CHSAANow

Tag: Dakota Ridge

  • Hockey playoff roundup: Machebeuf beats Dakota Ridge in overtime

    Find the complete hockey playoff bracket here.

    Bishop Machebeuf 3, Dakota Ridge 2. Anders Saarela scored on the power play 2:39 into overtime as the Buffaloes beat Dakota Ridge.

    Machebeuf had led 2-1 on Noah Hernandez’s goal in the second period, but Dakota Ridge tied the game with 53 seconds left in regulation when Zach Czarnecki scored.

    Then in overtime, with Dakota Ridge’s Zach Czarnecki off for hooking, Saarela put Machebeuf on through to the second round.

    Buffs’ goalie Alan Rikli made 32 saves in the win.

    Regis Jesuit 8, Doherty 2. Doherty’s Jordan Barrett scored eight seconds into the game, and that lone tally held up for a 1-0 lead into the second period.

    Then Regis Jesuit’s Connor Harshman scored the first of his two second-period goals, and Connor Brennan also got on the board as the Raiders turned the tide.

    Doherty’s Ty Snyder cut the new lead to 3-2 2:50 into the third period, but Regis totally put the game away from there. Jack O’Neil scored back-to-back power play markers, the Jacob Frishman, Grant Johnson and Carter Alcock iced things. Regis’ final four goals came in a span of just over five minutes.

    Regis Jesuit only allowed 16 shots in the game, meaning goalie Sam Harden made 14 saves.

    (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
    Cherry Creek beat Pine Creek 6-2 on Friday night. More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    Cherry Creek 6, Pine Creek 2. A three-goal spurt in the middle of the second period propelled the Bruins over the Eagles on Friday night.

    With the score tied at 1 in the second period, Cherry Creek’s Ryan Worley and Owen Berman scored exactly two minutes apart to make it 3-1. Jackson Ross then added a short-handed goal, his second of the game, to extend the lead.

    Pine Creek would score just before the second ended, but Matt Jung made it 5-2 in the third and Chris Nitchen added an empty-netter for Cherry Creek.

    Aaron Jatana made 32 saves for the Bruins.

    Ralston Valley 10, Pueblo County 0. The Mustangs scored 1:29 into the game and the deluge continued from there.

    Kyle Valdez had two goals and two assists, including that opener, while Connor Schaff had two goals and an assist as Ralston Valley rolled.

    The Mustangs scored four goals in both the first and second periods. They also only surrendered four shots all game long as James Madok notched a shutout.

    Cody Noel and Ian Snedden each had a goal and two assists for Ralston Valley.

    Monarch 13, Cheyenne Mountain 1. It was 1-1 after the first period. But once the second period started? That’s when Monarch started to roll.

    The Coyotes scored six times in the second frame, including two from Walker Harris, then added six more in the third.

    Dima Kyle had six points on two goals and four assists to lead Monarch. Harris finished with four points, including the goals and two assists. Andrew Pickner had two goals and an assist, while Cameron Taggart had a goal and two assists. Blake Bride had three assists.

    Monarch allowed just seven shots.

    Mountain Vista 8, Resurrection Christian 0. Bryan Hancock had a hat-trick and added an assist, while Cordt Fenstermaker assisted on five goals as the Golden Eagles moved to the second round.

    Goalie Joe Morgan stopped at 17 shots he faces in shutting out Resurrection Christian.

    Michel Karas and Kaden Steward each had a goal and an assist for Mountain Vista, and Brent Berthold added two helpers.

    Lewis-Palmer 6, Steamboat 2. Following a scoreless first period, Lewis-Palmer quickly jumped ahead in the second when Casey McMullin scored 1:26 into the frame. The Rangers’ Nick Pavlik added goal four minutes later, and Lewis-Palmer never looked back.

    Dmitri Smith had two goals for Lewis-Palmer, while Adam Schaefer and McMullin each had a goal and two assists.

    Columbine 3, Heritage 0. Logan Seibold and Matt Meyer each had a goal and an assist as the Rebels moved on to the second round.

    Jacob Seibold scored Columbine’s other goal, while Ashton Opperman was huge with 40 saves in the shutout.

  • Jones duo sparks Dakota Ridge to win over Ralston Valley in boys hoops

    Dakota Ridge Ralston Valley boys basketball
    Dakota Ridge sophomore Devante Jones, right, attempt to lockdown Ralston Valley sophomore Dallas Walton during the second quarter Wednesday night. The Eagles took a 52-48 victory in the Class 5A Jeffco League game. (Dennis Pleuss)

    LITTLETON — Dakota Ridge’s hoopsters Jake Jones and Devante Jones aren’t related, but they provided the 1-2 punch Wednesday night.

    The Eagles’ Joneses combined for 30 points to propel Dakota Ridge (16-6, 11-4 in league) to a 52-48 home victory against Ralston Valley in Class 5A Jeffco League boys basketball action. Senior Jake Jones poured in a game-high 19 points, including four 3-pointers in the second half.

    “Jake has been a sparkplug for us a number of times. That is exactly what it was tonight,” Dakota Ridge coach Curi Yutzy said. “He knocked down a couple of shots and got after it defensively. He played very well tonight.”

    Dakota Ridge Ralston Valley boys basketball
    Dakota Ridge senior Jake Jones (30) was called for a charge on this play when he collided with Ralston Valley senior Rane Hornecker (0). Jones had an impressive second half with four 3-pointers to lead the Eagles to a 52-48 victory Wednesday night. (Dennis Pleuss)

    Facing a double-digit deficit in the second quarter, Yutzy called on sophomore Devante Jones to try to slow down Ralston Valley’s 6-foot-9 sophomore Dallas Walton. Walton had is way on the inside scoring nine points midway through the second quarter.

    Walton was as much of a factor in the second half. He finished with 13 points for the Mustangs (16-6, 11-4).

    “(Devante Jones) stepped up big,” Jake Jones said. “He is usually good on the defensive end blocking shots and he is long. I think he was a perfect matchup against Dallas. He did an awesome job.”

    The Eagles cut Ralston Valley’s lead to 24-19 at halftime. The Mustangs scored the first three points of the second half, but Dakota Ridge broke out offensive with a 15-0 run.

    Dakota Ridge junior Cody Pittman capped off the scoring barrage with a 3-pointer with 2:16 left in the third quarter, giving the Eagles a 34-27 lead.

    “Halftime we thought it was going to be a rough one, but we came out fired up in the second half,” Jake Jones said. “We got on a roll and started knocking down shots.”

    Ralston Valley on the other hand went cold offensively. The Mustangs scored just eight points in the third quarter and struggled from the free-throw line in the second half.

    “We were actually 1-for-11 at one stretch at the free-throw line,” Ralston Valley coach Mitch Conrad said. “That turned the game right there. That was the ballgame.”

    Behind senior Bryn Finnefrock (team-high 14 points), the Mustangs cut the Eagles’ lead to 52-50 in the final seconds.

    “(Finnefrock) is a senior and a captain. He has been playing varsity for three years,” Conrad said. “That is what you expect from him. He did a good job for us.”

    Dakota Ridge Ralston Valley boys basketball
    From left to right: Dakota Ridge sophomore Devante Jones, Ralston Valley sophomore Dallas Walton, Ralston Valley senior Rane Hornecker and Dakota Ridge senior Cambrian Antrillo battle for a rebound Wednesday night. (Dennis Pleuss)

    Ralston Valley closed a late deficit in its first meeting against Dakota Ridge on Jan. 21. The Mustangs came from behind to force overtime and eventually won 66-62. Dakota Ridge refused to make the same mistakes it did the first time around with Ralston Valley.

    Jake Jones sealed the victory with a pair of free throws with 6.6 seconds left, giving the Eagles the four-point win.

    “(Ralston Valley) is battle tested and makes plays in situations like that. They did again tonight,” said Yutzy, who pointed out that the Mustangs had a record of 7-1 in games decided by four points or less coming in. “The good thing is we’ve been in a good amount of those games ourselves. Our guys did a great job of making plays and taking care of the ball for the most part.”

    Dakota Ridge finishes up conference play also on the road. The Eagles travel to Lakewood for a 7 p.m. tipoff Friday. A win would allow the Eagles at least earn a share of second-place in 5A Jeffco with Ralston Valley. It would also have Dakota Ridge on a three-game winning streak.

    “We are going to be on a roll and go deep into the tournament, hopefully,” Jake Jones said.

    Chatfield (18-4, 13-2) clinched back-to-back conference titles Wednesday night with a 68-61 victory over Arvada West.

    Ralston Valley wraps up its regular-season schedule with a road game against rival A-West at 7 p.m. Friday.

    The brackets for the 5A state tournament will be released Sunday. First-round postseason games will be played Feb. 26.

    Dakota Ridge Ralston Valley boys basketball
    Dakota Ridge junior Mason Grothuesmann (31) passes the ball around Ralston Valley junior Andrew Wingard (1) during the first half Wednesday night. (Dennis Pleuss)

  • Dakota Ridge boys basketball trips up No. 8 Chatfield

    Chatfield Dakota Ridge boys basketball
    Dakota Ridge senior Cambrian Antrillo tries to keep his dribble after stumbling during the first half Friday night at Chatfield High School. Antrillo had 12 points in the Eagles’ 74-66 victory against the rival Chargers. (Dennis Pleuss)

    LITTELTON — Dakota Ridge has rival Chatfield’s number on the boys basketball court so far this season.

    On Friday night Dakota Ridge (15-6, 10-4 in Class 5A Jeffco League) repeated the feat it pulled back on Jan. 17. The Eagles knocked off the No. 8-ranked Chargers by a score of 74-66 on Chatfield’s home court.

    “I’m proud of the way the guys have responded all year,” said Dakota Ridge coach Curi Yutzy, a 2000 graduate of Chatfield. “We struggled against A-West (Wednesday). Tonight they responded. They did a heck of a job. They made some plays.”

    The loss to Arvada West two days early made it tough for the Eagles to catch Chatfield (17-4, 12-2) in the conference standings. However, Dakota Ridge was up to the task to hand the Chargers their second league loss, along with ending Chatfield’s seven-game winning streak.

    Chatfield Dakota Ridge boys basketball
    Chatfield senior Darius Reiter (25) gets off a shot with the hand of Dakota Ridge junior Mason Grothuesmann in his face during the final minutes of the fourth quarter Friday. (Dennis Pleuss)

    “You have to give (Dakota Ridge) credit. They wanted it more then we did,” Chatfield coach Stephen Schimpeler said. “We didn’t play with any desperation. When we did play with desperation we were pretty good, but you have to play desperate from the very beginning.”

    Senior Andrew St. Germain helped keep the Chargers within striking distance with 23 points. Senior Darius Reiter scored 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter and sophomore Riley Welch hit a couple of 3-pointers on his way to a 10-point night.

    In the end, Chatfield had to swallow the bitter pill of losing again to one of its closest rivals.

    “It’s definitely extremely frustrating,” St. Germain said. “You never want to lose at home and you never want to lose to a rival like Dakota Ridge twice.”

    Big second and third quarters by the Eagles put Dakota Ridge up 55-41 going into the final quarter. The Eagles’ 74 points was the second most Chatfield has given up this season.

    “Our guards really picked it up,” Yutzy said. “We did a good job, especially in the second quarter of attacking their pressure and getting easy buckets rather Chatfield getting easy buckets off steals and turnovers.”

    Dakota Ridge senior Devante Williams, who missed the beginning of the season with a shoulder injury suffered during football, had a monster second quarter with eight points off the bench. Williams finished with 10 points.

    Junior Cody Pittman had another big game off the bench with 10 points, including a 3-pointer to start the scoring in the fourth quarter for the Eagles. Senior Cambrian Antrillo and junior Mason Grothuesmann both poured in a dozen points for Dakota Ridge.

    “We felt a lot more confident,” Antrillo said of having already beat Chatfield. “We practiced hard yesterday and wanted to get the ‘W’.”

    Chatfield Dakota Ridge boys basketball
    Chatfield senior Andrew St. Germain (5) looks for an open teammates while getting pressure from Dakota Ridge senior Jake Flores in the second half Friday. St. Germain had a game-high 23 points in the loss to Dakota Ridge. (Dennis Pleuss)

    Seniors Jake Flores (eight points), Jake Jones (seven points), Ian MacDonald (seven points) and junior Alden Erickson (eight points) also had their moments in the Eagles’ victory.

    Dakota Ridge has relied on a balanced scoring attack this season and that was no different against Chatfield. Eight Eagles had at least seven points.

    “It definitely gives us confidence,” Flores said. “We do it as a team. When we do it like that it makes it a lot more fun to play the game.”

    Chatfield got within 69-64 with two minutes to play after a 3-pointer by senior Austin Rice, but Pittman and Grothuesmann sealed the Dakota Ridge victory with free throws in the final minute.

    “Chatfield is a heck of a team,” Yutzy said. “Their threes didn’t fall in the end. That is kind of the way the ball bounced for them. Coach Schimpeler does an unbelievable job with his kids. They are a scary team to play.”

    Chatfield closes the regular season with a pair of conference road games next week. The Chargers face Arvada West at 7 p.m. Feb. 19 and rival Columbine at 7 p.m. Feb. 21.

    “We are still playing for a league championship, a high seed and a home game for the playoffs,” St. Germain said.

    Dakota Ridge hosts Ralston Valley at 7 p.m. Feb. 19 before wrapping up its regular season on the road against Lakewood at 7 p.m. Feb. 21.

    CHSAA’s Selection Show will be held Sunday, Feb. 23, to announce the 48 squads selected for the 5A boys basketball state tournament.

    Chatfield Dakota Ridge boys basketball
    Dakota Ridge junior Cody Pittman (10) drives on Chatfield senior Thomas Welch (12) on Friday night in the Class 5A Jeffco League game. (Dennis Pleuss)

  • Notebook: 5A state swim meet prelims effectively sold out; hockey at the Pepsi Center

    Girls swimming
    (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

    All tickets for this weekend’s Class 5A state swimming meet have been allocated to schools for Friday’s preliminaries. It means the 5A swim meet, set for Feb. 14-15 in Thornton, is effectively sold out on Friday.

    Parents of swimmers may obtain tickets to the prelims through their school. The general public may wait in line starting at 2:30 p.m. on Friday to buy tickets should they go unused by a school.

    A limited number of general public tickets remain available for Saturday evening’s finals — that line opens at 12:30 p.m. Saturday — and a good amount of tickets are available for dive prelims on Saturday morning. These tickets will only be sold on Saturday.

    Again, parents may go through their school to buy tickets to the finals.

    Plenty of tickets are available both days for the 4A meet.

    Both the 4A and 5A meets will be shown on the NFHS Network this weekend.

    Find the pysch sheets for each meet here.

    Pepsi Center set for two hockey games

    Cherry Creek Dakota Ridge hockey
    Dakota Ridge is one of four teams playing at the Pepsi Center on Wednesday. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    Four teams will play at the Pepsi Center on Wednesday night, and are selling tickets that can be used to at an upcoming Avalanche game.

    Battle Mountain and Dakota Ridge will face off at 5 p.m., followed by Mullen and Bishop Machebeuf at 7:30 p.m.

    The teams are selling two tiers of tickets:

    • $20 includes a ticket to the high school games, as well as an upper-level ticket to an Avs’ game, and a $5 donation to a high school hockey team of their choice.
    • $45 includes a high school ticket, a lower-level Avs ticket and a $5 donation.

    There are two options for Avalanche games with this package: Feb. 26 against the Los Angeles Kings, or March 10 against the Winnipeg Jets.

    Find more information on this flyer.

    Short stuff

    • Rampart hired Rob Royer to be its new football coach late last month. The Rams sifted through 60 applicants before making the choice. Royer has been a head coach at Summit, and also served as an assistant at Southlake Carroll in Texas — a team that won that state’s 5A Division 1 title in 2011. Most recently, he was the offensive coordinator at Woodland Park for the past two seasons. He was introduced to the Rampart community on Monday night. Here’s a list of all of the coaching changes this offseason.
    • A number of coaches were honored by the NFHS Coaches Association’s Awards Program. Colorado coaches of the year include: Gunnison’s Shana Benson (volleyball), Monarch’s Phil Bravo (football), Mountain Vista’s Theresa Echtermeyer (girls soccer), Sheridan’s Linda Elliott (spirit), Legacy’s Dawn Gaffin (softball), Discovery Canyon’s Michael Humphrey (boys tennis), Pueblo South’s Shannan Lane (girls basketball), Air Academy’s Scott Newell (boys swim), Thompson Valley’s Matt Norton (girls track), Eaglecrest’s John Olander (boys basketball), Paonia’s Andy Pipher (wrestling), Loveland’s Paul Quere (boys track), The Classical Academy’s Alan Versaw (girls cross country), ThunderRidge’s Joe White (baseball), and Alamosa’s Larry Zaragoza (boys cross country).
    • The Colorado High School Coaches Association announced its 2014 class earlier this month. Included: Cheyenne Mountain’s Carl Fetters (football, basketball); Durango’s Ron Keller (track, cross country); Cheyenne Mountain and Palmer’s Mike Provenzano (hockey); Otis’ Bonnie Wallin-Kuntz (volleyball); and Poudre’s Randy Yaussi (cross country, track).

  • Heritage enters hockey ranking at No. 10

    Heritage, which has won four of its past five games, has joined this week’s CHSAANow.com hockey poll.

    The Eagles, now 9-7-0, are No. 10 this week and replace Resurrection Christian, which dropped out from No. 9.

    Elsewhere, Cherry Creek jumped Regis Jesuit for the No. 4 spot following its big 3-1 win on Saturday. Regis dropped one spot to fifth.

    With the regular season ending Saturday, these will be the final rankings of the regular season.

    The complete poll is below.

    [divider]

    CHSAANow.com Hockey Poll

    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.

    Hockey
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Ralston Valley (7) 16-0-0 70 1 3-0-0
    2 Monarch 15-1-1 59 2 2-0-0
    3 Mountain Vista 16-1-0 58 3 2-0-0
    4 Cherry Creek 13-3-1 49 5 1-0-0
    5 Regis Jesuit 14-3-0 38 4 1-2-0
    6 Lewis-Palmer 16-1-0 37 6 3-0-0
    7 Dakota Ridge 11-3-4 27 7 0-0-0
    8 Columbine 11-6-1 18 8 2-1-0
    9 Steamboat Springs 9-5-1 15 10 0-0-0
    10 Heritage 9-7-0 8 – 2-1-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Bishop Machebeuf 6.
    Dropped out
    Resurrection Christian (9).

  • Top-10 hockey schedule for the week of Feb. 10

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

    Hockey
    1 Ralston Valley 19-0-0
    Mon: W 11-1 at Standley Lake
    Thurs: W 7-0 vs. Mullen
    Fri: W 5-1 vs. (9) Steamboat Springs
    2 Monarch 16-1-2
    Thurs: W 3-1 at (8) Columbine
    Fri: T 2-2 at (5) Regis Jesuit
    3 Mountain Vista 18-1-0
    Wed: W 12-0 vs. Cheyenne Mountain
    Fri: W 5-1 at (6) Lewis-Palmer
    4 Cherry Creek 15-3-1
    Fri: W 4-0 at Resurrection Christian
    Sat: W 1-0 vs. Aspen
    5 Regis Jesuit 15-3-1
    Thurs: W 4-1 vs. Aspen
    Fri: T 2-2 vs. (2) Monarch
    6 Lewis-Palmer 17-2-0
    Mon: W 9-2 at Air Academy
    Fri: L 1-5 vs. (3) Mountain Vista
    7 Dakota Ridge 12-3-4
    Wed: W 4-2 vs. Battle Mountain
    8 Columbine 11-7-1
    Thurs: L 1-3 vs. (2) Monarch
    9 Steamboat Springs 10-6-1
    Tues: W 6-0 vs. Summit
    Fri: L 1-5 at (1) Ralston Valley
    10 Heritage 11-8-0
    Wed: L 2-4 at Pine Creek
    Fri: W 4-0 at Valor Christian
    Sat: W 13-0 vs. Coronado

  • Monarch moves up to No. 2 in hockey ranking

    (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
    (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    Monarch has moved into the No. 2 spot in this week’s CHSAANow.com hockey poll.

    The Coyotes jumped Mountain Vista following a 3-0-1 week which included a win over then-No. 4 Cherry Creek.

    Ralston Valley received all six first-place votes and remained atop the ranking.

    The lone newcomer this week was Resurrection Christian, which joined at No. 9.

    The complete poll is below.

    [divider]

    CHSAANow.com Hockey Poll

    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.

    Hockey
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Ralston Valley (6) 13-0-0 60 1 1-0-0
    2 Monarch 13-1-1 51 3 3-0-1
    3 Mountain Vista 14-1-0 50 2 1-0-0
    4 Regis Jesuit 13-1-0 42 5 1-0-0
    5 Cherry Creek 12-3-1 34 4 1-1-0
    6 Lewis-Palmer 13-1-0 33 6 2-0-0
    7 Dakota Ridge 11-3-4 24 8 3-0-0
    8 Columbine 9-5-1 15 7 1-1-0
    9 Resurrection Christian 7-6-2 7 – 0-1-1
    10 Steamboat Springs 9-5-1 6 9 0-1-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Heritage 3, Standley Lake 3, Bishop Machebeuf 1, Doherty 1.
    Dropped out
    Bishop Machebeuf (10).

  • Top-10 hockey schedule for the week of Feb. 3

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

    Hockey
    1 Ralston Valley 16-0-0
    Wed: W 3-0 vs. (4) Regis Jesuit
    Fri: W 5-1 at Battle Mountain
    Sat: W 7-0 at Aspen
    2 Monarch 15-1-1
    Mon: W 6-1 vs. (9) Resurrection Christian
    Fri: W 13-0 at Kent Denver
    3 Mountain Vista 16-1-0
    Fri: W 7-1 vs. Heriage
    Sat: W 15-0 vs. Chatfield
    4 Regis Jesuit 14-3-0
    Wed: L 0-3 at (1) Ralston Valley
    Fri: W 2-1 vs. Bishop Machebeuf
    Sat: L 1-3 at (5) Cherry Creek
    5 Cherry Creek 13-3-1
    Sat: W 3-1 vs. (4) Regis Jesuit
    6 Lewis-Palmer 14-1-0
    Fri: W 8-0 vs. Rampart
    7 Dakota Ridge 11-3-4
    Off this week.
    8 Columbine 11-6-1
    Wed: W 2-0 at Mullen
    Fri: W 5-1 at Chatfield
    Sat: L 4-7 vs. Battle Mountain
    9 Resurrection Christian 8-7-2
    Mon: L 1-6 at (2) Monarch
    Tues: W 5-3 vs. Battle Mountain
    10 Steamboat Springs 9-5-1
    Off this week.

  • Overland’s Thomas picks CSU, Windsor’s Noller to Navy as commits keep rolling in

    Windor's Trenton Noller. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
    Windor’s Trenton Noller (76). (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    As Signing Day draws increasingly near, seniors continue to make their college decisions.

    A host of Colorado kids made their decisions over the weekend, including Overland linebacker Tre Thomas, who committed to Colorado State, and Windsor lineman Trenton Noller, who committed to the Naval Academy.

    Thomas is the fifth in-state senior to pick CSU this cycle, following Loveland athlete John Freismuth, Douglas County running back Trey Smith, Pomona lineman Zach Stefo and Valor Christian defensive back Marcus Wilson. He chose the Rams over offers from New Mexico, San Jose State, UTEP, Wyoming and Northern Colorado, according to his Rivals.com profile.

    Thomas, 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, had 219 total tackles last season, a figure that led the state across all classifications. He also had four sacks and 16 hurries, along with two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, and two blocked kicks.

    “It’s a great school, a great community,” Thomas told GreenandGoldNews.com. “The players are good. I like the players, I like the coaches, and it’s in my home state, not too far from my family. So it seemed like the perfect fit for me.”

    The 6-foot-4, 300-pound Noller also had offers from Arizona, Army, Georgia Tech, New Mexico State, Wyoming and Northern Colorado, according to Rivals.com. He announced his commitment over Twitter on Sunday morning:

    “It’s a huge weight off my shoulders,” Noller told the Fort Collins Coloradoan. “I love it here. They told me straight up that it will be hard, but I can get through it, and it will be more rewarding than if I go anywhere else.”

    Additionally, Fairview lineman Connor Spencer announced his commitment to San Diego, an FCS program.

    With the three new commits, Colorado now has 35 players committed to Division I football programs — 25 to FBS schools and 10 to FCS. The 35 total is the most since the class of 2008, according to a search of the Rivals.com database. That year, the state produced 38 Division I recruits.

    The 25 FBS commits are also the most since 2008, when the state had 33.

    A few locals also declared their intention to head to Division II programs.

    Included are Legend wide receiver/defensive back Elijah Cherrington (CSU-Pueblo), Smoky Hill quarterback Trent Clay (Black Hills State), ThunderRidge wide receiver Mark Hopper (Colorado School of Mines), Poudre quarterback Cody Limmer (Colorado School of Mines), Clear Creek wide receiver/defensive back Tevin Lucas (Sioux Falls), Lakewood quarterback Casey Nicholls (Sioux Falls), Dakota Ridge lineman Brant Seeley (Adams State), and Regis Jesuit linebacker Quinn Vandekoppel (CSU-Pueblo).

    A full list of football commits can be found here.

    Elsehwere, Monarch’s Parker Sitton committed to Arkansas State for track, and Legend’s Peyton Remy committed to New Mexico for baseball. Remy’s commitment means Colorado now has 29 Division I baseball recruits this class.

  • Cherry Creek moves up to No. 4 in hockey ranking

    Cherry Creek Dakota Ridge hockey
    Cherry Creek is ranked No. 4 in this week’s poll. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    Cherry Creek has jumped Regis Jesuit for the No. 4 spot in this week’s CHSAANow.com hockey poll.

    The Bruins (11-2-1) have won six consecutive games, and edge the Raiders by one point.

    Ralston Valley stayed in the No. 1 spot, where it has been since the preseason.

    The complete poll is below.

    [divider]

    CHSAANow.com Hockey Poll

    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.

    Hockey
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Ralston Valley (6) 12-0-0 60 1 3-0-0
    2 Mountain Vista 13-1-0 48 2 3-0-0
    3 Monarch 10-1-0 47 3 2-0-0
    4 Cherry Creek 11-2-1 41 5 2-0-0
    5 Regis Jesuit 12-1-0 40 4 3-0-0
    6 Lewis-Palmer 11-1-0 30 6 1-0-0
    7 Columbine 8-4-1 22 7 1-1-0
    8 Dakota Ridge 8-3-4 18 8 2-1-0
    9 Steamboat Springs 9-4-1 13 10 2-0-0
    10 Bishop Machebeuf 8-4-1 6 9 2-1-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Resurrection Christian 4, Chatfield 1.
    Dropped out
    None.