MANITOU SPRINGS — Every game serves a different purpose for a season. Manitou Springs and Peyton both advanced in last year’s postseason, but neither team finished exactly where they wanted.
They clashed Friday night in Manitou in a makeup game of what was supposed to be each team’s season opener. The Class 3A No. 4 Mustangs rolled to a 51-26 but each team took a different lesson from the outcome.
Manitou (2-0 overall) is coming off its first outright Tri-Peaks League championship in program history. After losing two significant seniors, the team feels prime to repeat that feat from last year and try to accomplish something special in 2021.
“Last year we built a lot of really good momentum,” senior Isaiah Thomas said. “We’re coming into this season off a really heartbreaking loss and we’re coming back hungry. We lost some great seniors, but we have a lot of young kids coming up and stepping into really important roles.”
Thomas led the Manitou scoring effort with 13 in the win, but the real story is what the team did defensively. The team allowed just one field goal in the first half and gave a glimpse of their ability to limit baskets just as much as they can score them.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
“I thought they did a good job of being patient,” coach Brian Vecchio. “They didn’t try to force things on the offensive end, they stuck to just defense and rebounding which is where we want our backbone to be.”
It wasn’t an ideal start to the season for the 2A No. 7 Panthers (0-1), but coach Jedd Sims knows the value an early game against the Mustangs will bring as they try and make their way back to the Class 2A Great 8.
Sims hoped the Panthers could slow the pace and keep the game close. He felt that plan gave his guys an opportunity to make a move late.
“Our plan was to take the air out of the ball, chew up their legs if we could,” Sims said. “We were confident that if we could keep it close, we could make a run late in the game. Unfortunately, some turnovers led to some easy buckets. They’re just good. It’s hard to stall when they’re just on you defensively like that.”
Gavin Miller and Brennen Meyers each scored seven points to lead the team, all of which came in the second half for both players.
As Manitou chases its second regular season league title in as many years, it showed a versatile offensive attack when needed. Thomas’ points came from mid-range jumpers and attacking the basket while the Mustangs got plenty of points in the paint as sophomore John Maynard scored 12 and senior Lars Marquardt added six.
“Offensively, we’re a great threat,” Thomas said. “We have some big guys and some shooters, but our defense is where we want to shine. Stopping teams from being comfortable is going to be what gets us to the next level.”
Manitou begins league play on Monday with a trip to Florence.
The preseason girls basketball rankings are led by Grandview (5A), Mullen (4A), University (3A), Rye (2A), and Briggsdale (1A).
The rankings, voted upon by coaches, are the official polls of the Association. They are a factor in the postseason. During the regular season, the poll will release each Monday.
Fruita Monument 34, Mountain Vista 32, Columbine 29, Denver South 28, ThunderRidge 27, Horizon 26, Cherokee Trail 25, Pueblo West 24, Fairview 24, Eaglecrest 19, Air Academy 13, Castle View 12, Chatfield 11, Doherty 10, Ponderosa 3, Vista Ridge 3, Pine Creek 2, Arvada West 2, Monarch 2, Rocky Mountain 1, Liberty 1
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Mullen (15)
0-0
276
2
Holy Family (2)
0-0
267
3
Green Mountain
0-0
196
4
Erie (1)
0-0
185
5
Berthoud
0-0
158
6
Sand Creek
0-0
155
7
George Washington (1)
0-0
150
8
Falcon
0-0
102
9
Severance
0-0
78
10
Sierra
0-0
76
11
Durango
0-0
75
12
Evergreen (1)
0-0
69
13
Canon City
0-0
65
14
Mead
0-0
63
15
Thompson Valley
0-0
54
Others receiving votes:
Montrose 47, Glenwood Springs 39, Windsor 37, D’Evelyn 28, Lewis-Palmer 22, Northridge 20, Palmer Ridge 18, Northfield 17, Thomas Jefferson 17, Greeley West 17, Golden 16, Centaurus 14, The Classical Academy 13, Pueblo County 13, Grand Junction Central 13, Fort Morgan 11, Alameda 9, Roosevelt 9, Riverdale Ridge 8, Mesa Ridge 8, Pueblo South 8, Aurora Central 6, Littleton 5, Discovery Canyon 5, Coronado 4, Frederick 4, Battle Mountain 4, Conifer 3, Weld Central 2, Harrison 1, Thornton 1
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
University (3)
0-0
197
2
Centauri (4)
0-0
184
3
The Academy (1)
0-0
178
4
Lutheran (1)
0-0
169
5
The Vanguard School (2)
0-0
167
6
Delta
0-0
151
7
Platte Valley
0-0
133
8
St. Mary’s (3)
0-0
117
9
Pagosa Springs
0-0
116
10
Eaton (1)
0-0
102
11
Manitou Springs
0-0
87
12
Brush
0-0
71
13
Alamosa
0-0
45
14
St. Mary’s Academy (2)
0-0
43
15
Moffat County
0-0
41
Others receiving votes:
Coal Ridge 28, Faith Christian 26, Sterling 23, Colorado Springs Christian 21, Valley 21, Machebeuf 20, Grand Valley 18, DSST: Byers 17, Manual 14, Bayfield 14, Kent Denver 13, Ellicott 13, The Pinnacle 13, Resurrection Christian 12, Middle Park 11, Florence 10, KIPP Collegiate 7, Jefferson Academy 6, Estes Park 6, Buena Vista 5, Lamar 5, Colorado Academy 4, Strasburg 4, SkyView Academy 4, Liberty Common 2, Bennett 2, Gunnison 2, Peak to Peak 2, La Junta 1, Salida 1, Roaring Fork 1, Stargate School 1
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Rye (3)
0-0
206
2
Limon (7)
0-0
191
3
Sanford (1)
0-0
189
4
Holyoke (3)
0-0
170
5
Wray
0-0
124
6
Rocky Ford
0-0
122
7
Ignacio
0-0
121
8
Del Norte
0-0
117
9
Meeker
0-0
94
10
Cedaredge (1)
0-0
78
11
Yuma
0-0
61
12
Heritage Christian
0-0
53
13
Holly
0-0
48
14
Soroco
0-0
47
15
Peyton
0-0
41
Others receiving votes:
Colorado Springs School 33, Hotchkiss 27, Swink 26, Sedgwick County 25, Plateau Valley 22, Custer County 17, Dawson 16, Denver Christian 15, Fowler 15, Monte Vista 15, Center 14, Hayden 12, Burlington 11, Sargent 10, Swallows Charter 10, Akron 10, Crowley County 9, Calhan 8, Addenbrooke Classical 8, Crested Butte 8, Rangely 8, Trinidad 7, Olathe 6, Hoehne 6, Lotus School for Excellence 5, Byers 4, Dolores Huerta 4, Dayspring Christian 3, Front Range Christian 2, Loveland Classical 1, South Park 1
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Briggsdale (12)
0-0
231
2
Fleming (1)
0-0
226
3
Sangre de Cristo
0-0
171
4
South Baca [Campo/Vilas/Pritchett] (2)
0-0
146
5
McClave
0-0
134
6
Kit Carson
0-0
133
7
Lone Star
0-0
129
8
Cotopaxi (1)
0-0
127
9
Simla
0-0
107
10
Flatirons Academy
0-0
96
11
Springfield
0-0
94
12
Shining Mountain
0-0
86
13
Genoa-Hugo
0-0
66
14
Merino
0-0
63
15
Elbert (1)
0-0
42
Others receiving votes:
Kim/Branson 29, Wiley 25, De Beque 23, Dove Creek 22, Sierra Grande 12, La Veta 11, Longmont Christian 10, Idalia 9, Cheraw 7, Haxtun 7, Liberty/Stratton 6, Granada 6, Mile High Academy 5, Evangelical Christian 4, Kiowa 3, Moffat 2, Prairie 1
The preseason boys basketball rankings are out. Leading the way are Cherry Creek (5A), Mead (4A), Lutheran (3A), Limon (2A), and Mile High Academy (1A).
The rankings, voted upon by coaches, are the official polls of the Association. They are a factor in the postseason. During the regular season, the poll will release each Monday.
Fossil Ridge 40, Douglas County 40, Ralston Valley 37, Vista PEAK 26, Horizon 25, Boulder 22, Doherty 20, Arapahoe 19, Rock Canyon 19, Columbine 18, Adams City 15, Chatfield 12, Rocky Mountain 6, Pine Creek 5, Mullen 4, Broomfield 4, Rampart 4, Silver Creek 3, Hinkley 3, Dakota Ridge 2, Cherokee Trail 2, Arvada West 2, Brighton 1, Far Northeast Warriors 1
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Mead (10)
0-0
238
2
Lewis-Palmer (4)
0-0
192
3
Longmont
0-0
169
4
Windsor (1)
0-0
115
5
Golden
0-0
111
6
Evergreen
0-0
109
7
Montrose (1)
0-0
87
8
Harrison
0-0
86
9
Erie
0-0
82
10
Pueblo Central
0-0
81
11
Pueblo East
0-0
80
12
Centaurus
0-0
77
13
Cheyenne Mountain
0-0
70
14
Holy Family
0-0
54
15
Green Mountain
0-0
52
Others receiving votes:
Northfield 47, Lincoln 42, Widefield 37, Sand Creek 36, Thomas Jefferson 36, Glenwood Springs 35, Frederick 34, Pueblo Centennial 27, Canon City 24, D’Evelyn 20, The Classical Academy 20, Thompson Valley 19, Wheat Ridge 17, Pueblo South 16, Discovery Canyon 16, Steamboat Springs 14, Mesa Ridge 12, Berthoud 11, Aurora Central 10, Niwot 10, Coronado 9, Riverdale Ridge 9, Eagle Valley 9, Palmer Ridge 9, Palisade 7, Mountain View 7, Mitchell 5, Falcon 4, Roosevelt 4, Sierra 3, Denver North 2, Severance 2, Rifle 2, Durango 1
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Lutheran (16)
0-0
321
2
Faith Christian
0-0
231
3
Sterling (1)
0-0
223
4
Manitou Springs
0-0
205
5
Resurrection Christian (5)
0-0
194
6
Manual
0-0
182
7
St. Mary’s
0-0
180
8
Centauri
0-0
169
9
Eaton
0-0
161
10
Coal Ridge
0-0
115
11
University
0-0
103
12
Alamosa
0-0
94
13
Gunnison
0-0
92
14
DSST: Byers
0-0
76
15
The Vanguard School (1)
0-0
60
Others receiving votes:
Colorado Academy 57, Kent Denver 51, Bishop Machebeuf 46, Highland 40, Strasburg 39, Englewood 38, DSST: Green Valley Ranch 35, Florence 33, Ellicott 26, Colorado Springs Christian 21, Salida 15, Valley 15, Jefferson Academy 14, Middle Park 12, Stargate School 12, KIPP Denver Collegiate 11, DSST: Montview 10, DSST: College View 10, Aspen 10, Moffat County 10, Frontier Academy 9, DSST: Conservatory Green 8, Woodland Park 8, Estes Park 8, James Irwin 5, Grand Valley 4, Roaring Fork 4, Lamar 3, Bruce Randolph 3, Pagosa Springs 2, Banning Lewis 2, The Academy 1, Jefferson 1, Peak to Peak 1
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Limon (14)
0-0
252
2
Yuma (3)
0-0
230
3
Fowler
0-0
180
4
Wray
0-0
171
5
Sanford
0-0
165
6
Denver Christian
0-0
153
7
Peyton
0-0
149
8
Ignacio
0-0
128
9
Holly
0-0
120
10
Sedgwick County
0-0
116
11
Mancos
0-0
114
12
Crested Butte
0-0
48
13
Meeker
0-0
32
14
Holyoke
0-0
29
15
Vail Mountain
0-0
26
Others receiving votes:
Dayspring Christian Academy 23, Heritage Christian 22, Monte Vista 19, Vail Christian 11, Dawson School 10, Wiggins 8, Burlington 6, Crowley County 4, Thomas MacLaren 4, Rangely 3, Rye 3, Cedaredge 2, Hotchkiss 2, Plateau Valley 2, Dolores 2, Olathe 1, South Park 1, Dolores Huerta Prep 1, Sargent 1
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Mile High Academy (7)
0-0
228
2
De Beque (6)
0-0
226
3
Merino
0-0
157
4
Kit Carson (2)
0-0
123
5
Briggsdale
0-0
113
6
Primero
0-0
102
7
Genoa-Hugo
0-0
95
8
Belleview Christian (1)
0-0
89
9
Sangre de Cristo
0-0
87
10
Haxtun
0-0
77
11
Walsh
0-0
69
12
Evangelical Christian
0-0
68
13
Granada
0-0
61
14
Kim/Branson
0-0
59
15
Ouray (1)
0-0
55
Others receiving votes:
Cheraw 46, Denver Jewish Day 42, Cheyenne Wells 41, Simla 41, Eads 34, Edison 32, Fleming 28, Stratton/Liberty 28, Flatirons Academy 23, Denver Waldorf 19, Pikes Peak Christian 17, Springfield 14, Prairie 11, Longmont Christian 11, Sierra Grande 10, Manzanola 8, Front Range Baptist 7, Dove Creek 6, Cotopaxi 6, Wiley 3, Caprock Academy 3, McClave 1
In her first year as volleyball coach at Coronado, Crissy Leonhardt had her team in the Class 4A state semifinals and was up 2-0 over eventual state champion Lewis-Palmer.
Next season Leonhardt will try to bring that instant level of success to her alma mater. She was hired as the volleyball at Manitou Springs High School, the same school she graduated from in 2008.
Athletic director Cameron Jones confirmed the hiring to CHSAANow.com on Tuesday.
Leonhardt spent time helping out the middle school volleyball program several years ago and now those players are at the high school level and contributing to the varsity program.
She also spent time as an assistant under Susan Odenbaugh at Lewis-Palmer and was on staff for two state championship teams for the Rangers.
She then took her first head coaching job at Coronado before getting the chance to return to Manitou.
“Definitely coming home and being an alumni was pretty huge,” she said. “Also, the fact that I worked with several of those kids at the middle school when I coached there for two years and I already know them. I know how awesome they are as human beings, not just athletically and skill-wise.”
The Mustangs finished 9-13 in 2019 but saw a lot of potential from their underclassmen. Freshman Avah Armour led the team with 169 kills while classmates Ayla Flett and Grace Allen also contributed on the attack.
They’ll get veteran leadership back in Mahlia Glass and graduated just two seniors who played more than 50 sets throughout the season.
With the majority of the team returning, Leonhardt is looking to get the Mustangs back to the state tournament for the first time since 2015.
“She’s going to bring a high level of competitiveness out of these girls and this team,” Jones said. “She has shown that she can take girls to the next to the next level. I think Crissy will continue to grow our program.”
The Student Leadership committee selected the fourteen 2020-21 CHSAA State Reps on Friday from a competitive list of over fifty applicants.
The final selections, which include a diverse group of students from every corner of Colorado, each offer unique backgrounds and perspectives that stood out among their peers.
“I was impressed with the resumes of each applicant,” said CHSAA assistant commissioner Justin Saylor, who oversees student leadership. “Each student had proven leadership qualities, which made narrowing the list down extremely difficult. I commend the committee for their hard work and look forward to working with this group of State Reps over the course of next school year.”
The State Reps will have a daunting task ahead, trying to navigate the obstacles put forth by the COVID-19 pandemic that has currently shifted all activities and learning to virtual platforms.
Led by State Rep Advisor Trey Downey (Grand Junction Central), the group will go to work right away, planning for all Student Leadership programming for the upcoming school year.
State Reps will have a myriad of responsibilities, some of which include sitting on various CHSAA committees, assisting in the coordination of Student Leadership Summer and Fall Conferences, and being a voice for the CHSAA student body as a whole.
The final list includes six returning State Reps and eight new members, comprising of twelve seniors and two juniors.
