five who all have NCAA Division I college interest and potential.

    East tasted great success last year but as we all know they came up short in the title game. They haven’t lost in Colorado this year and we’re sure coach Rudy Carey’s Angels don’t plan on it.

    Highlands Ranch suffered a 20-point post-winter break loss to Denver East in January and they would love a rematch now that the Falcons are healthy and at full strength. The No. 2 seed is led by big Zach Braxton (Weber State commit) and he has serious perimeter help with a healthy Evan Motlong along with Riley Stewart playing well. 

    Favorites: Clearly Denver East and Highlands Ranch in this region. Lots of work to be done but the city vs. suburbs fanatics would love to see this possible Sweet 16 matchup happen.

    Watch out for: 

    • Horizon will have its hands full with No. 10 seed George Washington.
    • Thomas (20 points per game) and Luke Neff over at Arvada West can heat up and cause lots of trouble in the bottom half of this region.
    • Twitter-verse seemed to show a lot of surprise at Grandview earning a No. 3 seed and they will be tested right away if the Arvada West match up plays out.
    • Heard a lot of good things about Broderick Robinson, senior averaging 20 points per for Grand Junction, and a possible match-up vs. Cherokee Trail young guns could be intriguing. 

    Bill Weimar Region:

    Legend Rangeview boys basketball
    Rangeview is on a 10-game winning streak. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

    The Danny Fisher-coached Overland Trailblazers (17-6) suffered a tough one-point home loss to Eaglecrest in January, but have since run off seven straight, including avenging that loss to the Raptors to lock up the Centennial League title in OT last Friday.

    The young Blazers talent is well documented with two-sport stud Austin Conway running the show, big De’Ron Davis on the inside, and guards Reggie Gibson, Jervae Robinson making more consistent impact. Don’t be surprised if you hear that senior T’Aren Williams steps up for Overland somewhere during this playoff journey.

    The EMAC conference hasn’t gotten a lot of respect lately but one player who could make us all take notice on any given night is future CSU Ram Jeremiah Paige. The Rangeview Raiders look good as a No. 2 seed on a 10-game win streak which includes a road victory over 4A’s No. 1 ranked squad Valor Christian to finish the season.

    The Raiders could be in for a real battle if Montbello can get the win over visiting Liberty. Montbello is playing much improved ball lately and have a starting five that can compete with any in the state. The question with the Warriors will be their depth.

    Favorites: Going with the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds as the favorites here as well. Giving a slight edge to Rangeview over No. 3 seed Chaparral here as they beat them head-to-head, but that was a very different Chap team early in the season. Overland carrying some serious momentum into tourney.

    Watch out for: 

    • Speaking of young talent, Overland may just see some if Aurora Central and their young guard Ladarius Thomas can lead the Trojans to a win over Boulder.
    • More strong guard play with Dakota Ridge potentially facing Monarch.
    • As mentioned above, Chaparral could easily be a favorite in this region. Jake Holtzman, who reportedly just picked up an offer from Denver University, leads a Chap squad who won seven of their last eight. Only recent loss coming to Continental champ Vista.
    • Senior DJ Miles is a player to watch as Bear Creek visits Cherry Creek to see who gets Chap. The Creek Bruins had a fast start and proved they can play with the best (senior Griffin Parr at 12 points per game, Ceasar Jones and Will Bower lead the strong junior class). Lets see if they can regain the steam at the right time.

    [divider]

    Class 4A

    Rangeview Valor Christian
    All season, Valor Christian has been looked at as the favorite in 4A. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    Richard Tate Region:

    The consistent No. 1-ranked team most of the season in 4A has been Valor Christian and that’s hard to argue with. The Eagles have a senior-heavy roster that has gotten close to that “gold ball” and seem primed to make another Boulder run this year.

    Senior Chase Foster (San Francisco commit; 20 points per game) is Mr. Versatility for the Eagles and he has a strong cast of sweet-shooting Garrett Baggett along with the toughness football studs Christian McCaffrey and Marcus Wilson bring.

    Valor hoops is 19-4 and their only Colorado loss comes to 5A Rangeview.

    Pueblo East got the No. 2 seed in this region. Dylan Gavin is averaging 20 points per game for East and had the team on a five-game winning streak before a season-ending loss to league champ Pueblo South.

    A player who can spark his team to a run in this region is Vista PEAK’s Romello Washington. Washington can light it up, has recent games of 25, 31, 27, with a season average of 18 per game for Vista, who are undefeated league champs.

    Favorites: Valor Christian and Pueblo East. 

    Watch out for: Ponderosa played in the brutal 5A Continental League but now look to make some noise in the 4A tourney. Will be interesting to see how Valor handles one of our states best “bigs” in 6-foot-10 Wyoming commit Jonathon Barnes should Pondo get by Mountain View.

    Guy Gibbs Region:

    Valor Christian D'Evelyn boys basketball
    D’Evelyn is the No. 1 seed in the Guy Gibbs Region. (Dennis Pleuss)

    The D’Evelyn Jaguars have a strong duo who have both averaged close to 20 points per game the entire season in Ty McGee and Grant Witherspoon. The 18-5 Jags had two late season losses to Thomas Jefferson and Wheat Ridge but their 13-1 Jeffco 4A league record won the league title and got them the No. 1 seed.

    The No. 2 seed Sand Creek in this region has a real play maker of their own in Air Force commit Dylan Clark (averaging 20 points per game, as well).

    Favorites: Have to add Denver West as a serious problem for folks in this region along with the two top seeds. Coach Ray Valdez has the Cowboys playing fundamentally sound and with a lot of fight. Sophomore Alpha Diallo is an up and coming play maker with nice court vision, scoring ability for West.

    Watch out for: Would love to have a front row seat for a potential Sweet 16 match up of Denver West vs. Sand Creek. 

    Mark Randall Region:

    Thompson Valley's Collin Smith. (Brock Laue)
    Thompson Valley’s Collin Smith. (Brock Laue)

    Two more deserving, tough Nos. 1 and 2 seeds here as well.

    Thompson Valley, 22-1 with only loss coming to 5A’s Fossil Ridge, haven’t tasted defeat since mid-December. 6-foot-5 senior Collin Smith paces the Eagles with 19 points and six rebounds per game.

    Got to take a look at Thompson Valley’s balanced play when they visited a squad with a strong senior leader of their own in Cheyenne Mountain’s Ghassan Nehme (Montana State commit). Nehme, who averages almost 27 points per game, has the Indians on a five-game streak headed into tourney play.

    Favorites: Top two seeds look good here but Longmont and Mesa Ridge very capable of mixing things up. Senior Austin Kemp will attempt to get Longmont back on track after two late-season losses. 

    Watch out for: Ghassan Nehme is an electric scorer who can put his squad on his shoulders if needed. 

    Maceo Broadnax Jr. Region:

    Denver South Thomas Jefferson boys basketball
    Denver South is the No. 2 seed in the Maceo Broadnax Jr. Region. (Mark Adams)

    Pueblo South lost their first two games of the season and have impressively ran off 21 wins in a row. Now that’s momentum headed into the tourney.

    Another impressive stat is that the Colts have four players averaging double figure scoring, led by Brian Pratt and Jared Baros right at 13 each per game.

    Denver South holds this region’s No. 2 seed and their big man in the middle, Ibrahim Sylla (Northern Colorado commit), is a double-double highlight machine above the rim. Sylla averages 14 points and 14 rebounds per game.

    Favorites: Hard to call in this extremely tough region. Stacked with competitive teams like Golden (won 10 of their last 11 games with sophomore Ryan Blodgett at 12-point and eight-rebound average) at the No. 3 seed and a No. 4 seed in Thomas Jefferson who could beat any of the top 3 if they bring their “A” game as they did in a late season win over No. 1 seed D’Evelyn.

    Watch out for: “Watch your head” as the players would say when South’s Sylla or Thomas Jefferson’s Trey Andres take flight. Two of our state’s “freakish” athletes. Denver South played a strong season finale vs. 5A No. 1 Denver East. They could carry that momentum into a tourney run. Guards Lorenzo Snoddy and Tyson Purifoy capable of big games as well. This region is tough!

    [divider]

    Whew! Get ready for some fun tourney action folks.

    Denver East/Fossil Ridge in 5A? Valor/Thompson Valley in 4A? Many have said it could play out just that way. Those have been your top big school squads all season, but we happen to remember a young man by the name of TreShawn Wilford who led the Eaglecrest Raptors on a special tournament run in 2013.

    Who could be the Wilford of this years playoffs? We’ll be watching to find out! Enjoy …

  • Top-10 boys basketball schedule for the week of Feb. 17

    A complete schedule and scoreboard for boys basketball’s top-10 teams this week.

    Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A
    [divider]

    Class 5A
    1 Denver East 18-4
    Tues: W 76-51 vs. George Washington
    Fri: W 62-58 at (4A 7) Denver South
    2 Fossil Ridge 23-0
    Tues: W 45-34 at Fort Collins
    Thurs: W 77-33 vs. Loveland
    3 Mountain Vista 22-1
    Tues: W 80-66 at Legend
    Fri: W 75-73 vs. (7) Highlands Ranch
    4 Regis Jesuit 20-3
    Tues: W 78-43 vs. Douglas County
    Fri: W 70-47 at Ponderosa
    5 Eaglecrest 17-6
    Wed: W 54-52 at Smoky Hill
    Fri: L 65-68 vs. (6) Overland
    6 Overland 17-6
    Wed: W 56-38 at Cherry Creek
    Fri: W 68-65 at (5) Eaglecrest
    7 Highlands Ranch 16-7
    Tues: W 72-45 vs. Ponderosa
    Fri: L 73-75 at (3) Mountain Vista
    8 Arapahoe 18-5
    Wed: W 43-42 at Grandview
    Fri: W 71-65 at Cherokee Trail
    9 Rangeview 20-3
    Tues: W 94-53 vs. Hinkley
    Thurs: W 83-76 at (4A 1) Valor Christian
    10 Grand Junction 18-2
    Tues: W 87-41 vs. Grand Junction Central

    Class 4A
    1 Valor Christian 19-4
    Thurs: L 76-83 vs. (5A 9) Rangeview
    Fri: W 53-40 at Sierra
    2 Thompson Valley 22-1
    Tues: W 52-39 at (4) Longmont
    Fri: W 72-55 at Mountain View
    3 Pueblo South 21-2
    Tues: W 84-74 at Pueblo West
    Fri: W 66-62 vs. (5) Pueblo East
    4 Longmont 18-5
    Tues: L 39-52 vs. (2) Thompson Valley
    Fri: L 47-52 at Silver Creek
    5 Pueblo East 18-5
    Tues: W 54-50 at Pueblo Central
    Fri: L 62-66 at (3) Pueblo South
    6 D’Evelyn 18-5
    Wed: L 60-69 at Wheat Ridge
    Fri: W 90-48 at Arvada
    7 Denver South 15-8
    Fri: L 58-62 vs. (5A 1) Denver East
    8 Sand Creek 17-5
    Tues: W 56-41 vs. Lewis-Palmer
    Sat: at Falcon
    9 Cheyenne Mountain 18-5
    Tues: W 86-45 vs. Discovery Canyon
    Thurs: W 69-47 vs. Air Academy
    Fri: W 68-63 vs. Palmer Ridge
    10 Denver West 15-8
    Mon: W 78-70 vs. Silver Creek
    Tues: L 67-74 vs. Montbello
    Fri: W 70-54 at Denver North

    Class 3A
    1 Holy Family 18-1
    Wed: W 52-35 vs. Kent Denver
    2 Colorado Academy 18-1
    Tues: W 90-51 vs. Denver North
    Fri: W 83-62 at (2A 5) Resurrection Christian
    3 Jefferson Academy 15-3
    Tues: vs. The Classical Academy
    4 Faith Christian 13-6
    Tues: W 71-29 vs. Manual
    Thurs: L 60-68 at Northglenn
    5 Colorado Springs Christian 16-3
    Tues: W 68-28 vs. Florence
    Thurs: W 62-43 at Manitou Springs
    6 Moffat County 15-3
    Tues: L 55-64 at Gunnison
    Fri: W 54-51 at Coal Ridge
    Sat: vs. Grand Valley
    7 Denver Science & Tech 15-5
    Mon: W 84-51 at Middle Park
    Tues: L 54-56 at (8) The Pinnacle
    8 The Pinnacle 15-4
    Tues: W 56-54 vs. (7) Denver Science & Tech
    9 Aspen 16-3
    Fri: W 44-40 at Gunnison
    10 Platte Valley 14-5
    Tues: W 78-52 vs. Eaton

    Class 2A
    1 Ignacio 17-0
    Tues: at Monticello (Utah)
    Fri: W 59-41 at Norwood
    Sat: vs. Telluride
    2 Sanford 18-1
    Tues: W 75-32 at Pagosa Springs
    Fri: W 54-36 at Sangre de Cristo
    3 Lutheran 13-6
    Tues: W 58-36 vs. University
    Fri: W 63-40 at Byers
    4 Akron 18-1
    Tues: W 77-50 at Wiggins
    Thurs: W 68-65 at (9) Holyoke
    Fri: W 73-45 vs. Merino
    5 Resurrection Christian 16-3
    Tues: W 87-51 vs. Nederland
    Fri: L 62-83 vs. (3A 2) Colorado Academy
    6 Yuma 16-3
    Thurs: W 59-55 at (1A 1) Hi-Plains
    7 Peyton 16-2
    Fri: W 79-39 vs. Evangelical Christian
    Sat: W 62-51 vs. Center
    8 Simla 16-2
    Tues: W 76-57 at Custer County
    Sat: at Miami-Yoder
    9 Holyoke 12-7
    Thurs: L 65-68 vs. (4) Akron
    Fri: W 73-69 at Sedgwick County
    10 Meeker 14-5
    Tues: L 49-52 at Rangely

    Class 1A
    1 Hi-Plains 16-2
    Thurs: L 55-59 vs. (2A 6) Yuma
    Sat: vs. Byers
    2 Caliche 16-2
    Fri: W 49-39 at Haxtun
    Sat: vs. Pawnee
    3 Holly 14-4
    Tues: L 45-51 at Granada
    Thurs: vs. Elkhart (Kan.)
    4 Cheyenne Wells 12-6
    Tues: vs. Weskan (Kan.)
    Fri: L 41-45 at Kit Carson
    5 South Baca 12-5
    Thurs: L 59-65 vs. Springfield
    Sat: at Primero
    6 Vail Christian 13-5
    Sat: at Plateau Valley
    7 McClave 15-4
    Thurs: W 56-49 vs. Wiley
    Fri: W 76-30 at Eads
    8 Shining Mountain 14-4
    Thurs: vs. Eagle Ridge Academy
    9 Cheraw 12-5
    Tues: W 56-47 vs. Wiley
    Fri: L 32-59 vs. Granada
    Sat: vs. Kit Carson
    10 Briggsdale 12-6
    Thurs: L 45-52 vs. Merino
    Fri: W 38-37 at Prairie
  • Denver East narrowly holds onto top spot in 5A boys basketball ranking

    With one week to go in the regular season, Fossil Ridge nearly overtook Denver East atop the Class 5A basketball rankings.

    Nearly.

    The SaberCats remained in the No. 2 spot despite the fact that both schools received 10 first-place votes. Denver East, though, held on to its top ranking by one overall point.

    The Angels have been No. 1 all season, save for one week in mid-January when Fossil Ridge led the poll.

    Mountain Vista stayed put at No. 3 this week, and continued to be followed by No. 4 Regis Jesuit and No. 5 Eaglecrest.

    Overland bumped up on place to No. 6, while Highlands Ranch went from No. 10 to No. 7 after going 2-0 last week.

    Arapahoe dropped two spots to No. 8, Rangeview is the poll’s lone newcomer at No. 9, and Grand Junction rounds out the ranking at No. 10.

    The Centennial and Continental leagues both have three teams in the top-10 this week. The Denver Prep, Front Range and East Metro and Southwestern all have one ranked team.

    Elsewhere, the 1A poll has a new No. 1 team. Hi-Plains took over for Caliche after receiving eight of the 11 first-place votes in that class. Hi-Plains went 3-0 last week, while Caliche went 1-2, though both losses were to ranked 2A teams.

    That ranking added No. 9 Cheraw and No. 10 Briggsdale.

    Holy Family Jefferson Academy boys basketball
    Jefferson Academy moved up to No. 3 in 3A this week. (Pam Wagner)

    The No. 1 teams in 4A (Valor Christian), 3A (Holy Family) and 2A (Ignacio) stayed the same this week.

    The 4A poll added No. 9 Cheyenne Mountain and No. 10 Denver West. 3A added No. 7 Denver Science & Tech and No. 10 Platte Valley.

    Holyoke (No. 9) and Meeker (No. 10) were the new teams in the 2A ranking this week.

    As the regular season ends for all classes this week, these will be the final rankings of the season.

    Complete polls for all classes are below.

    [divider]

    CHSAANow.com Boys Basketball Polls

    Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.

    Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.

    Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A

    Class 5A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Denver East (10) 16-4 190 1 1-1
    2 Fossil Ridge (10) 21-0 189 2 2-0
    3 Mountain Vista 20-1 152 3 2-0
    4 Regis Jesuit 18-3 135 4 2-0
    5 Eaglecrest 16-5 106 5 2-1
    6 Overland 15-6 94 7 2-0
    7 Highlands Ranch 15-6 63 10 2-0
    8 Arapahoe 16-5 61 6 2-1
    9 Rangeview 18-3 39 2-0
    10 Grand Junction 17-2 21 9 1-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Grandview 16, Monarch 10, Chatfield 7, Chaparral 5, Cherry Creek 5, Dakota Ridge 2, Fort Collins 2, Legend 2, Montbello 1.
    Dropped out
    Chatfield (8).

    Class 4A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Valor Christian (16) 18-3 160 1 2-0
    2 Thompson Valley 20-1 139 2 2-0
    3 Pueblo South 19-2 124 3 1-0
    4 Longmont 18-3 85 7 2-0
    5 Pueblo East 17-4 79 6 1-0
    6 D’Evelyn 17-4 77 4 2-1
    7 Denver South 15-7 52 8 1-0
    8 Sand Creek 16-5 45 5 1-2
    9 Cheyenne Mountain 15-5 32 2-0
    10 Denver West 13-7 26 2-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Air Academy 20, Thomas Jefferson 20, Golden 14, Wheat Ridge 6, Rifle 1.
    Dropped out
    Air Academy (9), Golden (10).

    Class 3A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Holy Family (9) 17-1 126 1 1-1
    2 Colorado Academy (2) 16-1 117 2 2-0
    3 Jefferson Academy (1) 15-3 97 5 1-0
    4 Faith Christian 12-5 91 3 1-0
    5 Colorado Springs Christian (1) 14-3 88 4 3-0
    6 Moffat County 14-2 60 9 3-0
    7 Denver Science & Tech 14-4 33 3-0
    8 The Pinnacle 14-4 31 10 2-1
    9 Aspen 15-3 24 7 2-1
    10 Platte Valley 13-5 18 3-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Brush 16, St. Mary’s 9, Bishop Machebeuf 5.
    Dropped out
    Brush (6), Centauri (8).

    Class 2A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Ignacio (9) 16-0 141 1 3-0
    2 Sanford (1) 16-1 127 2 2-0
    3 Lutheran (4) 11-6 120 4 2-0
    4 Akron 15-1 113 3 2-0
    5 Resurrection Christian (1) 15-2 86 5 1-0
    6 Yuma 15-3 76 6 3-0
    7 Peyton 14-2 54 7 1-0
    8 Simla 15-2 44 8 2-0
    9 Holyoke 11-6 14 2-1
    10 Meeker 14-4 13 2-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Rye 12, Crowley County 7, Center 6, Denver Christian 5, Telluride 3, Haxtun 1, Paonia 1, Sedgwick County 1, Swink 1.
    Dropped out
    Rye (9), Denver Christian (10).

    Class 1A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Hi-Plains (8) 16-1 107 2 3-0
    2 Caliche (3) 15-2 101 1 1-2
    3 Holly 14-3 87 3 2-0
    4 Cheyenne Wells 12-5 67 4 1-2
    5 South Baca 12-4 61 7 1-0
    6 Vail Christian 13-5 56 6 2-1
    7 McClave 13-4 48 5 1-1
    8 Shining Mountain 14-4 33 8 2-0
    9 Cheraw 11-4 15 4-0
    10 Briggsdale 11-5 13 2-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Jim Elliot Christian 10, Primero 2, Walsh 2, Norwood 1, Peetz 1, Liberty/Stratton 1.
    Dropped out
    Primero (9), Norwood (10).
  • Widespread changes as Valor Christian takes over atop 5A football poll

    The weekend’s turmoil has bled over into CHSAANow.com’s football polls.

    Though, when a total of 17 ranked teams lose in a week — including the No. 1s in classes 5A, 4A and 3A — it’s not hard to see change coming. So, yes, there are new teams atop 5A (Valor Christian), 4A (Montrose) and 3A (Rifle).

    But the change didn’t only affect the top. In 5A, where three of the top four teams lost last week, that meant Chatfield, Fairview, Cherokee Trail and Regis Jesuit all made big jumps.

    Valor Christian leads the 5A poll for the second time this season. The Eagles are 4-1, but unbeaten against Colorado competition this season, and received 21 of the 24 first-place votes.

    Chatfield moved up to No. 2 from No. 5, Fairview went from No. 7 to No. 3 and Cherokee Trail moved into fourth from sixth. Regis Jesuit, which last week knocked off then-No. 1 ThunderRidge, went from No. 9 to No. 5.

    ThunderRidge dropped to sixth, and is followed by Grandview and Cherry Creek.

    The 5A poll added two new teams this week: No. 9 Pomona and No. 10 Arapahoe.

    In 4A, Montrose takes over following its come-from-behind win over then-No. 1 Monarch. The Indians were a unanimous No. 1 pick, getting all 21 first-place votes.

    Falcon is No. 2 this week, and Monarch dropped to No. 3. Loveland stayed at No. 4, Montbello moved up one place to round out the top-5.

    Pueblo Centennial (No. 9) and Longmont (No. 10) are 4A’s newcomers this week.

    Rifle takes over atop the 3A ranking following Silver Creek’s loss to Frederick. New to 3A this week are Mead (No. 7) and D’Evelyn (No. 10).

    Brush continued to lead 2A’s poll, which added Bennett at No. 10.

    Likewise, Buena Vista remained atop in 1A. That poll added Paonia (No. 8) and Jefferson (No. 9). Jefferson’s addition is especially noteworthy because the Saints were a combined 3-85 from 2004-12.

    Complete rankings for all classes are below.

    [divider]

    CHSAANow.com Football Polls

    Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.

    Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A | 8-man | 6-man

    Class 5A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Valor Christian (21) 4-1 238 2 W
    2 Chatfield (2) 5-0 189 5 W
    3 Fairview 4-0 181 7 W
    4 Cherokee Trail (1) 4-1 170 6 W
    5 Regis Jesuit 4-1 159 9 W
    6 ThunderRidge 4-1 142 1 L
    7 Grandview 4-1 87 8 W
    8 Cherry Creek 4-1 79 10 W
    9 Pomona 4-1 38 W
    10 Arapahoe 4-1 35 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Columbine 31, Ralston Valley 25, Grand Junction 23, Douglas County 16, Legend 6, Mountain Range 6, Doherty 5.
    Dropped out
    Columbine (3), Ralston Valley (4).

    Class 4A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Montrose (21) 6-0 210 2 W
    2 Falcon 5-0 153 3 W
    3 Monarch 3-1 149 1 L
    4 Loveland 4-0 134 4 W
    5 Montbello 5-0 132 6 W
    6 Standley Lake 5-0 102 7 W
    7 Pueblo West 4-1 88 9 W
    8 Pine Creek 3-2 48 10 W
    9 Pueblo Centennial 5-0 35 W
    10 Longmont 3-1 27 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Pueblo South 26, Durango 18, Wheat Ridge 12, Broomfield 11, Windsor 5, Denver South 3, Sand Creek 3.
    Dropped out
    Wheat Ridge (5), Denver South (8).

    Class 3A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Rifle (8) 5-0 154 2 W
    2 Palisade (6) 5-0 153 3 W
    3 Coronado (1) 6-0 121 5 W
    4 Silver Creek (1) 3-1 96 1 L
    5 Discovery Canyon 5-1 92 8 W
    6 Holy Family 3-1 89 7 W
    7 Mead 4-0 51 W
    8 Evergreen 4-1 45 10 W
    9 Elizabeth 3-2 33 4 L
    10 D’Evelyn (1) 5-1 26 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Lutheran 23, Roosevelt 15, Frederick 14, Erie 7, Eagle Valley 6, Delta 5, Conifer 3, The Classical Academy 2.
    Dropped out
    Lutheran (6), Delta (9).

    Class 2A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Brush (12) 4-0 120 1 W
    2 Kent Denver 4-1 92 2 W
    3 Manitou Springs 5-0 88 5 W
    4 Platte Valley 3-1 85 3 W
    5 Lamar 5-0 78 7 W
    6 Faith Christian 4-2 53 8 W
    7 Strasburg 4-1 46 6 L
    8 Florence 3-2 42 4 L
    9 Denver West 4-1 12 9 L
    10 Bennett 3-2 11 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Eaton 9, Olathe 7, University 7, Aspen 5, Gunnison 2, Bayfield 1.
    Dropped out
    Aspen (10).

    Class 1A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Buena Vista (12) 5-0 161 1 W
    2 Limon (4) 5-0 142 2 W
    3 Hotchkiss 4-1 123 4 W
    4 Centauri 4-1 113 5 W
    5 Wiggins 4-0 80 7 W
    6 Monte Vista 4-1 75 8 W
    7 Cedaredge 3-2 61 3 L
    8 Paonia 4-1 37 W
    9 Jefferson (1) 6-0 31 W
    10 Meeker 5-0 30 10 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Holyoke 27, Lyons 20, Crowley County 16, Wray 6, Cornerstone Christian 5, Resurrection Christian 5, Rye 3, Center 1.
    Dropped out
    Holyoke (6), Wray (9).

    8-man
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Hoehne (6) 5-0 78 1 W
    2 Dayspring Christian (2) 5-0 73 2 W
    3 Caliche 5-0 53 3 W
    4 Akron 4-1 51 5 W
    5 Simla 5-0 50 6 W
    6 Norwood 4-1 45 4 W
    7 Kiowa 5-1 27 7 W
    8 Granada 4-1 21 8 W
    9 McClave 4-1 19 9 W
    10 Dove Creek 4-1 11 10 Bye
    Others receiving votes:
    Fowler 8, Sargent 4, Soroco 1.
    Dropped out
    None.

    6-man
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Liberty/Stratton (8) 5-0 44 1 W
    2 Hi-Plains (1) 5-0 31 2 W
    3 Arickaree 5-0 25 3 W
    4 Briggsdale 4-0 20 4 W
    5 Eads 4-1 15 5 W
    Others receiving votes:
    None.
    Dropped out
    None.
  • Brush in charge of 2A football poll after beating Platte Valley

    (David Samples/lastingimagesbydave.com)
    (David Samples/lastingimagesbydave.com)

    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.

    Falcon is third this week, followed by Loveland, Wheat Ridge and Montbello, which beat former No. 2 Denver South on Saturday. South dropped to No. 8.

    Montbello and Wheat Ridge play Friday.

    Pine Creek was the lone new team to the 4A poll.

    The 3A ranking added No. 9 Delta and No. 10 Evergreen. Silver Creek remained at No. 1.

    In 1A, Meeker (No. 10) was the lone newcomer.

    There were no new teams to the 8-man poll, but 6-man added Briggsdale (No. 4).

    Complete rankings for all classes are below.

    [divider]

    CHSAANow.com Football Polls

    Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.

    Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A | 8-man | 6-man

    Class 5A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 ThunderRidge (13) 4-0 229 1 W
    2 Valor Christian (11) 3-1 216 2 W
    3 Columbine 4-0 161 3 W
    4 Ralston Valley 3-1 140 4 Bye
    5 Chatfield 4-0 121 7 W
    6 Cherokee Trail 3-1 118 8 W
    7 Fairview 3-0 88 9 W
    8 Grandview 3-1 71 10 W
    9 Regis Jesuit 3-1 41 5 L
    10 Cherry Creek 3-1 32 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Grand Junction 31, Pomona 27, Rocky Mountain 17, Doherty 13, Douglas County 13, Arapahoe 3.
    Dropped out
    Douglas County (6).

    Class 4A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Monarch (19) 3-0 203 1 W
    2 Montrose (2) 5-0 176 3 W
    3 Falcon 4-0 141 5 W
    4 Loveland 3-0 117 4 W
    5 Wheat Ridge 3-1 93 6 W
    6 Montbello 4-0 89 9 W
    7 Standley Lake 4-0 64 8 W
    8 Denver South 3-1 56 2 L
    9 Pueblo West 3-1 47 7 W
    10 Pine Creek 2-2 41 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Durango 36, Windsor 35, Pueblo Centennial 23, Sand Creek 20, Dakota Ridge 5, Ponderosa 4, Broomfield 2, Longmont 1, Thompson Valley 1.
    Dropped out
    Windsor (10).

    Class 3A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Silver Creek (11) 3-0 139 1 W
    2 Rifle (1) 4-0 119 2 W
    3 Palisade 4-0 98 4 W
    4 Elizabeth 3-1 92 5 W
    5 Coronado (1) 5-0 91 6 W
    6 Lutheran (2) 4-0 74 7 W
    7 Holy Family 2-1 57 3 L
    8 Discovery Canyon 4-1 42 9 W
    9 Delta 3-1 30 W
    10 Evergreen 3-1 23 W
    Others receiving votes:
    The Classical Academy 19, Mead 18, D’Evelyn 9, Roosevelt 9, Eagle Valley 3, Erie 2.
    Dropped out
    Roosevelt (8), Conifer (10).

    Class 2A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Brush (10) 3-0 100 2 W
    2 Kent Denver 3-1 79 3 W
    3 Platte Valley 2-1 70 1 L
    4 Florence 3-1 61 4 W
    5 Manitou Springs 4-0 54 5 W
    6 Strasburg 4-0 47 7 W
    7 Lamar 4-0 46 6 W
    8 Faith Christian 3-2 33 W
    9 Denver West 4-0 17 9 W
    10 Aspen 3-1 13 W
    Others receiving votes:
    University 10, Eaton 7, Fort Lupton 5, Ridgeview Academy 4, Basalt 2, Bennett 2.
    Dropped out
    Eaton (8), Bayfield (10).

    Class 1A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Buena Vista (8) 4-0 123 1 W
    2 Limon (4) 4-0 108 2 W
    3 Cedaredge (1) 3-1 89 3 Bye
    4 Hotchkiss 3-1 80 4 W
    5 Centauri 3-1 65 9 W
    6 Holyoke 4-0 59 5 W
    7 Wiggins 3-0 45 10 W
    8 Monte Vista 3-1 44 6 L
    9 Wray 2-2 27 8 L
    10 Meeker 4-0 24 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Rye 15, Center 12, Jefferson 9, Paonia 8, Lyons 5, Crowley County 3.
    Dropped out
    Crowley County (7).

    8-man
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Hoehne (5) 4-0 68 1 W
    2 Dayspring Christian (2) 4-0 65 2 W
    3 Caliche 4-0 46 5 W
    4 Norwood 3-1 45 4 W
    5 Akron 3-1 43 3 L
    6 Simla 4-0 40 6 W
    7 Kiowa 4-1 23 9 W
    8 Granada 3-1 19 8 W
    9 McClave 3-1 15 7 L
    10 Dove Creek 4-1 14 10 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Fowler 6, Sargent 2.
    Dropped out
    None.

    6-man
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Liberty/Stratton (6) 4-0 38 1 W
    2 Hi-Plains (2) 4-0 28 2 W
    3 Arickaree 4-0 20 3 W
    4 Briggsdale 3-0 16 W
    5 Eads 3-1 15 4 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Peetz 2, Hanover 1.
    Dropped out
    Fleming (5).
  • Douglas County joins 5A football poll following big upset

    (Kay Livingstone)
    Douglas County is ranked sixth in this week’s 5A poll. (Kay Livingstone)

    Douglas County took down then-No. 3 Cherry Creek on Monday night. Tuesday afternoon, the Huskies find themselves ranked.

    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.

    Complete rankings for all classes are below.

    [divider]

    CHSAANow.com Football Polls

    Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.

    Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A | 8-man | 6-man

    Class 5A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 ThunderRidge (13) 3-0 229 1 W
    2 Valor Christian (11) 2-1 227 2 W
    3 Columbine 3-0 137 5 W
    4 Ralston Valley 3-1 111 6 W
    5 Regis Jesuit 3-0 108 7 W
    6 Douglas County 3-0 89 W
    7 Chatfield 3-0 74 9 W
    8 Cherokee Trail 2-1 71 W
    9 Fairview 2-0 64 8 Bye
    10 Grandview 2-1 63 4 L
    Others receiving votes:
    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.
    Dropped out
    Paonia (10).

    8-man
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Hoehne (6) 3-0 77 1 W
    2 Dayspring Christian (2) 3-0 74 2 W
    3 Akron 3-0 58 3 W
    4 Norwood 2-1 43 7 L
    5 Caliche 3-0 36 4 W
    6 Simla 3-0 33 5 Bye
    7 McClave 3-0 29 6 W
    8 Granada 2-1 24 8 W
    9 Kiowa 3-1 22 9 W
    10 Dove Creek 3-1 21 10 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Sangre de Cristo 10, Fowler 4, Haxtun 3, Hayden 3, Soroco 2, Walsh 1.
    Dropped out
    None.

    6-man
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Liberty/Stratton (6) 3-0 38 1 W
    2 Hi-Plains (2) 3-0 30 2 W
    3 Arickaree 3-0 19 4 W
    4 Eads 2-1 18 3 L
    5 Fleming 2-1 8 5 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Prairie 4, Briggsdale 1, Hanover 1, Peetz 1.
    Dropped out
    None.