CHSAANow

Tag: Pine Creek

  • 4A football preview: Pueblo South finally hosting a semifinal

    Pueblo South's Nathan Spinuzzi. (Tim Visser/MaxPreps.com)
    Pueblo South’s Nathan Spinuzzi. (Tim Visser/MaxPreps.com)

    View the 4A football playoff bracket.

    No. 1 Montrose (11-1) at No. 5 Pueblo South (11-1)
    1 p.m. Saturday at Dutch Clark Stadium

    For the first time since the school opened in 1959, Pueblo South is hosting a semifinal game. The Colts reached the semis in 2003 and 2004, but were on the road each time.

    “Hopefully we can take advantage of being at home and make the most of it,” Pueblo South coach Ryan Goddard told ColoradoPreps.com’s Scoreboard Show on Saturday.

    Pueblo South has now won 10 consecutive games, including a 27-21 victory against Dakota Ridge in the quarterfinals. The Colts’ offense has largely come on the ground — they’re a 65/35 split tilted toward rushing — but Nathan Spinuzzi is a definitive threat to pass. He has 16 passing touchdowns and a 66.3 completion percentage.

    Senior Garrett Krage shoulders most of the rushing load with 215 carries, 1,274 yards and 30 touchdowns this season.

    Montrose, meanwhile, got a big boost as the playoffs started when senior running back Angelo Youngren returned from a broken collarbone after missing four games. In the Indians’ two playoff wins, he has 306 yards and three touchdowns. Here’s how valuable he can be: In Montrose’s 39-34 win over Monach during the regular season — arguably the biggest game of the 4A season to date — he had 266 yards and three scores.

    But Youngren’s absence during the regular season also meant the emergence of junior Mike Rocha, who has 1,440 yards and 26 touchdowns this season. In the playoffs, Rocha has 174 yards and five scores.

    If there’s a difference between the two, it’s this: Youngren is 5-10, 188; Rocha is 6-0, 202. Expect Rocha, who’s listed as a fullback, to handle short-yardage and goal-to-go situations.

    Pueblo South has never reached a championship game. Montrose last went in 1991 and 1990, but lost both times.

    This is the first time Montrose has reached the semifinals under coach Todd Casebier.

    “This is the fifth time we’ve been (to the quarterfinals), and it’s the first time we’ve been able to win it,” Casebier told the Scoreboard Show on Saturday. “We finally got over the hump.”

    [divider]

    No. 3 Pine Creek (10-2) at No. 6 Monarch (10-1)
    1 p.m. Saturday at Centaurus HS

    Pine Creek was last in the championship game during the 2011 season.
    Pine Creek was last in the championship game during the 2011 season.

    Pine Creek opened the season 1-2. The Eagles, though, opened with three 5A teams that all reached the postseason. Perhaps this is why teams play those games: They’re tests, designed to prepare you for the postseason.

    Well, Pine Creek certainly looks prepared. The Eagles took out Pueblo West, 35-18, in the first round, then handled a powerful Windsor program 25-0 in the quarters.

    They’ve done it by spreading the ball around. Nine different plays have scored rushing touchdowns this season; six have caught a scoring pass. Still, Pine Creek still has the go-to guys. On the ground, that’s Austin Schultz (743 yards, 10 touchdowns), Avery Anderson (318, seven) and Scotty Savage (676, six). Through the air, junior quarterback Tommy Lazzaro (21 touchdown passes) is targeting Austin Meachum (532 yards, eight scores) and Savage (550, seven).

    Pine Creek is in search of its first championship game appearance since 2011, when it lost to Valor Christian.

    Monarch, the defending champion, has rolled off seven wins in a row after that midseason loss to Montrose. During that stretch, the Coyotes are outscoring opponents by an average of 41.9 points.

    Included were wins over playoff teams Montbello, Broomfield and Standley Lake during the regular season, as well as the 62-28 win over Vista Ridge to open the postseason, and then last week’s quarterfinal victory against Loveland, 42-8.

  • Playoff football roundup: Top-seeded Fairview comes back to beat Pomona

    Fairview Pomona football
    Fairview sings the school fight song after defeating Pomona in Boulder. More photos. (Kai Casey)

    Fairview had to climb out of a 21-7 hole. But the top-seeded Knights did, and are headed to the Class 5A semifinals because of it.

    Like they did in the two teams’ regular season matchup, Fairview scored quickly to open the game against No. 8 Pomona. This time, Pomona responded and was up 21-7 late in the first quarter after Chris Marquez scored his third rushing touchdown. But Fairview quarterback Anders Hill hit Cameron Frazier for a 20-yard touchdown to cut things to 21-14 before the half.

    Coming out of the break, Fairview tied it up just two minutes into the third quarter on Sam Martin’s 6-yard rush. The Knights took the lead for good in the fourth on a 10-yard rush from Hill. Hill added another rushing score to seal the game late in the quarter. He finished with four total touchdowns.

    Fairview, now 11-0, will play the winner of Saturday’s game between ThunderRidge and Grandview in the next round. The Knights will be on the road regardless of who wins as both Grandview and ThunderRidge have played fewer home games during the playoffs.

    No. 2 Valor Christian is headed back to the semifinals. The Eagles, a four-time defending champion across three classifications, handled No. 7 Columbine 49-13.

    The Eagles will get No. 6 Cherokee Trail in the semifinals, which beat No. 3 Cherry Creek on Friday.

    [divider]

    Class 4A

    One 4A semifinal is set. No. 2 Monarch will host No. 3 Pine Creek.

    Pine Creek beat No. 6 Windsor 25-0 on Friday night. The Eagles got touchdowns from Avery Anderson, Matt List and Scotty Savage (two).

    Monarch easily beat No. 7 Loveland, 42-8, in the quarterfinals.

    [divider]

    Class 3A

    The Classical Academy is headed to the semifinals for the first time in school history. A week after winning in the postseason for the first time, the Titans toppled No. 2 Palisade, 24-21.

    TCA led 17-7 at the half, but Palisade rallied to take a 21-17 lead with two minutes to play. Then, Peter Troupe scored the winning touchdown for the Titans with 33 seconds left.

    The Classical Academy will play the winner of Saturday’s quarterfinal game between No. 3 Roosevelt and No. 6 Coronado.

    The top two seeds, as well as Nos. 4, 5 and 8, have all lost in this year’s 3A playoffs.

  • Pine Creek wins 5A boys soccer in two overtimes

    Pine Creek Rock Canyon boys soccer 5A state
    More photos. (Pam Wagner)

    COMMERCE CITY — Pine Creek Senior Jayvier Morales scored his first goal of the season during the second overtime in the state title game.

    “I was just crossing it in to whoever was in the box, and the keeper tipped it in,” Morales said. “It was complete luck, but I’ll take it.”

    In Pine Creek’s first state championship appearance, the Eagles earned title honors after outlasting No. 1 Rock Canyon 1-0 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday.

    Pine Creek Rock Canyon boys soccer 5A state
    More photos. (Pam Wagner)

    Stellar defense from both teams characterized the first half of play. However, Rock Canyon did get more chances offensively. At the beginning of the game, Rock Canyon had two separate free kicks from either corner of the 18 yard box. The teams went battle back-and-forth in the midfield, but Rock Canyon had far greater offensive possession.

    Senior Pine Creek keeper David Meyer played an enormous role in keeping the game scoreless.

    “Our team can play with a lot of confidence when we’re not giving up many goals,” coach Ben Corley said. “Five total goals (Meyer let in) for the whole season — that’s pretty darn good.”

    Meyer had seven saves for Pine Creek in the championship game.

    “(Meyer) means the world to us,” Morales said. “He’s kept us in games so many times. We wouldn’t have made it here without him. He’s the best keeper in Pine Creek’s history.”

    The second half of the game was much of the same — a defensive gridlock. Both teams couldn’t capitalize on scoring chances. It took two overtimes until a goal found the back of the net.

    “These guys (Pine Creek) have shown the maturity to battle through it until the goal comes,” Corey said. “It’s a tough to lose on a ball like that, but it was one of those defensive battles where something was going to give.”

    Pine Creek Rock Canyon boys soccer 5A state
    More photos. (Pam Wagner)

    Pine Creek had to win its last two games in extra minutes. In the semis, Alex Cullen punched Pine Creek’s ticket to its first championship game with a golden goal in 7:29 of overtime.

    “Our team can play with a lot of confidence when we’re not giving up many goals,” Corey said. “Dave had to come up huge in the Boulder game, but tonight Zach Peterschmidt and Matt Ernst had dominant performances, tonight (Meyer) didn’t have to make as dramatic saves. He’s been that rock player back there that gives the field players confidence.”

    This Pine Creek squad has grown immensely throughout the season in part to the veteran’s on the team.

    “We have a lot of seniors on this team. at the beginning of the season our theme was ‘kaisen,’ (meaning) one step at a time. We talk about the little inches, and for a lot of these guys it started years ago.”

  • Playoff football roundup: Columbine runs over Grand Junction

    Columbine Grand Junction football
    More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    Columbine ran Grand Junction right out of town.

    The seventh-seeded Rebels got three rushing touchdowns from Jeremy Aparicio and easily handled No. 10 Grand Junction, 41-7, in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs.

    Aparicio had scoring runs of 58, 4 and 1 yards, while Michael Tait passed for a score and rushed for another. Austin Norton had a 30-yard touchdown run and caught Tait’s 28-yard scoring toss.

    The Rebels will play at No. 2 Valor Christian in the quarterfinals. The Eagles exploded for 28 second-quarter points in pulling away from No. 15 Ralston Valley. Up just 14-6 after the first quarter, Valor scored on the first play of the second frame and never looked back.

    It was 42-6 at halftime and a 49-20 final.

    Valor quarterback A.J. Cecil was 19-of-23 for 278 yards and four touchdowns. Christian McCaffrey rushed 13 times for 121 yards and two scores and also caught six passes for 110 and two more touchdowns. The carries were the most McCaffrey has had since he rushed 11 times against Fountain-Fort Carson on Sept. 27.

    Ralston Valley scored two late touchdowns after recovering three-consecutive onside kicks in the fourth quarter.

    We’ll have at least two rematches in the 5A quarterfinals: No. 1 Fairview hosting No. 8 Pomona and No. 3 Cherry Creek hosting No. 6 Cherokee Trail.

    Fairview topped No. 16 Douglas County 45-17 on Friday. Knights quarterback Anders Hill had five total touchdowns, four passing. He tossed scores to Steve D’Epagnier (twice), Cam Frazier and Sam Martin. Fairview also got a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown from Carlo Kemp.

    Douglas County was in the game in the first half, trailing 14-10 after the first quarter, and 21-17 later in the second, but Fairview’s Jonathan Swartzwelter nailed a 47-yard field goal just before the half to give Fairview a spark heading to the locker room.

    When the night ended, Fairview had scored the game’s final 24 points.

    In the quarters, the Knights will get Pomona, a team they beat 33-30 on Oct. 18. Pomona beat Chatfield 49-35 on Friday. (Find a full recap of that game here.)

    Cherry Creek, meanwhile, beat No. 19 Overland for the second time this season with a 49-14 victory Friday. The Bruins got 21 second-quarter points to make it a 35-7 halftime margin.

    Cherry Creek plays Cherokee Trail in the quarterfinals. The two teams played a tight one on Oct. 4 — a 28-27 Creek win.

    Cherokee Trail easily handled No. 11 Mountain Range, 41-7, on Friday. Quarterback Aric Johnson was 14-of-19 for 171 yards and two scores through the air. He also rushed for 84 yards and two more touchdowns.

    Junior running back Cameron Smith had 163 yards and two touchdowns.

    No. 5 ThunderRidge beat No. 12 Doherty, 56-35, on Friday. The Grizzlies could get a rematch, as well: No. 5 Regis Jesuit and No. 20 Grandview play Saturday. Should Regis win, it would give ThunderRidge a chance to avenge its only loss of the season, which came Sept. 27 to the Raiders.

    [divider]

    Class 4A

    Fifth-seeded Pueblo South was in trouble heading into the fourth quarter against No. 12 Longmont.

    The Colts trailed 27-17 following a 15-point outburst from Longmont in the third quarter, but rallied with 21 fourth-quarter points for a 38-27 win.

    Trailing 27-24 with 5:34 to play, South converted a fourth-and-6 and went on to score the go-ahead touchdown. The Colts stopped Longmont on fourth-and-13 on their ensuring drive, and sealed the game with a score a few plays later.

    In other 4A games, No. 3 Pine Creek beat No. 14 Pueblo West, 35-18, and No. 2 Monarch handled No. 15 Vista Ridge, 62-28.

    [divider]

    Class 3A

    No. 7 The Classical Academy looked to be in control. But, late in the third quarter, a Conifer touchdown cut the Titans’ lead to 14-6. Then, with six minutes to play in the fourth, Conifer made it 14-12.

    A stop of a two-point conversion attempt on the try gave TCA its first postseason victory in school history, 14-12, over the tenth-seeded Lobos.

    In Friday’s other 3A game, No. 3 Roosevelt cruised past No. 14 Frederick, 47-13, to move to the quarterfinals.

    Higher seeds were 13-0 in Friday night’s football playoffs.

  • Boys soccer roundup: Pine Creek downs defending champ Boulder in OT

    (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
    (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    AURORA — Alex Cullen sent Pine Creek to its first boys soccer state championship game in school history with a golden goal 7:29 into overtime.

    The senior corralled a loose ball after a Pine Creek free kick attempt and fired a shot from 20 yards out. It was deflected multiple times on the way to the net, and when it hit the twine, it meant No. 4 Pine Creek had knocked out No. 9 Boulder, the defending Class 5A champion, with a 1-0 victory.

    It was Cullen’s sixth goal this season, and the first goal Boulder had surrendered in 11 games. The last also came in overtime, in a 1-0 loss to Fairview on Sept. 26.

    Pine Creek (16-1-2) spent a good portion of the game on the shoulders of keeper David Meyer, who made five saves, a number of them brilliant. Included was an early one-on-one stop against Boulder star Mason Douillard, and an acrobatic, diving defense of the net later off a corner kick.

    The Eagles will face Rock Canyon in the championship. (See the full 5A bracket.)

    The Jaguars, making their third appearance in a state title game in school history, got a goal from Andrew Greiner with 30:44 remaining in the game. Greiner made a great transfer on a free kick attempt and beat the keeper to his left.

    Rock Canyon also advanced to the championship games in 2009 (a loss in 4A) and 2008 (winning 4A).

    [divider]

    Class 4A

    (Bud Ozzello/CHSAANow.com)
    (Bud Ozzello/CHSAANow.com)

    Top-seeded Air Academy held a slim 1-0 lead at halftime before exploding for three goals in the second frame to claim a 4-0 win over No. 5 Ponderosa in the first 4A semifinal.

    Air Academy got two goals from Gabriel Stuger, Alex Granados and Austin Dewing.

    The win means the Kadets will play in a championship game for the sixth time in school history. Air Academy won championships in 2010 (4A) and 1990 (5A).

    Air Academy will face third-seeded Cheyenne Mountain, a Pikes Peak league rival, following the Indians’ 1-0 win over No. 7 Evergreen. (See the full 4A bracket.)

    Cheyenne Mountain scored with nine minutes to play and will play in the title game for the third time in school history. The Indians won championship in 1995 (3A) and 1994 (4A/1A).

    Air Academy beat Cheyenne Mountain 4-3 in overtime on Oct. 1.

    [divider]

    Class 3A

    (Jenn Roberts-Uhlig/CHSAANow.com)
    (Jenn Roberts-Uhlig/CHSAANow.com)

    No. 1 Colorado Academy scored late in the second half to beat No. 5 Kent Denver and move on in the 3A semifinal with a 1-0 win.

    The Mustangs will make their fifth appearance in a title game. They won championships in 2012, 1999 and 1998.

    On the opposing side will be No. 3 The Classical Academy. The Titans beat No. 2 Salida 1-0 after a first-half goal held up. (See the full 3A bracket.)

    The two finalists have not played this season.

  • 4A football poll adds Windsor and Denver South

    (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
    (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    Windsor and Denver South have both returned to the CHSAANow.com 4A football poll.

    The Wizards are ranked ninth this week, while Denver South is No. 10.

    Likewise, the 3A poll added two new teams: Conifer (No. 9) and The Classical Academy (No. 10).

    Montrose (4A) and Coronado (3A) continued to lead each poll.

    Complete rankings are below.

    [divider]

    CHSAANow.com Football Polls

    Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.

    Go to: 4A | 3A

    Class 4A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Montrose (10) 8-1 163 1 W
    2 Monarch (5) 7-1 146 3 W
    3 Pine Creek (2) 7-2 139 2 W
    4 Falcon (1) 8-1 117 4 W
    5 Pueblo South 8-1 106 5 W
    6 Loveland 7-1 95 9 W
    7 Durango 7-2 74 6 L
    8 Standley Lake 8-1 57 10 W
    9 Windsor 7-2 34 – W
    10 Denver South 7-2 33 – W
    Others receiving votes:
    Longmont 19, Pueblo Centennial 3, Broomfield 2, Dakota Ridge 1, Montbello 1.
    Dropped out
    Longmont (7), Broomfield (8).

    Class 3A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Coronado (8) 9-0 150 1 Bye
    2 Palisade (6) 8-1 148 3 W
    3 Discovery Canyon 8-1 130 2 W
    4 Holy Family (1) 7-1 117 4 W
    5 Elizabeth (1) 7-2 80 6 W
    6 Silver Creek (1) 6-2 74 8 W
    7 Rifle 7-2 59 10 W
    8 Roosevelt 6-2 58 9 W
    9 Conifer 7-2 38 – W
    10 The Classical Academy 7-2 37 – W
    Others receiving votes:
    Evergreen 23, Mead 14, Glenwood Springs 7, Lutheran 5, Delta 4.
    Dropped out
    Mead (5), Delta (7).

  • Football poll adds Mountain Range in 5A; Coronado on top in 3A

    (Pam Wagner)
    Mountain Range is ranked 10th this week. (Pam Wagner)

    Mountain Range, 7-1 this season, has joined this week’s CHSAANow.com football poll in Class 5A.

    The Mustangs, ranked No. 10, are riding a four-game winning streak, including a 22-16 decision against Rocky Mountain last week. Their lone loss this season came at Grand Junction on Sept. 20.

    Valor Christian remained atop the 5A ranking with 19 of the 22 first-place votes. Fairview, which got the other three first-place votes, stayed in the No. 2 spot following its big win over Pomona, and continued to be followed by No. 3 Regis Jesuit, No. 4 Cherry Creek and No. 5 ThunderRidge.

    Columbine stayed in sixth this week, while Cherokee Trail bumped up two spots to seventh. Pomona remained in eighth and Grand Junction moved up to ninth after beating 4A No. 1 Montrose.

    Despite the loss, Montrose remained atop the 4A ranking. Pine Creek moved up to No. 2, jumping Monarch, which fell to No. 3.

    Coronado is now atop the 3A poll after Palisade’s loss to Delta. Discovery Canyon is second and Palisade dropped to third.

    Delta joined the ranking at No. 7, as did Roosevelt (No. 9) following its win over then-No. 3 Silver Creek. Silver Creek dropped to No. 8 this week.

    Complete rankings for all polls are below.

    [divider]

    CHSAANow.com Football Polls

    Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.

    Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A | 8-man | 6-man

    Class 5A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Valor Christian (19) 7-1 217 1 W
    2 Fairview (3) 7-0 193 2 W
    3 Regis Jesuit 7-1 165 3 W
    4 Cherry Creek 7-1 154 4 W
    5 ThunderRidge 7-1 144 5 W
    6 Columbine 7-1 103 6 W
    7 Cherokee Trail 6-2 89 9 W
    8 Pomona 6-2 60 8 L
    9 Grand Junction 6-2 42 10 W
    10 Mountain Range 7-1 13 – W
    Others receiving votes:
    Ralston Valley 8, Arapahoe 7, Chatfield 5, Overland 5, Legend 4, Rock Canyon 1.
    Dropped out
    Chatfield (7).

    Class 4A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Montrose (10) 7-1 185 1 L
    2 Pine Creek (3) 6-2 169 3 W
    3 Monarch (7) 6-1 158 2 W
    4 Falcon (1) 7-1 122 4 W
    5 Pueblo South 7-1 110 5 W
    6 Durango 7-1 98 7 W
    7 Longmont 6-1 92 6 W
    8 Broomfield 5-2 69 8 W
    9 Loveland 6-1 54 10 W
    10 Standley Lake 7-1 48 9 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Windsor 25, Denver South 14, Pueblo West 6, Dakota Ridge 4, Wheat Ridge 1.
    Dropped out
    None.

    Class 3A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Coronado (9) 9-0 137 2 W
    2 Discovery Canyon (1) 7-1 127 4 W
    3 Palisade (4) 7-1 126 1 L
    4 Holy Family (1) 6-1 101 5 W
    5 Mead 7-0 91 8 W
    6 Elizabeth (1) 6-2 62 7 W
    7 Delta 6-2 52 – W
    8 Silver Creek 5-2 45 3 L
    9 Roosevelt 5-2 40 – W
    10 Rifle 6-2 39 10 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Conifer 33, The Classical Academy 12, Glenwood Springs 6, Evergreen 5, Lutheran 4.
    Dropped out
    Evergreen (6), Conifer (9).

    Class 2A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Brush (9) 7-0 99 1 W
    2 Manitou Springs (1) 8-0 86 3 W
    3 Platte Valley 6-1 84 2 W
    4 Faith Christian 7-2 57 6 W
    5 Florence 6-2 50 5 W
    6 Kent Denver 6-2 46 4 L
    7 Strasburg 6-2 36 7 W
    8 Bennett 6-2 32 9 W
    9 Gunnison 6-2 20 10 W
    10 Lamar 6-2 14 8 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Olathe 12, Jefferson 8, Fort Lupton 2.
    Dropped out
    None.

    Class 1A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Buena Vista (11) 8-0 153 1 W
    2 Limon (5) 8-0 148 2 W
    3 Centauri 7-1 122 4 W
    4 Paonia 7-1 104 7 W
    5 Hotchkiss 6-2 85 3 L
    6 Monte Vista 7-1 83 5 W
    7 Cedaredge 6-2 69 6 W
    8 Resurrection Christian 5-2 44 – W
    9 Yuma 5-3 33 9 W
    10 Platte Canyon 7-1 19 10 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Rye 7, Burlington 4, Jefferson 4, Holyoke 2, Wray 2, Lyons 1.
    Dropped out
    Wray (8).

    8-man
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Hoehne (7) 8-0 97 1 W
    2 Dayspring Christian (3) 8-0 92 2 W
    3 Norwood 7-1 76 5 W
    4 Simla 7-0 71 4 W
    5 Caliche 7-1 61 3 L
    6 Kiowa 6-2 40 6 L
    7 McClave 7-1 37 9 W
    8 Sargent 6-2 28 10 W
    9 Dove Creek 6-2 23 8 L
    10 Walsh 6-2 13 – W
    Others receiving votes:
    Merino 8, Akron 2, Sangre de Cristo 1, Springfield 1.
    Dropped out
    Akron (7).

    6-man
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Liberty/Stratton (8) 8-0 48 1 W
    2 Arickaree (2) 8-0 41 2 W
    3 Eads 7-1 26 4 W
    4 Hi-Plains 7-1 19 3 W
    5 Otis 5-2 13 5 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Prairie 3.
    Dropped out
    None.

  • Softball roundup: Fossil Ridge scores a semifinal ticket

    (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
    Aurora Sports Park sits quiet prior to Saturday’s action. More photos. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    A roundup of Saturday’s action at the state softball tournaments at Aurora Sports Park.

    Class 5A

    Bracket

    State softball
    Fossil Ridge. More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    AURORA — Fossil Ridge won its first two games at Saturday’s opening rounds of the 5A state softball tournament by a combined score of 29-7. It now finds itself in the semifinals for the first time in school history.

    In fact, Fossil Ridge had never even won a game at the state tournament before Saturday.

    The third-seeded SaberCats beat No. 14 Pine Creek in the opening round, 10-3, then followed with a 19-4 mercy-rule-shortened win over No. 6 Eaglecrest which ended on Haley Donaldson’s walk-off three-run home run.

    Legacy softball coach Dawn Gaffin goes over instructions between innings Saturday afternoon during the Lightning's 8-1 quarterfinal victory against Dakota Ridge. Legacy, 5-time Class 5A state champion, will face Brighton in the 5A state semifinals 10 a.m. Sunday at Aurora Sports Park. (Dennis Pleuss)
    Legacy softball coach Dawn Gaffin goes over instructions between innings Saturday afternoon during the Lightning’s 8-1 quarterfinal victory against Dakota Ridge. Legacy, 5-time Class 5A state champion, will face Brighton in the 5A state semifinals 10 a.m. Sunday at Aurora Sports Park. More photos. (Dennis Pleuss)

    Fossil Ridge is 22-1 in 2013. The SaberCats’ lone loss this season came to Legacy on Sept. 16. They could get a rematch on Saturday — but first they’ll need to get past No. 7 Legend, another first-timer in the semis.

    Legend (19-5) dispatched No. 10 Grandview 13-8 to open the tournament, then beat No. 2 Rock Canyon 6-1 in the quartefinals.

    No. 9 Brighton was the lone team to knock off a No. 1 seed on Saturday. The Bulldogs, now 22-2, beat No. 1 Douglas County 8-4 in the quarterfinals. That followed an 11-1 win over No. 8 Loveland, the defending champion.

    In the semis, Brighton will get No. 5 Legacy, which beat a pair of Jeffco squads (Chatfield and Dakota Ridge) to earn its seventh consecutive berth into the state tournament semifinals.

    No. 12 Chatfield gave Legacy a tough test before the Lightning pulled away in the late innings for a 6-2 win.

    “I think we kind of learned from it,” Legacy senior pitcher Haley Smith said. “Our bats were kind of cold at first, but we had everybody set up.”

    Legacy used some “small ball” tactics in the third inning against No. 4 Dakota Ridge to score four runs on the way to an 8-1 victory.

    Despite the rich tradition of winning five straight 5A state crowns from 2007 to 2011, Smith doesn’t believe Legacy will be nervous going into the semifinals.

    “If anything I think there is less pressure because everyone thinks we can’t do it,” Smith said. “We are the underdogs.”

    Semifinal games:

    • (9) Brighton vs. (5) Legacy, 10 a.m.
    • (3) Fossil Ridge vs. (7) Legend, 10 a.m.

    [divider]

    4A state softball
    Broomfield is headed to the semifinals. More photos. (Pam Wagner)

    Class 4A

    Bracket

    Fifth-seeded Broomfield narrowly survived being No. 13 D’Evelyn’s second upset victim of the day. But the Eagles did survive, and advance, to the 4A semifinals on Sunday.

    Broomfield rallied from 2-0 and 4-2 holes to hold on and beat D’Evelyn 7-6 on Saturday. The Eagles had a four-run fifth-inning which led to the win. They will face top-seeded Wheat Ridge in the semifinals.

    Wheat Ridge junior Erin Dalton connects with a pitch during the Farmers' 5-0 win against Roosevelt in the opening round of the Class 4A state softball tournament Saturday at Aurora Sports Park. (Dennis Pleuss)
    Wheat Ridge junior Erin Dalton connects with a pitch during the Farmers’ 5-0 win against Roosevelt in the opening round of the Class 4A state softball tournament Saturday at Aurora Sports Park. More photos. (Dennis Pleuss)

    Wheat Ridge didn’t have much problem advancing.

    The Farmers shut out No. 16 Roosevelt by a 5-0 score in the opening round and cranked out 11 hits in a 9-4 quarterfinal victory against No. 8 Mountain View. Still, Wheat Ridge coach Marty Stricklett said there is “some improving to do” going into the final day of the season.

    The Farmers edged Broomfield 2-0 earlier this season. Sophomore Christina Nelson hit a two-run home run in the first inning and senior pitcher Jessica Salbato pitched a shutout against Broomfield back on Aug. 30.

    A 1-0 loss to Niwot in the 4A semifinals last year still motivates the Farmers heading into their eighth straight trip to the state semifinals.

    “Tomorrow we are still going off what happened last year,” Stricklett said. “We’ve got to show up and play our game. The name of our game is hitting. We’ve got to hit the ball.”

    On the other side of the bracket, No. 6 Erie beat No. 11 Silver Creek 11-1 and No. 3 Pueblo East 7-1 to advance to Sunday. The Tigers will face No. 2 Ponderosa, which escaped No. 15 Palmer Ridge’s upset bid, 5-4, to open the tournament, then beat No. 7 Berthoud 6-0 in the quarters.

    Semifinal games:

    • (1) Wheat Ridge vs. (5) Broomfield, 10 a.m.
    • (6) Erie vs. (2) Ponderosa, 10 a.m.

    [divider]

    Class 3A

    Bracket

    The four semifinalists at the 3A level each only played one game on Saturday. That’s because Strasburg, Sterling, Holy Family and Valley all had opening-round byes as seeds Nos. 1-4.

    Top-seeded Strasburg beat No. 9 Basalt 11-0, and will meet No. 4 Valley, which eeked past No. 5 Eaton 1-0.

    In the other semifinal, No. 2 Sterling will meet No. 3 Holy Family. Sterling beat No. 7 Lamar 5-0 and Holy Family beat No. 11 Dolores Huerta 3-0.

    Semifinal games:

    • (1) Strasburg vs. (4) Valley, 10 a.m.
    • (3) Holy Family vs. (2) Sterling, 10 a.m.

    — Reporting from Dennis Pleuss and Ryan Casey.

  • Mountain View now No. 3 in 4A girls cross country ranking

    Mountain View made a big jump in this week’s 4A Colorado Track XC/CHSAANow.com girls cross country poll, moving from seventh to third.

    The 2A poll was the only ranking to add new teams this week. Heritage Christian (No. 8) and Skyview Academy (No. 10) joined.

    Complete rankings for all classes are below.

    [divider]

    Colorado Track XC/CHSAANow.com Girls Polls

    Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org.

    Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A

    Class 5A
    RK TEAM PTS PVS
    1 Fort Collins (9) 135 1
    2 Monarch (5) 130 2
    3 Cherry Creek 113 3
    4 Pine Creek 98 4
    5 ThunderRidge 63 5
    6 Legacy 62 9
    7 Rock Canyon 54 8
    8 Fairview 47 7
    9 Mountain Vista 32 6
    10 Grandview 12 10
    Others receiving votes:
    Castle View 10, Fossil Ridge 8, Heritage 5, Arapahoe 1.
    Dropped out:
    None.

    Class 4A
    RK TEAM PTS PVS
    1 Thompson Valley (7) 131 1
    2 The Classical Academy (3) 125 2
    3 Mountain View (3) 123 7
    4 Niwot 110 4
    5 Air Academy (1) 94 3
    6 Cheyenne Mountain (1) 86 5
    7 Battle Mountain 50 6
    8 Coronado 34 8
    9 Evergreen 33 9
    10 Durango 15 10
    Others receiving votes:
    Wheat Ridge 12, Palmer Ridge 10, Broomfield 3.
    Dropped out:
    None.

    Class 3A
    RK TEAM PTS PVS
    1 Salida (12) 120 1
    2 Holy Family 102 2
    3 Peak to Peak 87 3
    4 Colorado Academy 73 4
    5 Kent Denver 66 5
    6 Estes Park 54 6
    7 Moffat County 48 8
    8 Frontier Academy 45 7
    9 Bayfield 22 9
    10 Alamosa 18 10
    Others receiving votes:
    Pagosa Springs 12, St. Mary’s 9, Buena Vista 3, Platte Valley 1.
    Dropped out:
    None.

    Class 2A
    RK TEAM PTS PVS
    1 Hotchkiss (10) 106 1
    2 Lyons (1) 86 2
    3 Paonia 84 4
    4 Vanguard 80 3
    5 Resurrection Christian 74 6
    6 Denver Christian 49 5
    7 Nederland 39 9
    8 Heritage Christian 31 –
    9 Shining Mountain 24 7
    10 SkyView Academy 15 –
    Others receiving votes:
    Sargent 10, Mancos 3, Yuma 3, Rocky Ford 1.
    Dropped out:
    Sargent (8), Custer County (10).

  • Grand Junction, Broomfield join respective football polls

    Grand Junction football
    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.

    (Pam Wagner)
    Broomfield is No. 8 in 4A. (Pam Wagner)

    Broomfield (4-2) joined the 4A ranking after beating then-No. 3 Standley Lake last week. The Eagles are eighth. Standley Lake fell to ninth.

    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).

    Complete rankings for all classes are below.

    [divider]

    CHSAANow.com Football Polls

    Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.

    Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A | 8-man | 6-man

    Class 5A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Valor Christian (22) 6-1 229 1 W
    2 Fairview (1) 6-0 192 2 W
    3 Regis Jesuit 6-1 158 3 W
    4 Cherry Creek 6-1 154 5 W
    5 ThunderRidge 6-1 153 4 W
    6 Columbine 6-1 101 6 W
    7 Chatfield 6-1 100 7 W
    8 Pomona 6-1 82 9 W
    9 Cherokee Trail 5-2 50 10 W
    10 Grand Junction 5-2 19 – Bye
    Others receiving votes:
    Overland 10, Rock Canyon 6, Mountain Range 5, Arapahoe 4, Lakewood 1, Ralston Valley 1.
    Dropped out
    Arapahoe (8).

    Class 4A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Montrose (24) 7-0 240 1 W
    2 Monarch 5-1 189 2 W
    3 Pine Creek 5-2 180 5 W
    4 Falcon 6-1 151 6 W
    5 Pueblo South 6-1 118 8 W
    6 Longmont 5-1 109 7 W
    7 Durango 6-1 97 10 W
    8 Broomfield 4-2 64 – W
    9 Standley Lake 6-1 62 3 L
    10 Loveland 5-1 59 4 L
    Others receiving votes:
    Windsor 23, Pueblo West 8, Denver South 6, Pueblo Centennial 6, Cañon City 4, Montbello 2, Sand Creek 2.
    Dropped out
    Montbello (9).

    Class 3A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Palisade (17) 7-0 179 1 W
    2 Coronado 8-0 126 2 W
    3 Silver Creek (1) 5-1 116 4 W
    4 Discovery Canyon 6-1 115 5 Bye
    5 Holy Family 5-1 96 6 W
    6 Evergreen 6-1 93 7 W
    7 Elizabeth 5-2 64 9 W
    8 Mead 6-0 57 8 W
    9 Conifer 5-2 38 – W
    10 Rifle 5-2 33 3 L
    Others receiving votes:
    Roosevelt 26, The Classical Academy 24, Frederick 10, Delta 5, Glenwood Springs 5, Lutheran 1.
    Dropped out
    Roosevelt (10).

    Class 2A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Brush (11) 6-0 110 1 W
    2 Platte Valley 5-1 92 4 W
    3 Manitou Springs 7-0 84 3 W
    4 Kent Denver 6-1 81 2 W
    5 Florence 5-2 57 5 W
    6 Faith Christian 6-2 51 6 W
    7 Strasburg 5-2 38 9 W
    8 Lamar 5-2 31 7 L
    9 Bennett 5-2 29 8 W
    10 Gunnison 5-2 11 – W
    Others receiving votes:
    Olathe 10, Jefferson 7, Fort Lupton 3, Denver West 2.
    Dropped out
    Eaton (10).

    Class 1A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Buena Vista (12) 7-0 163 1 W
    2 Limon (5) 7-0 154 2 W
    3 Hotchkiss 6-1 136 3 W
    4 Centauri 6-1 118 4 W
    5 Monte Vista 6-1 85 5 W
    6 Cedaredge 5-2 76 7 W
    7 Paonia 6-1 65 6 W
    8 Wray 4-3 40 8 W
    9 Yuma 4-3 27 – W
    10 Platte Canyon 6-1 26 – W
    Others receiving votes:
    Resurrection Christian 17, Lyons 13, Burlington 6, Cornerstone Christian 3, Rye 3, Crowley County 2, Wiggins 1.
    Dropped out
    Wiggins (9), Lyons (10).

    8-man
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Hoehne (6) 7-0 96 1 W
    2 Dayspring Christian (4) 7-0 93 2 W
    3 Caliche 7-0 72 3 W
    4 Simla 6-0 66 4 W
    5 Norwood 6-1 50 5 W
    6 Kiowa 6-1 48 6 Bye
    7 Akron 5-2 27 8 W
    8 Dove Creek 6-1 26 9 W
    9 McClave 6-1 25 7 W
    10 Sargent 5-2 20 – W
    Others receiving votes:
    Vail Christian 12, Sanford 8, Springfield 5, West Grand 2.
    Dropped out
    Sanford (10).

    6-man
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Liberty/Stratton (7) 7-0 48 1 W
    2 Arickaree (4) 7-0 47 2 W
    3 Hi-Plains 6-1 25 5 W
    4 Eads 6-1 24 4 W
    5 Otis 4-2 16 – W
    Others receiving votes:
    Briggsdale 5.
    Dropped out
    Briggsdale (3).