Eaton’s softball team, now 7-1-0, has moved up to the No. 1 spot in this week’s Class 3A rankings.
The polls, voted upon by head coaches around the state, will serve as part of the seeding criteria in softball this season. Polls are released each Monday during the regular season.
Columbine 29, Castle View 23, Rocky Mountain 19, Arvada West 16, Douglas County 16, Horizon 15, Hinkley 10, Fruita Monument 8, Highlands Ranch 7, Brighton 6, Ralston Valley 6, Cherry Creek 5, Fort Collins 5, ThunderRidge 5, Valor Christian 5, Denver East 3, Fountain-Fort Carson 3, Mountain Range 3, Rampart 3, Eaglecrest 2, Arapahoe 1, Pomona 1, Regis Jesuit 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Mead (7)
8-0-0
129
1
1-0-0
2
Wheat Ridge (6)
7-0-0
122
2
2-0-0
3
Holy Family
6-2-0
96
3
3-0-0
4
D’Evelyn (1)
8-0-0
67
–
5-0-0
5
Silver Creek
5-4-0
55
7
3-0-0
6
Erie
5-3-0
46
4
1-1-0
7
Riverdale Ridge
9-1-0
38
5
4-0-0
8
Conifer
6-1-0
37
–
3-0-0
9
Frederick
8-2-0
28
6
3-1-0
10
Ponderosa
5-2-0
18
9
3-2-0
Others receiving votes:
Pueblo Central 17, Mesa Ridge 15, Pueblo West 14, Windsor 14, Roosevelt 12, Pueblo South 9, Northfield 9, Mullen 8, Pueblo Centennial 8, Bear Creek 6, Air Academy 5, Discovery Canyon 5, Falcon 5, Golden 3, Palisade 2, Niwot 1, Pueblo County 1.
Dropped out
Air Academy (8), Mesa Ridge (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Eaton (6)
7-1-0
101
2
2-0-0
2
University (5)
6-2-0
98
1
1-1-0
3
Rocky Ford
6-0-0
74
3
1-0-0
4
Lyons
5-2-0
66
5
2-0-0
5
Strasburg
4-3-0
59
8
0-0-0
6
Limon
6-2-0
55
4
1-1-0
7
Lutheran (1)
6-1-0
43
9
1-0-0
8
La Junta
4-3-0
40
10
2-2-0
9
Brush
4-4-0
35
7
1-1-0
10
Sterling
5-3-0
29
6
1-1-0
Others receiving votes:
Fort Lupton 15, Delta 10, Alamosa 9, Basalt 8, Denver West 8, The Academy 8, Aspen 7, Burlington 7, Montezuma-Cortez 7, Weld Central 7, Faith Christian 6, Holyoke 6, Lamar 6, Yuma 4, Jefferson 3, Sheridan 2, Cedaredge 1, Harrison 1.
Five new teams hopped into the softball rankings this week: Grand Junction Central, Cherokee Trail, Ponderosa, Mesa Ridge, and La Junta.
The polls, voted upon by head coaches around the state, will serve as part of the seeding criteria in softball this season. Polls are released each Monday during the regular season.
Castle View 23, Columbine 23, Rocky Mountain 21, Cherry Creek 18, Brighton 13, Douglas County 10, Hinkley 10, Arvada West 7, Highlands Ranch 7, Horizon 6, Fountain-Fort Carson 5, Mountain Range 5, Chaparral 4, Eaglecrest 3, Fort Collins 3, Rampart 2, Arapahoe 1, Ralston Valley 1, ThunderRidge 1, Valor Christian 1.
Dropped out
Columbine (8), Cherry Creek (9).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
Mead (12)
7-0-0
164
1
2
Wheat Ridge (5)
5-0-0
150
2
3
Holy Family (1)
3-2-0
112
3
4
Erie
4-2-0
79
4
5
Riverdale Ridge
5-1-0
56
10
6
Frederick
5-1-0
52
5
7
Silver Creek
2-4-0
35
6
8
Air Academy
4-1-0
33
7
9
Ponderosa
2-0-0
29
–
10
Mesa Ridge
5-0-0
23
–
Others receiving votes:
Pueblo South 21, Pueblo West 21, Windsor 20, Conifer 17, Pueblo Central 16, Northfield 16, Pueblo Centennial 12, Discovery Canyon 11, Roosevelt 11, Mountain View 9, Mullen 8, Berthoud 7, Coronado 5, Bear Creek 4, Pueblo County 4, Golden 3, Severance 3, Durango 1, Elizabeth 1, Evergreen 1, Niwot 1, Palisade 1, Standley Lake 1.
Dropped out
Pueblo South (8), Windsor (9).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
University (8)
5-1-0
106
1
2
Eaton (1)
5-1-0
90
2
3
Rocky Ford (1)
5-0-0
80
3
4
Limon
5-1-0
54
4
5
Lyons
3-2-0
46
7
6
Sterling
4-2-0
45
10
7
Brush
3-3-0
42
6
8
Strasburg
4-3-0
40
5
9
Lutheran (1)
5-1-0
35
9
10
La Junta
2-1-0
20
–
Others receiving votes:
Lamar 16, Peak to Peak 11, Basalt 8, Cedaredge 5, Fort Lupton 3, Montezuma-Cortez 3, Weld Central 1.
Mead softball, off to a 6-0 start, is now the No. 1 team in Class 4A after moving up from No. 9 last week.
The polls, voted upon by head coaches around the state, will serve as part of the seeding criteria in softball this season. Polls are released each Monday during the regular season.
The softball season saw perhaps its most impactful day of the season so far on Tuesday.
A total of eight games pitting ranked teams against one another took place, including a walk-off win and an extra-inning matchup.
[divider]
4A: (9) Mead 12, (2) Erie 4
(Steve Oathout)
The Mavericks, now 3-0, are off to the best start in program history. Mead advanced to the regional round last season.
[divider]
4A: (3) Wheat Ridge 5, (1) Holy Family 3
Elizabeth Uhl threw a complete game, allowing just two earned runs, for the Farmers, who moved to 3-0.
Down 1-0 in the third, Wheat Ridge plated two with a double from Aaliyah Arellano. The next inning, Aliyah Rothstein singled home a run, Lee Quezada drove another in with a sac fly, and Isabella Martinez plated another with a single.
Holy Family got a run back in the fourth, and another in the seventh, but the rally fell short.
Tyler Whitlock went 4-for-4 for Holy Family.
[divider]
3A: (2) Eaton 17, (3) Strasburg 16
Eaton got its offense started early with a six-run first inning, and never really looked back in a big win.
The squad also plated one more in the second, seven in the third, and three in the fourth.
Yaritza Puente, a senior, led Eaton with four RBIs as part of a 2-for-3 day, and Sadie Ross, a freshman, drove in three as she went 3-for-4.
Blayke Duncan, Brooke Beacom, Jaymie Woody and Emma Pinkstaff each had two RBIs for Eaton.
[divider]
5A: (5) Chatfield 4, (7) Legend 3
Chatfield, now 3-0, walked off for the win in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Avery Rohlman was 2-for-3 with two RBIs for the Chargers, while Madison Shepard and Abigale Washco each also drove in a run.
Pitcher Isabelle DiNapoli threw the complete-game for Chatfield, striking out 10. She didn’t allow an earned run.
Legend’s Kaylyn English went 3-for-4 in the loss.
[divider]
5A: (9) Broomfield 5, (6) Rocky Mountain 3
Kenzi Garner led the way for Broomfield in the win.
At the plate, the senior tripled and homered as part of a 3-for-4 day at the plate. She drove in two runs, and scored three times herself.
In the circle, Garner threw a complete game, striking out nine.
Chloe Eiguren was 3-for-3 for the Eagles, and had an RBI. Claire Comstock also drove in a run.
Hannah Bailey had two RBIs for Rocky Mountain.
[divider]
3A: (10) La Junta 11, (7) Limon 10 (9 inn.)
The game saw a ton of offense, and fittingly, the two ranked teams battled to extra innings.
Limon grabbed a 4-0 lead in the first, only to see La Junta tie it in the bottom half.
La Junta eventually grabbed a 9-5 lead after five innings, but Limon cut it to 9-7 after six, and then took a 10-9 lead in the top of the seventh. La Junta tied it in the bottom half of that inning, and then pushed the winning run across in the ninth.
[divider]
3A: (1) University 14, (6) Brush 8
The two teams battled back and forth, trading the lead four times in the first four innings, before University broke the game open.
The Bulldogs pushed two across in the fifth, and then exploded for a seven-run sixth inning in the win.
[divider]
5A: (1) Rock Canyon vs. (2) Legacy
(PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)
In a game that was delayed by poor weather, Rock Canyon leads Legacy 7-1 in the third inning.
Rock Canyon has moved up to the No. 1 spot in this week’s Class 5A softball rankings
Each poll was released on Monday.
The polls, voted upon by head coaches around the state, will serve as part of the seeding criteria in softball this season. Polls are released each Monday during the regular season.
Arvada West 21, Ralston Valley 19, Cherokee Trail 15, Mountain Vista 13, Grand Junction Central 12, Valor Christian 12, Cherry Creek 11, Eaglecrest 11, Brighton 10, Hinkley 10, Castle View 9, Fort Collins 8, Pomona 8, Vista Ridge 6, Fairview 5, Arapahoe 3, Douglas County 1, Fruita Monument 1, ThunderRidge 1.
Dropped out
Ralston Valley (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Holy Family (10)
2-0-0
106
1
2-0-0
2
Erie
0-1-0
69
2
0-1-0
3
Wheat Ridge
2-0-0
65
5
2-0-0
4
Silver Creek
0-1-0
58
3
0-1-0
5
Pueblo South
1-1-0
47
4
1-1-0
6
Riverdale Ridge
2-0-0
36
–
2-0-0
7
Pueblo West
1-0-0
30
–
1-0-0
8
Frederick
3-0-0
24
–
3-0-0
9
Mead
2-0-0
23
6
2-0-0
10
Air Academy
1-0-0
19
–
1-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Mullen 16, Pueblo County 15, Pueblo Central 10, Pueblo East 10, Roosevelt 10, Discovery Canyon 8, Bear Creek 7, Conifer 7, Elizabeth 7, Mountain View 7, Windsor 7, Golden 5, Mesa Ridge 4, Pueblo Centennial 4, Berthoud 3, Longmont 3, D’Evelyn 2, Evergreen 2, Rifle 1.
Dropped out
Mountain View (7), Golden (8), Pueblo County (9), Mullen (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
University (10)
1-0-0
124
1
1-0-0
2
Eaton (1)
2-0-0
106
2
2-0-0
3
Strasburg (1)
1-1-0
76
3
1-1-0
4
Sterling
2-0-0
67
6
2-0-0
5
Rocky Ford
1-0-0
62
7
1-0-0
6
Brush
1-1-0
45
4
1-1-0
7
Limon
1-0-0
40
5
1-0-0
8
Lutheran (1)
4-0-0
38
–
4-0-0
9
Lamar
1-0-0
28
–
1-0-0
10
La Junta
0-1-0
23
10
0-1-0
Others receiving votes:
Montezuma-Cortez 19, Basalt 17, Lyons 15, Fort Lupton 12, Peak to Peak 11, Resurrection Christian 7, The Academy 7, Weld Central 6, Alamosa 4, Faith Christian 4, Burlington 2, Cedaredge 1, The Classical Academy 1.
The preseason girls softball rankings were released on Monday morning, and Columbine (5A), Holy Family (4A) and University (3A) lead the polls in their respective classifications.
The polls, voted upon by head coaches around the state, will serve as part of the seeding criteria in softball this season. Polls are released each Monday during the regular season.
Arapahoe 37, Cherokee Trail 29, Grand Junction Central 24, Lakewood 21, Arvada West 17, Brighton 17, Hinkley 10, Valor Christian 10, Castle View 9, Loveland 9, Eaglecrest 8, Fountain-Fort Carson 8, Douglas County 7, Prairie View 7, Rampart 7, Vista Ridge 7, Grandview 5, Pomona 5, Mountain Range 4, Mountain Vista 3, Rangeview 3, Regis Jesuit 2, Cherry Creek 1, ThunderRidge 1.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Holy Family (5)
0-0-0
98
2
Erie (4)
0-0-0
87
3
Silver Creek (1)
0-0-0
85
4
Pueblo South (2)
0-0-0
70
5
Wheat Ridge
0-0-0
48
6
Mead
0-0-0
33
7
Mountain View
0-0-0
29
8
Golden
0-0-0
24
9
Pueblo County
0-0-0
23
10
Mullen
0-0-0
16
Others receiving votes:
Air Academy 12, Elizabeth 12, Pueblo West 11, Pueblo Central 10, Riverdale Ridge 10, Conifer 9, Ponderosa 9, Pueblo East 9, Evergreen 8, Pueblo Centennial 8, Mesa Ridge 7, Roosevelt 7, Windsor 7, Bear Creek 6, Coronado 6, D’Evelyn 5, Niwot 3, Rifle 3, Montrose 2, Northridge 2, Frederick 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
University (8)
0-0-0
80
2
Eaton
0-0-0
68
3
Strasburg (1)
0-0-0
65
4
Brush
0-0-0
57
5
Limon
0-0-0
40
6
Sterling
0-0-0
39
7
Rocky Ford
0-0-0
33
8
Basalt
0-0-0
27
9
The Academy
0-0-0
24
10
La Junta
0-0-0
16
Others receiving votes:
Lamar 14, Lyons 9, Resurrection Christian 7, Fort Lupton 6, Lutheran 5, Montezuma-Cortez 2, Valley 2, Peak to Peak 1.
DENVER — Gov. Jared Polis made good on his pledge to attend the first day of high school sports competition.
Polis visited the DPS Invitational at Wellshire Golf Course on Thursday morning, a tournament that marked the first day high school sports competition in the state since the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic shut down athletics in mid-March.
“It’s great to have high school sports back,” Polis said. “High school sports are a big part of who we are, and it drives a lot of kids to be part of their school environment, to socialize, to learn those skills that are so important in the work force: being a member of a team, leadership, stepping up when you need to be part of the whole.
“It’s great that high school sports are back, really due to the hard work of Coloradans. The fact that Coloradans are being safe, they’re wearing masks, they’re staying six feet from others,” Polis continued. “We see that in having lower viral numbers than a lot of the other states that are hot spots. Part of that reward for that is that kids are going to have all of the different high school sports season that we have, and they’ll have an opportunity to participate in organized high school sports this year.”
The DPS Invitational included 15 teams: Denver North, Erie, Cherry Creek, Cheyenne Mountain, Arvada West, Regis Jesuit, Denver East, Lakewood, Denver South, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Rock Canyon, Boulder, Northfield and Conifer.
The volleyball record book has been updated (and has a new look). There are a total of five new team entries, 59 individual entries, and five coaching updates. Among those are five overall records.
Sterling and Denver Christian each joined the list of teams that have had an unbeaten season with their first last fall.
Those two teams each also climbed the ranks of the consecutive sets won record. Sterling won 52-straight in 2019, while Denver Christian won 50-straight.
Individual:
Palmer Ridge’s Kyra Kisting set the season record for assists with 1,223. Colorado Springs Christian’s Kiersten Brock (5th, 1,099) and Cherokee Trail’s Sydney Cole (7th, 1,070) both also made the top-10.
Briggsdale’s Shelby Hoffman set the season record for digs with 895. Rye’s Ashlyn Romine (3rd, 809) and Wiley’s Macy Rowan (8th, 745) both also made the top-10.
Rowan set the match record for digs in a match with 75 against Cheraw on Nov. 9. She also had 63 (4th) against Cheraw on Aug. 29, 60 (7th) against Stratton/Liberty on Sept. 12, and 59 (9th) against Eads on Oct. 10.
Castle View’s Leanne Lowry set the career record for digs with 2,177. Peyton Frank of Holy Family (4th, 2,083) and Lewis-Palmer’s Gianna Bartalo (6th, 1,948) each also cracked the top-10 of the category. Notably, Wiley junior Macy Rowan is already 19th on the career list with 1,351.
Wiggins’ Avery Burdette tied the set record for service efficiency when she was 24/24 against Flatirons Academy on Sept. 14, 2019.
La Veta’s Nya Sciacca had 295 career aces, which is the second most. Pikes Peak Christian’s Kyler Sweat (4th, 284) and Denver Christian’s Anna Kaemingk (8th, 256) both made the top-10.
Valor Christian’s Anna Davis had 329 career block assists, which is the second most.
Ryley Smartt of Genoa-Hugo/Karval is second in points per set for her career, averaging 6.0673.
Sydney Cole of Cherokee Trail had 564 total serves in 2019, which is the third-most in history. She set the record in 2018 with 608.
Cole also had 3,556 assists in her career, which is the fourth-highest total in state history.
Briggsdale’s Kimberlyn Krise (5th, 581) and Highlands Ranch’s Cassie Davis (7th, 560) are now each listed for kills in a season. Krise is also fifth in terms of career kills with 1,504, and seventh in career points (1,751).
Couple of top-10 marks for assists in a match for Palmer Ridge’s Kisting (3rd, 69 against Pueblo County; 7th, 66 against Cheyenne Mountain; and 8th, 65, against Discovery Canyon); and Erie’s Jessica Amend (10th, twice, when she had 64 assists against Prospect Ridge, and 64 against Holy Family).
Belleview Christian’s Lexie Ewing had 21 aces on Oct. 8, 2019, the fifth-most in a match.
Simla’s Kaitlyn Rector and Genoa-Hugo/Karval’s Smatt each had 672 total points this season, which is the seventh-most.
Mayson Fago of Union Colony is 10th for career points with 1,624.
Rye’s Havilah Pitzer is now 10th with 149 solo blocks in a season.
Coaching:
Arapahoe’s Larry Deffenbaugh is third on the all-time wins list with 540.
Sterling’s Lisa Schumacher remains at eighth with 464 wins.
Pueblo West’s Casey King is at 16th on the wins list with 348 wins.
Lewis-Palmer’s Wade Baxter is 12th among coaches with three state championships.
Sally Moos wrapped up her 38th season as the head coach at Cherry Creek last fall — the most at one school. Her 38 years are also the most of anyone as a head coach.
