The 2019 preseason football rankings were released on Monday. No. 1 ranked teams include: Valor Christian (5A), Pine Creek (4A), Palmer Ridge (3A), La Junta (2A), Limon (1A), Sedgwick County (8-man) and Stratton/Liberty (6-man).
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
Dakota Ridge 46, Greeley West 29, Heritage 25, Longmont 23, Windsor 22, Monarch 17, Grand Junction Central 9, Denver South 7, Vista Ridge 7, Wheat Ridge 7, Fort Collins 6, Vista Peak Prep 6, Bear Creek 5, Grand Junction 2, Air Academy 1, Golden 1, Mountain View 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Palmer Ridge (17)
0-0
198
2
Pueblo East
0-0
176
3
Palisade (3)
0-0
162
4
Erie (1)
0-0
141
5
Mead
0-0
109
6
Green Mountain
0-0
79
7
Discovery Canyon
0-0
67
8
Pueblo South
0-0
53
9
Holy Family
0-0
44
10
Durango
0-0
42
Others receiving votes:
Harrison 39, Frederick 22, Fort Morgan 19, Thomas Jefferson 17, Roosevelt 11, Northridge 10, Pueblo Central 7, Lewis-Palmer 6, Canon City 4, Evergreen 3, Glenwood Springs 1.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
La Junta (3)
0-0
115
2
Platte Valley (4)
0-0
113
3
Faith Christian (4)
0-0
106
4
Resurrection Christian (1)
0-0
87
5
Rifle
0-0
82
6
Bayfield (1)
0-0
48
7
Delta (1)
0-0
47
8
Kent Denver
0-0
38
9
Aspen
0-0
31
10
Eaton
0-0
22
Others receiving votes:
Basalt 21, Salida 15, Sterling 10, D’Evelyn 7, Elizabeth 7, The Classical Academy 7, Englewood 5, Lamar 5, Bishop Machebeuf 2, Alamosa 1, Berthoud 1.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Limon (11)
0-0
140
2
Strasburg (2)
0-0
114
3
Colorado Springs Christian (1)
0-0
103
4
Centauri
0-0
84
5
Holyoke (1)
0-0
63
T6
Meeker
0-0
62
T6
Peyton
0-0
62
8
Florence
0-0
51
9
Burlington
0-0
41
10
Wray
0-0
32
Others receiving votes:
Monte Vista 21, Paonia 16, Crowley County 12, Highland 8, Buena Vista 7, Platte Canyon 6, Manual 2, Jefferson 1.
8-man
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Sedgwick County (11)
0-0
119
2
Hoehne (1)
0-0
87
3
Merino
0-0
78
4
West Grand
0-0
61
5
Caliche
0-0
54
6
Mancos
0-0
51
7
Pikes Peak Christian
0-0
37
8
Fowler
0-0
32
9
Rangely
0-0
31
10
Sargent
0-0
28
Others receiving votes:
Dayspring Christian Academy 24, Holly 22, Akron 18, Sanford 8, Vail Christian 6, Simla 2, Dove Creek 1, Sangre de Cristo 1.
6-man
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Stratton/Liberty (5)
0-0
77
2
Kit Carson (3)
0-0
75
3
Fleming
0-0
59
4
Prairie
0-0
49
5
Flagler/Hi-Plains
0-0
38
6
Peetz
0-0
34
7
Idalia
0-0
25
8
Arickaree/Woodlin
0-0
20
9
Briggsdale
0-0
19
10
Cheyenne Wells
0-0
12
Others receiving votes:
Genoa-Hugo 10, Cotopaxi 9, North Park 8, Granada 2, Cheraw 1, Mountain Valley 1, Walsh 1.
The start of football season in Colorado is just two short weeks away. With some players having graduated and moved on from every team, a new set of standout student-athletes will be in the spotlight in 2019.
But there are plenty of players coming back this season and with them come numbers that were impressive even a year ago.
Looking at the offensive side of the ball, there are plenty of reasons to be excited for the start of football season in 2019.
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Passing:
When it comes to passing stats, Fairview quarterback Aidan Atkinson led the way for all quarterbacks in 2018. The senior to be threw for a staggering 3,952 yards last year. It was a record-setting year all the way around for him and the Knights.
For comparison, Highlands Ranch quarterback Jake Rubley threw for 1,951 yards and comes into the season No. 2 behind Atkinson in returning passing yards.
The top-three passers in 4A all return in 2019 making the prospect of an aerial battle late in the season very intriguing.
(Kevin Prickett/prickettpix.com)
Skyline’s Chase Silva threw for 2,829 yards as he helped the Falcons reach the 4A championship game. Centaurus’ Nick Faraca threw for 2,436 yards with Grand Junction Central’s Max Marsh threw for 2,296. The combination of Marsh and LSU football commit Kole Taylor is going to be a major attraction on the Western Slope this fall.
The top five passers from 3A all graduated a year ago making George Washington’s Jaydon Green the top returning passer in the class as he threw for 1,722. Pueblo South’s Logan Petit (1,581 yards) and Durango’s Jordan Woolverton (1,560 yards) are other 3A names to keep an eye on.
Aspen’s Tyler Ward led 2A with 2,202 yards last year and will be back as a junior in 2019 as will Meeker’s Ryan Phelan who topped all 1A passers with 1,869 in 2018.
Front Range Christian’s Luke Hiltman led all 8-man passers with 2,079 yards and will be back this fall. Briggsdale senior Tyler Blickem returns with 2,368 passing yards from last year which topped all of 6-man.
Granada sophomore Dominic Coleman got the attention of the class by throwing for 1,609 yards as a freshman.
In terms of touchdowns, Atkinson set the standard state-wide with 55. Blickem threw for 36 and Silva connected on 30 touchdown passes.
Rushing:
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
The ground attack throughout the state lost a lot of spild performers from last year. Smoky Hill’s Obasanjo Sanni returns as the top returning rusher as he cleared the 2,000-yard mark last year and averaged 181 yards per game.
Legacy’s Dakota Key (1,799) and Fountain-Fort Carson’s Q. Jones (1,406) round out 5A’s top three returning rushers.
There were standout runners from 3A that are also making their way back this year. Palisade’s Cam Tucker ran for 1,662 and Thomas Jefferson’s Daveon Hunter ran for 1,410 yards in nine games.
In 4A, the top two returners both come out of Academy District 20 as Pine Creek’s David Moore III returns with 1,494 yards from last year. Down the road at Rampart, Chris Yoo totaled 1,317 yards and both backs will be seniors this fall.
The biggest loss of production on the ground comes in 2A where 10 of the top 12 rushers from last year were seniors. Coming into this season, just Brush’s Nick Wellen (1,250) and Bishop Machebeuf’s Darius Richards (1,012) return with over 1,000 rushing yards from last year.
That’s a big difference in 1A where the top two rushers from 2018 will be back as seniors this fall. Colorado Springs Christian senior Peyton Brones led all of 1A with 1,724 yards last year while Monte Vista’s Kaidon Wenta sat right behind him on the leaderboard with 1,475.
Dove Creek’s Chorbin Cressler broke into the top five of all 8-man rushers as just a freshman last year with 1,243 yards and will look to build on that momentum this season. Pikes Peak Christian’s Hudson Grant is 8-man’s No. 2 returning rusher with 1,188 yards in 2018.
Tucker returns with the most rushing touchdowns from last year with 28. Stratton/Liberty’s Jaret Lichty ran for 27 and Brones punched the ball in 24 times.
Receiving
Losing Kain Medrano was always going to be a big deal for Pueblo East. But if there is a silver lining, it’s that Marvon London, Jr. appears ready to fill the void.
The senior receiver for the Eagles amassed more receiving yards than any other player returning in 2019. His 1,083 yards were seventh in the state last fall and with Medrano gone, the number has a chance of increasing this season.
Palmer Ridge’s Deuce Roberson (937) and Harrison’s Seth Fuller (928) are the other top 3A receivers coming back.
Fairview’s Henry Blackburn hauled 890 receiving yards to lead all 5A returners and should thrive again with Atkinson still tossing passes for the Knights.
Heritage junior Terrance Ferguson totaled 972 receiving yards making him the top returning 4A receiver this season.
Two of last season’s top three receivers will be back in 2A. Aspen’s Max Ufkes led the class with 920 receiving yards and Englewood’s Nate Gravagno ranked third with 824.
As much as 1A had coming back in terms of rushing production, that is not the case with receiving. Estes Park sophomore Calum Torrey had 442 receiving yards last year which is the most for anyone who was not a senior.
Sangre de Cristo’s Mario Enriquez leds all 8-man returners with 594 yards while Deer Trail’s Dayne Woodis comes back with 730 yards which was second in 6-man last year.
Blackburn returns with the most receiving touchdowns form last year with 17. Woodis and Roberson each hauled in 11 touchdown catches last year.
US AIR FORCE ACADEMY — The Front Range was very kind to Montrose’s Micah Stangebye last fall. The then-junior was on point at the Club at Flying Horse last November as he claimed the Class 4A boys golf title.
He’ll have a chance to defend his title this fall and preparation is very much underway. Stangebye is one of several returning and recently graduated golfers playing in the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s Junior PGA Championship at Eisenhower Golf Club on the grounds of the Air Force Academy.
It’s just the next tournament of a heavy schedule that Stangebye will battle through as he heads into the school season next fall.
“It’s busy,” he said. “I haven’t been home in two weeks and that’s obviously a struggle living back in Montrose. All these tournaments are over on this Front Range. I just have to get through it and get some sleep. I also just need to keep my game going and not focus on shooting a certain score this summer. I just have to keep placing and keep grinding and get my swing going.”
The Colorado Junior PGA is the first of four designated majors on the JGAC Tour each summer. A year ago it was Eaglecrest alum Davis Bryant and Holy Family’s Hailey Schalk who came away with the respective championships.
Like Stangebye, Davis was coming off a state title win but he wasn’t trying to get ready to defend that title, he was on his way to Fort Collins to begin his college golf career with Colorado State.
The good news for Stangebye is that this tournament is going to make him more battle tested. He’s playing in a field that consists last year’s 5A champion (Fossil Ridge’s Dillon Stewart) and the 3A runner-up (Aspen’s Jack Hughes).
There is no classification separation with the field. This is simply the best golfers in the state going at it. Even if Stangebye doesn’t finish high on the leaderboard, he’s still going to feel the benefit of this tournament when the fall season gets rolling in August.
“Knowing all these guys that have graduated are playing college golf and competing with them pushes me to go further,” Stangebye said. “They’ll be gone next year, but playing with them is always good.”
It’s a benefit to those recent graduates as well. Many in the field will be turning their attention to the college game this fall. Whether it’s someone like Stewart heading to Oklahoma State or someone like Liberty’s Brandon Bervig heading to UCCS, the JGAC Tour has become a tool to make all high school-level golfers in Colorado better players.
“They’re amazing,” Bervig said. “They play us at longer distances to prepare us for college. They have tough setups, tough greens and a lot of these pins were tough today.”
For players like Bervig or Stewart, a tougher setup means they’ll be better prepared for the next level in the fall. For a player like Stangebye, these tournaments can make the difference when it comes to defending a state championship.
Brandon Bervig. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
[divider]
Boys: Valor alum Jake Welch jumps out to lead
TJ Shehee. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
It was a tale of two nines for recent Valor graduate Jake Welch. He teed off on 10 at Eisenhower’s Blue Course and a double-bogey on No. 15 contributed to his 38 on that side.
He recovered nicely after making the turn as he made four birdies – including three in his last four holes – to take the Day 1 lead with a 2-under-par 70.
Hughes and recent Mead graduate TJ Shehee finished tied for second as they each shot 72.
Stewart hit a bumpy stretch on his back nine to finish with a 75.
[divider]
Girls: Loveland’s Lauren Lehigh tied for Day 1 lead
Caroline Jordaan. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Lauren Lehigh is continuing where she left off at the 5A girls golf tournament this spring. The only difference is after the first day, she has a three-way share of the lead at 5-over.
Broomfield’s Meghan Vogt and Cherry Creek’s Kaylee Chen are also at 5-over on the day.
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.
The 2019 all-state girls lacrosse 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]
Player of the year: Sloane Murphy, Colorado Academy
GREELEY — The volleys, break points, and aces are never more important than during the final week of the season. After all, this is the state tournament. The stakes are just higher.
Aspen senior Mary Williams understands the significance of facing the very best Class 3A girls tennis has to offer.
“It’s cool to see new girls that you’ve never seen before, especially since I live in such a small town,” she said. “It’s cool to see girls from Denver and all over.”
Out of all the No. 1 singles players in 3A, only 16 earn berths to state. By late afternoon on Friday, the final four was decided on the courts of Centennial Park. Williams was one of the players still alive in the championship bracket, advancing with a bye in the first round and a quarterfinals win over Grace Li of D’Evelyn 6-4, 6-2.
“It was really fun playing her,” Williams said. “She’s a freshman I think. It was really cool playing someone new.”
Li, a skilled first-year player for the Jaguars, challenged Williams a bit in the opening set, winning several points. Williams, several inches taller and more powerful as a senior, eventually prevailed. The speed of her shots was difficult for Li to handle, especially as the match wore on.
Williams is now two wins away from claiming a state championship, but the competition only stiffens. Mae Thorp, the 2018 state runner-up, is her next opponent.
“She’s in my region and we played two times this year,” Williams said. “We even played in the finals at regionals, so we know each other super well. We have won about an equal amount of times against one another. She’s a super hard-hitter too, so it’ll be good to have pace on the ball.”
Each time the seniors dueled this season, Williams was the winner. She knows how talented Thorp (from Steamboat Springs) is, though.
“Last year she beat me in the finals at regionals,” Williams said.
In the other semifinal matchup, Trisha Somasundaram, a senior for Peak To Peak, will face Colorado Springs Christian sophomore Jules Thompson.
Somasundaram was impressive in the opening rounds of a two-day tournament, defeating St. Mary’s freshman Ellie Hartman 6-0, 6-1 and Lutheran’s Sara Larson 6-1, 6-1. She is the defending state champion.
But, Williams is a major threat. Aspen’s No. 1 singles player all four years, she is a four-time state qualifier. Her best showing, so far, is 3rd place in 2017. That may change Saturday, but she’s not the only Aspen athlete leaving her mark on the state tournament.
The Skiers are one of the top teams with eight points, but Peak to Peak is in the lead with 18. D’Evelyn (15), Colorado Academy (10), and Dawson (10) are near the top of the standings as well.
“It’s been super cool getting nine of the 11 girls to come down (as qualifiers) and everyone’s done pretty well,” Williams said. “I think its super cool coming to Greeley or Denver and making an impact.”
Aspen’s No. 3 doubles team of Quinn Ramberg and Virginia Tassi roared to the semifinals with wins over groups from St. Mary’s 6-1, 6-1 and Vanguard 6-1, 6-2.
The Aspen group, clad in red and white jerseys, has a strong contingent but Peak to Peak won the team crown a year ago and a repeat looks possible. Somasundaram has a twin sister, Trini, who was the two-singles champion last year. She earned a bid to the semifinals with straight set victories over Tory Jensa (Fountain Valley) and Charlotte Pulido (Colorado Academy).
(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)
“I’m excited for tomorrow,” Trini said. “I have a lot of nerves too. It helps because I know I can achieve it though. I have that experience and confidence.”
Peak to Peak advanced their No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4 doubles groups to the semifinals as well. Sophomore Tiffany Tran reached the final four of the No. 3 singles division for the Pumas. She’ll face Elizabeth van der Torre, an undefeated player with a 12-0 season record.
Van der Torre is plenty familiar with Centennial Park as her school, University High, is just over four miles away.
Kelley Francis scored goals like she does, the defense refused to even bend and the Aspen High School girls soccer team made easy work of visiting Englewood.
Just shy of a year ago, the Aspen High School boys lacrosse team beat Evergreen, 10-5, in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs on the AHS turf.
