Regis Jesuit is the new No. 1 team in Class 5A boys basketball. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
After last week’s big win, it was assumed that Regis Jesuit boys basketball would take over the top spot in Class 5A. Monday, the Raiders officially moved up.
Regis Jesuit received 15 of the 16 first-place votes in CHSAANow.com’s poll this week, and had 159 overall points. This came on the heels of a 3-0 week to open the season, which included a win over preseason No. 1 Overland.
But Regis was far from the only mover. ThunderRidge also started its season 3-0, and has jumped from preseason No. 5 to No. 2 this week. The 5A poll also added four new teams: No. 7 Aurora Central, No. 8 Dakota Ridge, No. 9 Cherry Creek and No. 10 Rock Canyon.
Things changed in 4A, too. Longmont stayed put as the No. 1 team, but there are three new teams — led by No. 2 Golden, which had an impressive opening week, including wins over Vista PEAK and then-No. 6 D’Evelyn. Also joining are No. 6 Pueblo Central and No. 8 Air Academy.
In 3A, there’s another new No. 1 team. Colorado Springs Christian assumes the top spot there after Colorado Academy lost to Fossil Ridge’s JV team last week.
New to the 3A poll are Alamosa (No. 8) and Manitou Springs (No. 9).
The No. 1 teams stayed put in both 2A (Sanford) and 1A (McClave).
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
Mountain Vista 23, Northglenn 13, Rangeview 12, Abraham Lincoln 7, Cherokee Trail 7, George Washington 7, Arvada West 5, Fossil Ridge 4, Montbello 4, Legend 3, Grand Junction 1, Ralston Valley 1.
Dropped out
Abraham Lincoln (7), Arvada West (8), Rangeview (9), Mountain Vista (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Longmont (14)
2-0
175
1
2-0
2
Golden (3)
3-0
144
–
3-0
3
Thomas Jefferson
2-1
90
4
2-1
4
Sand Creek
2-0
83
7
2-0
5
D’Evelyn
2-1
76
6
2-1
6
Pueblo Central
3-1
75
–
3-1
7
Pueblo East (1)
3-0
61
9
3-0
8
Air Academy
2-0
55
–
2-0
9
Pueblo South
2-2
40
2
2-2
10
Lewis-Palmer
2-2
38
3
2-2
Others receiving votes:
Mountain View 29, Valor Christian 25, Vista Peak 21, Pueblo West 14, Palmer Ridge 10, Holy Family 9, Niwot 8, Conifer 7, Evergreen 6, Montezuma-Cortez 4, Steamboat Springs 4, Mitchell 3, Denver South 2, Glenwood Springs 2, Widefield 2, Falcon 1, Mead 1, Silver Creek 1.
Dropped out
Valor Christian (5), Holy Family (8), Denver South (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Colorado Springs Christian (7)
3-0
141
2
3-0
2
Faith Christian
2-0
116
3
2-0
3
Colorado Academy (7)
2-1
112
1
2-1
4
Lutheran (1)
4-0
90
6
4-0
5
Jefferson Academy
3-0
84
5
3-0
6
Kent Denver
3-0
73
8
3-0
7
The Pinnacle
2-0
52
10
2-0
8
Alamosa
3-0
28
–
3-0
9
Manitou Springs
1-0
26
–
1-0
10
Moffat County
0-2
25
4
0-2
Others receiving votes:
Sterling 14, St. Mary’s 13, Eaton 11, DSST-Stapleton 9, Bennett 8, Monte Vista 8, Platte Valley 6, Grand Valley 4, Machebeuf 3, Brush 1, Strasburg 1.
Dropped out
St. Mary’s (7), DSST-Stapleton (9).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Sanford (10)
2-0
100
1
2-0
2
Akron
2-0
79
5
2-0
3
Resurrection Christian
2-0
76
4
2-0
4
Ignacio
2-2
63
2
2-2
5
Simla
2-0
56
3
2-0
6
Rye
1-2
37
7
1-2
7
Sedgwick County
2-0
35
8
2-0
8
Meeker
0-0
28
6
0-0
9
Crowley County
1-0
19
–
1-0
10
Peyton
1-0
13
–
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Ellicott 9, Yuma 9, Paonia 8, Holyoke 6, Limon 4, Caliche 3, Swink 3, Center 1, Mancos 1.
Chukwuma Obinnah, pictured during a game against ThunderRidge earlier this season. (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)
Grandview’s Chukwuma Obinnah had a four-yard touchdown in overtime to lift the Wolves to a 34-27 overtime win against Eaglecrest on Friday night.
Obinnah finished with 261 yards and five touchdowns on 39 carries.
The night nearly belonged to Eaglecrest, which played the Wolves incredibly tight. The game was tied 7-7 at the half and Grandview led 14-13 after three quarters. The Wolves looked to have the game all but locked up when Obinnah made it 27-19 with 1:20 to play on his fourth touchdown.
But Eaglecrest wouldn’t go quietly. Though a 65-yard touchdown pass at the start of the drive was called back on a penalty, Eaglecrest marched down to Grandview’s 14-yard-line with 12.1 seconds remaining. Then, the Raptors scored as time expired and converted a two-point conversion to tie the game at 27.
That led to overtime, and Obinnah’s winning score.
Grandview, ranked No. 3 in 5A, is now 5-0 to start the season.
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3A: D’Evelyn 34, Lewis-Palmer 33
It seems we can’t go a week this season without updating the state record book in some fashion. Once again Friday, it was the single-game passing mark under assault.
D’Evelyn quarterback Owen Burke threw for 535 yards and five touchdowns. That is now No. 5 all-time, and is the third time this season a quarterback has cracked the top-10. Holy Family quarterback Chris Helbig threw for 491 on Sept. 5, and Air Academy’s Adam Brown broke the state record last week by throwing for 589 yards.
Meanwhile, Burke’s main target, Cameron Brown, had 316 receiving yards and caught all five scores. Both figures are tied for third-best in state history.
Lewis-Palmer running back Charley Young, meanwhile, rushed for 331 yards and four touchdowns on 32 carries in the loss.
When the night ended, the two teams had combined for 1,111 yards of total offense, which is now the eighth-most in state history.
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3A: (5) Rifle 36, (3) Delta 19
Rifle jumped all over Delta early, leading 10-0 after the first quarter, and then cruised to the win.
In fact, by the time Rifle led 16-0 midway through the second quarter, Delta didn’t yet have a first down, according to the Glenwood Springs Post-Independent.
Rifle running back Brock Clark had three total touchdowns.
“We had to fight for everything we got, so I’m extremely proud that, if we have to do that we were still able to score 36 points,” Rifle coach Damon Wells told the Post-Independent.
“Fantastic atmosphere,” Platte Valley coach Troy Hoffman Colorado Preps’ Scoreboard Show. “Football’s crazy. Anytime you’re playing such a big game, a rivalry game like this, and then also a league opener, it just added to the atmosphere and I’m very, very happy to come out on top tonight.”
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4A: (8) Greeley West 31, Greeley Central 14
The Spartans are now 5-0 after going 1-9 last season.
“Really, it started in December, just working in the offseason and changing our offense a little bit,” Greeley West coach Jason Renouf told the Scoreboard Show. “We really hit the weight room hard, and our kids have really bought into what we’re selling to them. It’s been great to be a part of.”
[divider]
6-man: (4) Peetz 42, (3) Fleming 28
Peetz jumped out to a 28-0 lead at halftime and cruised from there.
“I think we sent a message to everyone else in the conference that we’re to reckon with,” coach Scott Sorensen told the Scoreboard Show. “I know Pawnee’s got a really strong team; we still have Weldon Valley on our schedule, too. If we’re going to finish this out, we have to stay focused and play good football.”
The Bruins cruised out to a 17-0 lead midway through the second quarter and never looked back.
Henry Lyon kicked three field goals — 48, 23 and 20 yards — Milo Hall had a 2-yard rushing touchdown, and Joseph Parker caught a 12-yard score.
Cherry Creek improved to 3-2 this season. Cherokee Trail is also now 3-2.
[divider]
8-man: (4) Akron 20, (5) Merino 12
The Rams won a physical top-10 game on Friday. Akron is now 5-0.
“I knew going into the season that we were going to be young, but I knew were going to go have some talent,” Akron coach Jerome Weers told the Scoreboard Show. “I think to some extent, they’ve even exceeded at times my expectations. … They can play real well when they want to, and they play well as a group, and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
Columbine’s Jake Lowry threw four touchdowns in his team’s 56-35 win over Mullen. Yes, that’s correct. Surprisingly, though, that’s not a school record for the traditional rush-happy offense. That belongs to former Rebel great Danny Spond, who threw five against Thomas Jefferson in 2009. Still, Lowry’s performance even had former Columbine great and current Denver Broncos player Ryan Miller weighing in.
Adams City beat Aurora Central 24-21 and is now 4-1 for the first time since 2005, when the team actually started 4-0. The move to 4A has really helped the program. For perspective on the turnaround: Adams City won four total games from 2006-2013, going 4-76 over that span. One of those wins was a forfeit.
Air Academy had itself another wildly offensive game, and once again, the Kadets fell short. A week after losing 68-62 to Sand Creek, they lost 76-41 to Canon City. Canon City’s Trenton Stringari rushed for 255 yards and five touchdowns, according to the Canon City Daily Record. A week after breaking the state’s passing record, Air Academy quarterback Adam Brown threw for 352 yards and two touchdowns. Teammate Jalen Etsep had two kickoff returns for a score: 97 and 96 yards. Canon City’s Dacian Sullivan also had a kickoff return for a score (87 yards), part of a three touchdown night.
Mountain Vista moved to 5-0 with a 21-17 win over rival ThunderRidge. It is the first time in school history the Golden Eagles have won that game in nine tries. Vista quarterback Brock Rubley threw for 327 yards and two touchdowns, while Matt Yockey had 18 tackles and two sacks.
There were two instances where cross-town rivals played for the first time Friday: Longmont beat Silver Creek 42-21, while Chaparral beat Legend 33-30.
More rivalries: Heritage beat Arapahoe 23-14 for the Milk Can, while Harrison beat Sierra 25-9. It is Sierra’s first loss.
Green Mountain led Wheat Ridge 14-7 and 20-14 in the fourth quarter, but the Farmers rallied to take a 29-20 win.
In a game we previewed this week, No. 9 Berthoud moved to 5-0 with a 17-7 win over Erie in 3A.
Fountain-Fort Carson edged Douglas County 21-20 in overtime. FFC totally turned things around at halftime, when the Trojans were being shutout and had just one first down. Later, they rallied from down 13-7 with seven minutes to play.
Rangely topped Hayden in overtime, 20-14. Hayden made a goal-line stop to even get to overtime, but Rangely prevailed.
Palmer beat Sand Creek 35-28 in overtime to win on homecoming. Sand Creek tied the game with a touchdown in the final moments to force overtime.
Platte Canyon, No. 10 in 1A, beat Front Range Christian 29-0 to move to 4-1. “We preach that we’re going to try to improve every week,” Platte Canyon coach Mike Schmidt told the Scoreboard Show. “We’re young still, we’ve only got five seniors, so we feel like we’ve still got a long way to go, and a lot of improving to do.”
On its debut week in the 5A top-10, No. 10 Rocky Mountain beat Horizon 31-20.
In 3A, No. 8 Lamar beat No. 9 St. Mary’s 25-10.
Glenwood Springs upset 3A No. 10 Palisade, 17-10. It was sealed by a hard count which drew Palisade offside.
Wild Card points help determine the postseason fields in 3A, 4A and 5A, with 4A and 5A also using them for seeding. Find a more detailed breakdown here.
Baseball’s Wild Card point standings for April 17 are below.
Wild Card points help determine the postseason fields in 3A, 4A and 5A, with 4A and 5A also using them for seeding. Find a more detailed breakdown here.
Baseball’s Wild Card point standings for April 9 are below.
WESTMINSTER — A number of meet records fell at the Mustang Track & Field Invitational on Saturday, which drew 25 different teams from across the state to 1STBANK Field.
Mountain Range hosted the event.
Niwot’s girls won with a total of 88 points. Monarch was second with 69, and Denver East was third with 68.
Regis Jesuit’s boys won with 70 overall points. Highlands Ranch and Monarch tied for second with 63 each, while Boulder was fourth with 64.
Wild Card points help determine the postseason fields in 3A, 4A and 5A, with 4A and 5A also using them for seeding. Find a more detailed breakdown here.
Baseball’s Wild Card point standings for April 2 are below.
Mountain Vista is a No. 1 seed in the Ray Ball Region. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Ball Fever is a regular installment written by Thomas Trotman which rounds up boys basketball action in Class 5A and 4A.
Colorado prep hoop fans! What an exciting time in Colorado as our big school divisions have produced one memorable regular season with some excellent team play and amazing individual performances, as well.
The buzz about Colorado hoops is legit and we can thank a growing basketball community for that from our peewee rec leagues to competitive club ball, increasing individual personal training opportunities and truly dedicated high school staffs. The basketball product hitting the Colorado hardwood is improving and colleges of all levels are taking notice! Great time to be a part of Colorado hoops and now lets get to the madness!
Now, on to the tournament previews:
[divider]
Class 5A
Ray Ball Region
The top seed coming out of this region is an extremely hot Mountain Vista (22-1) squad which is riding a 14-game winning streak. That includes their Continental League-clinching overtime thriller vs. Highlands Ranch to cap the regular season. The confident, Denver-bound Jake Pemberton leads Vista’s fast-paced attack which keeps opponents gasping for air.
Our Fever Crew discussed Chatfield playing with a bit of a chip on their shoulder in this region after going 14-2 in league and winning the Jeffco but earning a No. 3 seed.
Eaglecrest celebrates winning the last year’s 5A basketball championship. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
The defending champs? Oh yes, the Eaglecrest Raptors again have a balanced attack with numerous athletes who are likely very hungry to taste the title again. Junior Blend Advili continues to be a jack of all trades for the Raptors, while LaDerian King and Jaisean Jackson’s senior leadership will make the defending champ a scary matchup.
Favorites: Mountain Vista and Eaglecrest. In our opinion, both are Boulder-capable teams but only one will get there.
Watch out for: Fort Collins can be a sneaky No. 4 seed here in our opinion. Colorado State commit Toby Van Ry and his running mate Will Duggan (Black Hills State commit) will not go down without a fight. Possible Sweet 16 match-up with Mountain Vista for Fort Collins.
Chatfield was discussed above and they may have to face a tough, well-coached ThunderRidge squad right away. Coach Joe Ortiz and crew will use the lessons learned in the tough Continental League and be prepared should that game become reality.
Chauncey Billups Region:
Fossil Ridge is No. 1 seed in the Chauncey Billups Region. (Pam Wagner)
One year ago, we sat in the Fossil Ridge gym and watched that 2013 team battle Arapahoe to exciting last-second finish. While looking at their roster all one could think was, “This squad is going to be tough next year!”
That turned out to be a huge understatement as the SaberCats have posted a perfect 23-0 season with their first league title and many voting them as our state’s No. 1 team. The SaberCats’ lead man is Alex Semadeni, who leads their balanced attack with 14 points per game. Our Fever Crew got to see many of these young men playing club ball together as well in tough venues such as Indianapolis and Las Vegas.
Regardless of how things end up for the SaberCats, congrats are in order for coach Matt Johannsen and the entire Fossil Ridge hoops family.
With all the attention Mountain Vista and Highlands Ranch got towards the end of the season, it may have been easy to overlook Regis Jesuit but don’t make that mistake as coach Ken Shaw will have his crew prepped for postseason action. The Raiders have a No. 2 seed but some tough potential opponents in Smoky Hill, Standley Lake and possibly an Arapahoe if both can advance to Sweet 16.
Favorites: Fossil Ridge and Regis. After a tough two-point loss to Mountain Vista, Regis has quietly ran off seven in a row. Many feel Fossil Ridge/Regis have similar rosters and would love to see the two great coaches match wits as well.
Watch out for:
A fun first-round match up in Rock Canyon and Lincoln. If you like guard play check out Lincoln’s leader Michael Sparks vs. the Jaguars tandem of Tyler Garcia and Mitch Lombard.
Arapahoe and Smoky Hill have impressive “Centennial-tough” league wins and wouldn’t mind playing for a rubber match after splitting their season matchups.
Jim Baggot Region:
Denver East’s Dom Collier. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)
The season had to have a bit of a “rock star” feel for this region’s top seed Denver East Angels while they had the opportunity to play top national competition in Utah, Florida and Nebraska.
The Angels finished the season with a 19-4 mark with each loss coming out of state. CU-bound Dominique Collier and Creighton commit Ronnie Harrell lead a very celebrated starting five who all have NCAA Division I college interest and potential.
East tasted great success last year but as we all know they came up short in the title game. They haven’t lost in Colorado this year and we’re sure coach Rudy Carey’s Angels don’t plan on it.
Highlands Ranch suffered a 20-point post-winter break loss to Denver East in January and they would love a rematch now that the Falcons are healthy and at full strength. The No. 2 seed is led by big Zach Braxton (Weber State commit) and he has serious perimeter help with a healthy Evan Motlong along with Riley Stewart playing well.
Favorites: Clearly Denver East and Highlands Ranch in this region. Lots of work to be done but the city vs. suburbs fanatics would love to see this possible Sweet 16 matchup happen.
Watch out for:
Horizon will have its hands full with No. 10 seed George Washington.
Thomas (20 points per game) and Luke Neff over at Arvada West can heat up and cause lots of trouble in the bottom half of this region.
Twitter-verse seemed to show a lot of surprise at Grandview earning a No. 3 seed and they will be tested right away if the Arvada West match up plays out.
Heard a lot of good things about Broderick Robinson, senior averaging 20 points per for Grand Junction, and a possible match-up vs. Cherokee Trail young guns could be intriguing.
Bill Weimar Region:
Rangeview is on a 10-game winning streak. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)
The Danny Fisher-coached Overland Trailblazers (17-6) suffered a tough one-point home loss to Eaglecrest in January, but have since run off seven straight, including avenging that loss to the Raptors to lock up the Centennial League title in OT last Friday.
The young Blazers talent is well documented with two-sport stud Austin Conway running the show, big De’Ron Davis on the inside, and guards Reggie Gibson, Jervae Robinson making more consistent impact. Don’t be surprised if you hear that senior T’Aren Williams steps up for Overland somewhere during this playoff journey.
The EMAC conference hasn’t gotten a lot of respect lately but one player who could make us all take notice on any given night is future CSU Ram Jeremiah Paige. The Rangeview Raiders look good as a No. 2 seed on a 10-game win streak which includes a road victory over 4A’s No. 1 ranked squad Valor Christian to finish the season.
The Raiders could be in for a real battle if Montbello can get the win over visiting Liberty. Montbello is playing much improved ball lately and have a starting five that can compete with any in the state. The question with the Warriors will be their depth.
Favorites: Going with the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds as the favorites here as well. Giving a slight edge to Rangeview over No. 3 seed Chaparral here as they beat them head-to-head, but that was a very different Chap team early in the season. Overland carrying some serious momentum into tourney.
Watch out for:
Speaking of young talent, Overland may just see some if Aurora Central and their young guard Ladarius Thomas can lead the Trojans to a win over Boulder.
More strong guard play with Dakota Ridge potentially facing Monarch.
As mentioned above, Chaparral could easily be a favorite in this region. Jake Holtzman, who reportedly just picked up an offer from Denver University, leads a Chap squad who won seven of their last eight. Only recent loss coming to Continental champ Vista.
Senior DJ Miles is a player to watch as Bear Creek visits Cherry Creek to see who gets Chap. The Creek Bruins had a fast start and proved they can play with the best (senior Griffin Parr at 12 points per game, Ceasar Jones and Will Bower lead the strong junior class). Lets see if they can regain the steam at the right time.
[divider]
Class 4A
All season, Valor Christian has been looked at as the favorite in 4A. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Richard Tate Region:
The consistent No. 1-ranked team most of the season in 4A has been Valor Christian and that’s hard to argue with. The Eagles have a senior-heavy roster that has gotten close to that “gold ball” and seem primed to make another Boulder run this year.
Senior Chase Foster (San Francisco commit; 20 points per game) is Mr. Versatility for the Eagles and he has a strong cast of sweet-shooting Garrett Baggett along with the toughness football studs Christian McCaffrey and Marcus Wilson bring.
Valor hoops is 19-4 and their only Colorado loss comes to 5A Rangeview.
Pueblo East got the No. 2 seed in this region. Dylan Gavin is averaging 20 points per game for East and had the team on a five-game winning streak before a season-ending loss to league champ Pueblo South.
A player who can spark his team to a run in this region is Vista PEAK’s Romello Washington. Washington can light it up, has recent games of 25, 31, 27, with a season average of 18 per game for Vista, who are undefeated league champs.
Favorites: Valor Christian and Pueblo East.
Watch out for: Ponderosa played in the brutal 5A Continental League but now look to make some noise in the 4A tourney. Will be interesting to see how Valor handles one of our states best “bigs” in 6-foot-10 Wyoming commit Jonathon Barnes should Pondo get by Mountain View.
Guy Gibbs Region:
D’Evelyn is the No. 1 seed in the Guy Gibbs Region. (Dennis Pleuss)
The D’Evelyn Jaguars have a strong duo who have both averaged close to 20 points per game the entire season in Ty McGee and Grant Witherspoon. The 18-5 Jags had two late season losses to Thomas Jefferson and Wheat Ridge but their 13-1 Jeffco 4A league record won the league title and got them the No. 1 seed.
The No. 2 seed Sand Creek in this region has a real play maker of their own in Air Force commit Dylan Clark (averaging 20 points per game, as well).
Favorites: Have to add Denver West as a serious problem for folks in this region along with the two top seeds. Coach Ray Valdez has the Cowboys playing fundamentally sound and with a lot of fight. Sophomore Alpha Diallo is an up and coming play maker with nice court vision, scoring ability for West.
Watch out for: Would love to have a front row seat for a potential Sweet 16 match up of Denver West vs. Sand Creek.
Mark Randall Region:
Thompson Valley’s Collin Smith. (Brock Laue)
Two more deserving, tough Nos. 1 and 2 seeds here as well.
Thompson Valley, 22-1 with only loss coming to 5A’s Fossil Ridge, haven’t tasted defeat since mid-December. 6-foot-5 senior Collin Smith paces the Eagles with 19 points and six rebounds per game.
Got to take a look at Thompson Valley’s balanced play when they visited a squad with a strong senior leader of their own in Cheyenne Mountain’s Ghassan Nehme (Montana State commit). Nehme, who averages almost 27 points per game, has the Indians on a five-game streak headed into tourney play.
Favorites: Top two seeds look good here but Longmont and Mesa Ridge very capable of mixing things up. Senior Austin Kemp will attempt to get Longmont back on track after two late-season losses.
Watch out for: Ghassan Nehme is an electric scorer who can put his squad on his shoulders if needed.
Maceo Broadnax Jr. Region:
Denver South is the No. 2 seed in the Maceo Broadnax Jr. Region. (Mark Adams)
Pueblo South lost their first two games of the season and have impressively ran off 21 wins in a row. Now that’s momentum headed into the tourney.
Another impressive stat is that the Colts have four players averaging double figure scoring, led by Brian Pratt and Jared Baros right at 13 each per game.
Denver South holds this region’s No. 2 seed and their big man in the middle, Ibrahim Sylla (Northern Colorado commit), is a double-double highlight machine above the rim. Sylla averages 14 points and 14 rebounds per game.
Favorites: Hard to call in this extremely tough region. Stacked with competitive teams like Golden (won 10 of their last 11 games with sophomore Ryan Blodgett at 12-point and eight-rebound average) at the No. 3 seed and a No. 4 seed in Thomas Jefferson who could beat any of the top 3 if they bring their “A” game as they did in a late season win over No. 1 seed D’Evelyn.
Watch out for: “Watch your head” as the players would say when South’s Sylla or Thomas Jefferson’s Trey Andres take flight. Two of our state’s “freakish” athletes. Denver South played a strong season finale vs. 5A No. 1 Denver East. They could carry that momentum into a tourney run. Guards Lorenzo Snoddy and Tyson Purifoy capable of big games as well. This region is tough!
[divider]
Whew! Get ready for some fun tourney action folks.
Denver East/Fossil Ridge in 5A? Valor/Thompson Valley in 4A? Many have said it could play out just that way. Those have been your top big school squads all season, but we happen to remember a young man by the name of TreShawn Wilford who led the Eaglecrest Raptors on a special tournament run in 2013.
Who could be the Wilford of this years playoffs? We’ll be watching to find out! Enjoy …
The Classification and League Organizing Committee meeting was Tuesday. (Jenn Roberts-Uhlig/CHSAANow.com)
AURORA — Valor Christian’s athletic programs will reside in the Jefferson County League for the 2014-16 cycle.
The school, which is independent of a league during the current two-year cycle, had requested to join the Centennial League. And though the Centennial previously denied Valor’s request through a vote at a league meeting, there was still a chance that move would be approved at Tuesday’s Classification and League Organizing Committee (CLOC) meeting.
However, at the meeting, CLOC voted to not approve Valor’s move to the Centennial. Instead, through a 6-4 vote, it placed the Eagles in the Class 5A Jeffco League. Valor previously played in the 4A Jeffco from 2010-12. Their teams will continue to compete at the 4A level.
“That’s our job: to put them in a league. They had to be in a league,” CLOC chair Tom Arensdorf said after the meeting. “Every member has the right to be in a league after they’ve done their probationary period. They were not placed in a league two years ago … because basically their membership was in jeopardy. We felt it was best at that time not to put them in a league. No one wanted them, but the reasons for not wanting them were based on past issues that were pretty valid.
“In this past two-year cycle, Valor has done a lot of things to correct those issues. And they deserve to be placed in a league. That’s this committee’s job, to get them in a league.”
So Valor, finally, has a league for all of it’s sports — excepting football, which is still awaiting a conference. (That alignment will be finalized later in November.)
But that doesn’t mean it was easy.
(Jenn Roberts-Uhlig/CHSAANow.com)
Valor athletic director Rod Sherman spoke briefly at the meeting about the reasons his school sought to join the Centennial. He also said, in part, “We believe now is the time for Valor’s transition from an independent status to being a full-time member of a league. It would be an honor for us to be a member of the Centennial League; there’s much we can learn. We believe we have respected the process of being placed and we humbly request placement in the Centennial League.”
A long discussion ensued, with Centennial and Jeffco reps also speaking, and emphasizing Valor Christian’s private status. Then, CHSAA commissioner Paul Angelico spoke up.
“We’ve had a public-private school discussion going on for over two years now,” Angelico said. “I’m afraid I’m to blame for that because I wanted that to be an open and above-board discussion, rather than all the back-biting that was going on behind the scenes. If I would have known that it would have turned into this bickering that will never end, I think I would have stopped it … and not allowed it to start. There’s no end to this.
“A couple of points I need to make: There is no written or unwritten policy of any sort regarding public and private schools and league placement,” Angelico continued. “Secondly, in the last 24 months, I would say to you, that since that discussion started, it’s not the private schools I’m worried about. … The private school people have heard loudly your message of discontent. Their response has been one of that I can’t complain about. Whatever it takes to be above-board and avoid issues, they’re doing. That applies to Valor doubly. They’ve hired a consultant, they’ve done everything I’ve asked. To the point that last night, in our discussions, we talked about, ‘Well Valor had four ADs show up at the (All-School) Summit.’ I said, ‘Yeah, they did. I told them to, and they did what they were told.’
“I think we have our priorities goofed up and have kind of started turning around what we’re supposed to be about,” he added. “This isn’t a public/private school issue. I hear loudly that it’s an issue about unfair advantage or differences in schools. … Frankly, I would just like to get this conversation back to what it’s about: somebody needs a home. The fact that they’re a public or private school is not the reason you place them in a conference. Nor has it ever been. Let’s talk about what’s the best fit.
“The association has certainly survived with several public and private schools together in the same league. I just want to center this. This becomes a ‘Who can win the argument?’ not, ‘What’s the best thing?’ And I think we need to go back to what are we supposed to be doing here. The committee is charged with placing a school, and they will place a school, and they’ll have to do it to somebody’s chagrin.”
Shortly after, the committee broke into a private session, and then for lunch. When they came back, the vote on Valor request to join the Centennial League was quickly called. Three CLOC members abstained, three voted in favor of the request, and seven against.
Moments later, committee member Rich Wildenhaus from Erie proposed moving Valor to the 5A Jeffco League. There was no discussion from the audience, and the vote ended with six agreeing with the move, four against it and three abstaining. The entire process was swift.
(Jenn Roberts-Uhlig/CHSAANow.com)
“Honestly, that surprised me,” Arensdorf said afterward. “Over the last two days, we probably discussed this issue as a committee for three-and-a-half hours — because whatever decision was made by the committee was going to be unpopular with some schools and cause some angst within leagues. There is no perfect fit.
“We went through a process that, if the first request did not pass, we — as a committee, it’s our responsibility to come up with something before the end of the day. And different committee members had different proposals,” he continued. “I was surprised that we finished that quickly. And I was surprised there was no feedback from the floor when that proposal was made by Richie Wildenhaus. I didn’t know what to expect at that point, because, as a committee, no one felt comfortable with any solution. There were no solutions that were going to make everybody happy.
“But, in the end, it is what it is, and all these people are professionals and they’ll deal with what they have to deal with and hopefully make the best situation for all the kids that participate in those programs.”
Valor Christian did approach Jeffco about joining the league prior to the CLOC meeting. Jeffco has 5A and 4A leagues.
“Right now, the CLOC committee voted for them to be in 5A Jeffco. I think that discussion still needs to happen,” Jim Thyfault, Jefferson County’s district athletic director, and a member of CLOC, said after the meeting. “Since we do have a 4A option, I think that needs to be discussed.
“I respect Rod Sherman and the people at Valor, I really do. They were in our league before. And, you know what? We’ll all be very professional about it, and I’m sure they will be, too.”
CLOC’s actions on Tuesday still need to be confirmed by the Legislative Council in January.
More league changes
Earlier, Burlington’s request to join the Lower Platte League was denied. That league had previously voted 9-0 against allowing Burlington admittance. CLOC voted 11-2 against overruling that vote. So Burlington will stay in the Union Pacific League.
Approved league changes:
(Jenn Roberts-Uhlig/CHSAANow.com)
Broomfield (Northern to Front Range)
Canon City (South Central to Colorado Springs Metro)
The Classical Academy (Tri-Peaks to Colorado Springs Metro)
Clear Creek (3A Frontier to 2A Frontier)
Ellicott (Tri-Peaks to Black Forest)
Highland (Patriot to Mile High)
Holy Family (Metro to Tri-Valley)
Littleton (Continental to Jeffco)
Lyons (Patriot to Mile High)
Manzanola (Southeastern to High Plains)
Northridge (Tri-Valley to Northern)
Skyview Academy (Independent to Metro 3A)
Swallows Charter Academy (Independent to Santa Fe)
Twin Peaks Charter (New school, joining Mile High)
Vanguard (Black Forest to Tri-Peaks)
New members
Vail Ski & Snowboard Academy’s request for membership was denied. The school has a unique schedule to allow its students to train on the mountain during the week — training from 8 a.m. to noon, and then attending classes from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. each Tuesday through Friday during the winter.
However, after a lengthy discussion, the committee said they were uneasy going down the road of adding a sports academy as a member.
“It seems so fundamentally different than what our membership is now,” said committee member Mark Kanagy, Windsor’s athletic director.
The committee did approve membership for Caprock Charter Academy in Grand Junction, as well as Denver School of Science & Technology – Green Valley Ranch, and Venture Preparatory School in Denver.
Playdowns
The overwhelming majority of playdowns were approved, save for Abraham Lincoln football (5A to 4A), Estes Park football (2A to 1A) and Palmer football (5A to 4A). Approved playdowns:
(Jenn Roberts-Uhlig/CHSAANow.com)
Adams City football (5A to 4A)
Alameda football (5A to 4A)
Antonito football (8-man to 6-man)
Aurora Central football (5A to 4A)
Boulder softball (5A to 4A)
Centaurus volleyball (4A to 3A)
Central (Grand Junction) football (4A to 3A)
Civa Charter boys/girls basketbal, volleyball (2A to 1A)
Denver North football (3A to 2A)
Dolores Huerta girls basketball (3A to 2A)
Greeley Central softball (4A to 3A)
Greeley West boys soccer (5A to 4A)
Miami-Yoder football (8-man to 6-man)
Mitchell football (4A to 3A)
Montbello girls soccer (5A to 4A)
Montezuma-Cortez soccer (4A to 3A)
Montezuma-Cortez football (3A to 2A)
Nederland football (1A to 8-man)
Niwot football (4A to 3A)
Rifle boys/girls soccer (4A to 3A)
Roosevelt boys soccer (4A to 3A)
Skyline softball (4A to 3A)
South Park football (8-man to 6-man)
Noteable
The committee set the 1A/2A cutoff at 92 students. So schools with 92 and below will be 1A in basketball and all other sports, while those with 93-240 students will be 2A.
Next week, the Classification and League Organizing Committee will finalize the alignment for the 2014-16 cycle. The agenda, released today, revealed a number of interesting situations the committee will discuss next Tuesday.
Valor Christian may soon find a home for its non-football sports. The school has requested to join the Centennial League, but it is worth noting that Valor’s teams would remain in Class 4A.
Though a Centennial League vote has already said no — basing it on Mullen’s decision to remain in the league — it shows how strong the Eagles’ desire is to get in a league that they are willing to join arguably the toughest 5A league as a 4A school.
Aside from that, though, the Centennial League schools are in close proximity of Valor Christian. The furthest school would be Cherokee Trail at a little more than 19 miles away.
A “no” vote from the league doesn’t necessarily mean the move won’t happen — it just means it won’t be as easy as league changes other schools are making. CLOC has the final say on league alignment. If Valor’s move is approved, it would give a nine-team Centennial League two private schools.
Additionally, of note:
Broomfield is seeking to move from the Northern to the Front Range League. Both leagues have signed off on the move, which is sparked by the Eagles’ move to 5A in all sports but football.
Canon City and The Classical Academy are both seeking entrance to the 4A Colorado Springs Metro League. TCA’s move is because enrollment numbers are bumping the school up to 4A.
Holy Family is hoping to move from the Patriot to the Mile High League because of an enrollment bump which has them going to 3A.
Littleton is seeking a change from the 5A Continental to 4A Jefferson County. This is another move on the heels of a class change.
Among the schools that have requested to play down in certain sports:
Adams City football (5A to 4A)
Aurora Central football (5A to 4A)
Boulder softball (5A to 4A)
Central (G.J.) football (4A to 3A)
Denver North football (3A to 2A)
Greeley West boys soccer (5A to 4A)
Miami-Yoder football (8-man to 6-man) as well as baseball, boys/girls basketball and volleyball (2A to 1A)
Montbello girls soccer (5A to 4A)
Montezuma-Cortez football (3A to 2A)
Nederland football (1A to 8-man)
Niwot football (4A to 3A)
South Park football (8-man to 6-man)
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Other notes:
Four new schools are seeking membership. They are: Caprock Charter Academy in Grand Junction, which is seeking to join either the San Juan or Western Slope League at the 1A or 2A level; Denver School of Science & Technology – Green Valley Ranch, which is hoping to join the Metro, Frontier or Confluence leagues in 3A; Venture Preparatory School in Denver, which will be 3A; and the Vail Ski & Snowboard Academy, which still needs to determine its classification. Based on the enrollment, however, Vail Ski & Snowboard will likely be 1A or 2A.
In addition, there are 14 schools which have either inquired about CHSAA membership or have been sent information regarding membership.
