A host of new teams joined this week’s girls soccer rankings. Among them were three in 5A (Cherry Creek, Fairview and Cherokee Trail), and two in 3A (Prospect Ridge and Lutheran).
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association.
New polls are released each Monday during the regular season.
Voted upon by coaches and select 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.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Grandview (8)
2-0-0
97
2
2-0-0
2
Broomfield (1)
2-0-0
82
4
2-0-0
3
Mountain Vista
2-1-0
78
3
2-1-0
4
Legacy (1)
4-0-0
70
8
4-0-0
5
Arapahoe
3-1-0
54
1
3-1-0
6
ThunderRidge
4-1-0
51
–
4-1-0
7
Rock Canyon
2-1-0
20
–
2-1-0
8
Arvada West
3-0-0
19
–
3-0-0
9
Castle View
2-1-0
15
–
2-1-0
10
Columbine
3-2-0
14
9
3-2-0
Others receiving votes:
Cherry Creek 13, Cherokee Trail 10, Fairview 10, Fossil Ridge 6, Pine Creek 5, Rampart 3, Regis Jesuit 2, Prairie View 1.
Dropped out:
Cherokee Trail (5), Cherry Creek (6), Fairview (7), Regis Jesuit (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Windsor (7)
1-0-0
107
2
1-0-0
2
D’Evelyn
1-0-2
72
1
1-0-2
3
Littleton (1)
4-1-0
60
–
4-1-0
4
Ponderosa (2)
2-0-0
59
10
2-0-0
5
Valor Christian
2-0-2
54
7
2-0-2
6
Silver Creek (1)
4-0-0
51
–
4-0-0
7
The Classical Academy
1-0-2
47
5
1-0-2
8
Wheat Ridge (1)
3-1-0
41
4
3-1-0
9
Evergreen
2-1-0
38
3
2-1-0
10
Air Academy
1-2-1
32
6
1-2-1
Others receiving votes:
Cheyenne Mountain 31, Sand Creek 29, Lewis-Palmer 22, Holy Family 17, Pueblo Central 13, Palmer Ridge 10, Glenwood Springs 8, Discovery Canyon 7, Mullen 6, Niwot 5, Northridge 3, Pueblo Centennial 1, Pueblo West 1, Pueblo County 1.
Dropped out:
Cheyenne Mountain (8), Mullen (9).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Kent Denver (6)
3-0-1
74
1
3-0-1
2
Jefferson Academy (1)
2-0-1
68
2
2-0-1
3
The Academy (1)
3-0-0
59
3
3-0-0
4
Colorado Academy
2-1-0
55
4
2-1-0
5
Manitou Springs
3-0-0
46
7
3-0-0
6
Liberty Common
1-0-0
39
6
1-0-0
7
Colorado Springs Christian
3-0-0
32
8
3-0-0
8
Peak to Peak
2-1-0
28
5
2-1-0
9
St. Mary’s
2-0-0
14
–
2-0-0
10
Basalt
2-0-0
11
–
2-0-0
Others receiving votes:
SkyView Academy 4, Arrupe Jesuit 3, Lutheran 3, Middle Park 2, Pagosa Springs 2.
Dropped out:
SkyView Academy (9), Pagosa Springs (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Denver Christian (3)
2-1-0
33
1
2-1-0
2
Dawson School (2)
3-0-0
22
2
3-0-0
3
Fountain Valley
1-0-0
14
3
1-0-0
4
Telluride
2-0-0
7
5
2-0-0
5
Front Range Christian
0-1-1
5
4
0-1-1
Others receiving votes:
Crested Butte 2, Evangelical Christian 1, Ridgway 1.
THORNTON — Davy Brown responded to a DQ in a huge way.
Brown, an Aspen junior, lowered her own meet record during the Class 3A girls swimming and diving prelims on Thursday, an hour or so after she was disqualified for a stroke infraction in the individual medley.
Brown’s time of 56.86 in the 100 back lowered the mark of 57.37 she set at last year’s 3A meet. She now has the top qualifying time in the event heading into Friday’s finals. The time was 2.78 seconds faster than her seed time of 59.64.
Her time was even more impressive given that Brown swam the lead leg of Aspen’s 200 freestyle relay in the event prior to the backstroke. The Skiers finished with the second-fastest prelim time at 1:43.06. Pueblo County will enter the finals as the top seed with a time of 1:41.92 in the 200 free relay.
Among the favorites to win a state title for much of the season, Pueblo County had a great first day of the 3A meet.
The Hornets also qualified with the fastest time in the 200 medley relay (1:51.79), and junior Amanda Blickensderfer was the fastest qualifier in the 100 breaststroke. Blickensderfer finished in 1:05.88 — she set the 3A record last year at 1:05.26.
Abbey Selin. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Also shining during Thursday’s prelims was D’Evelyn senior Abbey Selin. A University of Wyoming recruit, she swam the fastest qualifying time in both the 200 and 500 freestyle races. Selin won the 500 last season.
Likewise, Longmont sophomore Lucille Matheson positioned herself well in multiple races. She had the top time in the 200 individual medley after the prelims, and was second in the 500.
Longmont is also expected to challenge for the team title on Friday. The Trojans qualified first in the 400 free relay with a time of 3:46.08. Kent Denver was second in 3:48.27.
St. Mary’s Caitlin Cairns qualified first in both the 50 free and 100 butterfly.
[divider]
Tight leaderboard after diving semifinals
Rachel Alexander. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Discovery Canyon sophomore Rachel Alexander seized the lead after the diving prelims on Thursday morning, but there are three others close behind.
Alexander’s score of 279.85 led the group, with Durango junior Kylie Behn nipping behind at 279.30.
St. Mary’s Retta Smith, runner-up in the event last season, sits in third at 278.10, and Fountain Valley’s Harriet Townsend is fourth at 276.40.
Alexander finished fourth last season, while Behn was sixth, and Townsend was fifth.
The top 16 divers, out of 21 who qualified, advanced to Friday’s finals.
[divider]
Friday’s schedule
The 3A meet resumes on Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. at VMAC. The 4A swim prelims will be held at the venue on Friday morning.
The 2017 all-state girls soccer teams honor the best players in the sport as judged by the leagues and coaches. They are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues, and then a vote of head coaches.
Player and coach of the year was also selected by a vote of the coaches.
[divider]
Class 5A
(Matt Daniels/MattDanPhoto.com)
Player of the year: Haley Schueppert, Mountain Vista
DENVER — On an evening that saw dark clouds roll in above All-City Stadium, it was fitting that Denver Christian girls soccer stormed into the Class 2A championship game.
The Thunder (15-2-0) scored two goals within five minutes of one another in the first half, then cruised to a 6-1 win over Fountain Valley on Wednesday. It will be Denver Christian’s first appearance in a state title game since 2005.
Denver Christian’s Miranda Kortenhoeven scored two goals, both in the second half, to help the top-seeded Thunder put the game out of reach. Kortenhoeven now has 20 goals this season.
Denver Christian junior Sidney Beijer opened the scoring when she broke in alone on Fountain Valley keeper Ava Rahm and tucked a low shot just inside the far post.
Just 4:20 after that, Hally Herder, another junior, scored off a corner kick to give the Thunder a two-goal cushion in the first half.
For each girl, it was their 10th goal of the season.
After the break, Grace Phillips made it 3-0 in favor of Denver Christian with 33 minutes to play. Kortenhoeven then added her first tally five minutes later when her free kick careened in off the crossbar.
Fountain Valley’s McKenna Monk did cut things to 4-1 briefly — it was her classification-best 42nd goal this season — before Kortenhoeven scored again with 16:53 to play.
Denver Christian’s leading scorer, freshman Kara Amidon, made it 6-1 two minutes after that off a corner kick. It was her 26th goal of the year.
Denver Christian girls soccer has gone to eight championship games prior to this season, but none since 2005. All of them came when the program was competing in 3A. The Thunder have been 2A since 2015, and made two trips to the semifinals in those three seasons.
Fountain Valley ends the year 12-6-0. The semifinal appearance marks the furthest the program has ever gone in the postseason.
Denver Christian will have to wait and see who its opponent is as the semifinal game between Dawson and Front Range Christian was suspended due to weather.
The two teams will resume play on Saturday at 1:30 at Denver Christian with the score at 0-0 and 31:52 remaining.
