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.
When the CHSAA boys basketball record book got updated two weeks ago, it provided a reminder of some memorable performances that fans saw throughout the year. It also provided fitting ends for some of the best basketball players to come through the state.
There were top performances from both individual players and overall teams that stand out for years down the road.
There were standout defensive numbers combined with plenty of offensive output that makes the last boys basketball season one to remember.
[divider]
Mancos’ Caden Showalter ended his career as one of the most efficient players in state history. At the conclusion of this last year, he totaled 58 career double-doubles, besting Colorado Springs Christian’s Sam Howard by five.
A few other players broke into the top 10 of the same category. Pomona’s Trevor Baskin ended with 38 to finish 10th with Mile High Academy’s Blake Essex coming in for a tie at eighth with 40.
Vanguard’s Dominique Clifford finished fifth in career double-doubles with 43. He had 24 this last season which is second most in a single season. The University of Colorado commit’s career was capped with several notable spots in the record book.
He finished third in career rebounds in the state tournament (109), fifth in career triple-doubles (3), sixth in rebounds in a single state tournament (51) and second in triple-doubles for a year (2).
[divider]
From a percentage standpoint, no one had a better free throw shooting year than DSST: Byers’ Kyrie Thomas. He made his way to the line 84 times and sank 79 shots to shoot 94.048 percent, the best season for anyone with at least 50 attempts.
He also knocked down 30 consecutive free throws during the season, the fourth longest streak in state history.
[divider]
(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Conifer’s Landon Wallace will always hold a place in state history as one of the top all-time assists men. He cracked the top five in career assists with 697 and dished out 239 in 2019-20 alone, fifth most in a single year.
In 2018-19, he dished out 256 which is the second most in state history.
From a team standpoint, Resurrection Christian made its mark as one of the most unselfish teams on record. The Cougars recorded 569 assists this year, No. 3 on the all-time list. Denver East (550) and Highland (533) also cracked into the top 10 of the category.
Peaking of Highland, Tate Bessire had another season in which he finished top 10 in a single season in steals with 128. He finished his career with 392, which is second most all-time.
Sterling and Mead turned in some of the best long-range shooting seasons on record. The Tigers set a state record for most 3-pointers made by a team in a single season at 272. That tops Eagle Calley’s 2017-18 mark of 268. Mead ended the season with a respectable 237 made 3-pointers, fifth most all-time.
[divider]
Notables
Loveland’s Austin Bierhaus recorded 13 blocks in a Dec. 20 win over Northridge. It’s tied for fifth most in a game by a single player. He finished with 162 for the season which is No. 4 in the category. The team overall had 201 blocks, eighth most all-time for a team.
Lutheran’s Baye Fall scored 456 points last season which is seventh most for a freshman.
Longmont Christian’s Kyle Saunders recorded 144 steals, fourth most in a single season for any player.
Sheridan’s David Marquez III ended his career as one of the most efficient 3-point shooters in state history. His 48.052 career percentage from behind the arc is No. 9 in the category. He shot 56.923 percent from long range last year for the seventh best season on record.
Chaparral guard Kobe Sanders was never shy about firing up shots. His 613 career 3-point attempts are 10th most in state history.
Dawson’s Riley Burridge and Peak to Peak’s Garrett Shriver each attempted 21 3-pointers in a game this last year, tied for third most. In all, Burridge fired up 265 shots from long range, the sixth most in a single season. He made 97 of them, tying him for No. 8 in a single season with Rye’s Bryan Ribaudo and Fossil Ridge’s Braxton Bertolette.
Sedgwick County ended the years as the toughest team to ever score against in Colorado history. The Cougars gave up just 34 points per game, the best points against average of all-time.
Highland attempted 1,804 field goals last year, more than any other team in state history. It made 852 of them which is also more than any team before it. The Huskies scored a total of 2,155 points, seventh most for a single team, and averaged 86.2 per game, second most all-time.
Kit Carson has taken over as the top-ranked team in Class 1A boys basketball this week.
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.
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
First-place votes are in parentheses.
Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Rangeview (11)
21-0
128
1
3-0
2
Grandview (2)
16-5
103
2
1-1
3
Cherry Creek
17-4
88
4
3-0
4
Ralston Valley
18-3
80
5
2-0
5
Smoky Hill
17-4
79
3
3-0
6
Fairview
17-3
67
6
2-0
7
Columbine
17-3
48
7
2-0
8
Valor Christian
15-6
42
8
3-0
9
Boulder
18-3
29
9
3-0
10
Chaparral
15-6
21
10
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Eaglecrest 17, Denver East 8, Pine Creek 5.
Dropped out
None.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Mead (12)
20-1
120
1
3-0
2
Longmont
18-3
91
3
3-0
3
Northfield
17-4
89
2
1-1
4
Cheyenne Mountain
20-1
83
4
3-0
5
Glenwood Springs
18-3
59
6
3-0
6
Golden
15-6
56
7
1-0
7
Harrison
15-4
55
5
1-1
8
Skyline
16-5
23
–
2-0
9
Pueblo West
15-6
18
8
2-1
10
Erie
16-4
16
9
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Montrose 14, Pueblo East 12, Green Mountain 10, Thomas Jefferson 9, Silver Creek 5.
Dropped out
Montrose (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Resurrection Christian (15)
18-0
167
1
3-0
2
Lutheran (1)
16-2
152
2
1-0
3
Sterling
16-3
125
3
2-0
4
The Vanguard School
16-1
113
4
3-0
5
Faith Christian
15-3
107
5
2-0
6
DSST: Byers (1)
16-1
56
7
2-0
7
Alamosa
15-4
53
10
2-0
8
Manitou Springs
15-3
43
9
2-0
9
Eaton
15-3
38
8
2-0
10
Centauri
16-2
37
6
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Gunnison 14, DSST: College View 6, Manual 6, DSST: Montview 5, St. Mary’s 3, University 3, Coal Ridge 2, Eagle Ridge 2, Jefferson Academy 2, DSST: Green Valley Ranch 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Highland (14)
16-1
149
1
2-0
2
Yuma (1)
15-2
133
2
2-0
3
Limon
16-2
109
4
3-0
4
Fowler
16-2
94
5
2-0
5
Denver Christian
13-3
79
3
0-1
6
Ignacio
14-2
66
6
2-0
7
Mancos
14-3
55
7
2-0
8
Sedgwick County
17-1
51
8
2-0
9
Sanford
13-4
31
9
1-0
10
Crested Butte
15-2
23
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Vail Christian 21, Holly 7, Wray 4, Dawson School 1, Heritage Christian 1, Peyton 1.
When asked, Mead boys basketball coach Darin Reese doesn’t need to think to recall his team’s leading scorer this year.
It’s Trey Ward at 15.2 points per game.
It’s curious, because the number itself isn’t overly flashy. It doesn’t scream that Ward is a dominant player for Class 4A’s top-ranked hoops squad.
But Reese knows it. And right after that, he’ll start rattling off names of other kids and how they stand out on the team.
“Will Maher, JP Shiers and Elijah Knudson are all big-time contributors as well,” Reese says. “They added some real depth.”
That’s what he loves about his roster. This team acts like a team. Not to say that no other team in the state does, but as the Mavericks (19-1 overall, 13-0 Tri-Valley) continue to win game after game, it’s very apparent that the team-first approach that that they’ve taken is generating the desired results.
“We go nine deep and there’s not a lot of drop-off,” Reese said. “Our seniors have experienced high-level games and some great atmospheres and the added depth we’ve gained this year has become a big separator for us.”
Mead opened the season at the Paul Davis Classic at Green Mountain and dropped its season opener 94-91 to Palmer in overtime. Since then they haven’t lost. And they’ve played at a level that forced voters to make them the No. 1 team in the state a couple weeks ago, taking the top spot away from then-undefeated Cheyenne Mountain. Cheyenne Mountain has since lost its first game of the year, validating the Mavericks’ spot as the top team in the classification.
A big catalyst behind their rise is the play of the veterans like Ward. Maher is second on the team with 13.7 points per game and Nick Jacobs is also scoring in double figures.
“Our senior guards either started as sophomores or saw big minutes,” Reese said. “Last year they all started and again this year. That’s our number one this is our senior leadership.”
Reese is able to blend some youth in with his veterans and each game, it’s hard not to notice Shiers, who towers everyone at 6-foot-11. He pulls down nearly seven rebounds a game and is good for at least one blocked shot.
As the regular season heads into its final week, Reese and his boys are all excited about what the postseason will bring. Perhaps one of the most underrated factors in this team is that it made a bit of a run last year, falling to Holy Family in the 4A Great 8.
“The playoff game at Holy Family, that atmosphere was as good as it gets,” Reese said. “Having been there and been through that gives me and gives them a lot of confidence moving forward.”
The Mavericks got a taste of vengeance on Jan. 23 by beating the Tigers at home. They’ll meet again in the regular season finale on Feb. 21.
Mead swept the regular season series last year before falling to Holy Family on the road in the playoffs. This year’s team is different and will the unselfishness that it employs, it is emerging as one of the favorite to claim a state title.
But in order to get it done, Reese knows that his team has to rely on something they bring to the court on a regular basis that can’t be seen on a MaxPreps statsheet.
“You can see our balance,” Reese said. “But that really does make us who we are is the unselfish way we play. On any given night we can have up to four, five or six guys score 20 points. It’s that type of team.”
The type of team that fans get excited to see in a playoff atmosphere. And the wait for that experience is almost over.
Four new teams joined this week’s boys basketball rankings: Columbine (5A), Chaparral (5A), Erie (4A) and Alamosa (3A).
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.
Mead has moved up to the No. 1 spot in this week’s Class 4A boys basketball rankings.
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.
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
First-place votes are in parentheses.
Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Rangeview (14)
17-0
140
1
2-0
2
Grandview
13-4
105
3
2-0
3
Ralston Valley
15-2
102
5
2-0
4
Smoky Hill
13-4
77
2
0-2
5
Fairview
15-3
75
6
2-0
6
Cherry Creek
13-4
66
7
2-0
7
Boulder
14-3
43
9
2-0
8
Valor Christian
11-6
38
8
1-1
9
Eaglecrest
12-5
33
4
1-1
10
Denver East
15-2
27
–
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Legend 20, Columbine 15, Pine Creek 10, Chaparral 9, Mountain Vista 9, Overland 1.
Dropped out
Columbine (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Mead (6)
17-1
105
2
2-0
2
Cheyenne Mountain (5)
17-0
97
1
2-0
3
Longmont
14-2
91
3
2-0
4
Northfield
14-3
72
4
2-0
5
Pueblo West
12-5
43
5
1-1
6
Glenwood Springs
14-3
42
6
2-0
7
Harrison
13-3
36
7
2-0
8
Golden
12-6
29
9
2-0
9
Montrose
15-3
20
8
2-0
10
Green Mountain
13-4
19
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Erie 18, Thomas Jefferson 15, Centaurus 8, Lincoln 8, Pueblo East 1, Silver Creek 1.
Dropped out
Thomas Jefferson (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Resurrection Christian (14)
13-0
158
1
1-0
2
Lutheran (1)
12-2
130
2
2-0
3
Sterling
12-2
119
4
2-0
4
The Vanguard School
13-1
103
3
3-0
5
Faith Christian
12-3
93
5
2-0
6
Centauri
13-1
72
6
0-1
7
DSST: Byers (1)
12-1
61
7
2-0
8
Eaton
13-2
52
8
2-0
9
Manitou Springs
12-2
41
9
2-0
10
University
12-3
16
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Gunnison 12, Alamosa 11, Jefferson Academy 6, DSST: Green Valley Ranch 3, St. Mary’s 2, Englewood 1.
Dropped out
Englewood (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Highland (11)
11-1
182
1
1-0
2
Yuma (8)
12-1
166
2
2-0
3
Limon
11-2
122
4
2-0
4
Denver Christian
11-2
115
3
2-0
5
Ignacio
10-1
107
5
0-0
6
Fowler
12-2
89
7
2-0
7
Sanford
11-3
75
8
2-0
8
Mancos
10-3
62
6
1-0
9
Sedgwick County
13-1
45
9
2-1
10
Vail Christian
10-2
30
10
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Holly 18, Vail Mountain 7, Dawson School 6, Wray 5, Heritage Christian 4, Dolores Huerta Prep 3, Front Range Christian 2, Crowley County 1, Dayspring Christian 1.
Seven new teams joined this week’s boys basketball rankings: Cherry Creek (5A), Valor Christian (5A), Boulder (5A), Glenwood Springs (4A), Thomas Jefferson (4A), Manitou Springs (3A) and Sanford (2A).
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.
Highland has moved up to the No. 1 spot in this week’s Class 2A boys basketball poll.
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.
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
First-place votes are in parentheses.
Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Rangeview (14)
13-0
149
1
2-0
2
Denver East
12-0
105
4
2-0
3
Eaglecrest (1)
11-2
100
2
1-1
4
Smoky Hill
11-2
99
3
1-1
5
Grandview
9-4
81
6
2-0
6
Ralston Valley
12-2
66
9
3-0
7
Fairview
11-3
64
7
3-0
8
Columbine
10-2
60
5
1-1
9
Chaparral
9-5
28
10
2-0
10
Pine Creek
11-2
17
–
3-1
Others receiving votes:
Cherry Creek 16, Legend 14, Doherty 6, Highlands Ranch 5, Overland 5, Arapahoe 2, Boulder 2, Mountain Vista 2, Valor Christian 2, ThunderRidge 1, Vista Peak Prep 1.
Dropped out
Arapahoe (8).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Cheyenne Mountain (7)
12-0
114
1
3-0
2
Mead (4)
12-1
112
2
3-0
3
Longmont (1)
10-2
83
7
2-0
4
Northfield
10-3
67
6
1-0
5
Harrison
9-2
62
3
1-1
6
Pueblo West
9-4
57
4
1-2
7
Golden
9-5
29
5
1-2
8
Erie
10-3
23
8
2-1
9
Green Mountain
9-4
20
10
1-1
10
Montrose
11-3
16
–
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Thomas Jefferson 14, Glenwood Springs 13, Lincoln 13, Skyline 13, Pueblo East 7, Centaurus 4, The Classical Academy 4, Evergreen 2, Ponderosa 2, Silver Creek 2, Frederick 1, Lewis-Palmer 1, Widefield 1.
Dropped out
Lewis-Palmer (9).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Resurrection Christian (16)
10-0
177
1
2-0
2
The Vanguard School
8-1
123
5
2-0
3
Sterling
9-1
122
3
2-0
4
Lutheran
7-2
118
2
1-0
5
Faith Christian
9-2
107
4
2-0
6
Centauri (2)
11-0
100
6
2-0
7
DSST: Byers
8-1
56
7
2-1
8
Eaton
10-1
41
10
2-0
9
University
9-2
36
8
1-1
10
Englewood
8-0
35
–
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Manitou Springs 23, Gunnison 10, DSST: Green Valley Ranch 8, St. Mary’s 8, Jefferson Academy 6, Manual 5, Montezuma-Cortez 5, Colorado Academy 4, Jefferson 3, Strasburg 3.
A total of eight new teams joined this week’s basketball rankings: Chaparral (5A), Longmont (4A), Erie (4A), St. Mary’s (3A), Sedgwick County (2A), Ouray (1A), Caliche (1A) and Mile High Academy (1A).
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.
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
First-place votes are in parentheses.
Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Rangeview (11)
11-0
137
1
2-0
2
Eaglecrest (1)
10-1
118
2
2-0
3
Smoky Hill (2)
10-1
105
4
2-0
4
Denver East
10-0
94
3
2-0
5
Columbine
9-1
86
5
3-0
6
Grandview
7-4
51
6
1-1
7
Fairview
8-3
35
9
1-0
8
Arapahoe
9-2
30
7
2-1
9
Ralston Valley
9-2
27
8
2-1
10
Chaparral
7-5
20
–
2-1
Others receiving votes:
Legend 16, Cherry Creek 13, Vista Peak Prep 12, Pine Creek 8, Doherty 6, Overland 6, Mountain Vista 2, Rock Canyon 2, ThunderRidge 1, Valor Christian 1.
Dropped out
Overland (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Cheyenne Mountain (7)
9-0
118
1
2-0
2
Mead (4)
9-1
117
2
3-0
3
Harrison
8-1
111
4
3-0
4
Pueblo West (3)
8-2
98
7
1-0
5
Golden
8-3
67
5
2-1
6
Northfield
9-3
55
8
1-1
7
Longmont
8-2
45
–
2-0
8
Erie
8-2
30
–
2-0
9
Lewis-Palmer
6-4
24
6
1-2
10
Green Mountain
8-3
23
3
1-2
Others receiving votes:
Lincoln 22, Centaurus 10, Montrose 9, The Classical Academy 9, Coronado 7, Discovery Canyon 6, Wheat Ridge 4, Pueblo East 3, Canon City 2, Frederick 2, Mitchell 2, Ponderosa 2, Air Academy 1, Evergreen 1, Glenwood Springs 1, Thomas Jefferson 1.
Dropped out
Lincoln (9), Centaurus (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Resurrection Christian (17)
8-0
179
1
1-0
2
Lutheran
6-2
138
2
2-0
3
Sterling
7-1
133
3
2-0
4
Faith Christian
7-2
105
4
2-0
5
The Vanguard School
6-1
103
5
2-0
6
Centauri
9-0
84
6
0-0
7
DSST: Byers (1)
6-0
65
8
2-0
8
University
8-1
45
9
2-0
9
St. Mary’s
8-1
33
–
2-0
10
Eaton
8-1
26
10
0-0
Others receiving votes:
Gunnison 23, Manual 22, Englewood 19, DSST: Green Valley Ranch 4, Jefferson Academy 4, Colorado Academy 3, Coal Ridge 2, Lamar 1, Montezuma-Cortez 1.
Dropped out
Manual (7).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Yuma (11)
6-1
143
1
1-0
2
Highland (4)
7-1
139
2
2-0
3
Fowler
6-2
96
4
1-0
4
Denver Christian
5-2
90
9
2-0
5
Ignacio
6-1
80
5
2-1
6
Limon
5-2
62
3
1-1
7
Mancos
5-2
56
8
1-0
8
Vail Christian
5-1
32
6
1-1
9
Holly
7-2
28
7
1-1
10
Sedgwick County
7-0
27
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Heritage Christian 17, Sanford 17, Dawson School 14, Union Colony Prep 7, Wray 5, Center 4, Peyton 4, Wiggins 2, Crested Butte 1, Crowley County 1.
