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.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Valor Christian (12)
5-0
120
1
W
2
Eaglecrest
5-0
104
2
W
3
Pomona
3-2
83
3
L
4
Regis Jesuit
4-1
79
4
W
5
Fairview
5-0
55
7
W
6
Cherry Creek
3-2
51
5
L
7
Mullen
2-3
43
6
Bye
8
Grandview
3-2
41
9
W
9
Columbine
4-1
35
8
W
10
Highlands Ranch
4-1
20
–
W
Others receiving votes:
Lakewood 17, Arvada West 8, Doherty 3, ThunderRidge 1.
Dropped out
Lakewood (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Ponderosa (11)
5-0
166
2
W
2
Chatfield (4)
4-1
142
3
W
3
Pine Creek (3)
4-1
139
1
L
4
Windsor
4-1
106
4
W
5
Loveland
5-0
104
5
W
6
Pueblo West
5-0
89
6
W
7
Monarch
5-0
81
8
W
8
Fruita Monument
5-0
76
7
Bye
9
Pueblo South
4-1
45
9
W
10
Skyline
5-0
18
10
W
Others receiving votes:
Fort Collins 6, Vista Ridge 5, Widefield 4, Broomfield 2, Greeley West 2, Montrose 2, Rampart 2, Standley Lake 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Mead (10)
5-0
120
2
W
2
Palmer Ridge (2)
5-0
111
3
W
3
Erie
5-0
87
5
W
4
Berthoud
5-0
77
4
W
5
Roosevelt
4-1
69
7
W
6
Skyview
5-0
55
8
W
7
Holy Family
4-1
45
1
L
8
Harrison
5-0
44
9
W
9
Silver Creek
3-2
32
6
L
10
Longmont
2-3
27
–
W
Others receiving votes:
Evergreen 14, Thomas Jefferson 10, Denver North 6, Canon City 5, Frederick 5, Rifle 5, Palisade 3.
WOODLAND PARK — The dense fog couldn’t stop a clear picture from emerging on Friday night. Harrison football might be the real deal.
A 58-7 win over Woodland Park improved Harrison to 5-0 on the season, the program’s best start in recent memory. As of Friday, the Panthers sat at No. 3 in the football RPI.
With nearly 200 passing yards per game and over 200 rushing yards per game, the offense is well-oiled. The defense proved to be opportunistic in the win over Woodland Park (2-3 overall).
Halfway through the season, the only question that might be lingering in regard to these Panthers is what are they capable of when looking at the big picture?
“That’s a good question,” Harrison coach Al Melo said. “I was happy with the way we ran the ball. We ran the ball pretty solid the whole game and when we have to throw it, we can.”
Leading the way for Harrison’s ground attack was Aumiere Sedrick. He went for over 200 yards and three touchdowns. That included runs of 53, 40 and 39 yards.
“I do this, not just for myself, but for the people on our team that aren’t able to do it,” Shedrick said. “I just take that to heart.”
The one thing Harrison was not on Friday was one dimensional. Quarterback Orlando Westbrook made the offense multi-dimensional and threw touchdown passes of 11 and 61 yards to wide receiver David Barrow.
Barrow also included a pick-six with 6:51 left in the third quarter.
Long runs and flashy plays might help a few individual names stand out for Harrison, but the overall roster is unified in its goals and doesn’t let one accomplishment overshadow another.
“We play as one,” Barrow said. “My catches don’t mean anything. Everything we do, we do as a team.”
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Harrison held a 20-0 lead early in the game before Woodland Park struck and scored its only touchdown of the game. Logan Taylor broke free on a 15-yard run to get into the end zone, keeping his Panthers with ear shot.
But things unraveled in the second half. Harrison intercepted passes on four-straight possessions to seal the game.
It didn’t help that three of Woodland Park’s captains were injured through the course of the game, but coach Joe Roskam knew there were many factors that led to Harrison running away with the game.
“Turnovers for sure,” he said. “It’s not like our kids didn’t play hard. They made some plays in the first half and it just ended up being ugly.”
Woodland Park begins league play next week when it travels to Discovery Canyon.
Harrison will look to make it six-straight wins to start the season when it hosts rival Sierra. And if Friday night was any indication, Harrison will continue to flex its muscles as a 3A contender.
“We never let up at all,” Barrows said. “We always have a foot on the gas.”
There was all kinds of shakeup in this week’s football rankings.
The Class 3A poll added five new teams: No. 4 Berthoud, No. 7 Roosevelt, No. 8 Skyview, No. 9 Harrison and No. 10 Canon City.
Lakewood (5A), Skyline (4A), Crowley County (1A), Clear Creek (1A), Sargent (8-man) and Sierra Grande (6-man) are also new this week in their respective classifications.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
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.
Widefield 9, Broomfield 7, Vista Ridge 6, Standley Lake 5, Cheyenne Mountain 4, Rampart 4, Montrose 3, Greeley West 1.
Dropped out
Broomfield (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Holy Family (5)
4-0
104
1
W
2
Mead (5)
4-0
97
2
W
3
Palmer Ridge (1)
4-0
78
4
W
4
Berthoud
4-0
57
–
W
5
Erie
4-0
50
6
W
6
Silver Creek
3-1
48
3
L
7
Roosevelt
3-1
45
–
W
8
Skyview
4-0
38
–
W
9
Harrison
4-0
33
–
W
10
Canon City
4-0
19
–
W
Others receiving votes:
Palisade 9, Evergreen 8, Fort Morgan 6, Frederick 5, Discovery Canyon 4, Durango 2, Denver North 1, Thomas Jefferson 1.
Dropped out
Fort Morgan (5), Discovery Canyon (7), Durango (8), Longmont (9), Thomas Jefferson (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Kent Denver (10)
4-0
142
1
W
2
Bayfield (5)
4-0
132
2
W
3
The Classical Academy
4-0
115
3
W
4
Platte Valley
4-0
101
5
W
5
La Junta
3-1
98
4
L
6
Sterling
3-1
63
6
W
7
Faith Christian
3-1
48
7
W
8
Alamosa
3-1
30
8
Bye
9
Salida
4-0
24
9
Bye
10
Basalt
3-1
21
10
W
Others receiving votes:
Aspen 11, Bishop Machbeuf 9, Valley 9, Coal Ridge 7, Eaton 6, D’Evelyn 4, Elizabeth 3, Delta 2.
Dropped out
None.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Bennett (10)
4-0
118
1
W
2
Meeker (2)
4-0
108
2
W
3
Strasburg
3-1
93
3
W
4
Centauri
5-0
69
5
W
5
Limon
3-1
65
4
L
6
Paonia
3-1
54
6
W
7
Platte Canyon
3-0
52
7
Bye
8
Peyton
3-1
19
10
W
9
Crowley County
4-1
17
–
W
10
Clear Creek
4-0
16
–
W
Others receiving votes:
Burlington 15, Cornerstone Christian Academy 8, Buena Vista 7, Cedaredge 7, Rocky Ford 4, Grand Valley 3, Colorado Springs Christian 2, Monte Vista 2, Hotchkiss 1.
Keys threw a passing touchdown and rushed for another for the Mavericks. Evan Hansen, Jake Wachter and Nathan Mackey also had rushing touchdowns. Dom Esters caught the touchdown from Keys.
Longmont quarterback Oakley Dehning rushed for a touchdown.
This was just the second-ever meeting between the two schools which are just 15 minutes apart. Mead won last season, 49-35, during its march to the semifinals.
Bayfield senior Hunter Killough had a game-sealing interception in the game’s final moments, according to the Durango Herald.
“I wanted it bad,” he told the paper after the game. “Since last year, I had been stewing on this game. It’s good to get that victory.”
[divider]
Notables:
5A No. 8 Mullen went out-of-state to play Bothell (Wash.), and had a big rally and a chance to win late, but fell 31-28. Bothell reached Washington’s 4A quarterfinals last season.
In 1A, No. 2 Meeker got a top-10 win over No. 8 Monte Vista, 30-7. “Our defense did a good job of flying around the football tonight,” coach Shane Phelan told the Scoreboard Show. The Cowboys are 4-0.
Skyview knocked off No. 10 Thomas Jefferson 27-16 in 3A. The Wolverines have started 4-0, their best start since 2011.
Harrison beat Glenwood Springs 36-22, and is now 4-0 in 3A. “This is just another step forward for us,” coach Al Melo told the Scoreboard Show. “It was a good win for our kids tonight, and I’m really proud of them.
Check out Widefield, which is 4-0 in 4A following a 42-0 win over Palmer. The Gladiators haven’t started 4-0 since 2010. TJ Davis rushed for 168 yards and two touchdowns on Friday. He also threw two touchdown passes.
5A No. 3 Eaglecrest is now 4-0 after beating Cherokee Trail 28-14.
Berthoud upset 3A No. 5 Fort Morgan, 22-10.
Grand Valley and Aspen had lightning delay their game, which the Skiers ultimately won 30-26. Aspen, which won a combined four games the past two seasons, is 4-0 for the first time since 2010.
Sierra Grande beat Cheraw 61-6 in 6-man action, including this touchdown. The Panthers are now 4-0, something they haven’t done since 2005.
6-man No. 1 Stratton/Liberty cruised to a 68-8 win over Idalia. Tyson Lichty completed four passes — all four went for touchdowns. Jacob McCormick rushed for 131 yards and two touchdowns.
Levi Mair had four total touchdowns in Arvada’s 30-6 win over The Pinnacle.
Jaion Colbert rushed for 185 yards and two touchdowns as Overland beat Rangeview 42-20.
Zac Hanenberg had two rushing touchdowns as Canon City beat Pueblo East 29-16. The Tigers are now 4-0, matching their win total from each of the past two seasons.
Peyton beat Ellicott 41-0 in 1A. Gunner Saarela rushed for 95 yards and two touchdowns.
Trevor Reuss threw for 241 yards in 2A Basalt’s 41-33 win over 3A Battle Mountain.
Garrett Anderson rushed for 157 yards and a score as Lewis-Palmer topped Pueblo County 20-10 in a 3A matchup.
5A Ralston Valley also went out-of-state, and beat East Bakersfield (Calif.) 35-14.
The senior’s kick came following a 9-yard run for junior quarterback Zachary Anderson. Pueblo East also called a timeout in an attempt to ice Gurnett, but it didn’t faze him.
“I had confidence our kicker was going to make that,” Anderson told the Pueblo Chieftain after the game.
Anderson had two rushing touchdowns and 73 yards on Thursday night.
Caleb Grotelueschen also had a big game for the Thunder with a rushing touchdown and a 90-yard kickoff return for a score. Marshall Pike added a rushing score.
Pueblo East quarterback Luc Andrada had four passing touchdowns and also a rushing touchdown, according to the Chieftain.
Lincoln improved to 3-0 with a 43-8 win over Denver West. It’s the second-straight season the Lancers have started 3-0.
Jes Ramirez rushed for three touchdowns and 124 yards as Brighton beat Heritage 20-3. The Bulldogs are now 2-1. Photos from the game.
Orlando Westbrook accounted for three total touchdowns in Harrison’s 26-23 win over Evergreen. Aumiere Shedrick also had 222 total yards and two touchdowns.
Doherty lit up the scoreboard and the stat sheet in a 63-12 win over Palmer. Quarterback Logan Siffert threw three touchdowns, and Julian Cooks rushed for three scores. Gage Vanaman rushed for 149 yards and a score on just seven carries.
Five different players had rushing touchdowns as Standley Lake beat Liberty 42-35. Ty Webber rushed for 135 yards, and Alex France accounted for 132.
Fort Collins is now 2-1 after beating Greeley West 40-35.
Prospect Ridge picked up its first win of the season in beating Arvada 34-0.
Pueblo County beat Falcon 17-16 to pick up its first win this year.
LAKEWOOD — Jeffco Stadium is where it all began for Sarah Yocum, at least in the realm of track and field.
The sensational Faith Christian sprinter and hurdler will have fond memories of a stadium that has become hallowed ground for Colorado track.
“I actually ran my first high school race ever here,” the Baylor University recruit said. “I ran the 100-meter hurdles. I was playing soccer at the time too and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I came out and I finished my first race and my coach said, ‘Congratulations, you just qualified for state.’ One of my teammates was like, ‘You just set the school record!’”
What followed for Yocum was eight state championships in 3A — four in a row in the 300 hurdles, three in the 100 hurdles and one in the 400-meter dash — in what added up to be one of the greatest careers in Colorado history.
On Sunday, the final day of the 2017 state track meet, she simply was putting the finishing touches on that career with titles No. 7 and No. 8 in the 100 hurdles (14.36) and 400 (56.92). She also claimed the 300 hurdle crown on Saturday in a time of 43.95 seconds.
“This was my last race of high school, so obviously I wanted to finish it with a title,” she said of the 400. “I had never earned a title outside of the hurdles. I just want to enjoy this. I am really thankful for the girls I got to do it with.”
Yocum was the runner-up in the 200-meter dash as well, finishing in 25.26 seconds. She capped off an illustrious four years with 16 individual state medals, four every year in the 200, 400, 100 hurdles, and 300 hurdles. Junior teammate Payton Walter (15.27) finished second in the 100 hurdles.
Yocum has a way of standing out, but at a meet with all five classifications competing on the same days at the same venue, Yocum’s victories weren’t the only highlights on Sunday.
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Isaac Green and his fellow Monarch Coyotes performed historically well in the distance events again. A day after Green, Charlie Perry and Zach Litoff swept the top three places in the 5A 3,200, with Green and Litoff teaming with William Dixon and Sean Gazarik to win the 3,200 relay for the second straight year, Green (4:21.98), Perry (4:22.44) and Litoff (4:22.70) swept the top places in the 1,600 in the same order.
Oh, and Cayce Reese also medaled for Monarch, placing eighth in 4:25.31.
In a dramatic 800 final, Denver East’s Hayelom Fitsum appeared poised to claim the crown with a lead throughout. But, a stumble and fall a few strides from the finish line allowed Green to sweep the distance events with a winning time of 1:52.92. Fitsum got up for sixth place in 1:56.43. Litoff placed fifth.
Monarch made a serious run at their first team title in boys track and field after winning 5A cross country in the fall as Monarch junior Cole Rowan (16-00) and sophomore Max Manson (15-01) finished first and second in pole vault. Nico Heineke also placed 4th in discus. The Coyotes tallied 101 points, but came up just short in the final standings to Fountain-Fort Carson (106).
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Fountain rode their usual firepower in sprints and jumps — Donovan Williams first in 100 and 200, Jequan Hogan first in triple jump and high jump, third in long jump and fifth in 110 hurdles, Jalen Lyon second in 400 and fourth in 200, Jason Farrell third in 300 hurdles — to their 18th state championship in boys track and field.
The Trojans won the title in dramatic fashion, clinching on the final event of the meet, with a second-place finish in the 4×400-meter relay.
They are now tied with Denver East for the second-most titles in boys track and field of any school in Colorado history, only trailing Fort Collins (20). The Trojans also won the 400-meter relay and placed second in the 800 relay. They were eighth in the 3,200 relay and Iosua Maika was fifth in the shot put. Fountain-Fort Carson has conquered 5A three of the past four years as a result.
Vista Ridge, a school that opened its doors in 2008, won their second state championship in boys track and field by claiming 4A. They also won in 2013. The Wolves were too tough to match this season as a group with relays that were fantastic, finishing first in the 400 relay (42.16), the 800 relay (1:29.14) and the 1,600 relay (3:19.92). They also scored a bundle of points in the field events.
The Lady Wolves of Vista Ridge also had a strong showing, winning the 800-meter sprint medley relay in 1:48.39 on Saturday. Alexis Dubiel was the discus champion as well.
Other highlights included:
Class 5A
Grandview won a girls track title for the first time with 120 points. The team crown never seemed in doubt after such a strong first day of competition. The Wolves won the 800 relay (1:41.12), the sprint medley relay (1:46.57) and the 1,600 relay (3:55). Freshman Lily Williams was runner-up in the 400, Kylee Harr won high jump (5-8), basketball star Michaela Onyenwere was 2nd in 100 and 3rd in 200, Brie Oakley shattered the Colorado record in the 3,200 (10:09), and the Wolves corralled plenty of other points in multiple events.
Rocky Mountain junior Gabriella McDonald swept the throws with marks of 42-3 in shot put and 154-3 in discus (new 5A state meet record).
Fort Collins senior Audra Koopman (Penn State recruit) defended her long jump crown by going 19 feet, one half inch.
Fellow Fort Collins senior Lauren Gregory (University of Arkansas) won a 5A double in the 800 (2:10.94) and 1,600 (4:50.77), overtaking Grandview standout Brie Oakley (4:51.01) by a slim margin in a fantastic race. Gregory finished her illustrious career with one title in the 800, one in the 1,600, two in the 3,200, and three in cross country.
Highlands Ranch (3:23.13) finished first in an entertaining 1,600 relay.
Rock Canyon junior Emily Sloan (13.58) blew away the field in the 100 hurdles while defending her championship from last year.
Rampart senior Xavier Bishop-falu (14.25) claimed the 110 hurdles crown.
For the second consecutive season, Denver East’s Arria Minor won the 100 (11.53), the 200 (23.57) and the 400 (53.30). She is already one of the premier sprinters in state history.
Hinkley senior Darrien Wells (47.62) won back-to-back titles in the 400. He was also runner-up in 100 and 200.
Fruita Monument senior Gunner Rigsby (22-10.50) claimed long jump.
Monarch freshman Mia Manson (12-6) won the pole vault. She has been the top freshman in America this spring in the event.
Cherokee Trail girls (Jaiden Paris, Taylor Watson, Chian Deloach, Sydnee Larkin) won the 400 relay in 47.48. Larkin (36-10.50) won back-to-back state titles in triple jump as well, holding off Loveland’s Tatum Rembao (36-8.25), a Creighton University basketball recruit.
Class 4A
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Air Academy won their first-ever state championship in 4A girls track. Senior Maria Mettler conquered the 800 and 3,200, while also finishing as the runner-up to Mountain View’s Lauren Offerman in the 1,600. Junior Olivia Whitaker won the 100 and was second in the 200.
Air Academy senior Nik Chapee also won the 200 (21.65) and 400 (47.90). Harrison freshman Tyrese Van Horne (47.95) was runner-up in the 400 in a time that ranks second out of all freshmen in America at the moment.
Niwot’s Alexis Carroll (long jump and triple jump champion) and Mary Gillett (200 and 400 champion, second in 100 and long jump) were fantastic for the Cougars, helping Niwot finish second as a team in 4A.
Valor Christian sophomore Anna Hall was the hurdle queen, topping all competitors in the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles. She is a budding phenom nationally as a heptathlete, also finishing second in high jump (5-6). Valor’s Chase McLean won pole vault as well.
Silver Creek junior Rylee Anderson is three-for-three in high jump crowns as she cleared 5 feet, 8 inches.
Palisade senior Zaccre Kenward (48-9.50) dominated the triple jump.
Palmer Ridge’s Jeremy Meadows (4:15) ran away in the 1,600, while Silver Creek’s James Lee (1:54) did the same in the 800. Lee’s teammate, Brock Knechtel, tossed further than anyone in the discus throw (176-4).
Canon City senior Aaron McCoy (10.66) won the 100, while Thompson Valley’s Charlie Brunner (14.74) won the 110 hurdles.
Montrose senior Ian Meek was first in the 3,200 (9:23), second in the 1,600 (4:18), and ran on a winning 3,200 relay (7:58).
Pueblo South’s Jeremy Cody (6-9) was wildly impressive in winning high jump. Pueblo West’s Frank Nash the same in long jump (23-6.25).
Class 3A
The Classical Academy kept a proud tradition in track going, easily winning 3A girls with 101.5 points. Junior Erika Willis shattered the 3A state meet record, previously held by sister Andrea, in the pole vault with a mark of 12 feet, 5 inches. The record was 11-6 from 2014. Freshman sister Kristina Willis placed fifth and TCA won the 1,600 relay in 4:00.97. The Titans topped 4A last season and now have 10 state championships in girls track, only one less than Mullen with a state record 11.
Lutheran junior Maya Evans, one of the top long jumpers in the nation with a personal best of 20 feet, 10 inches, didn’t disappoint with 3A titles in the long jump, 100, 200, and 400 relay (48.95, 3A state meet record). Madi Bottin, Riley Darnell and Nyah Streib also ran on that relay. Evans is now a five-time state champion in individual events.
Lutheran boys also fared well, keeping a four-year team title streak alive with a dominant 104-point tally. They also won 3A in 2016 and 2015 and 2A in 2014. Adam Dawson (203-1 in discus) and Jacob Dack (51-6.50 in shot put) were individual champions for Lutheran. Several relays finished runner-up.
Sterling’s Austin Chavez (6-5, also fourth place in pole vault) and Jayson Frank (6-3) finished first and second in the 3A high jump as teammates Victor Zimmerman (second), Brady Krier (third) placed high in pole vault as well. Kylie Chavez was the triple jump champion (36-11.50).
Aspen senior Sunday Abarca broke his own 3A state meet record in the 400 with a time of 48.12, bettering his 48.54. He also won the 200 in 21.39 and was second (10.80) to Sierra’s Dante Thomas (10.71) in the 100.
Eaton senior Tarynn Sieg, a Colorado State recruit, not only broke her own 3A state meet record in shot put (45-5.50) but also won discus (143-4, nearly a record).
Peak to Peak broke the 3A state record in the 3,200 relay (9:12.44) with sophomores Tiana Bradfield, Quinn McConnell and Anna Shults, along with senior Rachael Metzler. Shults also finished first in the 3,200 (11:15) and the 1,600 (5:00.71). McConnell was second in the 800 and 1,600 and Bradfield was fourth in the 800 and third in the 1,600. Metzler finished sixth in the 1,600 as well.
Salida senior Taryn Ceglowski set a new standard in 3A in the 800 with a time of 2:09.19, bettering the previous record of 2:11.24 by Emily LaValley of The Classical Academy in 2010.
Tanner Norman of TCA won the 1,600 (4:16.85) and 3,200 (9:14, 3A state meet record). He signed with Iowa State University. Norman’s brother Mason, a freshman, placed fifth in the 3,200 in 9:45.
Faith Christian freshman Cole Sprout was the runner-up in the 1,600 (4:22) and 3,200 (9:28). He was also second at the 3A state cross country meet in the fall.
Class 2A
Paonia girls (110 points) joined The Classical Academy (3A champs from 2006-2010) and Mullen (4A champs from 1997-2003) as the only girls track and field programs in state history to win five championships in a row. Brianna Van Vleet defended her long jump crown successfully and Sophia Anderson and Mckenna Palmer finished first and second in triple jump. Anderson and Emily Pieper finished first and second in the 200.
Cedaredge boys (97 points) went back-to-back as a team, planting the seeds of a potential dynasty of their own. They ran away from everyone in the 800 and 3,200 relays and boasted depth that no team could counter.
Telluride junior Soleil Gaylord claimed the 1,600 (5:16) and 3,200 (11:25) crowns in back-to-back years. Sophomore teammate Maya Ordonez was runner-up in the 1,600. Gaylord was also second in the 800. Gaylord and Ordonez helped lead the 3,200 relay to a title as well.
Hayden freshman Hannah Wilkie (2:18.58) won the 800.
Burlington senior Ellie Berry swept the throws, winning shot put (40-11.75) and discus (133-5).
Shane Finegan won the 200 (22.53) and 400 (50.17) for Wiggins, and anchored the winning 1,600 relay in 3:30.44 with Tyler Hein, Teggan Freauff and Connor Kaufman. Finegan also anchored the winning 400 relay with the same group, except for Fukumaru Ogawa in place of Kaufman.
Meeker girls won the 400, sprint medley and 1,600 relays.
Soroco junior Ben Kelley swept the distance trio of 800 (1:54.75, bettering his own state meet record), 1,600 (4:22) and 3,200 (9:47). Sophomore teammate Grant Redmond (6-6) conquered high jump.
Hotchkiss sophomore Kaiya Firor claimed first in the 300 hurdles and 400.
Highland freshman Remington Ross won the girls 100 (12.28).
Class 1A
Heritage Christian boys (105 points) have been a recent powerhouse and nothing they did this weekend changed that. They conquered 1A for the second year in a row and the fourth time in five seasons. Josh Damir won the 300 hurdles and Seth Bruxvoort and Isaiah Bowsher placed first and second in the 3,200. The 800 relay of Jojo Bork, Jaden Johnson, Damir and Josiah Bowsher shattered the 1A state meet record of 1:33.25 with a time of 1:33.08.
Heather Graham of Genoa-Hugo (40-5) won the shot put with a great throw.
Shining Mountain junior Emma Schaefer claimed the 1,600 (5:32) and 3,200 crowns (12:24).
Erik Enriquez-Acosta, a senior from Idalia, won the 400 (50.05) and 800 (2:00.87). He finished first or second all four years at state in the two-lapper. His teammate, senior Alex Weyerman (9-8), claimed the girls pole vault crown.
Lake City swept the boys (8:39) and girls (10:49) 3,200 relays.
The Springfield girls claimed their first state championship in any girls sport with 73.5 points. They won both the sprint medley relay (1:54.59 with Julia Mondragon, Ally Loflin, Audrey Rau, and Tatelyn Lasley) and 800 relay (1:49.81 with Mondragon, Lasley, Rau, and Kylie Parks). Springfield has a youthful group that could make another run next season.
DeBeque junior Jentry Largent doubled up on crowns in the 100 and 200, while also anchoring a 400 relay that shattered the 1A record with a time of 51.41.
Prairie senior Emily Kaiser was tremendous in the long jump (first) and triple jump (34-8.50, 1A state meet record).
Bowman Ellis, a senior for Springfield, won the 100 (11.34) and 200 (22.94).
Kiowa senior Melanie Deering ran away with titles in the 400 (59.23) and 800 (2:22).
Pawnee teammates Drew Ellis (20-5) and Bryce Schnug (19-9) swept gold and silver in long jump.
COLORADO SPRINGS — Cheyenne Mountain coach Elgin Fitzgerald issued Harrison a challenge. If the 3-pointers fall, the Panthers had a chance.
But they didn’t. And Cheyenne Mountain allowed next to nothing to convert inside as the No. 30 Indians came away with a 65-41 win in the first round of the Class 4A state boys basketball tournament.
“We knew that they were really good at driving to the basket,” Fitzgerald said. “They have really quick guards and we knew we had to keep them in front of us. Our game plan was to make them knock down some outside shots. They did, but I think they were colder than I think they have been recently.”
As a team, No. 35 Harrison (12-12 overall) could only knock down five shots from behind the arc. And with Cheyenne Mountain forward Luke Martin dominating down low defensively, the Panthers mustered a season-low 41 points in their first playoff game since 2011.
“Their length kind of bothered us,” Harrison coach Orlando Sanchez said. “I give all the credit to (Cheyenne Mountain). They played a good, smart game. They took us out of ours and we couldn’t run. I’m proud of Cheyenne Mountain.”
Offensively, the Indians (9-15) were calm, cool and collected. They built a 25-17 lead at halftime and when the Panthers came out pressing to start the third quarter, there was no worry or panic.
They kept finding themselves in position to knock down shots or make their way to the free throw line. Will Louis, who led all scorers with 20, sank two free throws to push the lead to 35-20. Nicholas Bassett followed that up with a 3-pointer from the corner, forcing a Harrison timeout and sending the Cheyenne Mountain students into a frenzy.
“Nobody in school thought we were going to win this,” Louis said. “It’s nice to get this win. We kind of prepared for (their press). A lot of teams in our league run that diamond press which is a 1-2-2 matchup. Lewis-Palmer runs it, Vista Ridge runs it, so we’ve seen it all year.”
And without the scoring numbers that the Panthers were used to getting from Orlando Westbrook and Quinzel Harding, it proved to be too difficult to claw back into the game.
But as Sanchez walked out of the locker room, he took pride in getting a team that hadn’t known how to succeed since 2011 into a postseason bracket.
“They weren’t well-coached for a lot of years,” Sanchez said. “There was a lot of turnaround for these young men. For them to fight the way they did, I’m so proud of my seniors especially, the way they fought and the way they stuck together.”
It was a momentous occasion for Cheyenne Mountain as well. The school hasn’t made the playoffs since the Indians reached the 4A Final 4 in 2014. To get back into the playoffs and to get the win is something this team will never forget.
“We’re still really young,” Ryan Wallis said. “We’re still just juniors and sophomores so we’ll look to make another run next year.”
Not that they’re counting on this year ending soon. Everyone in the Cheyenne Mountain area knows the story of the semifinal run three years ago.
Fitzgerald is looking forward to seeing his guys start a brand new chapter in the school’s basketball history books.
“We have a young team and a ton of youth in the program,” he said. “We’ve had to battle some injuries and some other things this year so the next guy has had to step up. We have plenty of guys who are ready to step up next year and the year after that.”
