The preseason football rankings were released on Monday for all seven classifications. Leading their respective polls are: Stratton/Liberty (6-man), Sedgwick County (8-man), Limon (1A), Delta (2A), Pueblo South (3A), Pine Creek (4A), and Cherry Creek (5A).
The rankings, voted upon by coaches, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
ARVADA — Pomona sophomore Emma Stutzman added to her growing resume Friday afternoon during the Class 5A Jeffco League Cross Country Championships.
Stutzman easily cruised to the girls individual title with a time of 18 minutes, 57.7 seconds on the grounds of the Standley Lake Basketball Barn near Stoney Creek Golf Course in north Arvada.
Chatfield freshman Reese Tucker helped the Chargers bring home the 5A Jeffco League girls team title. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“It means a lot because last year I came in third and blew the finish a little bit,” said Stutzman, who broke the school cross country record at Pomona earlier this season. “It feels really good to be able to win this one.”
The sophomore didn’t mind the several surface changes and uneven ground of the new course that hosted the 4A Jeffco League championships the day before.
“It was good. It’s a nice course. It was kind of lonely, but you just got to work with you got,” said Stutzman, who’s time was nearly 40 seconds faster that second-place. “It hits home a little bit. I train a lot in the mountains. It was nice to have a similar surface and not have a concrete course.”
Chatfield grabbed the team title with 55 points. Freshmen Reese Tucker (2nd) and Aspen Webb (4th) led the Chargers to the team victory.
Now it’s onto regionals next week. Stutzman and the Panthers will head to Monarch High School for the 5A Region 3 meet on Thursday, Oct. 8.
“It’s definitely to win regionals,” Stutzman said of her goal next week.
Dakota Ridge senior Jacob White is alone as he nears the finish-line during the 5A Jeffco League XC Championships on Friday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
On the boys side, Dakota Ridge senior Jacob White continued his winning ways. The three-time state placer grabbed his first individual conference title with a time of 15:52.1.
“I just ran,” said White, who was all by himself for the majority of the race defeating the rest of the field by nearly a minute. “I feel ready for regionals.”
Dakota Ridge grabbed it third straight 5A Jeffco team title with four runners — White, Ethan Straub, Chance Heisler and Silas Thompson — all finishing in the Top-10. Ralston Valley boys finished second with seniors James Ramey (2nd) and Jack Donze (4th) leading the way for the Mustangs.
White is looking forward the facing some tough competition at the 5A Region 1 meet Friday, Oct. 9, at Clement Park. Mountain Vista senior Harrison Witt will give White a good gage of where he is at heading into state.
“It will be so much fun. I can’t wait for next week,” White said. “It will truly be something.”
Jeffco Preps With Pleuss is a monthly roundup of Jeffco prep highlights hosted by Dennis Pleuss, Jeffco Public Schools’ sports information director. In the first edition of the 2020-21 prep sports season, we dive into softball action with the Dave Sanders Invitational along with Green Mountain and Wheat Ridge facing off in a Class 4A Jeffco League showdown. The 5A Jeffco boys golf season was entertaining with several top golfers in the state competing during the five league tournament schedule. D’Evelyn boys tennis made a good run at its regional tournament at Colorado Academy. Arvada West cross country team hosted the Durden Invitational that featured Dakota Ridge senior Jacob White as he makes another push toward a top finish at the state tournament coming up in mid-October.
ARVADA — There were a couple of significant changes during the annual cross country Wildcat Invitational hosted by Arvada West High School.
First, races began at 8:30 a.m. with the idea to beat the afternoon heat. With Jeffco Public Schools’ high schools all on remote learning on Fridays it was more feasible to have a morning start.
It was a morning start at the Durden Invitational at Stenger Soccer Complex in Arvada. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
The second change was a name change. The Wildcat Invitational was renamed the Durden Invitational this year. A-West decided to honor Benji and Amie Durden, both have been very impactful on the running community in Colorado. Benji Durden was 2nd at the U.S. Olympic Trails back in 1980. If not for the U.S. boycotting the Olympic games in Moscow that year, Durden would have run for U.S. at the Olympics.
One thing that was the same was Dakota Ridge’s Jacob White crossing the finish-line first. The Dakota Ridge senior won the boys race in a time of 15 minutes, 55 seconds. Ralston Valley senior James Ramey placed 2nd, more than 50 seconds behind White.
However, White wasn’t completely trilled with his time on the course run at Stenger Soccer Complex in Arvada.
“I wasn’t happy with it,” White said of his sub-16 minute time. “I have been kind of off for the last couple of months. I feel myself getting back on track. Hopefully next week I’ll get that low 15-minute time.”
White has his sights on a fourth straight appearance at the state meet coming up Oct. 17 at the Norris Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs. White has finished in the Class 5A Top-6 individually the past two years, along with helping the Eagles to back-to-back 5A team titles.
The senior and one of the top distance runners in the state does give a lot of credit to former teammates like Austin Vancil (University of Colorado) and Connor Ohlson (Air Force Academy).
Standley Lake senior Sophia Abernethy led the pack during the girls race Friday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“It has been very helpful,” White said of his experiences of back-to-back team 5A team state title at Dakota Ridge. “I’m so grateful. I would never be where I’m at today with those guys (Austin Vancil and Connor Ohlson). Without them none of this would have happened.”
Ralston Valley did edge Dakota Ridge for the team title at the Durden Invitational. Ralston Valley seniors James Ramey, Jack Donze, Ethan Grolnic and Aiden Logan all finished Top-10.
On the girls side, Standley Lake senior Sophia Abernethy claimed another individual crown this season with a time of 20:17.8. D’Evelyn girls won the team title with sophomore Jayden Miller, seniors Sonja Morin and Kati Livingood finishing Top-10.
Coming up quickly is the 5A and 4A Jeffco League Cross Country Championships. The 4A Jeffco League championships is scheduled for Oct. 1 at Stoney Creek Golf Course. The 5A Jeffco League championships will run the following day on Oct. 2 at Stoney Creek.
It has been a different season with new protocols and restrictions.
“It has been difficult,” White said of the cross country season during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Honestly, there is no excuses for me. I just have to go out there and work on the process.”
Ralston Valley’s boys golf team captured the Class 5A Jeffco League title Monday at West Woods Golf Club in Arvada. The Mustangs will host the Western Regional on Monday, Sept. 21, at Raccoon Creek Golf Course in Littleton. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
ARVADA — The final Jeffco League boys golf tournament of the season had a very different feel than normal Monday afternoon at West Woods Golf Club in Arvada.
There was no final gathering of Class 5A and 4A Jeffco teams to hand out individual all-conference awards and league team titles due to COVID-19 restrictions. However, golfers were able to successfully finish off the final Jeffco League tournament of the season.
“I’m very pleased with how it turned out,” Ralston Valley boys golf coach Jeff Wasinger said. “There is a little letdown at the end of the tournament, even today. You finish your round, turn in your scorecard electrically and then go home. But we were allowed to play and actually had a season.”
Ralston Valley junior Gage Messingham hits his approach shot on No. 1 Monday morning at West Woods GC. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Ralston Valley wrapped up the 5A Jeffco League team title with the strong team of seniors Jack Larson, Trey Kirschner, junior Gage Messingham, along with sophomores Jordan McCaslin and Logan Forister. Messingham clinched the overall individual medalist title with a 4-under-par, 68.
Messingham edged Lakewood senior Ryan Liao by two strokes over the five league tournaments.
“It means a lot,” Messingham said of the Mustangs winning the league title. “Last year we couldn’t do it, but this year our team played really well throughout the season and pulled it off.”
The Mustangs were able to hold off Lakewood thanks to Messingham and Kirschner both finishing in a three-way tie for second with round of 68. Liao also shot a 68. Larson fired an even-par, 72 to finished tied for sixth.
“It’s a feel good thing. We set that out as a goal,” Wasinger said of Ralston Valley winning the league team title. “We knew we had a good team and it was kind of building over the years.”
The 5A Jeffco League proved to be one of the strongest conferences in the state. In fact, a round in the 60s was shot during each of the five league tournaments. Arvada West senior Tyler Tyson, Columbine senior Drex Duffy, Lakewood junior Max Lange, Liao Messingham, Larson and Kirschner were the seven individuals who all had at least one round in the 60s this season during league play.
“They are opening peoples’ eyes,” Wasinger said of the play of the top 5A Jeffco players this Fall. “Jeffco golf really has some powerful teams and impressive players. Going into regionals there is no reason to fear anybody.”
Ralston Valley will host the 5A Western Regional on Monday, Sept. 21, at Raccoon Creek Golf Course in Littleton.
“Of course we have to focus on regionals and qualifying as a team,” Messingham said. “Hopefully we win state. It is at a course we all know. Hopefully we can pull it off.”
The 5A state tournament will be Oct. 5 and 6 at The Club in Rolling Hills in Golden.
Lange — last year’s 5A Jeffco individual medalist — won the final league tournament with a 5-under-par, 67 at West Woods. The Lakewood junior will enter the 5A Central Regionals at Overland Golf Course on Wednesday, Sept. 23, coming off back-to-back tournament wins with rounds of 68 and 67 to close out league play.
“I didn’t have the greatest league season,” admitted Lange, who shot a 75 and 77 in his first two league tournaments. “I wish I would have shot 10-under today, but I’m not too disappointed with 5-under.”
Lange is excited about the location of the 5A state tournament in three weeks.
Lakewood junior Max Lange head to regionals next week after back-to-back rounds in the 60s to close out conference play. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“I’m going to try to finish (regionals and state) how I finished my league season,” Lange said. “State will be at my home course at Rolling Hills. I play there every day.”
Liao — 5A Jeffco individual medalist as a freshman and sophomore — finished just behind Messingham for the title this season. The Lakewood senior has had back-to-back Top-4 finishes at the state tournament that past two years.
With Liao’s history, he is very capable of contending with a number of other strong Jeffco players at state coming up the first week of October.
“I was actually honestly expecting this low of golf scores last year,” Liao said of Jeffco. “Everyone had the talent last year. No one was really playing that well. Now this year everyone is playing to what they are supposed to and it’s looking good.”
Liao is one of the longest hitting players in the state and he has some wishes for the setup at Rolling Hills in a few weeks.
“I hope they play it longer to make it a little tougher,” Liao said. “I know the greens will be tough. Overall it’s a great course.”
On the 4A Jeffco side, Evergreen captured the team title. Senior Jack Mitchell led the Cougars winning the final 4A Jeffco League tournament with a 2-over-par, 74.
Green Mountain senior Oliver Gibbons is this year’s 4A Jeffco League individual champion. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Green Mountain senior Oliver Gibbons just edged Conifer senior Dakota Dolph for the overall individual medalist title by a single stroke over the five tournaments. Gibbons shot a 76 and Dolph had a 77 on Monday at West Woods. Gibbons and Dolph entered the final conference tournament with identical 9-hole averages of 37.83 strokes.
No matter what happens at regionals and state. Jeffco can say it completed a success conference season that might have looked a bit different.
“We’ve got to be grateful that CHSAA gave this opportunity to us and we’ve had to adhere to the safety protocols that have been set. We didn’t want to mess it up,” Wasinger said. “CHSAA gave us a gift and we took it as a privilege.”
ARVADA — Friday at Indian Tree Golf Course was moving day of sorts for Class 5A and 4A Jeffco League boys golfers.
In the fourth of six scheduled Jeffco League tournaments, golfers made moves to position themselves for the final stretch that will determine individual and team titles.
Lakewood junior Max Lange, defending 5A Jeffco individual medalist, got himself in the mix to repeat as the conference champion. Lange shot the best round of the day with a 2-under-par, 68. The junior moved into seventh place for the individual medalist title.
Ralston Valley junior Gage Messingham and Lakewood senior Ryan Liao are leading the pack with Arvada West senior Tyler Tyson currently in third place. Ralston Valley senior Jack Larson, Columbine senior Drex Duffy and Ralston Valley senior Trey Kirschner are also still in the mix for the conference title. The top six golfers in 5A are separated by just 1-stroke when it comes to their 9-hole average.
Ralston Valley does have a sizable 47-shot lead in the team standings over second-place Lakewood.
In 4A, Conifer senior Dakota Dolph and Littleton junior Emmett Loomis tied for the individual title at Indian Tree. Both shot 5-over-par rounds of 75. Dolph and Green Mountain senior Oliver Gibbons are title atop of overall individual standings with a 9-hole average of 37.83.
The team race for the league title is just as tight. Evergreen and Green Mountain are tied with 1,310 total shots through the first four league tournaments.
The final two Jeffco League tournaments are scheduled for the Broadlands (Wednesday, Sept. 9) and West Woods Golf Course (Monday, Sept. 14). However, the possible winter storm that is forecasting from 5 to 8 inches of snow in the Denver Metro Area on Tuesday could cancel the tournament at Broadlands. If that becomes the case the individual and team titles will be decided at West Woods on Sept. 14.
