Wiley (1A), McClave (1A), Swink (2A), Colorado Springs Christian (3A), and Denver East (5A) were the five new teams that joined this week’s girls basketball rankings.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
University 16, The Vanguard 7, Moffat County 5, Cedaredge 4, Resurrection Christian 4, Faith Christian 3, Manitou Springs 3, SkyView Academy 3, Grand Valley 2, Lamar 2.
Dropped out
The Vanguard (8).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
Limon (8)
3-0
114
1
2
Sanford
2-2
81
5
3
Wray (1)
4-1
69
2
4
Del Norte
4-1
62
3
5
Yuma (3)
1-3
58
4
6
Meeker
4-1
46
7
7
Swink
1-3
41
–
8
Holyoke
3-0
38
9
9
Ignacio
2-2
30
10
10
Simla
4-0
29
6
Others receiving votes:
Heritage Christian 27, Rye 27, Rocky Ford 12, Dawson 6, Peyton 6, Highland 5, Soroco 5, Center 1, Hayden 1, Lyons 1, Sedgwick County 1.
Dropped out
Rye (8).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
Briggsdale (12)
4-0
154
1
2
Fleming (1)
3-0
122
3
3
Sangre de Cristo (3)
4-0
116
4
4
South Baca
3-1
92
5
5
Merino
3-1
67
6
6
Wiley
3-0
62
–
7
Lone Star
3-0
51
9
8
Springfield
2-1
40
8
9
Genoa-Hugo/Karval
2-1
39
7
10
McClave
3-1
27
–
Others receiving votes:
Cotopaxi 13, Elbert 13, Kit Carson 11, Longmont Christian 11, Deer Trail 10, Shining Mountain Waldorf 9, De Beque 8, Dove Creek 7, Bethune 6, Haxtun 6, Kim/Branson 5, Mile High Academy 4, Eads 2, Idalia 2, Prairie 2, Flatirons Academy 1.
Briggsdale has moved up to the No. 1 spot in this week’s Class 1A girls basketball rankings.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
Broomfield wrestling held a team duals tournament on Saturday, including Broomfield, ThunderRidge, Denver East, Rocky Mountain, Doherty, Arvada West, Air Academy, Weld Central, Overland, Holy Family. Rocky Mountain placed first overall in the dual competition as a team, going 5-0.
The No. 1 teams in the preseason girls basketball rankings include: Cherry Creek, Mullen, St. Mary’s, Limon and Kit Carson.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
Montrose 30, D’Evelyn 27, Erie 24, Sierra 18, Ponderosa 16, Sand Creek 15, George Washington 12, Longmont 4, Skyline 4, Canon City 2, Roosevelt 2, Skyview 2, Thomas Jefferson 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
St. Mary’s (10)
0-0
100
2
Pagosa Springs
0-0
85
3
Delta
0-0
66
4
Lutheran
0-0
64
5
Eaton
0-0
49
6
Centauri
0-0
45
7
Alamosa
0-0
36
8
Platte Valley
0-0
27
9
Colorado Springs Christian
0-0
20
10
University
0-0
17
Others receiving votes:
The Academy 15, Resurrection Christian 7, Cedaredge 5, Faith Christian 3, Manitou Springs 3, Moffat County 3, SkyView Academy 3, Lamar 2, Grand Valley 1.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Limon (8)
0-0
114
2
Sanford
0-0
85
3
Wray (1)
0-0
71
4
Yuma (3)
0-0
65
5
Del Norte
0-0
59
6
Meeker
0-0
51
7
Swink
0-0
45
8
Holyoke
0-0
37
9
Heritage Christian
0-0
29
10
Ignacio
0-0
28
Others receiving votes:
Simla 21, Rye 20, Rocky Ford 12, Dawson 6, Highland 5, Soroco 5, Peyton 4, Center 1, Lyons 1, Sedgwick County 1.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Kit Carson (7)
0-0
114
2
Briggsdale (2)
0-0
108
3
Fleming (3)
0-0
95
4
South Baca
0-0
81
5
Genoa-Hugo/Karval
0-0
66
6
Sangre de Cristo (1)
0-0
48
7
Springfield
0-0
36
8
Merino
0-0
27
9
Haxtun
0-0
25
10
De Beque
0-0
22
Others receiving votes:
Cotopaxi 19, Elbert 12, Shining Mountain Waldorf 12, Lone Star 10, La Veta 9, Kim/Branson 7, Hanover 6, Wiley 6, Dove Creek 5, McClave 5, Cheraw 1, Idalia 1.
COMMERCE CITY – No matter what the outcome was of Saturday night’s Class 4A state championship game, Skyview’s boys soccer team had already made history.
The 2019 Wolverines were the first program in school history, in any sport, just to make a state championship game. But Skyview wasn’t content to simply let that be their story.
Instead, the Wolverines started and finished strong in the championship game at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Skyview struck first and then held on for a hard-fought 2-1 victory over two-time defending champion Air Academy to win the school’s first title.
“It’s huge for our community. We’re just a little tiny school district up in Thornton,” Skyview coach Justin Thomas said. “It’s so big for community and our kids to know that no matter what size school you come from or what model district you’re in, you can do it. You can go out there and win a state championship against a huge high school like Air Academy.”
Luis Reyes and Jared Ramos scored first-half goals for the Wolverines (18-0-2). The Kadets got within one goal in the 51s minute and kept the pressure on late, but even after Skyview went down a man with 38 seconds remaining, it managed to find a way.
The team was also able to put a disappointing finish behind it from 2018, when an unbeaten season came to an end in a shootout in the state quarterfinals.
“We’ve been working for this since last November,” Ramos said. “This is our first state championship. The excitement I’m feeling right now, I don’t know, I can’t even explain it. We wanted this, we wanted everybody to know who we were.”
Skyview was coming off a one-win season when Thomas took over the program in 2012. The team won only three games in his first season, but came back in 2013 to win 11 games and a league title.
Thomas said despite the trials and tribulations of that first year, the process was a testament to the character of the players he has coached over the years.
There was a little uncertainty as to how this year’s team would bounce back from last year’s finish, but a strong senior class put those worries to rest early.
“We were a little worried about the senior class that we lost last year. A lot of guys went on to go play at the collegiate level,” Thomas said. “But this senior class, they stepped up so much. They’ve been such great role models and leaders for the younger kids on the team.”
Air Academy (15-5) has won five state titles overall and was making its fifth championship-game appearance in seven seasons Saturday. The Kadets featured the reigning Gatorade Boys Soccer Player of the Year for Colorado in Thaddaeus Dewing, who scored the Kadets’ goal Saturday night.
Thomas said they spent hours planning how to slow down Dewing, adding that it was crucial to strike first. That’s exactly what happened, as Reyes scored in the 38th minute with a ball that somehow squeezed between Air Academy keeper Travis Tygart Jr. and the right post.
Three minutes later it was Ramos’ turn off an assist from Gustavo Flores.
“When we talked about our gameplan coming into tonight, it was all about strike early,” Thomas said. “We knew we were going to have to get on the scoreboard before them because they are a powerhouse of 4A soccer.”
Dewing cut the lead to one a little more than 10 minutes into the second half, just getting the ball past Skyview keeper Brian Fierro.
“Thaddaeus is good. He can turn at any time, he’s a dangerous player,” Ramos said. “He made it tough for our defenders, and we tried our best to defend it. We just kept pushing until the end.”
Air Academy kept the pressure on from there. The team’s best chance came in the 72nd minute, when Dewing’s direct kick from just outside the top of the box was deflected by a wall of defenders.
A brief scuffle in the final minute resulted in yellow cards for both sides. But the Wolverines didn’t allow any scoring chances in the closing seconds, and as the final whistle blew, they piled onto each other on the near sideline.
It was sweet vindication for a program that felt as though no one was paying attention to its success throughout the year.
“They were overlooking us the whole season. No one talked about us,” Ramos said. “That put a chip on our shoulders to prove everybody wrong tonight.”
AURORA — Experience played a big part in Air Academy’s 2-1 victory over Lewis-Palmer in the boys Class 4A soccer semifinals Wednesday night.
A fortunate bounce with just over two minutes left in regulation didn’t hurt the Kadets, either.
Mason Shandy’s pinball goal at 77:58 broke a 1-1 tie and sent Air Academy, winners of the last two state championships, to the finals for the third-straight season.
A direct kick by Thaddeus Dewing of the Kadets was rejected by a Lewis-Palmer wall late in the contest.
Dewing managed to regain possession and sent the ball back into the box. Adin Schwenke put a shot on goal that bounced in Shandy’s vicinity, and he banged home the game-winner.
“I was just kind of right place, right time,” Shandy confessed. “I was really thankful that Thad put that second ball in after hitting the wall with his first (kick). Adin went up for a nice challenge and it just bounced right in my way. I felt like it was a team goal.”
Shandy, a junior, is now three-for-three in semifinal wins with Air Academy.
“It never gets old,” he revealed. “Just the entire playoff run is so much fun. I am just so thankful we can go all the way again and experience all five games every year.
“I’m really excited for Saturday,” Shandy added. “It should be a lot of fun.
The Kadets tied the game 13:47 into the second half on powerful strike by Schwenke after a pretty pass from Dewing.
“There was a nice lay-off by Thad to Adin … two of our seniors,” said Air Academy head coach Espen Hosoien. “It was a really nice goal.”
Lewis-Palmer scored first at 5:59 of the first half when Tyler Prichard launched a long ball towards the net from more than 40 yards away. The ball eluded Kadet goalkeeper Travis Tygart, and the Rangers had an early 1-0 lead.
But Air Academy continued to play tough and created several chances throughout the rest of the game.
“Everybody just fought their hardest,” said Schwenke. “We were down 1-0 last year, too. We don’t panic. We keep playing the way coach has taught us to play every year. Just get the ball where we need it to go, get goals and go do what we need to do. Everybody just works their hardest; that’s the biggest thing for us.”
“There was no panic,” Hosoien added. “These guys have been through it before. We played three tough games to get here (to the semifinals). It’s not like we haven’t been tested.
“We always talk about playing the full game, regardless,” he added. A goal scored in the 78th minute is just as good as a goal scored in the fifth minute. It’s even better if it’s the winning goal.”
[divider]
(3) Skyview 1, (2) Golden 0
(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Skyview goalkeeper Brian Fierro was the big hero Wednesday night at Legacy Stadium.
Fierro made a diving stop of a penalty kick by Golden’s Joaquin Garfias with one minute left in the game, and the Wolverines escaped with a 1-0 win in the 4A boys soccer semifinals.
Skyview will now play two-time defending champion Air Academy in the title game at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
After the game, Fierro gave an assist to someone special in his life.
“I’ve got to give credit to my Dad,” said a smiling Fierro. “He has been teaching me how to guess (correctly) on the penalties. He always tells me to go to my left, so I did.”
Luis Reyes put the Wolverines on the board first when he took a pass from teammate Roger Ibarra and sent the ball into the lower corner of the goal 5:37 into the second half.
“I had the ball out wide, and played it into Roger, one of our better players on our team,” said Reyes of his game-winning tally. “I made a run (towards the front of the goal), and I just knew he was going to find me. We have such a good connection. Once I hit it I knew I was going to score because I have been practicing that shot for a long time. It’s the best feeling.”
It’s a scene that’s all-too familiar to Skyview head coach Justin Thomas.
“Luis got the ball in the box and made a great turn,” he said. “I have so much confidence when he has the ball on his feet in the box. That goal was just pure Luis: turn, shoot … and he always finds the back of the net. He’s a very skilled player, he’s very smart and I’m just really proud that he was able to score for us. We needed it.”
Golden had several chances to equalize as the half went on, but their shots were either just wide, off the post or crossbar or saved by Fierro.
“After we scored the goal we had so much momentum but I give a lot of props to their team because they didn’t stop fighting,” Reyes added. “But we have a team that never stops fighting as well. And we also have a great goalkeeper. I have so much confidence in Brian. Before the penalty, I knew he was going to block it.”
Thomas wasn’t surprised, either.
“Brian has just gotten better and better for us each year,” he added. “Last year we got knocked out in the quarterfinals in the ninth round of PKs. I knew going into this year that practicing penalties would be a big thing for us to do. So we have been taking penalties at the end of every practice since we got our seed in the playoffs. Brian has seen hundreds of shots in the last two weeks.
“I had confidence that if he picked right, he would make the save.”
Runner of the year: Cole Sprout, Valor Christian Coach of the year: Mark Stenbeck, Dakota Ridge
First Team
Name
Year
School
Gus McIntyre
Senior
Palmer
Ben Morrin
Senior
Dakota Ridge
Cole Nash
Senior
Chatfield
Connor Ohlson
Senior
Dakota Ridge
Cole Sprout
Senior
Valor Christian
Jacob White
Junior
Dakota Ridge
Parker Wolfe
Junior
Cherry Creek
Second Team
Name
Year
School
Wes Beckham
Senior
Rock Canyon
Derek Fearon
Senior
Rock Canyon
Cory Kennedy
Senior
Heritage
Caleb Mann
Junior
Liberty
Jack O’Sullivan
Senior
Mountain Vista
Scott Prieve
Junior
Palmer
Yasin Sado
Senior
Gateway
Honorable mention: Michael Beck, Junior, Heritage; Grant Bradley, Junior, Overland; Ben Conlin, Junior, Rampart; Kevin Conlon, Senior, Fort Collins; Will Daley, Senior, Denver East; Wiley Feiger, Senior, Fairview; James Gregory, Senior, Fort Collins; Lukas Haug, Junior, Boulder; Davis Helmerich, Senior, Mountain Vista; Parker Lee, Senior, Legacy; Ryan Montera, Junior, Legacy; Ben Piegat, Senior, Dakota Ridge; Edward Rush, Junior, Castle View; Luke Sundberg, Senior, Valor Christian; James Thomas, Junior, Broomfield; Harrison Witt, Junior, Mountain Vista.
