Grand Junction is ranked No. 10 this week. (Courtesy photo)
Grand Junction was idle last week. No matter, the Tigers have rejoined this week’s CHSAANow.com football poll in Class 5A.
Grand Junction (5-2), last ranked Sept. 9, is No. 10 in the poll. The Tigers took the spot vacated by Arapahoe after the Warriors were upset by Lakewood last week. Up next for GJ: Unbeaten Montrose, which is No. 1 in 4A.
Valor Christian continued to lead the 5A poll, and received 22 of the 23 first-place votes. Fairview remained in second, and Regis Jesuit in third. Cherry Creek is fourth and ThunderRidge fifth after the two schools swapped places.
Columbine (No. 6) and Chatfield (No. 7) also stayed put, while Pomona moved up to No. 8. The Panthers, coming off a win over rival Ralston Valley, have a big showdown with Fairview on Friday afternoon.
Montrose is a unanimous pick atop 4A, and Monarch remained in that poll’s No. 2 spot. Pine Creek bumped up to No. 3, Falcon is fourth and Pueblo South rounds out the top 5.
Conifer joined the 3A poll. The Lobos are No. 9 following consecutive wins over ranked opponents Lutheran, D’Evelyn and Rifle. Rifle, No. 3 last week, dropped to No. 10 this week.
Gunnison (No. 10) is the lone newcomer to 2A, while 1A added Yuma (No. 9) and Platte Canyon (No. 10). 8-man added Sargent at No. 10, and 6-man added Otis (No. 5).
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Evergreen football players (from left to right) Jake Lankutis, Keenan O’Hearn and Joe Danni celebrate after a 16-yard touchdown run by Danni in the first half Saturday afternoon at Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood. The No. 7-ranked Cougars defeated D’Evelyn 20-14. (Dennis Pleuss)
LAKEWOOD — Junior Keenan O’Hearn was thrust into the role of starting quarterback for Class 3A’s No. 7-ranked Evergreen Cougars on Saturday and he proved up to the task.
Evergreen edged rival D’Evelyn for the first time since 2004 with a 20-14 victory at Trailblazer Stadium. O’Hearn replaced senior Jack Curtis under center after the Cougars’ starting quarterback suffered a concussion last week against Lutheran.
O’Hearn completed just one pass Saturday afternoon, but it came in a critical situation. With the game tied at 14, Evergreen faced third-and-10 from D’Evelyn’s 45-yard line. O’Hearn connected with junior Marcus Cassin for a 24-yard gain.
“God bless Keenan O’Hearn,” Evergreen coach Rob Molholm said. “He got put into a tough spot. Keenan came in and all we asked him to do was facilitate the offense. That first complete pass was a big gain.”
D’Evelyn senior Dalton Hooks (3) finds himself in the middle of things during the end of a kickoff return Saturday at Trailblazer Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss)
Seven plays later, Evergreen senior Jake Lankutis capped off the go-ahead scoring drive with a 1-yard touchdown on fourth down.
D’Evelyn had two more possessions to attempt a fourth-quarter comeback, but both drives ended in Jaguars’ quarterback Connor Mateer being intercepted. O’Hearn came up big on the defensive end with one of the late picks. Junior Brian Reed sealed the victory with an interception with a minute to play.
The win moved the Cougars (6-1, 4-0 in league) one step closer to claiming the 3A Metro-West League title. It was also the fifth straight win for Evergreen in another close game. Four of the Cougars’ past five wins have been games decided by seven points or less.
“(D’Evelyn) is a very good football team,” Molholm said. “They are very well coached and another very good football team. We’ve played a lot of those this year.”
Evergreen’s ground attack pounded out 213 yards on the ground. Senior Joe Danni led the way with 10 carries for 78 yards and a touchdown. Senior Kipp Nilson added 37 yards and a touchdown. Junior Tanner Cassin racked up 39 yards on the ground. On top of scoring the eventual game-winning touchdown, Lankutis ended with 57 yards rushing.
“Coming off a big win last week (23-20 win against Lutheran) and to come out and pretty much clinch league is great,” Danni said.
D’Evelyn senior quarterback Connor Mateer rolls out of the pocket as Evergreen senior Erik Hooks gives chase Saturday at Trailblazer Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss)
Evergreen has a non-league game at Glenwood Springs next Friday night before closing the regular season with back-to-back conference games against Alameda and Summit. One win in their final two games will officially wrap up a league championship for the Cougars.
Curtis said he plans on being back on the field for the Cougars before the start of the playoffs. He also has full confidence in O’Hearn as he keeps the quarterback position warm for him.
“I had no doubt in my mind (O’Hearn) could do it,” Curtis said. “He is a great quarterback and next year he can take over and do a great job.”
D’Evelyn (5-3, 2-2) will need to close strong to earn a postseason berth after its second straight setback.
Mateer finished the game 13-for-32 passing for 251 yards and a touchdown. His 58-yard touchdown pass to senior Ty McGee gave the Jaguars an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter. McGee ended with seven catches for 128 yards on the afternoon.
D’Evelyn’s next game is against Lutheran (5-2, 2-2) in a conference game at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at Trailblazer Stadium.
Evergreen junior Keenan O’Hearn, far left, heads up field while getting blocks from teammates Tanner Cassin (1) and Greysen Lincoln (47) during the Class 3A Metro-West League game Saturday. (Dennis Pleuss)
Evergreen freshman Ryan Wilson, far left, battles with Wheat Ridge junior Max Sweeney for a header as Evergreen senior Alex Wormer and Wheat Ridge junior Dan Van Note look on Monday night. Wheat Ridge ended a nine-game winning streak for Evergreen with a 1-0 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
LAKEWOOD — It only takes one opportunity to be victorious on the soccer field sometimes.
That was the case Monday night at Lakewood Memorial Field. Wheat Ridge (9-3, 5-0 in league) had just one shot on goal the entire night against Class 4A Jeffco League rival Evergreen (9-2, 4-1). The one scoring chance found the back of the net, giving the Farmers a 1-0 victory in the key conference matchup and extended Wheat Ridge’s winning streak to six games.
“It was a huge win for us,” Wheat Ridge junior Max Sweeney said. “Since we were two of the top three in the league we knew we needed to perform.”
Sweeney scored the eventual game-winning goal in the 45th minute. Junior Evan Graves took a direct free kick deep in Evergreen’s zone. The low shot by Graves was deflected by Sweeney and slipped past Cougars’ goalie Matt Hornbecker.
“I told them at halftime that it only takes one shot to win this game,” Wheat Ridge coach Tony Thomas said. “It went our way tonight.”
Evergreen seniors Danny Golden, far left, and Collin Molleur close in on Wheat Ridge junior Dan Van Note during the Farmers’ 1-0 victory Monday night. (Dennis Pleuss)
Wheat Ridge did have to hang on to its slim lead and ward off several good scoring chances by Evergreen, ranked No. 3 in this week’s CHSAANow.com 4A boys soccer rankings. The Farmers also had to play a man down for the final 27 minutes of the second half after Graves was issued a red card in the 53rd minute.
The Cougars had a nine-game winning streak coming in, but wasn’t able to solve Wheat Ridge senior goalie Troy Fairbanks.
“I was really stoked to get the first save of the game and kept it going from there,” Fairbanks said. “The defense did really well.”
It was the third straight shutout victory for Fairbanks and the Farmers. The experienced goalie made a handful of diving saves and was also helped out by the post and crossbar late in the second half as the Cougars nearly tied the game on a number of occasions.
“That’s soccer. I’ve been on the winning side of games like that,” Evergreen coach Peter Jeans said. “Wheat Ridge got one chance and buried it. We had many and didn’t bury any.”
Despite the first loss since Evergreen dropped its season opener to Air Academy 1-0, Jeans still has high hopes for his squad.
“It doesn’t shake my confidence in the team,” Jeans said. “I think we are a really good team and will be able to finish strong this year.”
Evergreen will attempt to bounce back when it faces Green Mountain at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9, at Lakewood Memorial Field.
Wheat Ridge turns its attention to rival Golden (8-1-2, 4-0). The winner of the 6 p.m. game Wednesday, Oct. 9, at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada will be the sole conference leader with just two league games remaining.
“We’ll work tomorrow (Tuesday) and get things set and get the ‘W’ on Wednesday,” Fairbanks said.
Wheat Ridge junior Max Sweeney, left, attempts to race past Evergreen senior Brian Amdur during the Class 4A Jeffco League game Monday at Lakewood Memorial Field. Sweeney scored the lone goal of the game in the 45th minute to give Wheat Ridge a 1-0 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
Palisade is now the No. 1 team in Class 3A. (Betsy McLaughlin/Palisade Tribune)
Palisade edged then-No. 1 Rifle last Friday after rallying from a 27-14 halftime deficit. Tuesday, Palisade is on top of CHSAANow.com’s Class 3A football poll.
The Bulldogs received all 13 first-place votes in moving up from No. 2 taking over at No. 1. Rifle dropped to third. Unbeaten Coronado, which has the most wins in the state at 7-0, is second.
The 3A ranking added Roosevelt (No. 10) this week.
In the 5A poll, Fairview has moved up to No. 2 from No. 3.
The Knights (5-0) are 5A’s lone remaining unbeaten team, and got one first-place vote. Valor Christian got the other 23 and remained atop the ranking.
Regis Jesuit is third this week, and is followed by No. 4 ThunderRidge and No. 5 Cherry Creek.
Montrose, idle last week, remained in 4A’s No. 1 spot. Monarch moved up to No. 2, and Standley Lake is No. 3 this week. That ranking added Pueblo South at No. 8 and Durango at No. 10.
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Aurora Central 19, Boulder 17, Arvada West 13, Highlands Ranch 8, Hinkley 8, Cherokee Trail 7, Ralston Valley 1.
Dropped out
Aurora Central (9), Highlands Ranch (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Air Academy (12)
11-0-0
120
1
2-0-0
2
Broomfield
8-2-2
95
2
1-0-1
3
Evergreen
9-1-0
91
3
3-0-0
4
Cheyenne Mountain
8-3-0
71
5
1-1-0
5
Ponderosa
8-3-1
64
4
1-1-1
6
Valor Christian
9-3-0
60
7
1-0-0
7
Denver North
9-1-0
47
10
2-0-0
8
Golden
7-1-2
33
9
2-0-0
9
Battle Mountain
9-2-0
18
6
2-1-0
10
Niwot
5-3-1
11
8
1-1-0
Others receiving votes:
Englewood 8, Lewis-Palmer 7, Summit 6, Wheat Ridge 6, Pueblo Centennial 5, Pueblo South 5, Pueblo West 3, Silver Creek 3, Greeley Central 2, Skyline 2, Skyview 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Colorado Academy (10)
12-0-0
100
1
3-0-0
2
The Classical Academy
12-1-0
79
2
1-1-0
3
Salida
11-0-0
78
5
3-0-0
4
Coal Ridge
8-1-0
66
4
2-0-0
5
Kent Denver
9-2-0
53
8
3-0-0
6
Frontier Academy
10-0-0
43
7
2-0-0
7
Holy Family
8-2-0
41
3
1-2-0
8
Bruce Randolph
9-1-1
34
6
2-1-0
9
Manitou Springs
9-2-0
18
9
1-0-0
10
Roaring Fork
7-2-1
16
–
1-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Faith Christian 8, Machebeuf 5, Aurora West College Prep 4, Crested Butte 2, Telluride 2, KIPP 1.
Fairview is back in the boys soccer rankings, checking in at No. 7 in 5A. (Pam Wagner)
Rangeview is Class 5A soccer’s lone remaining unbeaten and untied team. And the Raiders (9-0-0) are now No. 1 in this week’s CHSAANow.com boys soccer poll.
Rangeview moved up from No. 4 to claim the top spot. Grandview is second this week, moving up from fifth following a 3-0-0 week which included a 4-1 win over the-No. 1 Cherry Creek.
The 5A poll added three new teams this week: No. 7 Fairview, No. 9 Aurora Central and No. 10 Highlands Ranch.
No. 7 Poudre, No. 9 Pine Creek and No. 10 Montbello all cracked the ranking this week.
"This," said one 5A voter, "is getting messy."
There’s also a new No. 1 team in 4A, where Air Academy takes over. That ranking added Valor Christian (No. 7) and Denver North (No. 10).
Likewise, Colorado Academy takes over atop the 3A poll this week.
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Arvada West 14, Cherokee Trail 12, Poudre 12, Standley Lake 12, Boulder 7, Ralston Valley 7, Fort Collins 6, Arapahoe 5, Abraham Lincoln 3, George Washington 3, Rocky Mountain 2, Fruita Monument 1.
Dropped out
Standley Lake (6), Poudre (7), Arapahoe (8).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Air Academy (9)
9-0-0
117
3
2-0-0
2
Broomfield (2)
7-2-1
101
2
1-1-0
3
Evergreen
6-1-0
84
4
2-0-0
4
Ponderosa (1)
7-2-0
65
6
2-0-0
5
Cheyenne Mountain
7-2-0
61
7
3-0-0
6
Battle Mountain
7-1-0
59
1
0-1-0
7
Valor Christian
8-3-0
47
–
2-0-0
8
Niwot
4-2-1
30
5
1-1-0
9
Golden
5-1-2
22
10
1-0-0
10
Denver North
7-1-0
21
–
1-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Lewis-Palmer 15, Skyview 9, Pueblo West 6, Silver Creek 6, Summit 6, Wheat Ridge 6, Pueblo Centennial 3, Denver South 1, Greeley Central 1.
Dropped out
Lewis-Palmer (8), Silver Creek (9).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Colorado Academy (6)
9-0-0
114
2
1-0-0
2
The Classical Academy (6)
11-0-0
104
1
3-0-0
3
Holy Family
7-0-0
93
3
1-0-0
4
Coal Ridge
6-1-0
65
5
1-0-0
5
Salida
8-0-0
64
6
2-0-0
6
Bruce Randolph
7-0-1
53
8
2-0-0
7
Frontier Academy
8-0-0
50
10
3-0-0
8
Kent Denver
6-2-0
41
7
2-0-0
9
Manitou Springs
8-2-0
25
4
0-2-0
10
Faith Christian
4-5-1
20
9
1-1-0
Others receiving votes:
Roaring Fork 11, Aurora West College Prep 9, KIPP 3, Crested Butte 2, Jefferson 2, Vail Mountain 2, Basalt 1, Colorado Rocky Mountain 1, Telluride 1.
