This week’s softball rankings feature six new teams: Lakewood, Rocky Mountain, Pueblo Central, Pueblo County, Limon and Platte Valley.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday during the regular season.
Voted upon by coaches and select media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Chatfield (6)
12-0-0
112
1
2-0-0
2
Rock Canyon (3)
8-1-0
91
3
3-0-0
3
Broomfield (1)
9-1-0
79
2
1-0-0
4
Loveland (1)
10-1-0
64
4
2-0-0
5
Legacy
7-1-0
55
6
2-0-0
6
Columbine (1)
9-0-0
50
8
3-0-0
7
Prairie View
9-0-0
49
7
1-0-0
8
Lakewood
9-0-0
27
–
2-0-0
9
Rocky Mountain
9-1-0
26
–
2-0-0
10
Arapahoe
8-2-0
20
5
0-2-0
Others receiving votes:
Cherokee Trail 15, Smoky Hill 15, Fossil Ridge 11, Castle View 10, Hinkley 8, Monarch 8, Brighton 7, Grand Junction Central 3, Rampart 3, Fountain-Fort Carson 2, Douglas County 1, Legend 1, Liberty 1, Mountain Vista 1, Regis Jesuit 1.
Dropped out
Cherokee Trail (9), Fossil Ridge (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Holy Family (8)
4-0-0
107
1
0-0-0
2
Golden (1)
11-0-0
83
3
5-0-0
3
Erie (1)
9-0-0
79
2
1-0-0
4
Wheat Ridge
9-1-0
59
4
2-0-0
5
Pueblo South
7-0-0
57
5
1-0-0
6
Silver Creek
8-4-0
49
6
4-1-0
7
Pueblo Central (1)
4-0-0
43
–
3-0-0
8
Pueblo West
5-1-0
37
8
0-0-0
9
Pueblo Centennial
8-0-0
20
9
2-0-0
10
Pueblo County
3-1-0
16
–
0-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Rifle 14, Niwot 8, Mead 7, Coronado 5, Mountain View 5, Berthoud 4, Roosevelt 4, Mullen 2, Pueblo East 2, Frederick 1, Green Mountain 1, Longmont 1, Ponderosa 1.
Dropped out
Berthoud (7), Green Mountain (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
University (12)
11-0-0
138
1
2-0-0
2
Sterling
6-1-0
95
5
1-0-0
3
Eaton
7-2-0
94
3
0-1-0
4
Lyons
6-3-0
71
10
4-1-0
5
Basalt (2)
6-0-0
70
6
2-0-0
6
Strasburg
5-4-0
60
2
2-3-0
7
Riverdale Ridge
6-1-0
58
9
4-0-0
8
Brush
5-2-0
50
4
0-1-0
9
Limon
4-3-0
28
–
3-1-0
10
Platte Valley
7-2-0
27
–
2-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Rocky Ford 18, Fort Lupton 17, Montezuma-Cortez 13, Lamar 10, Peak to Peak 6, La Junta 5, The Academy 3, Cedaredge 2, Delta 2, Valley 1.
“It was a tough battle,” Palisade coach Joe Ramunno told the Scoreboard Show.
Palisade had a few long drives in the second half which helped them keep Durango’s offense off the field.
“We were able to put some long drives together,” Ramunno said. “Early in the game, we turned the ball over and it cost us a couple of scoring opportunities. But that’s all part of it. We really rallied in the second half, and held on to the ball, and had some long drives that ate a lot of clock — we were having a really hard time stopping them, because they’re very explosive.”
Harrison was in the game because Tucker injured his ankle, Ramunno said, adding that he wasn’t yet sure how serious it was.
“It was a tough deal, but our team rallied to finish it off,” Ramunno said.
The Eagles ended Loveland’s 14-game losing streak, knocking off the defending champions.
“We really got off to a fast start in the first half,” Broomfield coach Blair Hubbard told the Scoreboard Show. “We returned a kickoff for a touchdown, and our defense really played well in the first half, as well.”
“Defensively, it’s just a total team effort,” Hubbard said. “Tonight, against an offense like Loveland, it has to be a total team effort. And the guys really worked hard through the week. … It’s very difficult to stop their offense
The four-time defending champions made quite a statement as they pushed their early-season record to 2-0.
Despite leading just 6-0 at halftime, the Cougars scored 22 points in the third quarter to go ahead 28-0.
Sedgwick County had three rushing touchdowns, and two passing touchdowns in the win.
[divider]
3A/4A: (3A 3) Mead 42, (4A 7) Skyline 14
Mead raced out to a big lead in the first half and never looked back in a big win.
The Mavericks led 27-0 at the half thanks to a 20-0 second-quarter advantage, and extended that lead to 42-0 with three minutes to play in the third quarter.
“It was a fun night,” Mead coach Jason Klatt told the Scoreboard Show. “I’m proud of our guys.”
Skyline’s potent offense didn’t get on the board until the fourth quarter.
“It really shows the effort that our defense gave tonight,” Klatt said. “They’re not going to get the credit they deserve, but, man, it was one heck of an effort.”
Discovery Canyon built a 21-7 halftime lead, and then went on to secure the top-10 victory.
Marshall Pike rushed for three touchdowns, and Jonah Isakson hit Ethan Hall for a passing score.
“The guys stayed calmed and focused, and we were able to move the ball pretty well,” Discovery Canyon coach Shawn Mitchell said. “The offense did a really nice job putting together some good touchdowns.”
“Just overall really happy with the way we played tonight. It wasn’t perfect, but we did a lot of things right.”
[divider]
1A: (5) Holyoke 21, (2) Colorado Springs Christian 6
Holyoke built a 14-0 lead at halftime, and then added a fourth-quarter touchdown after CSCS cut the lead to 14-6 in the third.
“We played a great team defense, and played together,” Holyoke coach Dusty Sprague told the Scoreboard Show. “That’s what it takes. CSCS is a great team, and those backs are great backs.”
Holyoke is now 2-0 this season.
[divider]
2A: (8) Sterling 7, (10) Eaton 0
(Adam Bright/CHSAANow.com)
Scoreless through three quarters, and much of the fourth, Sterling scored the game’s lone touchdown with 2:34 to play in the final quarter.
Quarterback Brock Shalla scored on a 6-yard touchdown as the Tigers captured the top-10 victory, and improved to 2-0 this season.
With losses by Loveland and Valor Christian on Friday, the longest winning streak in the state now belongs to La Junta and Limon, who have each won 14 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Don’t look now, but Pueblo South is now 2-0 after two top-ten wins in 3A. The No. 8 Colts beat No. 4 Erie on the road Friday, 28-10.
A top-10 matchup in 1A: Strasburg 19, Burlington 6.
In 2A, No. 9 Resurrection Christian knocked off No. 3 Faith Christian 27-19.
Silver Creek, 2-8 a season ago, is now 2-0 following a 49-0 win over Centaurus on Friday.
Riverdale Ridge has won the first varsity game in program history. The Ravens, who went 0-8 in their inaugural season last year, beat Jefferson 23-6.
Lutheran, a 3A program, beat 2A No. 1 Platte Valley 26-7.
In 8-man, No. 4 Fowler beat No. 10 Sargent 50-27. The Grizzlies are now 2-0. “If the boys keep working, I think we’ll be a pretty good football team towards the end,” coach Mark Van Sickle told the Scoreboard Show.
In 6-man, No. 3 Stratton/Liberty beat No. 4 Prairie 60-34. “It was better, but still a long way to go,” said Stratton/Liberty coach Toby Kechter, whose team dropped an opening game to Kit Carson last week.
A cross-town rivalry matchup between Fossil Ridge and Fort Collins went to overtime, and Fossil won, 28-21.
Alamosa beat rival Monte Vista. “It’s huge. It gets the boys believing, and gets the town behind me a little bit,” first-year coach Drew Sandlin told the Scoreboard Show.
The preseason softball rankings are out, and Cherokee Trail (5A), Holy Family (4A) and Strasburg (3A) lead their respective polls.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday during the regular season.
Voted upon by coaches and select media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Cherokee Trail (4)
0-0-0
83
2
Legend (2)
0-0-0
71
3
Rock Canyon (2)
0-0-0
62
4
Loveland
0-0-0
59
5
Fossil Ridge
0-0-0
55
6
Legacy
0-0-0
54
7
Eaglecrest (2)
0-0-0
49
8
Cherry Creek
0-0-0
22
9
Broomfield
0-0-0
20
10
Columbine
0-0-0
19
Others receiving votes:
Ralston Valley 17, Regis Jesuit 15, Chatfield 13, Arapahoe 11, Smoky Hill 9, Arvada West 8, Grand Junction Central 7, Mountain Vista 6, Brighton 5, Valor Christian 5, Douglas County 4, Grandview 4, Castle View 3, Hinkley 3, ThunderRidge 1.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Holy Family (7)
0-0-0
106
2
Silver Creek (2)
0-0-0
75
3
Erie
0-0-0
65
4
Mountain View
0-0-0
61
5
Golden
0-0-0
39
6
Berthoud
0-0-0
32
7
Wheat Ridge (1)
0-0-0
31
8
Pueblo West
0-0-0
28
9
Pueblo South
0-0-0
24
10
Pueblo County
0-0-0
23
Others receiving votes:
Longmont 16, Mullen 13, Pueblo Central 13, Cheyenne Mountain 11, Windsor 11, Evergreen 10, Mead 10, Discovery Canyon 7, Niwot 7, Ponderosa 6, Pueblo East 5, Roosevelt 5, Weld Central 3, Conifer 2, Thomas Jefferson 2.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Strasburg (6)
0-0-0
85
2
University (2)
0-0-0
70
3
Eaton (1)
0-0-0
65
4
Delta
0-0-0
42
5
Sterling
0-0-0
40
6
Rocky Ford
0-0-0
36
7
Brush
0-0-0
33
8
Meeker
0-0-0
29
9
Lamar
0-0-0
27
10
Faith Christian
0-0-0
23
Others receiving votes:
The Academy 16, La Junta 7, Limon 7, Lyons 6, Basalt 3, Cedaredge 2.
As the summer days begin to fade away, it’s nearly time to start looking to the fall. The official start of practice is just weeks away and once the ball gets rolling, the 2019-20 athletic season will consume coaches, athletes and fans for the better part of nine months.
Over the last few weeks, CHSAANow.com has featured returning stat leaders from various sports (football leaders will come next week), but the real question that lingers is who is everyone excited to see?
So we asked.
We shot emails to various outlets throughout the state and asked them who they’re excited to see once competition starts next month while adding a few names of our own.
[divider]
The Pueblo Chieftain’s Marcus Hill and Austin White
Athlete: Marvin London Jr. Year: Senior School: Pueblo East Sport: Football
Why to watch: Marvin London Jr. had a team-high 73 receptions for the Eagles last season. He also had 1,083 yards and seven touchdowns — both second to only Kain Medrano.
Athlete: Samantha Meehan Year: Senior School: Pueblo County Sport: Volleyball
Why to watch: The Hornets senior ran rampant through the South-Central League last season and helped Pueblo County go 10-0 in league play. She led the Hornets with 284 kills, 24 aces. Meehan along with the core of Hornets hope to repeat as S-CL champs this season.
CHSAANow.com’s Dan Mohrmann
Athlete: Trey Jones Year: Senior School: Palmer Ridge Sport: Boys golf
Why to watch: Jones has a little bit of work cut out for him this fall, but in terms of the Colorado Springs area, he’s one of the top returning golfers. He finished tied for 18th at the Class 4A state tournament and this summer tied for 14th in the JGAC Junior PGA Championship on the difficult Blue Course at the Air Force Academy.
Why to watch: Katie is a phenomenal multi-sport athlete. This fall, the 2018 runner of the year will look to defend her 2A cross-country individual state title, one that helped the Lions claim just their second ever team championship. A side note – she is also the third ranked female junior freestyle kayaker in the WORLD. To say she is competitive would be a huge understatement.
Athlete: Gavin Sawchuk Year: Sophomore School: Valor Christian Sport: Football
Why to watch: Expect Gavin to carry the same energy and momentum from his freshman season into his sophomore campaign. He put up 13 touchdowns for the Eagles in 2018 – in large part due to his speed. Sawchuk posted the fastest 100m dash time in the Colorado during the spring track and field season, and he already boasts several D1 football offers.
Athlete: Alexisius “Q” Jones Year: Junior School: Fountain-Fort Carson Sport: Football
Why to watch: Q. Jones had anything but a good ending to his season. In his first year in a Trojan varsity uniform, he amassed 1,738 all-purpose yards. But his season was cut short due to a leg injury. FFC coach Jake Novotny told us this summer that Jones will be ready to go. He’s reportedly getting looks from the University of Colorado and Wyoming and the list is expected to grow upon his return to the field.
Why to watch: McGaffin starred in the pitching circle as a freshman in 2018 to help the SaberCats win 21 games. She went 14-1 with a 1.78 ERA (second in 5A), striking out 122 in 90.1 innings pitched.
Athlete: Tate Satterfield Year: Senior School: Poudre Sport: Football
Why to watch: Satterfield was eighth in 5A in 2018 with 1,238 rush yards, scoring 14 touchdowns on the ground. He’ll be a key part of an experience Poudre team that could challenge for the Front Range League title.
The Durango Herald’s John Livingston
Athlete: Madeleine Burns Year: Senior School: Durango High School Sport: Girls Cross Country
Why to watch: A year after Burns finished 13th in the 4A girls cross country state race, she is back as a senior looking for a podium finish for the Demons. Last spring, she won the girls 3,200 meter run at the 4A state track and field meet and backed it up with a third-place finish in the 1,600. She broke the school record in the 5K last year the Liberty Bell Invitational and is primed for a big senior season after a summer of competing around the country.
Athlete: Millie O’Ketter Year: Senior School: Durango High School Sport: Volleyball
Why to watch: A senior libero and outside hitter, O’Ketter has already verbally committed to Northern Arizona University to play Division I volleyball. This summer, she competed in the Global Challenge International volleyball tournament in Croatia, helping her team to a 5-2 overall record in the udner-18 division with the lone losses coming to first-place Italy and second-place Netherlands. She led her team with 47 of the squad’s 111 digs and also led the team in serve receive accuracy and was second in assists.
Athlete: Leland Heinicke Year: Senior School: Durango High Sport: Boys soccer
Why to watch: As a junior, Heinicke had a team-high 14 goals and added four assists to help lead the Demons to the fourth seed in the 4A state tournament. At 6-foot-4, Heinicke is dangers when he gets his head on the ball in set pieces, and he has the skill to once again lead Durango on a playoff push.
Other athletes to watch:
Laurin Krings (Loveland softball): The returning 5A player of the year is on a mission to bring home a state championship.
Amelia McCarthy (Cherry Creek field hockey): After falling short in the state championship game last year, McCarthy has the talent to take the Bruins to the top of the field hockey mountain.
Kole Taylor (Grand Junction Central football): Taylor hauled in eight touchdown catches in 2018 and recently committed to LSU. He makes the Warriors an instant threat when he’s on the field.
Cruz Culpepper (Niwot boys cross country): Last year’s 4A champ has ambitions of defending his championship this fall.
The 2019 all-state baseball teams honor the best players in the sport as judged by the leagues and coaches. They are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues, and then a vote of head coaches.
Player and coach of the year was also selected by a vote of the coaches.
[divider]
Class 5A
Mountain Vista’s Sam Ireland. (Tim Bourke)
Player of the year: Sam Ireland, Mountain Vista
Coach of the year: Matt Darr, Regis Jesuit
First Team
Name
School
Pos.
Year
Riley Cornelio
Pine Creek
RHP/INF
Senior
Sam Ireland
Mountain Vista
RHP/3B/1B
Senior
AJ Jergensen
Ralston Valley
OF
Senior
Geno Macias
Regis Jesuit
Senior
Brice Martinez
Cherry Creek
Jack Moss
Cherry Creek
Drew Stahl
Mountain Vista
INF
Senior
Jacob Thompsen
Regis Jesuit
Junior
Caden Wagner
Regis Jesuit
Senior
Second Team
Name
School
Pos.
Year
Justin Boyd
Legend
SS/CF
Senior
Jose Cintron
Overland
3B/2B/INF
Senior
Peter Goldy
Grandview
RHP/1B
Senior
Calvin Hunt
Ralston Valley
RHP
Senior
Cale Lansville
ThunderRidge
Grant Magill
Mountain Vista
C
Senior
Nathan Mitchell
Cherry Creek
Ryan Stohr
Dakota Ridge
RHP/1B
Senior
Patrick Strawbridge
Regis Jesuit
Senior
Case Williams
Douglas County
RHP/3B/1B
Junior
Honorable mention:
Trey Adams, Ralston Valley, INF/RHP, Senior
Simon Baumgardt, Lakewood, P/SS, Senior
Radek Birkholz, Valor Christian, P/INF, Sophomore
Zach Boone, Castle View, CF/LF, Senior
Clay Burke, Mountain Vista, RHP/1B, Senior
Jake Campbell, Rocky Mountain, P/1B, Senior
Tony Castonguay, Grandview, C/3B, Junior
Pete Chronowski, Heritage, LHP, Senior
Kellen Cox, Cherokee Trail
Garrett Crawford, Overland, OF/RHP, Junior
Clay Cutter, Cherry Creek
John Emerson, Denver East, CF/LHP/SS, Senior
Chase Esplin, Legacy, Junior
Matt Glover, Denver South, RHP/OF/SS, Sophomore
Jake Greiving, Legend, C/OF/3B, Senior
Josh Hojnowski, Grandview, RHP/3B, Senior
Ben Horwith, Douglas County, Senior
Owen Lockner, Windsor, Senior
Jayden Martinez, Grandview, OF, Senior
Braden Martinez, Windsor, Senior
Bryce Matthews, Chaparral, OF, Senior
Ryan McKown, Chaparral, OF, Senior
Mason Mitchell, Heritage, OF/RHP, Senior
Justin Moehlenpah, Horizon, LHP/OF, Senior
Ben Perla, Cherry Creek
Jaren Piepho, Rocky Mountain, C, Senior
Kevin Pipich, Rock Canyon, RHP/1B, Senior
J.C. Rodriguez, Far Northeast Warriors, Sophomore
Jacob Roybal, Chatfield, P/OF, Junior
Teddy Schoenfeld, Boulder, Senior
Macully Sehr, Legacy, Sophomore
Colby Shade, Fort Collins, OF, Junior
Derek Shaver, Grand Junction, Senior
Blake Templeton, Fort Collins, SS/RHP, Junior
Diego Velasquez, Smoky Hill, P/1B/OF, Junior
Ben Whipple, Valor Christian, RHP/1B, Sophomore
Tristan Wolf, Mountain Range
Matt Zaccaro, Bear Creek, OF/P, Senior
[divider]
Class 4A
Pueblo West’s Tyler Barth. (Bobby Stevens/MaxPreps)
Player of the year: Tyler Barth, Pueblo West
Coach of the year: Dan Sanchez, Pueblo West
First Team
Name
School
Pos.
Year
Lincoln Andrews
Canon City
INF/P
Senior
Aaron Arcilise
Wheat Ridge
RHP/INF
Senior
Tyler Barth
Pueblo West
Senior
Aaron Berkhoff
Cheyenne Mountain
INF
Senior
Charlie Deeds
Palmer Ridge
SS/RHP/2B
Senior
Nate Denniston
Pueblo West
Senior
Kyle Jameson
Pueblo West
Senior
Collin Kringlen
Holy Family
1B/RHP
Senior
Spencer Rich
Silver Creek
Senior
Second Team
Name
School
Pos.
Year
Tayler Aguilar
Northridge
CF
Senior
Brodie Blackford
Pueblo West
Junior
Jayden Cordova
Pueblo West
Senior
JP Hamer
Fort Morgan
Senior
Ben McLaughlin
Golden
SS/RHP
Junior
Brady Renck
Longmont
2B/SS/P
Senior
Jason Shuger
Lewis-Palmer
P/INF
Senior
John Thoren
Erie
Michael Wegleitner
Silver Creek
Junior
Honorable mention:
Zach Becker, Holy Family, SS/2B/RHP, Senior
Johnny Behm, Lewis-Palmer, /OF, Senior
Dominic Bronk, Wheat Ridge, 3B/RHP, Junior
Angel Carlos, Lincoln, Senior
Tyler Declusin, Pueblo West, Senior
Devin Dodson, Cheyenne Mountain, C/RHP, Junior
Tyler Dollahan, Glenwood Springs, Senior
Garrett Flaagan, Eagle Valley
Avery Fulford, Conifer, Senior
Michael Guber, George Washington, UTIL/RHP, Senior
Chris Gumeson, Longmont, RF/C/INF, Senior
Tyler Hrin, Thomas Jefferson, OF/1B/LHP, Freshman
Charlie Jackson, Silver Creek, Junior
William Kapner, Evergreen, 2B/1B, Junior
Emmert Kastendieck, Montrose, OF, Junior
Noah Lasecki, The Classical Academy, 1B/P, Senior
Isaac Linker, Fort Morgan, Senior
Cesar Loma, Greeley Central, 3B/RHP/C, Senior
Seth Lucero, Denver North, SS/RHP/OF, Senior
Nico Martin, Pueblo Central, CF, Senior
Parker Martin, Coronado, C/INF/OF, Senior
Cole Martino, Pueblo County, P/1B/3B, Sophomore
Bryce McKee, Coronado, SS/UTIL/RHP, Senior
Kolton Miller, Ponderosa, Sophomore
Adam Muniz, Pueblo Central, 3B/SS/2B, Senior
Corey Musch, Skyview, CF/LF, Senior
Cameron Nellor, Thompson Valley, SS/P/UTIL, Junior
The 2019 all-state girls soccer teams honor the best players in the sport as judged by the leagues and coaches. They are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues, and then a vote of head coaches.
Player and coach of the year was also selected by a vote of the coaches.
