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.
A 47-7 loss in the Class 2A state semifinals is not the way the La Junta Tigers envisioned ending their season.
Especially considering that in the 11 games prior to their loss at the hands of eventual state champion, Bayfield, the Tigers surrendered less than six points per game.
But with 11 starters returning on the defensive side of the ball, La Junta is looking to put its stamp on the 2016 season and reach heights that will they hope will include a state title trophy at the end of the year.
“We have to play great defense,” coach Clint Buderus said. “That’s a big emphasis for us and if we can stay in a game and keep it close, that’s all we can ask for.”
It’s not just the defense that will provide the experience that the Tigers will need to overcome last year’s loss. For the last two seasons, La Junta has steadily become a better team and the senior class as a whole has had its eyes on this season as one that can be truly special.
“The first time we went (to the playoffs) three years ago, these kids were all sophomores and they were all playing,” Buderus said. “This class has been together for a long time. The majority of them got a taste of it and they’re excited to get going again.”
But excited doesn’t quite cover the range of feelings going through this senior class. The players were dominant in the regular season and for their first two playoff games.
With Bayfield proving to be just as good as advertised, the Tigers know that they have something to prove as the regular season prepares to kick-off.
“Our mentality right now is to ficus on one game at a time,” running back/linebacker Dax Bender said. “We know our expectations and we just need to be solid throughout the year.”
Bender was one of the key two-way players for the Tigers a year ago, running for over 500 yards while registering six turnovers on the defensive end.
He’ll be just one La Junta player amongst a strong senior class that Buderus will lean on for the Tigers.
“I really think we have a 12 leaders,” Buderus said. “I really do. Our kids are so close. They do everything together, they spend all their time together. It’s good to have a leader (like Bender) to put everybody on his back and take you.”
And that’s exactly what he plans on doing. The Tigers have been without a state football championship since 1958 and there is no doubt in their mind that they have the talent on the field this season to end that streak.
“We’ve been working really hard since our freshman year and we have a lot of varsity experience,” Bender said. “That’s the plan (to bring home a title) but we have to play really hard every game. We can’t let anyone undercut us.”
And if anything, that disappointing loss to Bayfield will only serve as firewood for La Junta. Buderus knows that that the season ending the way it did will only provide fruitful longterm results.
“The kids were upset,” Buderus said. “But I think it was good for us to get there. Obviously we wanted to get the win, but I don’t think the outcome should’ve been what it was. I think we were a little in the spotlight and we’d never been there. I think you need to knock on the door before you can kick it in.”
Valor Christian is No. 1 in 5A’s preseason poll. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
As is tradition, the defending state football champions have a way of finding themselves atop the initial set of CHSAANow.com football rankings.
Of the seven teams that came away with titles in their respective classes, six will come into the 2016 season with a No. 1 ranking.
With 12 first place votes in Class 5A, Valor Christian comes in as the top dog in the states highest classification. They return MaxPrep All-American quarterback Dylan McCaffrey and emerging running back Josiah Davis on the offensive side of the ball.
Defensively, Noah Elliss leads a front seven that could rank as one of the top in the state. With balance on both sides of the ball, the Eagles will look for their seventh title in eight seasons.
State runner-up Pomona takes the No. 2 spot in the polls and are looking to bounce back after a tough loss to Valor in the 5A title game.
Mullen slides in at No. 3, while Cherry Creek and Grandview round out the top five teams.
Windsor is No. 1 in 4A. (Matt Daniels/MattDanPhoto.com)
In 4A, defending champion Windsor is riding high after playing its way to the fourth football title in team history. The Wizards sit atop the rankings with Pine Creek nipping closely at their heels.
The Eagles had a string of back-to-back title reigns ended last season and are looking rebound from an unexpected exit in the 4A semifinals.
With two consecutive titles in hand, Pueblo East starts the season as the top team in the 3A polls, taking seven first place votes.
The Eagles went through Fort Morgan in the 3A semifinals last year and topped Roosevelt in the title game. Those two teams follow Pueblo East in the rankings with the Roughriders sitting at No. 2 and the Mustangs coming in at No. 3.
As a newcomer to 3A, Longmont comes in at No. 4 despite receiving six first place votes.
The 2A poll starts with the most distribution among voters in the class. Bayfield comes in at No. 1 with three first place votes. Delta, a team dropping down to 2A with the new football classification cutoff numbers, received the most first place votes with five, but the Panthers come in at No. 4 to start the year.
The Classical Academy — another newcomer to 2A for this cycle — lands at No. 5.
Buena Vista is No. 1 in 1A. (Bill Cronin)
Just as they ended last season duking it out with each other, Buena Vista and Paonia battled for the top spot in the 1A polls with the Demons coming away with the top spot.
They received 12 votes for the No. 1 spot while the Panthers snagged four.
Burlington (No. 3) and Crowley County (No. 4) also received high rankings after making playoff runs last year.
Other quarterfinal teams that made the top 10 this season are Limon (No. 5) and Meeker (No. 10).
Like in the 1A polls, the 8-man state champ and runner-up come in as the top two teams this preseason. Sedgwick County and Akron take the No. 1 and No. 2 spots respectively with Sargent coming in at No. 3 and Norwood coming in at No. 4.
Overall, seven of the eight quarterfinal teams in the 8-man playoffs come into the season ranked in the top 10.
Fleming comes in as the only No. 1 team who does not have championship hardware from a year ago. The Wildcats lost in last year’s 6-man semifinals to eventual champion Eads, but come in this year as the preseason favorite to take the state title.
After coming away with the state title, Eads comes in at No. 2 despite receiving the majority of the first place votes.
State runner-up Arickaree/Woodlin comes in at No. 4.
Kit Carson (No. 3) and Pawnee (No. 5) round out the top five 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 during the regular season.
Chatfield 25, Pueblo South 25, Fruita Monument 20, Monarch 17, Fort Collins 10, Montrose 10, Grand Junction 5, Greeley West 5, Pueblo Centennial 4, Pueblo West 4, Rampart 4.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Pueblo East (7)
0-0
126
2
Roosevelt
0-0
100
3
Fort Morgan (1)
0-0
89
4
Longmont (6)
0-0
75
5
Discovery Canyon
0-0
71
6
Palisade
0-0
65
7
Rifle
0-0
40
8
Evergreen
0-0
37
9
Holy Family
0-0
30
10
Thompson Valley
0-0
26
Others receiving votes:
Mead 23, Durango 16, Lutheran 10, Pueblo County 9, Eagle Valley 8, Lewis-Palmer 8, Silver Creek 8, Vista Peak 8, Palmer Ridge 7, Mitchell 6, Alameda 5, Conifer 1, Pueblo Central 1, Woodland Park 1.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Bayfield (3)
0-0
104
2
Kent Denver (1)
0-0
97
3
Platte Valley (2)
0-0
90
4
Delta (5)
0-0
78
5
The Classical Academy
0-0
68
6
D’Evelyn (3)
0-0
67
7
La Junta (1)
0-0
62
8
Resurrection Christian
0-0
58
9
Sterling
0-0
47
10
Brush
0-0
38
Others receiving votes:
Eaton 33, Faith Christian 20, Bishop Machbeuf 9, Manitou Springs 8, Moffat County 8, Elizabeth 7, Cortez 6, Fort Lupton 5, Steamboat Springs 5, Arvada 4, The Academy 4, Gunnison 3, Basalt 2, Weld Central 2.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Buena Vista (12)
0-0
149
2
Paonia (4)
0-0
146
3
Burlington
0-0
83
4
Crowley County
0-0
76
5
Limon
0-0
71
6
Strasburg
0-0
52
7
Bennett
0-0
50
8
Platte Canyon
0-0
41
9
Monte Vista
0-0
35
10
Meeker
0-0
34
Others receiving votes:
Rye 33, Cedaredge 24, Centauri 24, Dolores 16, Ellicott 15, Wiggins 14, Center 8, Dolores Huerta 8, Holyoke 8, Vail Christian 8, Colorado Springs Christian 6, Olathe 6, Rocky Ford 6, Grand Valley 5, Byers 4, Highland 4, Peyton 3, Trinidad 3, Hotchkiss 2, Front Range Christian 1.
8-man
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Sedgwick County (8)
0-0
96
2
Akron
0-0
87
3
Sargent
0-0
80
4
Norwood (2)
0-0
73
5
Dayspring Christian
0-0
61
6
Hoehne (1)
0-0
60
7
Merino
0-0
31
8
Granada
0-0
26
9
Caliche (1)
0-0
23
10
Dove Creek
0-0
20
Others receiving votes:
West Grand 15, Sangre de Cristo 14, Holly 12, Springfield 12, Sanford 10, Las Animas 9, Mancos 9, Miami-Yoder 6, Haxtun 5, Plateau Valley 3, Del Norte 2, Hayden 2, Soroco 2, Gilpin County 1, McClave 1.
The 2016 all-state baseball players of the year are (from left): Holly’s Ricardo Juarez (1A); Dawson’s Luke Feigal (2A); ThunderRidge’s Jake Eissler (5A); Lewis-Palmer’s Paul Tillotson (4A); and Faith Christian’s Austin Stone (3A). (Photos: Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com; Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com; Chris Fehrm/MaxPreps; Michael Hankins/MaxPreps)
The 2016 all-state baseball 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
ThunderRidge’s Jake Eissler is the 5A baseball player of the year. (Michael Hankins/MaxPreps) Player of the year: Jake Eissler, ThunderRidge
Coach of the year: Allan Dyer, Cherokee Trail
First Team
Name
School
Pos.
Year
Austin Alarid
Rocky Mountain
LHP/1B
Senior
Jerome Bohannon
Cherokee Trail
LHP/OF
Senior
Quin Cotton
Regis Jesuit
OF
Senior
Jake Eissler
ThunderRidge
RHP/3B/1B
Senior
Maverick Handley
Mullen
C/INF
Senior
Travis Marr
Regis Jesuit
RHP/1B
Senior
Conner Nantkes
Cherokee Trail
LHP/UTIL
Junior
Ryan Sullivan
Cherokee Trail
1B
Senior
Nate Sweeney
Cherry Creek
RHP/SS/OF
Senior
Bo Weiss
Regis Jesuit
RHP
Senior
Second Team
Name
School
Pos.
Year
Peter Carlson
Ralston Valley
SS/RHP
Senior
Bailey Collins
Dakota Ridge
OF/P
Senior
Eric Cox
Cherokee Trail
RHP/OF
Junior
Cade Crader
Grandview
1B/RHP
Senior
Tommy Gillman
Columbine
SS
Senior
Jay Onken
Pine Creek
OF/RHP
Sophomore
Casey Opitz
Heritage
C/SS/RHP
Junior
Tanner O’Tremba
Cherry Creek
OF/RHP
Sophomore
Sam Schroeder
Fruita Monument
P/OF
Senior
Josh Schumacher
Rangeview
2B/SS/P
Senior
John Sorensen
Rocky Mountain
SS/RHP
Junior
Honorable mention:
Cuba Bess, Senior, Fruita Monument
Evan Bolin, Senior, Prairie View
Wade Council, Senior, Pine Creek
Aaron Dammel, Senior, Highlands Ranch
Chris Diehl, Senior, Rocky Mountain
Riley Egloff, Sophomore, Heritage
Cole Farmer, Senior, Brighton
Matt Givin, Junior, Rock Canyon
Alex Gonzales, Senior, Rocky Mountain
Tanner Hauptman, Senior, Ralston Valley
Tyson Hays, Junior, Grandview
Ryley Humrighouse, Senior, Castle View
Ricky Marshall, Senior, Fountain-Fort Carson
Jake Minnick, Senior, Douglas County
Jacob Moyer, Senior, Fort Collins
Dylan Paulsen, Senior, Gateway
Walter Pennington, Senior, Broomfield
Nick Perez, Junior, Cherokee Trail
Rocco Porreco, Junior, Mullen
Chase Powell, Senior, Lakewood
Tony Rice, Senior, Liberty
Jacob Rodriguez, Senior, Adams City
Joey Salvato, Junior, Mullen
Tyler Smith, Senior, Grandview
Jordan Stubbings, Junior, Legend
Nathaniel Swanson, Junior, Northglenn
Jadon Uhrich, Junior, Rocky Mountain
Razzo Vigil, Junior, Westminster
[divider]
Class 4A
Lewis-Palmer’s Paul Tillotson is the 4A baseball player of the year. (Chris Fehrm/MaxPreps) Player of the year: Paul Tillotson, Lewis-Palmer
Coach of the year: Keith Wahl, Valor Christian
First Team
Name
School
Pos.
Year
Clint Allen
Erie
C/INF/P
Senior
Rocco Arguto
Pueblo West
RF
Senior
Holden Bernhardt
Mountain View
P/OF/1B
Senior
Wyatt Featherston
Green Mountain
OF/P
Senior
Jake Greenwalt
Windsor
–
Senior
Cole McKissock
Air Academy
INF
Senior
Dauson Tate
Pueblo West
C
Senior
Paul Tillotson
Lewis-Palmer
–
Senior
Austin Wood
Silver Creek
1B/P
Senior
Luke Ziegler
Valor Christian
3B/RHP
Sophomore
Second Team
Name
School
Pos.
Year
Mike Berg
Thompson Valley
C/OF/3B
Junior
Issac Bracken
Berthoud
–
Senior
Jaspar Carmichael
Delta
SS/P
Sophomore
Billy Cook
Lewis-Palmer
–
Junior
Nyk Crumrine
Valor Christian
INF/RHP
Senior
Bailey Hansen
Air Academy
P/OF
Senior
Davis Heller
Valor Christian
RHP/1B
Freshman
Ethan Keller
Delta
CF/P
Junior
Ruben Portillo
Erie
P/INF
Junior
Cooper Rothe
Longmont
CF
Senior
Judah Wilbur
Denver North
INF/SS/2B
Junior
Honorable mention:
Kavan Andrew, Senior, Longmont
Locke Bernhardt, Senior, Mountain View
Cameron Brosh, Senior, Canon City
Josh Crites, Senior, Erie
Kyle Daniels, Senior, Fort Morgan
Blake Donels, Junior, Valor Christian
Gavin Fesmire, Senior, Pueblo Centennial
Daniel Gurrola, Senior, Denver North
Spencer Hamilton, Senior, The Classical Academy
Jaeden Hegmann, Junior, Mesa Ridge
Dane Kapande, Senior, Evergreen
Joe Lucas, Senior, Palisade
Zach Manchester, Senior, Canon City
Garrett Martin, Junior, Eagle Valley
Lawrence Mayberry, Senior, Durango
Mitch Menard, Senior, D’Evelyn
Skyler Messinger, Junior, Niwot
Jared Miller, Sophomore, Montrose
Brett Muscatello, Senior, Evergreen
Max Noland, Junior, Palisade
Dylan Norsen, Junior, Mountain View
Gunner Pickett, Senior, Mead
Blake Reiher, Junior, Delta
Morgan Robinson, Senior, Rifle
Stephen Romero, Junior, Glenwood Springs
Andrew Shaw, Junior, Summit
Tyler Shubert, Senior, Windsor
Isiah Torres, Senior, Pueblo East
Sean Weller, Senior, Battle Mountain
Kaylor Werner, Sophomore, Northridge
Cole Winn, Sophomore, Silver Creek
[divider] Faith Christian’s Austin Stone is the 3A baseball player of the year. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
The 2015 football players of the year. From left: Dylan Dixon of Eads; Keegan Wentz of Buena Vista; JoJo Domann of Pine Creek; Dylan McCaffrey of Valor Christian; Daniel Martin of Pueblo East; Kelton McCoy of Bayfield; Trey Walter of Sedgwick County. (Photos: Jack Eberhard/JacksActoinShots.com; Bill Cronin; Matt Daniels/MattDanPhoto.com; Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com; Jeff Tucker; and Sedgwick County HS)
The 2015 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 coaches.
