There’s a new top dog in the Class 4A CHSAANow.com girls basketball rankings.
Undefeated Evergreen, the 4A state runner-up last season assumes the No. 1 spot this week.
Pueblo South is right behind the Cougars at No. 2 and D’Evelyn climbed three spots to land at No. 3.
At No. 5 Golden also jumped three spots this week.
Pueblo East is the lone newcomer to the 4A poll at No. 8.
In 5A, Grandview holds its spot at No. 1.
Overall, the top five teams from a week ago went unchanged.
Doherty (No. 8) and Fruita Monument (No. 10) are the two new teams in the 5A rankings.
Like 5A, the top five teams from last week’s 3A poll remain the same, including Sterling at No. 1.
Moffat County breaks into the 3A poll at No. 9.
Paonia stays at No. 1 in 2A with a unanimous vote.
Soroco (No. 4) and Lyons (No. 7) each jumped a spot from a week ago.
Evangelical Christian is the only new team in 2A, coming in at No. 8.
Kit Carson holds its spot at No. 1 in the 1A poll with Kit Carson also holding firm at No. 2.
Three new teams broke into the rankings this week with De Beque (No. 7), Arickaree/Woodlin (No. 8) and South Baca (No. 9) all playing their way in.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
Pueblo West 24, Palisade 18, Windsor 13, Falcon 9, George Washington 9, Littleton 3, Montrose 3, Battle Mountain 2, The Classical Academy 2, Thomas Jefferson 2, Kennedy 1, Lewis-Palmer 1, Skyview 1.
Dropped out
Pueblo West (9).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Sterling (8)
6-0
124
1
0-0
2
St. Mary’s (5)
5-0
120
2
1-0
3
Lamar
5-0
88
3
1-0
4
Pagosa Springs
4-1
70
4
2-0
5
Centauri
6-1
68
5
1-0
6
Colorado Springs Christian
5-0
57
7
2-0
7
Liberty Common
5-0
50
6
2-0
8
Eaton
6-1
39
9
2-0
9
Moffat County
6-1
25
–
1-0
10
Manitou Springs
2-3
16
8
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Olathe 13, Trinidad 13, Faith Christian 12, Brush 8, Kent Denver 4, Delta 3, Grand Valley 3, St. Mary’s Academy 2.
Dropped out
Faith Christian (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Paonia (11)
6-0
110
1
2-0
2
Wray
5-0
96
2
1-0
3
Yuma
5-2
68
3
1-1
4
Soroco
5-1
60
5
0-0
5
Del Norte
5-2
59
4
1-0
6
Haxtun
5-1
41
6
2-1
7
Lyons
6-1
35
8
2-0
8
Evangelical Christian
5-0
34
–
1-0
9
Swink
3-2
22
7
1-0
10
Highland
5-2
20
10
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Peyton 13, Calhan 9, West Grand 8, Akron 7, Ellicott 5, South Park 5, Hoehne 4, Sargent 4, Center 3, Clear Creek 1, Simla 1.
Dropped out
West Grand (9).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Kit Carson (7)
5-0
95
1
3-0
2
Fleming (2)
4-0
85
2
2-0
3
Antonito (1)
5-0
76
3
0-0
4
Kim/Branson
5-0
70
4
1-0
5
Heritage Christian
4-0
54
5
1-0
6
Kiowa
4-1
24
8
2-0
7
De Beque
4-0
21
–
1-0
8
Arickaree/Woodlin
3-1
19
–
0-0
9
South Baca
4-2
17
–
3-0
10
Idalia
4-2
16
6
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Holly 13, Cheraw 12, Belleview Christian 8, Briggsdale 7, La Veta 7, McClave 7, Sierra Grande 7, Sangre de Cristo 4, Creede/Lake City 3, Springfield 3, Deer Trail 1, Wiley 1.
The 2016 all-state football teams 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 across the state.
Players were placed onto the first-team, second-team and honorable mention based upon the number of votes they received. In 5A-1A, spots were reserved for linemen and one kicker/punter, while 8-man reserved spots for linemen.
CHSAA does not determine who makes or doesn’t make the team; they are created entirely from the results of the coaches’ vote.
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Class 5A
(Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Player of the year: Dylan McCaffrey, Valor Christian
Cripple Creek-Victor snapped a 35-game losing streak on Friday with a 65-31 win over Colorado Deaf & Blind.
It was the program’s first win since the 2011 season — and first on-field win since 2010, a span of 42 games.
The Pioneers went 0-9 each of the past two seasons, 0-7 in 2013, and 0-8 in 2012. They were 1-8 in 2011, losing their final game after getting a forfeit win against Limon on Oct. 21, 2011.
Their last on-field win came against Ellicott in the final game of the 2010 season, with a 20-6 victory on Oct. 30, 2010.
The Pioneers nearly snapped the losing streak last week. They led Hanover 25-14 heading into the fourth quarter, but gave up 14 points in the final frame to lose 28-25.
Friday night, there would be no such letdown with the 34-point win.
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3A/4A: (1) Pueblo East 23, Pueblo West 21
Pueblo East came back to beat Pueblo West. (Via @flammowl17 on Twitter)
Pueblo West nearly pulled off the upset, leading much of the second half, but Pueblo East got a touchdown from Bryson Torres with a minute to play to secure its 15th in a row.
Pueblo West held leads of 8-3, 14-11, 21-11 and 21-17 before East’s comeback.
Pueblo East’s winning streak is tied for the longest current active steak in the state.
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4A/3A: Niwot 17, Summit 14
Niwot is 2-0 following its win over Summit.
The Cougars, who snapped a 24-game losing streak last October, haven’t started a season 2-0 since 2005, when they finished 9-2.
In fact, Niwot hasn’t won two games in a season since 2013. And both wins this year have been of the come-from-behind variety.
“I’m really proud of the kids’ fortitude,” Niwot coach Dylan Hollingsworth told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show after the game. “Anytime we were down last year, you knew it was over. We never responded well to it. And they have really played hard through the adversity this year.”
The game marked a return for Hollingsworth, who left Summit after 10 seasons to take over Niwot in 2015.
“It was interesting being on the opposite sideline, looking at everything that I’ve always had my back to, and having my back to everything that I’ve always looked at,” Hollingsworth said.
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Notables
West Grand football coach Chris Brown extended his career wins record with a 42-12 decision over South Park. That’s No. 308 in his career.
… and Kent Denver’s Scott Yates stayed right behind Brown with win No. 307 as his Sun Devils beat Faith Christian 27-12.
4A No. 10 Broomfield got its first win under new coach Blair Hubbard, 21-14 over Wheat Ridge. “The transition’s really been very smooth, and the kids are excited and really believe in what we want to do here,” Hubbard told the Scoreboard Show. “The community’s been really supportive. It’s been a great place to be through the summer and here in the fall now.”
Fruita Monument got its first win of 2016 by beating rival Grand Junction 38-14. “I do think we’ve got a good team. I keep saying that, because I believe it having been around this for a while,” Wildcats coach Todd Casebier told the Scoreboard Show. “Our season hasn’t gone as well as we’d hoped so far, but it was a big win for us tonight.”
Fairview, ranked No. 10 in 5A, handled rival Boulder 50-9.
In 2A, No. 8 Platte Valley edged No. 9 Eaton 26-12. “It was a good early test for us,” coach Troy Hoffman told the Scoreboard Show.
Lewis-Palmer made its claim for a spot in the 3A ranking by beating No. 9 Evergreen 42-0.
Another big one in 1A: No. 6 Limon topped No. 4 Crowley County 14-7. “We gave up one big play, and … I thought we did a great job other than that one play,” coach Mike O’Dwyer told the Scoreboard Show.
A good old-fashioned 6-man shootout: No. 3 La Veta beat Walsh 79-64.
Pomona is the new No. 1 team in 5A football. (Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com)
Three new schools are staking their claim as the No. 1 teams in their respective classes of this week’s CHSAANow.com football rankings.
Pomona (Class 5A), Kent Denver (2A) and Dayspring Christian (8-man) all come in as the top teams in the polls after sitting lower in the preseason rankings.
Pomona moves into the top spot after beating Mullen 28-21 in Zero Week. The Panthers lost at Glynn Academy (Ga.) Friday, but that did not affect their standing to Colorado voters.
After a 0-2 start, defending 5A champion Valor Christian slipped to No. 6.
Windsor remains atop the 4A rankings after a 33-21 win over Vista Ridge to start the season. The Wizards will have a top-10 match-up this week against No. 7 Pine Creek, who lost to No. 3 Chatfield on Friday.
The Chargers are new to the rankings this week along with Pueblo South (No. 6) and Monarch (No. 8).
After an impressive win over Longmont to start its season, defending 3A champion Pueblo East remains at No. 1 in the 3A rankings.
Fort Morgan jumps one spot to No. 2 and Discovery Canyon lands at No. 3 this week.
A 1-1 start has Durango as the lone newcomer to the 3A poll. The Demons come in at No. 10.
Kent Denver is No. 1 in 2A. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Along with win No. 306, Kent Denver coach Scott Yates is also the man behind the Sun Devils team that now resides at the top of the 2A rankings.
Resurrection Christian is sitting right behind them at No. 2, jumping a staggering six spots this week. With four first-place votes, La Junta is sitting firmly at No. 3.
Eaton (No. 9) and Moffat County (No. 10) are the two teams who join the rankings for the first time this season.
In 1A, Buena Vista still holds the No. 1 spot, but Paonia continues to nip on the Demons’ heels as they sit at No. 2 and are only two points behind the defending champs.
Strasburg (No. 3) and Meeker (No. 7) are the 1A teams that made the biggest from the preseason rankings, each improving their position by three spots.
At No. 9, Rye is the only newcomer to the 1A poll.
With six of the 10 first-place votes cast this week, Dayspring Christian is the new No. 1 in the 8-man rankings.
Sargent takes over the No. 2 spot and despite starting 2-0, Sedgwick County drops two spots to No. 3.
Fresh behind getting Chris Brown his 307th career win, West Grand breaks into the 8-man polls at No. 8. Haxtun (No. 9) and Holly (No. 10) are also new to the rankings this week.
Kit Carson hangs on to the top spot in the 6-man rankings. The Wildcats improved to 2-0 with a 30-22 win over Pawnee this weekend.
La Veta (No. 3) and Cotopaxi (No. 7) each jumped three spots this week.
Sierra Grande (No. 6) and Cheyenne Wells (No. 10) are the two new teams in the 6-man poll.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
Greeley West 15, Dakota Ridge 12, Wheat Ridge 8, Ponderosa 6, Fort Collins 5, Grand Junction 4, Niwot 3, Montrose 2, Mesa Ridge 1, Sand Creek 1.
Dropped out
Dakota Ridge (7), Ponderosa (8), Wheat Ridge (9).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
Pueblo East (11)
1-0
127
1
2
Fort Morgan (1)
1-0
111
3
3
Discovery Canyon
1-0
85
5
4
Longmont (1)
0-1
77
4
5
Roosevelt
1-1
72
2
6
Holy Family
2-0
56
9
7
Rifle
2-0
49
7
8
Palisade
1-1
34
6
9
Evergreen
1-0
31
8
10
Durango
1-1
15
–
Others receiving votes:
Thompson Valley 13, Silver Creek 12, Frederick 9, Lewis-Palmer 9, Pueblo County 6, Summit 5, Lutheran 2, Canon City 1, Mead 1.
Dropped out
Thompson Valley (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
Kent Denver (4)
2-0
112
2
2
Resurrection Christian (1)
2-0
103
8
3
La Junta (4)
1-0
98
7
4
D’Evelyn (1)
1-0
85
6
5
The Classical Academy
1-0
79
5
6
Bayfield (1)
1-1
69
1
7
Delta (2)
0-1
68
4
8
Platte Valley
0-1
43
3
9
Eaton
2-0
36
–
10
Moffat County (1)
1-1
12
–
Others receiving votes:
Alamosa 11, Aspen 8, Faith Christian 8, Valley 6, Weld Central 6, Middle Park 5, Sterling 5, The Academy 5, Manitou Springs 4, Brush 3, Englewood 3, Coal Ridge 1.
Dropped out
Sterling (9), Brush (10).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
Buena Vista (9)
1-0
108
1
2
Paonia (2)
1-0
106
2
3
Strasburg (1)
1-0
84
6
4
Crowley County
2-0
82
4
5
Bennett
1-0
66
7
6
Limon
1-0
52
5
7
Meeker
2-0
40
10
8
Platte Canyon
1-0
31
8
9
Rye
1-0
23
–
10
Burlington
0-1
18
3
Others receiving votes:
Cedaredge 12, Peyton 11, Ellicott 10, Colorado Springs Christian 8, Hotchkiss 4, Holyoke 2, Highland 1, Monte Vista 1, Olathe 1.
The seven titles are the most since Regis Jesuit and Cheyenne Mountain each won seven in 2010-11.
Five teams tied for second place in the state with three team championships this season: Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado Academy, Kent Denver, Pomona and Regis Jesuit.
Colorado Academy and Valor Christian each had a state-best three girls championships, while Valor’s four titles were the most on the boys’ side.
In all, 67 different teams won a team championship in 2015-16, including 16 teams which won multiple championships.
A breakdown of team championships is below.
Rank
Team
Girls
Boys
Co-Ed
Total
1
Valor Christian
3
4
0
7
2
Cheyenne Mountain
2
1
0
3
2
Colorado Academy
3
0
0
3
2
Kent Denver
1
2
0
3
2
Pomona
1
2
0
3
2
Regis Jesuit
0
3
0
3
7
Broomfield
1
1
0
2
7
Cherokee Trail
1
1
0
2
7
Cherry Creek
1
1
0
2
7
Eaton
2
0
0
2
7
Fairview
2
0
0
2
7
Grandview
2
0
0
2
7
Heritage Christian
1
1
0
2
7
Lutheran
1
1
0
2
7
Mountain Vista
1
1
0
2
7
Yuma
2
0
0
2
17
Air Academy
1
0
0
1
17
Alamosa
0
1
0
1
17
Aspen
1
0
0
1
17
Battle Mountain
0
1
0
1
17
Bayfield
0
1
0
1
17
Bennett
1
0
0
1
17
Buena Vista
0
1
0
1
17
Castle View
0
0
1
1
17
Cedaredge
0
1
0
1
17
Cheyenne Wells
1
0
0
1
17
Colorado Springs Christian
0
1
0
1
17
Dawson School
0
1
0
1
17
Durango
0
1
0
1
17
Eads
0
1
0
1
17
Eaglecrest
1
0
0
1
17
Evergreen
0
1
0
1
17
Faith Christian
0
1
0
1
17
Fleming
0
1
0
1
17
Fort Collins
1
0
0
1
17
Fossil Ridge
0
1
0
1
17
Holly
0
1
0
1
17
Idalia
1
0
0
1
17
Lewis-Palmer
1
0
0
1
17
Lyons
0
1
0
1
17
Meeker
0
1
0
1
17
Monarch
1
0
0
1
17
Mountain Range
1
0
0
1
17
Mountain View
0
1
0
1
17
Niwot
1
0
0
1
17
Otis
1
0
0
1
17
Overland
0
1
0
1
17
Palmer Ridge
1
0
0
1
17
Paonia
1
0
0
1
17
Peak to Peak
0
1
0
1
17
Ponderosa
1
0
0
1
17
Pueblo County
0
1
0
1
17
Pueblo East
0
1
0
1
17
Pueblo West
0
1
0
1
17
Salida
1
0
0
1
17
Sanford
0
1
0
1
17
Sedgwick County
0
1
0
1
17
St. Mary’s
0
0
1
1
17
Strasburg
1
0
0
1
17
Telluride
1
0
0
1
17
The Classical Academy
1
0
0
1
17
ThunderRidge
1
0
0
1
17
University
1
0
0
1
17
Vail Christian
1
0
0
1
17
Vail Mountain
1
0
0
1
17
Valley
0
1
0
1
17
Windsor
0
1
0
1
[divider]
Individual Championships
Cheyenne Mountain had a state-best 11 individual champions in 2015-16. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Cheyenne Mountain also had an outstanding year in terms of individual titles, leading the state with 11 championships. The program was well balanced: Six championships came from its girls teams, and five came from the boys.
Lutheran’s 10 individual championships were the second-most in the state, including a state-best nine boys titles. Regis Jesuit was third with nine individual titles, and Air Academy and Pomona tied for fourth with eight apiece.
A total of 135 schools had at least one individual champion, and 82 had multiple champions. Of those, 21 schools had at least five individual champions.
Air Academy’s Katie Rainsberger. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
LAKEWOOD — If Katie Rainsberger isn’t the greatest girls distance runner in state history, she’s at least in the conversation.
The Air Academy senior proved her place in history again by breaking yet another record, this time the Class 4A 1,600 state meet-best of 4:47.54 by Niwot’s Elise Cranny in 2014. Rainsberger capped off an illustrious career for the Kadets with a winning time of 4 minutes, 45.27 seconds, close to her all-classification record of 4:44.31 from earlier in the season.
The University of Oregon recruit did a clean sweep of every event there is in distance the last two seasons — cross country, 800, 1,600, 3,200 and 3,200 relays. Rainsberger also won the Nike national championship in cross country as a senior. Asked what she’ll remember most from her final state meet at Jefferson County Stadium, Rainsberger said it’ll be a combination of things.
“Winning the 4×8 with my team, my best friend getting second in the 800 (Air Academy senior Kayla Wiitala) and just turning around and seeing her cross the line, and having everyone in the stadium cheering me on in the last lap,” she said. “I just really appreciate the time I’ve had here.”
For all of her accolades, Rainsberger wasn’t peerless in star power Saturday.
Denver East’s Arria Minor won the 100 (11.83), 200 (23.53) and 400-meter dashes (52.50) in 5A as a freshman. Her 400 time came as close as it could to the all-classification record of 52.49 by Ana Holland of Regis Jesuit in 2013. But, hey, she’s got three more years.
“I’m just proud that I got to experience this as a freshman,” she said. “Before the season started, I didn’t really have huge goals. I just wanted to make it into finals and then it was top-3. Then it turned to striving to win. There’s definitely a difference in my goals now.”
Moffat County senior Kayla Pinnt was the queen of the 3A sprints in also winning the 100 (12.22), the 200 (24.77) and the 400 in a state meet record time of 55.01. The Colorado State recruit won seven individual titles in her career.
“I came in here thinking two state titles,” she said. “That’s all I wanted to go home with, so I’m very proud to go home with three.”
Moffat County also won the 400 relay in a time of 50.03 seconds as Pinnt anchored after Emma Samuelson, freshman sister Quinn Pinnt, and Ary Shaffer.
Amazingly enough, the 4A sprints were also swept as Discovery Canyon sophomore Lauren Gale was the champion in times of 12.21, 24.19 and 53.72.
If that’s not enough to convince you of the in-state talent in girls track and field, consider Rock Canyon sophomore Emily Sloan’s 100 and 300 hurdles wins in times of 13.46 and 41.24. Already a two-time 5A champion in the 100 hurdles, Sloan didn’t shatter any records Saturday but sure came close to Carly Lester’s (Rocky Mountain) all-classification best of 41.18 in the 300 hurdles from the 2014 state meet.
Kim sophomore Zariah Mason took down her own 1A 100-meter dash record of 12.72 from last season with a 12.52 this time. She also became the first 1A competitor to ever run under 26 seconds in the 200-meter dash in posting a 25.81.
Peak to Peak has some spectacular freshman distance runners, again showing their strength Saturday in the 1,600 as first-years Anna Shults (5:08) and Quinn McConnell (5:12) placed first and second in 3A.
The Arapahoe 1,600 relay of Anna Hall, Sarah Slack, Julia Hall and Allison Marizza ran an eye-opening 3:46.70, coming close to the Colorado record of 3:45.69 by Littleton in 2011.
Records were set in the field events on the final day of competition as well as Sangre de Cristo senior Sarah Storey broke the 1A long jump record with a mark of 17 feet, 6.5 inches. Eaton junior Tarynn Sieg took care of the 3A state meet record in the shot put in posting a 45-5.
The Classical Academy’s Andrea Willis. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Andrea Willis, a senior pole vaulter for The Classical Academy and the Colorado record holder at 13 feet, 9 inches, vaulted past the 4A state meet record of 13-3 by going 13-4. She also had three attempts at 13-10, but just missed on each. Sophomore sister Erika was the state runner-up at 11 feet, 11 inches.
Raquel Valdez, a Mountain View senior, had a monstrous throw of 148 feet, 6 inches to claim the 4A crown in the discus. Cherokee Trail’s sophomore tandem of Sydnee Larkin (39-8.25) and Aumni Ashby (37-7) swept the top two places in the 5A triple jump.
As for team champions, Fort Collins won their second 5A championship in three years by scoring 81 points. The Lambkins had victories by Audra Koopman (long jump) and Becca Schulte (800).
Arapahoe (69) and Cherokee Trail (68) were in a close battle for second. Fort Collins added to a long-standing track and cross country tradition that is up there with any school in Colorado.
The Classical Academy, fantastic on the track and in the field, tallied 84.5 points to win 4A. Bethany Johns, Teresa Ambuul, Maggie Zielinski and Kendra Frieden won the 1,600 relay for the Titans in a time of 3 minutes, 52.10 seconds.
The Classical Academy has now won nine state championships in girls track and field, second-most in Colorado history behind only Mullen (11). Air Academy was the runner-up with 64.5 points.
Eaton won the 3A team championship with 107.5 points to Moffat County’s 88. The Reds, in going back-to-back in track, clinched their 33rd championship overall in school history.
In 2A, Paonia made history by becoming the fourth girls track and field program to win four state championships in a row. The Eagles became the first to do so since The Classical Academy won five in a row in 3A from 2006-2010. Limon won four in a row in 2A from 2004-07, while Mullen was a seven-time champion in 4A from 1997-2003.
Brianna Van Vleet, Randi Rapke, Shira Woods and Ashley Van Vleet won the 1,600 relay for the Eagles in 4:05.20. Taylor Carsten was the runner-up to Burlington’s Ellie Berry in the discus on Saturday, while Ashley Van Vleet was second to Wray’s Alyssa Valko in the 300 hurdles. More than anything, the 2A field was simply outmatched again by Paonia’s ability to score across all events. They finished with 139 points to Wray’s 76.
Heritage Christian defended their 1A team title from 2015 with 121 points, as Springfield was the runner-up with 69.5. Twin sisters Rebekah and Rachel Rairdon went out with numerous accolades. Rebekah won the 1,600 (5:36) and was second in the 300 hurdles (50.15) on Saturday.
The 2015-16 all-state girls basketball players of the year. (Photos: Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com; Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com; Matt Daniels/MattDanPhoto.com; Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com)
The 2015-16 all-state girls basketball teams 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 week-long vote of coaches.
A specific player of the year vote was held in each class, as was a vote for coach of the year.
[divider]
Class 5A
Grandview’s Michaela Onyenwere is the 5A girls basketball player of the year. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
