COLORADO SPRINGS — Lewis-Palmer had two major problems on Wednesday night: Josh Scott and Angelo Battistelli found their way into foul trouble and Hunter Maldonado was on the other team.
But a hot-shooting night from Eli Burkett and lockdown third quarter helped the Class 4A CHSAANow.com No. 8-ranked Rangers came away with a 65-56 win over Vista Ridge.
“We feed off getting some run-outs and getting a big stop,” Lewis-Palmer coach Bill Benton said. “That fires this team up more than a dunk does.”
They came away with zero dunks on the night, but they’ll take that all day if it means they get the win. The Rangers (14-4 overall, 7-2 Pikes Peak Athletic Conference) jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead to start the game, doing their best to take the air out of the Vista Ridge gym.
That was easier said than done. Joel Scott was assessed two fouls in the first three minutes of the game, forcing Benton to put him on the bench for the remainder of the first half.
The Wolves (13-5, 8-1) took advantage with a 15-4 run to take a 15-8 lead late in the first quarter. But a 3-pointer from Burkett and a basket from Battistelli cut that lead to just two heading into the second.
Maldonado was limited to only six points in the quarter, with Billy Cook doing everything possible to slow down the Wyoming commit.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
“It’s definitely tiring,” Cook said. “He’s one heck of a player, but it gives me good experience. I’ve guarded these guys, Hunter and D’Shawn (Schwartz) so the guys I have to guard in the future, it’s a little easier.”
Maldonado would go on to score a game-high 29 points. But that was about the best news of the night for the Wolves.
The Rangers held a one-point lead in the final 30 seconds of the first half, but a Burkett triple before the clock expired proved to be the beginning of the end for Vista Ridge.
“That was huge,” Burkett said. “We were punching back and forth all half, so to hit that, it gave us a lot of momentum heading into the second half.”
Burkett came and out scored seven of his team-high 22 points in the third quarter, but what most impressed his coach was what he was able to do at the other end of the floor.
“Eli had a great game on the defensive end,” Benton said.
He was also quick to point that Noah Baca and Carter Kreischer also stepped up and provided big minutes when the team needed them.
In the third quarter, the Rangers only surrendered two field goals to the Wolves, both coming at the hands of Maldonado.
Vista Ridge made a push to cut the Lewis-Palmer lead down in the fourth. Raymon Harper scored to make it a 57-53 game, but back-to-back field goals from Battistelli and Cook torpedoed any hope the Wolves had at a comeback.
While it would be easy for Lewis-Palmer to ride the wave of handing Vista Ridge its first loss, the players know that their work is far from over and they need to continue their solid play down the final stretch of the season.
“We have five more games left,” Burkett said. “We have to come out and play. We have to win them all.”
Sami picked the Buffs over offers from Ole Miss, Northern Colorado and CSU-Pueblo.
During his senior season, in which Vista Ridge went 6-5 and made the Class 4A playoffs, Sami had 55.5 tackles, including a team-high 15.5 for a loss. He also had 4.5 sacks, and was a terror on special teams, blocking three field goals and a punt.
Sami also played boys basketball (where he was a center) and track (throws) during his freshman and sophomore years at Sierra.
With Signing Day around the corner, follow the Class of 2017 college commitments in our recruiting database.
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.
[divider]
Class 5A
(Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Player of the year: Dylan McCaffrey, Valor Christian
When talking about his star senior, Vista Ridge boys basketball coach Joe Hites can’t help the way he describes him.
“I refer to him as a throwback player,” Hites says of Hunter Maldonado. “We live in a pretty me-first society and he doesn’t pay attention to that.”
And it pays off.
Maldonado plays in the brutally competitive Pikes Peak Athletic Conference, but has always been successful. He earned second team all-league honors as a freshman and a year ago quietly stood above Lewis-Palmer’s Jonathan Scott and Sand Creek’s D’Shawn Schwartz as the PPAC player of the year.
After the Wolves made a run to the Class 4A Final 4, he started getting looks from college programs. In June, he announced that he’d be heading north to play for Wyoming. Another top-end talent was somehow able to escape the Colorado border.
“A week or two after (the state tournament) ended, a couple of colleges started talking me,” Maldonado said. “I loved the coaching staff (at Wyoming). I love the campus and I love the environment in Laramie.”
But first thing’s first.
Maldonado and the Wolves aren’t off to the kind of start that they were hoping for. They beat Denver South in triple-overtime to open the season, but have since dropped three straight. But that will not deter the future Cowboy.
It was right around this time a year ago that Vista Ridge got pummeled by Pueblo South. Like this year, Hites said that the team just needed to find its footing.
This year might prove to be a little more of a challenge as the Wolves have made the jump to 5A. But they’ll still play in the PPAC, making it a 5A/4A league for the next two years.
Things won’t necessarily be more difficult for Maldonado and if anything, it just gives him more motivation to succeed and prove that he belongs.
(Josh Watt/CHSAANow.com)
“Throughout every season, you have to learn these lessons of giving it your all every single day,” he said. “That’s what we’re doing right now. We’re going through a little patch of losses, but I’d rather do it now than later.”
He is the kind of player that a team needs to make sure that patch of losses doesn’t come later. He can rally the team together.
It’s not his talent on the court that does it, it’s his attitude. It’s why Hites likes to classify him as a throwback.
Maldonado’s most important trait as a basketball player is understand that the team will always accomplish more than he can individually. That’s what makes him stand out as a leader.
“He gets obligation,” Hites said. “He gets that you can’t do anything alone. He’s exceptionally humble and exceptionally appreciative.”
And when he’s on the court and in the zone, he tends to be exceptional overall.
Wyoming coach Allen Edwards has to be salivating to get Maldonado to Laramie. But there are things the young man still needs to do here in Colorado.
“I just want to be the best teammate I can be,” he said. “I just want to lead my team and do what needs to be done. We have some goals we want to get accomplished this season. I just want to get those done.”
For the next three months, it’s going to be a fun ride to watch him do just that.
The 2016 all-state boys soccer teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These team were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues, and then a vote of coaches.
[divider]
Class 5A
(Derek Regensburger/MaxPreps)
Player of the year: Tajon Buchanan, Legacy
Coach of the year: Hardy Kalisher, Boulder
First Team
Name
School
Year
Pos.
Tajon Buchanan
Legacy
Senior
FORW
Evan Bunch
Arapahoe
Senior
D
Sam Carson
Denver East
Junior
FORW
Omar Castruita
Boulder
Sophomore
FORW
Djibril Doumbia
Boulder
Sophomore
GK
Max Gottesfeld
Denver East
Senior
FORW
Ryan Houseman
Fairview
Senior
MF
Grant Martinez
Fossil Ridge
Senior
–
Armando Ocampo
Broomfield
Senior
–
Riley Shea
Broomfield
Senior
–
Blaise Werner
Boulder
Senior
FORW
Second Team
Name
School
Year
Pos.
Josh Alpert
Cherry Creek
Senior
MF
Mitchell Graesser
Boulder
Senior
D
Simon Julian
Boulder
Senior
D
Daulton Logan
Broomfield
Senior
–
Abraham Lopez
Boulder
Senior
MF
Chase Pacheco
Mountain Vista
Senior
MF
Mathew Rhoads
Fort Collins
Junior
D
Alex Ruiz
Grandview
Senior
MF
Jack Schulze
Heritage
Senior
GK
Jamie Soto
Fossil Ridge
Senior
–
Eric Thompson
Fort Collins
Junior
MF
Andrew Turk
Pine Creek
Senior
FORW
Honorable mention: Matt Behnke, Rock Canyon, Senior, FORW; Braden Bloom, Castle View, Senior, D; Cameron Broadhurst, Broomfield, Junior; Luke Drumright, Arvada West, Senior, MF/FORW; Miguel Garcia, Far Northeast Warriors, Senior, GK; Andrew Hansen, Grand Junction, Senior, D/MF/FORW; Joey Hussey, Rangeview, Senior, D; Jackson Myers, ThunderRidge, Senior, D; Phillip Pedler, Lakewood, Junior, STRK/D; Erik Plascencia, Bear Creek, Junior, MF; Jacob Roldan, Smoky Hill, Senior, MF; Abram Sanchez, Grand Junction, Junior, STRK; Edgar Sepulveda, Westminster, Senior, MF; Stone Streeter, Fairview, Senior, MF; Raghav Thapa, Cherokee Trail, Senior; Brandon Valladares, Greeley West, Senior, GK; Roberto Vasquez, Denver East, Senior, MF; Miguel Veloz, Bear Creek, Junior, FORW; Joel Walker, Vista Ridge, Senior, MF/FORW; Kevin Yevak, Ralston Valley, Senior, D; Miguel Zambrano, Gateway, Senior, MF.
[divider]
Class 4A
(Michael Hankins/TGWstudios.com)
Player of the year: Titus Grant, The Classical Academy
Coach of the year: Blake Galvin, The Classical Academy
First Team
Name
School
Year
Pos.
Jeremy Baldes
The Classical Academy
Senior
–
Jaden Borja
The Classical Academy
Senior
–
Cody Brazelton
Mullen
Senior
FORW
Titus Grant
The Classical Academy
Senior
FORW
Andrew Hiester
Air Academy
Senior
D/MF/STRK
Juan Macias
Battle Mountain
Junior
FORW
Jackson Neal
Lewis-Palmer
Senior
MF
Michael Peters
Pueblo West
Senior
MF/FORW
Wesley Tedstrom
D’Evelyn
Senior
–
Karlo Terrazas
Greeley Central
Senior
GK
Luke White
Cheyenne Mountain
Senior
FORW
Second Team
Name
School
Year
Pos.
Sam Alvares
Cheyenne Mountain
Senior
D
Cristian Catalan
Denver West
Senior
MF/FORW
Chris Chasteen
The Classical Academy
Senior
D
Nico Denton
D’Evelyn
Senior
–
Eli Fenton
Durango
Junior
FORW/MF
Miles Joersz
Battle Mountain
Senior
D
Seth Legan
Pueblo Centennial
Senior
MF
Patrick O’Neil
Evergreen
Senior
D/MF
Ryan Pierce
Valor Christian
Sophomore
GK
Dylan Stanley
Pueblo West
Junior
MF
Brandon Staple
Longmont
Junior
STRK
Honorable mention: Brandon Archuleta, Pueblo West, Senior, MF; Alex Arnold, Niwot, Senior, FORW; Carlos Bahena, Denver West, Senior, MF/HB/FORW; Jorge Baranda, Wheat Ridge, Sophomore, MF/FORW; Richard Benson, Evergreen, Senior, FB/D; Will Beurskens, Steamboat Springs, Junior, MF; Nick Boldvich, Palmer Ridge, Junior; Chris Chasteen, The Classical Academy, Senior, D; Spencer Condon, Mountain View, Senior, STRK/MF; Ture Elamo, Skyview, Senior, GK; Danny Gallardo, Mitchell, Senior, MF; Camden Garland, Durango, Senior, D/MF; Josh Griffin, Standley Lake, Senior; Connor Henry, Durango, Senior, MF; Christopher Himel, Centaurus, Junior, D/FORW; Kristian Hooker, Air Academy, Junior, FORW/MF; Michael Jimenez, Mullen, Junior, FORW/MF; Creek Kamby, Battle Mountain, Senior; Parker Klein, Ponderosa, Senior, MF; Hayden MacPherson, Lewis-Palmer, Senior, GK; Dawson McCawley, Skyline, Senior, MF/FORW/D; Sergio Mendoza, Pueblo South, Senior, GK; Landen Nau, Pueblo West, Senior, D; Brandon Rodriguez, Battle Mountain, Senior, MF; Nikylas Roitsch, The Classical Academy, Senior, D/MF; Jonny Stephens, The Classical Academy, Junior, D/MF; Miguel Toledo, Silver Creek, Senior, STRK.
[divider]
Class 3A
(Michael Hankins/TGWstudios.com)
Player of the year: Max Mehlman, Kent Denver
Coach of the year: Matt Cassell, Jefferson Academy
First Team
Name
School
Year
Pos.
Mohamud Ahmed
Bruce Randolph
Senior
STRK/MF
Lucas Almeida
Jefferson Academy
Senior
–
AJ Arroyo
Jefferson Academy
Junior
–
Larson Baker
Colorado Academy
Junior
–
Evan Coit
Salida
Senior
–
David Felman
Kent Denver
Senior
FORW
Roger Hernandez
KIPP Denver
Senior
–
Brendan Lefkowicz
Peak to Peak
Junior
FORW/D
Max Mehlman
Kent Denver
Senior
HB
Ross Rainaldi
Kent Denver
Senior
GK
Gabe Sherwood
Colorado Springs Christian
Senior
MF/FORW
Ian Strine
Fountain Valley
Senior
–
Second Team
Name
School
Year
Pos.
Rory Buck
Kent Denver
Senior
HB
Jonathan Espinoza
Coal Ridge
Senior
–
Jorge Gurrola
KIPP Denver
Junior
–
Kile Kelley
Jefferson Academy
Senior
–
Galen Kelly
Fountain Valley
Junior
–
Brandon Leeper
Jefferson Academy
Senior
–
Ross Norwood
Colorado Springs Christian
Senior
GK
Victor Ponce de Leon
Arrupe Jesuit
Junior
FB
Lookens Smith
Colorado Springs Christian
Sophomore
FORW/MF
Miguel Vargas
Jefferson
Senior
–
Kolin Whisler
Bennett
Senior
–
Honorable mention: Paul Boehner, Liberty Common, Senior, MF/D; Javier De La Cruz, Basalt, Senior; Conor Findley, DSST-Stapleton, Junior, GK; Josh Fulk, Coal Ridge, Junior; Kevin Garcia, Vail Mountain, Senior; Jacob Gonzalez, St. Mary’s, Senior, MF; Sebastian Grigore, Dawson School, Senior; Irvin Guaderrama, Lake County, Senior, FORW; Brandon Harper, Delta, Junior; Hajrudin Karasalihovic, William Smith, Junior, MF; Braedan Krier, Sterling, Senior; Zion Lander, DSST-Green Valley Ranch, Senior, STRK; Michael Longtine, The Academy, Senior, MF/D; Tanner MacKay, Colorado Springs Christian, Junior, MF/STRK; Nestor Perez, Valley, Senior, FORW; Mike Rutledge, Frontier Academy, Senior, MF; Kyle Shaffer, Rye, Senior, STRK/MF; Elliot Shaw, Middle Park, Senior, MF/D/FORW; Eric Strauss, Jefferson Academy, Junior; Edgar Torres, Aurora West College Prep, Senior, MF/D; Juan Torres, The Pinnacle, Senior; Alec Vega, DSST-Green Valley Ranch, Senior, MF; Ted Weiss, Manitou Springs, Senior, MF; Amos Westley, Estes Park, Junior, GK/D.
COLORADO SPRINGS — The last time Rampart won a league championship in football, the Chicago Cubs had yet to go a full century without a World Series win.
Since one of those droughts ended earlier this week, the Rams decided they wanted to get in on the fun. And they did just that in a tough, physical game that saw them beat Vista Ridge 20-10 and claim the Class 4A Pikes Peak title.
Rampart last won a league title in 2001.
“They knew what they had to do,” Rampart coach Rob Royer said of his players. “We talked all year about playing four quarters.”
And that’s what they did, even if they only scored in two of them.
Coming into the game, the Rams (8-2 overall, 5-0 Pikes Peak) were determined to control the clock and be successful in the run game.
It looked like they were more than happy to do that on the opening drive as they marched right down the field and Joey Williams was able to punch it in the end zone to give Rampart an early 7-0.
“That’s what we do,” Royer said. “We knew we were going to follow our big boys.”
The Wolves (6-4, 4-1) were having moderate success themselves on the ground, but the heart of the offense has always been the air attack. Dylan Schindele reminded the home fans of that with a 40-yard strike to Marquez Trunnell to tie the game. Vista Ridge briefly took the lead in the second quarter when Fernando Diaz Gomez connected on a 21-yard field goal attempt to make it a 10-7 game.
But the Rams wasted no time in regaining the lead as they drove down to the one-yard line and before Jackson Beale took a sweep to the left side and barreled into the end zone. The Wolves went right back to work on offense with Schindele continuing to the air the ball out.
But Williams just needed to get the better of him just once. He picked off Schindele in the back of the end zone with under a minute remaining, putting the ball back in the offense’s hand.
“I forget who else was on that side,” Williams said. “We had it locked down, I was just lucky enough to come over and make the play. Our d-line pressured him and he just had to throw the ball up and we got it.”
And then Keion Cross came in like a wrecking ball.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
He broke a 69-yard touchdown run, leaving 8.8 seconds remaining on the clock in the second half. Momentum was squarely in Rampart’s favor.
“Coach just called the right play and put us in the right position,” Cross said. “We just executed.”
With a two score lead and a guaranteed playoff berth in its sight, Rampart turned to the defense in the second half to limit an offense that had averaged over 32 points per game.
And they did just last. After taking a 10-7 lead, the Wolves failed to score again.
“Our defensive staff and defensive kids stood tall and held a high-powered offense to 10 points,” Royer said. “That was big for us.”
Vista Ridge did not go without its chances in the second half. Schindele was able to find a wide-open Trunnell, but the standout receiver let it slip through his hand. The catch almost certainly would’ve led to a touchdown, which would’ve cut the Rampart lead to at least four.
“Too many missed opportunities,” Wolves coach Jerimi Calip said. “The shots we took, we didn’t capitalize when we needed to and sometimes that happens.”
While Vista Ridge must await the final RPI standings to be released Sunday morning, the Rams already know they’ll be playing next week. They sat at No. 12 in this week’s ratings, so assuming they stay around that spot, they should host a first-round game.
But that’s for later.
Friday night, they wanted to enjoy all they had accomplished.
“Coach always says to enjoy the victory for 24 hours,” Williams said. “Then it’s on to playoff. I”ll enjoy it for a bit, but we’re ready for playoffs.”
COLORADO SPRINGS — Getting 11 carries for 159 yards and two touchdowns is a solid day for any running back.
For Josh Tomjack, it’s a first half.
By the end of the night, Tomjack had run for 249 and touchdown runs of 57, 10, 38 and 52 yards as Discovery Canyon beat Vista Ridge 41-14 Friday night.
“Any time we put the ball in TJ’s hands, who knows what’s going to happen,” Thunder coach Shawn Mitchell said. “He’s an incredible running back. He has great vision and he’s just a special kid.”
This win didn’t just show that Discovery Canyon (5-0 overall) is going to be one of the better teams in the Colorado Springs area. By beating the No. 9-ranked team in the Class 4A CHSAANow.com football rankings so handedly, the Thunder are putting the rest of 3A on notice.
“You could say that with the No. 1 ranking (in 3A),” quarterback Tyler McFarland said. “We’re going to have a lot of teams coming for our spot and trying to knock us off.”
As Vista Ridge (2-3) can attest after Friday, that will be no easy feat.
The Wolves were stung with some bad luck early as quarterback Dylan Schindele left the game with an injury after the first series.
But it was the triple-option attack that gave the Wolves problems all night. Tomjack and McFarland both found the end zone on the ground early in the game and it allowed the defense to pin its ears back and really attack the Wolves.
The result was players having problems maintaining assignments and getting frustrated which ended up resulting in several penalty flags.
“We say every week that we have to play disciplined football,” Vista Ridge coach Jerimi Calip said. “Tonight we just didn’t do that. We just need to prepare a little better.”
It seemed like the Wolves were getting break in the first quarter when a mistimed pitch from McFarland resulted in the Wolves getting the ball deep in Discovery Canyon territory.
But it was only three plays later that the defensive line swarmed quarterback Tuler Sylvester and was able to get the ball back in the hands of the Thunder offense.
“Our defense is playing phenomenally right now,” Tomjack said. “Even when we make little mistakes and give the ball up, they find a way to get it back for us right away.”
It was the kind of night where everything just seemed to fall the way of the Thunder. Mitchell knew that his team had the potential to come and give the Wolves their best shot, but he didn’t the he’d seee anything close to the final result.
“Cautious optimism when you come into the season, you hope you’re going to win every game,” Mitchell said. “Our preparation all week was about how good Vista Ridge is. They’re big up front and they have speed in all the right places. I didn’t expect a 41-14 game at all.”
Friday marked the end of non-league play for each team. The Thunder will have their Southern League opener at Woodland Park while the Wolves will host Montrose.
After coming away from their non-league schedule at 2-3, Calip said that he will open up competition on his team to see who wants to step in with more on the line.
The Thunder will stick to its winning formula. With wins over top teams like Pueblo East and Vista Ridge, its a legitimate threat in 3A. And it wouldn’t be a surprise if they can be heard coming from miles away.
Denver South is the new No. 1 team in 4A football. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
To the victors go the spoils.
After wins last week, Denver South now sits atop the Class 4A CHSAANow.com football rankings while La Junta takes the top spot in the 2A poll.
Discovery Canyon also jumps to No. 1 in the 3A poll despite previous No. 1 Fort Morgan not losing this week. Strasburg had a similar fortune this week, taking the No. 1 spot in 1A despite Paonia winning this weekend.
The Rebels got a hard-fought win over Heritage on Saturday and with Chatfield’s loss to Columbine earlier in the week, they traded places this week in the rankings.
Pine Creek (No. 4) and Ponderosa (No. 7) each jumped two spots from last week’s poll.
At No. 10, Mesa Ridge is the only new team in the 4A rankings.
La Junta is the new No. 1 team in 2A. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
After a win over Pueblo Central, The Classical Academy jumps to No. 2 and will host No. 1 La Junta on Friday.
D’Evelyn (No. 5) and Manitou Springs (No. 6) each jumped two spots from a week ago. Florence comes in at No. 10 as the only new team in the 2A rankings.
Pomona hangs on to the top spot in 5A thanks to a comeback win over Valor Christian on Friday night.
Grandview made the biggest jump in the poll, ending up at No. 5 thanks to a big win over Cherry Creek.
Doherty comes in at No. 10 and is the only newcomer to the 5A rankings.
In 3A, the Discovery Canyon and Fort Morgan traded places at the top of the poll with the Thunder coming in as the new No. 1.
Thanks to a huge win over Longmont, Mead arrives to the 3A poll as the only newcomer, taking the No. 9 spot this week.
Despite Paonia receiving eight of 15 first-place votes, it’s Strasburg who lands at No. 1 in 1A. The Eagles fell only one spot to land at No. 2.
Meeker made a two-spot jump this week, landing at No. 5.
Peyton was the only new team to jump into the 1A poll, landing at No. 9.
A 22-20 win over Norwood keeps Sargent in the top spot of the 8-man poll.
The top seven teams overall from last week’s rankings held their position this week.
At No. 9 and 10 respectively, Pikes Peak Christian and Soroco are the two new teams in the 8-man poll.
Fleming hangs on to the No. 1 spot in 6-man with Kit Carson holding firm at No. 2.
North Park jumped three spots to land at No. 7 this week.
There is one newcomer in the 6-man poll with Peetz landing at No. 9.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
University 19, Valley 9, Platte Valley 7, Gunnison 6, Bishop Machbeuf 4, Sterling 3, Eaton 2, The Academy 2, Alamosa 1, Faith Christian 1.
Dropped out
Platte Valley (10).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Strasburg (7)
4-0
141
2
W
2
Paonia (8)
4-0
137
1
W
3
Platte Canyon
4-0
115
3
W
4
Bennett
3-1
104
5
W
5
Meeker
4-0
83
7
W
6
Limon (1)
3-1
73
4
L
7
Cedaredge
4-0
62
8
W
8
Crowley County
3-1
39
9
Bye
9
Peyton
4-0
33
–
W
10
Burlington
2-2
27
10
L
Others receiving votes:
Buena Vista 10, Dolores 9, Clear Creek 8, Holyoke 8, Hotchkiss 8, Rye 5, Colorado Springs Christian 4, Highland 4, Olathe 4, Ellicott 3, Centauri 2, Front Range Christian 1.
Dropped out
Buena Vista (6).
8-man
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Sargent (5)
4-0
119
1
W
2
Dayspring Christian (6)
4-0
104
2
W
3
Sedgwick County (1)
3-1
84
3
W
4
Akron (1)
3-1
79
4
W
5
Norwood
3-1
73
5
L
6
Hoehne
2-2
67
6
L
7
Merino
4-0
64
7
W
8
Haxtun
4-0
48
9
W
9
Pikes Peak Christian
3-1
15
–
W
10
Soroco
3-1
14
–
Bye
Others receiving votes:
Mancos 12, Sangre de Cristo 11, West Grand 8, Plateau Valley 6, Holly 5, Wiley 5, Justice 2.
Dropped out
Sangre de Cristo (8), West Grand (10).
6-man
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Fleming (9)
4-0
112
1
W
2
Kit Carson (2)
4-0
106
2
W
3
Stratton/Liberty
4-0
81
4
W
4
Cheyenne Wells
3-1
60
5
L
5
Arickaree/Woodlin
2-1
55
6
Bye
6
La Veta
3-0
54
3
Bye
7
North Park
3-1
41
10
W
8
Cotopaxi
4-0
40
8
W
9
Peetz
3-1
32
–
W
10
Eads
3-1
31
9
W
Others receiving votes:
Hi-Plains 14, Sierra Grande 12, Cheraw 8, Genoa-Hugo 8, Otis 5, Pawnee 2.
A week after being upset by Eaglecrest, Grandview had a big bounce-back win against Cherry Creek.
The ninth-ranked Wolves got rushing touchdowns from Hayden Blubaugh and Gunnar Lamphere, then relied on a stout defense to secure the 17-6 win.
“It was a great bounce-back week for our kids, and our defense really stepped up tonight,” Grandview coach John Schultz told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show.
Blubaugh, the Wolves’ star running back, gave his team a 7-0 lead in the first quarter with a 57-yard run. No. 7 Cherry Creek responded in the second quarter with a rushing score from Trey Windham.
Grandview added a field goal before the half to lead 10-6 at the break. Lamphere, the quarterback, added his TD in the third quarter.
“It was a good grind-it-out victory for our offense,” Schultz said.
But the Eagles refused to go away. They scored 16 unanswered points in five minutes to tie the game at 44, and the teams headed to overtime deadlocked there.
Mead got perhaps the best win since the program was restarted in 2010, topping city rival Longmont in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
“We just kept plugging. That’s kind of the mantra we’ve been using,” Mead coach Jason Klatt told the Scoreboard Show. “Our kids just didn’t get ratted. We’ve shown a resiliency, and our kids don’t really care if we’re down two touchdowns, or seven points. It doesn’t matter. We just kept on plugging and I’m really proud of our kids tonight.”
“I’m so proud of our defensive staff and our defensive kids,” Klatt said. “We really just hung in there tonight, and we started gaining confidence as the game wore on that we could stop them.”
Mead tied it up on Riley Glynn’s third passing touchdown, and four minutes later Evan Hanson returned an interception for a score to give the Mavericks the lead.
Nathan Mackey had three total touchdowns, including two rushing scores and one receiving.
It was Mead’s third-straight win after dropping its season-opener.
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8-man: (1) Sargent 22, (5) Norwood 20
The new No. 1 team Sargent held firm with a big top-5 win.
“It was a total team effort. They jumped out ahead 6-0, and we just kept battling and battling,” coach Trevan Pepper told the Scoreboard Show.
The Farmers led 22-8 early in the third quarter, and then 22-14 as the fourth quarter started, but they were able to hold on.
Sargent made a stop on a two-point attempt in the fourth quarter to win.
“We had it timed out well in practice and it was just like second nature down there because we’d done it already so many times,”Boudron told the Durango Herald after the game.
Durango’s Dawson Marcum then ended the game with an interception on Bayfield’s possession in overtime.
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3A: (7) Silver Creek 20, (10) Roosevelt 10
The Raptors improved to 4-0 with a big top-10 win.
“It’s a huge win,” Silver Creek coach Mike Apodaca told the Scoreboard Show. “We had the opportunity to play Roosevelt eight-to-ten times over the last few years, and we’ve never been able to beat them at their place. For our program in general, that was a big win and a step in the right direction.”
Silver Creek led most of the way, though it was only 7-3 at halftime, and Roosevelt did take a brief 10-7 lead in the third quarter.
“Our defense kept us in it,” Apodaca said.
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Notables
High winds affected a number of games across the state, to the point that they caused the postponement of the Rye/John Mall game, according to Rye AD Beth Burns. The winds were so bad that several cars had their windows blown out, one soccer goal slid on the field, and another blew over the fence. The two teams will play Saturday at 1 p.m.
6-man No. 2 Kit Carson beat No. 5 Cheyenne Wells 22-14. The game featured a 20-minute lightning delay, and a big rain storm late in the fourth quarter. “To our kids’ credit, they really hung on and persevered and came up with the win,” coach Jim Trahern told the Scoreboard Show.
A top-5 showdown in 1A ended with No. 2 Strasburg beating No. 4 Limon 43-12.
Another top-10 matchup in 4A saw No. 9 Ponderosa handle No. 10 Rampart, 37-6. “Our team is starting to click a little bit,” Ponderosa coach Jaron Cohen told the Scoreboard Show.
Snow made its first appearance at a game this season, when Grand Valley hosted Aspen. Grand Valley won 48-34.
In 2A, No. 7 D’Evelyn picked up a good win by topping No. 10 Platte Valley 22-12.
1A No. 5 Bennett edged No. 10 Burlington 15-13.
Centauri got a big 26-12 upset win against 1A No. 6 Buena Vista. “They were fired up and ready to go, and they did everything we asked them to do,” coach Kyle Forster told the Scoreboard Show of his defense.
Pikes Peak Christian upset No. 10 West Grand 20-8 in 8-man. The keeps all-time wins leader Chris Brown at 309 career wins.
Cheraw knocked off No. 7 Sierra Grande in 6-man.
Legacy football won its second game in a row after the tragic bus accident that shook the community. This night, the Lightning beat Horizon 38-21.
Lutheran beat Falcon in overtime, 21-14.
Pueblo West made a late stand to secure a 20-13 win over Dakota Ridge. Dakota Ridge was at the 6-yard-line with 17 seconds remaining.
Faith Christian had a 98 1/2 yard touchdown tonight in a 34-7 win over Brush. Freshman Isiah Kroll hit senior Brandon Herman.
4A No. 8 Windsor trailed at the half, but rallied to beat Greeley West 28-7.
