Kent Denver is No. 1 in 2A. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Six of the seven defending champions lead CHSAANow.com’s preseason football rankings.
The lone non-champion to head a classification’s poll is Kent Denver, which is No. 1 in Class 2A.
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 media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
The state baseball brackets for Class 5A, 4A, 3A and 2A were released on Monday.
5A host sites are All-City Stadium and Metro State. 4A first-round games will be at All-Star Park and Machebeuf, and 3A is at Butch Butler and Niwot high school. 2A’s regional and state bracket will be played at Runyon Sports Complex in Pueblo.
In the 5A, 4A and 3A tournaments, the first game at each site will be played at 10 a.m., with the second played directly after. The winners of the first-round games will play at 3:00 p.m. at their original site.
There are no seeds in the 3A-5A tournaments, and first-round matchups are predetermined based upon the region each team won last weekend.
After breezing through the regional round with two run-rule wins, Legend will play Broomfield in 5A’s first round at Metro State.
It’s Mountain Vista vs. Dakota Ridge in the second game of the day at Metro State. Dakota Ridge upset Mountain Range and Highlands Ranch in the regional rounds, and will be looking to shake things up further in the state tournament.
Cherry Creek and Legacy will face off at All-City Stadium.
Rocky Mountain and Rock Canyon play in the second game.
In 4A, Thompson Valley plays Golden in game one at All-Star Park. Evergreen and Air Academy follow in game two.
Both Golden and Evergreen were No. 4 seeds in the regional brackets. Thompson Valley upset undefeated Denver North to win Region 1.
Thomas Jefferson and Silver Creek kick things off at Machebeuf. Valor Christian and Pueblo West follow.
Colorado Academy run-ruled its way into the state tournament. The Mustangs will play Lamar in the first game of the day at Butch Butler.
La Junta and Peak to Peak will play after Colorado Academy and Lamar.
Paonia grabbed the No. 1 seed in 2A. The Eagles will play Sargent in the first round.
The winner of the above game will play the winner of N0. 8 Hotchkiss and No. 9 Dayspring Christian Academy.
Peyton is the second seed and gets No. 15 Limon. Should Peyton win, they’ll get the winner of No. 7 Haxtun vs. No. 10 Lyons.
Sedgwick County and Front Range Christian are head to head in the first round after the Cougars landed in the No. 3 seed. No. 6 Holyoke and No. 11 Rocky Ford play to determine who gets the winner.
No. 4 County Line plays No. 13 Evangelical Christian, while No. 5 Burlington gets No. 12 Yuma.
Three defending state baseball champions are starting the season right where they left off. In the initial CHSAANow.com baseball rankings, Cherokee Trail, Valor Christian and Holly come in at No. 1 in their respective classes.
The Cougars claim the top spot of the 5A rankings with six first-place votes. Centennial League foe, Cherry Creek, sits right behind them at No. 2. The Bruins are looking to end a four-year championship drought in 2017.
Last year’s runner-up, Rocky Mountain, starts the season at No. 3.
Outside of the top three teams, only Rock Canyon (No. 7) and Pine Creek (No. 10) received first-place votes to start the season.
(Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com)
In 4A, Valor Christian, led by new coach Brian Bonn, claimed nine first-place votes to start the season with No. 3 Pueblo West being the only other ranked team to receive one.
Mountain View will start the year at No. 2 with Windsor and Longmont rounding out the top five.
Erie takes the No. 8 spot, meaning that the final four teams that remained in the 4A state tournament on the final weekend will come into the season ranked and carrying high expectations.
University will start the season as the No. 1 team in 3A. The Bulldogs advanced to the semifinals last year before losing 3-2 to Manitou Springs, who finished as the state runner-up.
The Mustangs enter the season at No. 7.
Delta, a 4A team a year ago, sits right behind Manitou at No. 8. Defending champion, Fatih Christian sits high in the rankings at No. 2 as they hope to defend their title.
Paonia enters the season as the No. 1 team in 2A. It’s the same seed the Eagles took into last year’s state tournament where they were upset by Limon in the semifinals.
Heritage 21, Broomfield 14, Mountain Vista 14, Dakota Ridge 12, Legend 11, Grand Junction Central 9, Chaparral 4, Legacy 4, Castle View 3, Chatfield 2, Douglas County 2, Denver East 1, Fairview 1, Grand Junction 1, Monarch 1, Prairie View 1.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Valor Christian (9)
0-0
99
2
Mountain View
0-0
78
3
Pueblo West (1)
0-0
67
4
Windsor
0-0
57
5
Longmont
0-0
42
6
Silver Creek
0-0
35
7
Canon City
0-0
32
8
Erie
0-0
28
9
Air Academy
0-0
24
10
Denver North
0-0
19
Others receiving votes:
Northridge 18, Evergreen 8, D’Evelyn 6, Lewis-Palmer 6, Wheat Ridge 6, Green Mountain 5, Pueblo South 4, The Classical Academy 4, Palmer Ridge 3, Discovery Canyon 2, Fort Morgan 2, Roosevelt 2, Thompson Valley 2, Pueblo Centennial 1, Pueblo County 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
University (6)
0-0
101
2
Faith Christian (2)
0-0
91
3
Lamar (1)
0-0
90
4
La Junta (1)
0-0
61
5
Valley
0-0
54
6
Eaton
0-0
51
7
Manitou Springs
0-0
49
8
Delta (1)
0-0
33
9
St. Mary’s
0-0
31
10
Bayfield
0-0
27
Others receiving votes:
Kent Denver 25, Colorado Springs Christian 16, Peak to Peak 10, Brush 6, Gunnison 6, Colorado Academy 5, Buena Vista 2, Lutheran 1, Resurrection Christian 1.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Paonia (5)
0-0
81
2
Dawson (2)
0-0
65
3
Dayspring Christian
0-0
49
4
Sedgwick County
0-0
46
5
Hotchkiss
0-0
37
6
Limon
0-0
35
7
Rocky Ford
0-0
31
8
Akron (2)
0-0
30
9
County Line
0-0
29
10
Sargent
0-0
18
Others receiving votes:
Crowley County 15, Swink 12, Peyton 10, Front Range Christian 9, Haxtun 9, Del Norte 5, Center 4, Denver Christian 3, Yuma 3, Clear Creek 2, Burlington 1, Gilpin County 1.
Corey Seng’s career night paid dividends for ThunderRidge this week.
With a 71-61 win over George Washington, the Grizzlies enter this week as the new No. 1 team in the Class 5A CHSAANow.com boys basketball rankings.
The Patriots fall just one spot, taking over at No. 2.
Chatfield made the big jump of the week, clearing three spots to land at No. 4.
At No. 7, Cherry Creek was the only new team in the 5A poll.
(Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
There was also a new top team in 4A as Valor Christian takes over the position formally held by Pueblo West.
The Cyclones were edged by Rampart in overtime on Saturday.
Sand Creek jumped three spots from the previous rankings to come in at No. 3.
Northridge (No. 9) and Pueblo South (No. 10) are the two new teams to the 4A rankings.
Despite a 16-point loss to Rampart on Friday, Colorado Springs Christian remains the top team in the 3A poll. Resurrection Christian maintains its spot at No. 2 and Manitou Springs holds firm at No. 3.
Overall, the top seven teams from the previous rankings went unchanged.
DSST-Green Valley Ranch (No. 8) and Basalt (No. 10) are the two new teams to break into the 3A rankings this week.
At 7-0, Sedgwick County remains the No. 1 team in 2A. Like the 3A rankings, the top seven teams in 2A are unchanged from the previous rankings.
Fowler jumped two spots to land at No. 8 this week while Sargent (No. 9) and Hotchkiss (No. 10) are the 2A newcomers.
Holly received seven of 10 first-place votes to hold on to the top spot in 1A.
Sierra Grande jumped one spot to land at No. 4 and at No. 7, Kit Carson is two spots better than the previous rankings.
Sangre de Cristo is the lone newcomer in 1A at No. 9.
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.
Cherokee Trail 6, Mountain Vista 6, Regis Jesuit 6, Chaparral 5, Rampart 5, Mountain Range 4, Lakewood 3, Legend 3, Columbine 2, Fort Collins 2, Vista Ridge 2.
Dropped out
Cherokee Trail (9).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Valor Christian (7)
8-3
144
4
4-1
2
Pueblo West (7)
8-1
143
1
4-1
3
Sand Creek (2)
10-1
122
5
3-0
4
Vista PEAK
8-1
106
2
1-1
5
Golden
9-2
97
3
1-1
6
Mead
8-2
66
6
2-1
7
D’Evelyn
8-2
47
9
2-0
8
Holy Family
7-3
30
7
2-2
9
Northridge
7-2
29
–
1-1
10
Pueblo South
7-4
25
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Sierra 20, Silver Creek 18, Durango 16, Thompson Valley 8, Lewis-Palmer 7, Evergreen 2.
Dropped out
Lewis-Palmer (8), Sierra (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Colorado Springs Christian (8)
6-1
159
1
1-1
2
Resurrection Christian (5)
9-0
146
2
2-0
3
Manitou Springs (3)
7-0
145
3
0-0
4
Sterling (1)
6-1
110
4
0-0
5
Alamosa
6-1
109
5
1-0
6
Faith Christian
6-2
87
6
1-0
7
Kent Denver
7-2
53
7
1-1
8
DSST-Green Valley Ranch
5-3
32
–
1-0
9
DSST-Stapleton
5-1
31
8
1-0
10
Basalt
6-1
19
–
0-0
Others receiving votes:
Strasburg 17, Bayfield 10, Machebeuf 10, Frontier Academy 9, Jefferson Academy 8, Lutheran 8, Buena Vista 6, Colorado Academy 6, Roaring Fork 6, Lotus 5, Manual 5, La Junta 3, Weld Central 3, Ridge View Academy 2, Rye 1.
Dropped out
Colorado Academy (9), Frontier Academy (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Sedgwick County (4)
7-0
81
1
2-0
2
Highland (3)
7-0
78
2
1-0
3
Paonia (1)
7-1
75
3
2-0
4
Del Norte
7-1
69
4
1-0
5
Peyton (1)
7-0
49
5
1-0
6
Akron
7-0
47
6
2-0
7
Holyoke
5-2
38
7
2-0
8
Fowler
6-1
27
10
2-0
9
Sargent (1)
4-2
26
–
1-0
10
Hotchkiss
6-3
12
–
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Center 9, Crowley County 8, Byers 7, Dawson 6, Dolores Huerta 5, Dayspring Christian 4, Ignacio 4, Burlington 3, Crested Butte 1, John Mall 1.
Dropped out
Dayspring Christian (8), Ignacio (9).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Holly (7)
8-0
93
1
0-0
2
Weldon Valley
8-0
69
2
3-0
3
Cheyenne Wells (1)
7-0
68
3
2-0
4
Sierra Grande (1)
5-1
65
5
0-0
5
Peetz (1)
7-1
57
4
1-1
6
Flagler
7-1
53
6
2-0
7
Kit Carson
4-2
32
9
1-0
8
Fleming
3-3
25
7
1-2
9
Sangre de Cristo
4-4
17
–
0-2
10
Rocky Mountain Lutheran
7-1
16
10
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Cotopaxi 10, Creede/Lake City 9, Front Range Baptist 7, La Veta 7, Wiley 7, ThornCreek Christian 5, Jim Elliot 4, South Baca 4, Longmont Christian 3, Heritage Christian 2, Genoa-Hugo/Karval 1, Otis 1, Shining Mountain 1, Walsh 1.
The 2016 all-state football teams 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 across the state.
Players were placed onto the first-team, second-team and honorable mention based upon the number of votes they received. In 5A-1A, spots were reserved for linemen and one kicker/punter, while 8-man reserved spots for linemen.
CHSAA does not determine who makes or doesn’t make the team; they are created entirely from the results of the coaches’ vote.
[divider]
Class 5A
(Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Player of the year: Dylan McCaffrey, Valor Christian
Each of the three classes begin the playoffs this coming weekend. The quarterfinals are Nov. 10-12, the semifinals are Nov. 17-19, and the championship game will be Nov. 26. All games will be at home sites.
The fields were set with help from the final RPI standings. Committees then seeded the fields.
La Junta heads the 2A field. The Tigers are unbeaten at 9-0, including wins over five 2A playoff teams. They will open by hosting No. 16 University.
Also seeded highly are No. 2 Resurrection Christian, No. 3 The Classical Academy, No. 4 Sterling, No. 5 Bayfield, No. 6 Kent Denver, No. 7 Faith Christian and No. 8 Basalt.
Bayfield is the defending 2A champion.
In 1A, Meeker (9-0) is also unbeaten as the No. 1 seed. The Cowboys will host No. 16 Ellicott in the first round.
Other top seeds in 1A include, No. 2 Strasburg, No. 3 Paonia, No. 4 Bennett, No. 5 Peyton, No. 6 Burlington, No. 7 Crowley County, No. 8 Monte Vista.
Defending champion Buena Vista is seeded 14th.
Sedgwick County is the No. 1 seed in 8-man. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Sedgwick County (8-1) leads the 8-man field. The defending champion Cougars’ lone loss came to Perkins County (Neb.), and they will host No. 16 McClave in the first round.
Also seedly highly are No. 2 Sargent, No. 3 Akron, No. 4 Hoehne, No. 5 Norwood, No. 6 Pikes Peak Christian, No. 7 West Grand and No. 8 Granada.
Sedgwick County is now No. 1 in 8-man football. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Heading into the final week of regular season play at the 8-man level, there is a new No. 1 team in the CHSAANow.com football rankings.
Sedgwick County has taken over the top spot in the 8-man poll ahead of its showdown with No. 7 Dayspring Christian on Saturday.
Sargent, which stood tall in last week’s rankings, dropped only one spot to No. 2 and remains undefeated on the year.
Fresh off a win over Justice, Pikes Peak Christian jumped two spots to land at No. 8 this week.
There were no new teams in the 8-man rankings.
Pomona continues to hold a strong grip on the No. 1 spot in the 5A rankings and is continuing to beat every team that the state of Colorado can throw its way.
Chaparral has joined the 5A football rankings. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)
The majority of the 5A poll did remain consistent from last week’s rankings except that Chaparral joins the poll at No. 10.
In 4A, Denver South is still the top team while Chatfield (No. 2), Pine Creek (No. 3) and Ponderosa (No. 4) all held their spots from last week’s rankings.
Greeley West jumped two spots to No. 7 while two Pueblo-area teams climbed back into the poll as Pueblo South comes in at No. 9 and Pueblo West lands at No. 10.
Thanks to a thrilling win over Canon City on Friday, Discovery Canyon is still the top team in the 3A poll with Pueblo East jumping one spot to land at No. 2.
At No. 10, Conifer is the only new team in the 3A poll.
As La Junta continues to win, it continues to hold its spot as the unanimous No. 1 team in 2A.
Defending 2A champ, Bayfield, jumps two spots to No. 5 and Sterling makes a three-spot jump to come in at No. 6.
There were no new teams in the 2A rankings.
With a win over Cornerstone Christian, Strasburg still sits atop the 1A poll, but has a new team on its heels as Meeker jumps one spot to No. 2.
Bennett (No. 3) and Cedaredge (No. 7) each jumped two spots this week.
No new teams broke into the 1A rankings.
There were no 6-man rankings this week as regular season play concluded over the weekend and the state playoff bracket was released on Sunday.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
Silver Creek moved up to No. 2 in 3A football. (@SilverCreekAD/Twitter)
Silver Creek is playing its best football at the right time.
And thanks to a 28-14 win over Fort Morgan on Friday, the Raptors jumped to No. 2 in the Class 3A CHSAANow.com football rankings.
They are now firmly entrenched behind Discovery Canyon, which held on to its No. 1 spot thanks to a thrilling win over Lewis-Palmer.
Rifle was the only new team to break into the 3A poll, coming in at No. 10.
Pomona hung on to the top spot in the 5A rankings and Mullen was able to stay at No. 2 thanks a blocked extra point in overtime that gave the Mustangs a 28-27 win over No. 5 Columbine.
The rest of the 5A rankings remained fairly consistent as no new teams broke into the poll.
In 4A, Denver South, Chatfield and Pine Creek all held their spots at No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 respectively.
Mesa Ridge made the biggest jump of the week, gaining two spots to come in at No. 8. Greeley West (No. 9) and Monarch (No. 10) are the two new teams in the 4A poll.
La Junta remains the undisputed No. 1 team in 2A, receiving every first-place vote in the process.
There were no new teams in the 2A rankings this week.
Strasburg hangs to the No. 1 spot in 1A with Paonia still hanging right behind them at No. 2.
Meeker was able to overtake Platte Canyon as the No. 3 team in the rankings with both teams still undefeated on the year.
The 1A poll also had no new teams this week.
Thanks to receiving eight of 12 first-place votes, Sargent is still the No. 1 team in the 8-man rankings.
Akron jumped one spot to come in at No. 3 and at No. 9, West Grand is the only new addition to the 8-man poll.
Fleming edged out Kit Carson by one vote to hang on to the top spot in the 6-man rankings.
Stratton/Liberty still hangs tight at No. 3 as each of the top three teams in the poll remain undefeated.
There were no new teams in the 6-man poll.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
Resurrection Christian climbed a spot to No. 2 and Delta made the biggest jump on the week, gaining two spots to land at No. 6.
Strasburg remains the No. 1 team in 1A with Paonia hanging on to the No. 2 spot.
Cedaredge gained the most ground with a three-spot jump to come in at No. 6 this week.
By a one-point margin, Sargent is still the top team in 8-man. Sedgwick County comes in at No. 2 with an equal number of first-place votes as the Farmers.
Akron jumped two spots to land at No. 4 while Hoehne (No. 6) and Pikes Peak Christian (No. 9) each moved up one spot from the last set of rankings.
Fleming keeps a firm hold on 6-man’s No. 1 spot with Kit Carson and Stratton/Liberty coming in at No. 2 and No. 3 respectively.
Newcomer Hi-Plains joins the 6-man poll at No. 9.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.