Three defending champions head the preseason boys cross country polls released on Tuesday.
Mountain Vista (5A), Coronado (4A) and Lyons (2A) won championships in their respective classifications last season and opened 2013 at the top spot in the Colorado Track XC/CHSAANow.com boys cross country rankings.
Fort Collins (5A) and The Classical Academy (4A) are among top-ranked teams in the Colorado Track XC/CHSAANow.com girls cross country preseason rankings.
Valor Christian is the preseason No. 1 team in Class 5A. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Football is back, and things seem to be picking up right where we left them.
Valor Christian leads the first-ever CHSAANow.com 5A football poll, which is voted on by coaches and media members across the state. The Eagles are four-time defending champions across three classifications, and beat Cherokee Trail to win last year’s 5A crown. Cherokee Trail, not surprisingly, is No. 2 in the preseason poll.
ThunderRidge, a semifinalist a year ago, is third, followed by Cherry Creek and Pomona. Grandview is No. 6 to begin the season, Ralston Valley is No. 7, while Columbine (No. 8), Chaparral (No. 9) and Regis Jesuit (No. 10) round out the 5A poll.
A total of three teams received first-place votes in the ranking: Valor Christian got 14, while Cherokee Trail and Cherry Creek received one each.
Monarch, the defending 4A champion, leads the preseason ranking in that classification, while Denver South, runner-up a year ago, is second. Wheat Ridge, Pine Creek and Pueblo West round out 4A’s top five teams.
In fact, each of the defending champions lead their respective preseason rankings. That includes Silver Creek (3A), Kent Denver (2A), Cedaredge (1A), Hoehne (8-man) and Fleming (6-man).