LAKEWOOD — In track, one relay leg can make a difference.
On Friday at the state track and field championships at Jefferson County Stadium, Nicole Montgomery was the difference between ninth place and a state meet record.
The Lewis-Palmer senior, a sprint dynamo, got the baton for the 400 anchor leg of the 800-meter medley relay and took the Rangers from last to first in the Class 4A championship finals. They were ninth, but ended up winning with a classification record of 1:45.06, inching past Harrison’s 1:45.38 at the state meet in 2014. Montgomery split 53 seconds.
“I’m definitely overjoyed right now,” she said. “It was just such a fun race. I’ve never had a group of girls that I’ve wanted to run for so much.”
Montgomery, the two-time defending 4A champion in the 400-meter dash and a one-time champ in the 200, has tasted plenty of individual success. But, she wanted to share it with her teammates.
“It’s definitely a lot more special,” she said, when asked how the relay title compared to her other crowns. “This group of girls deserved it. Last year I was pulled out of the medley, because my coach wanted me to focus on the 400. It was so much fun for me to be a part of that.”
Maddi Smith, Emily Roma, and Laura Still were part of the winning medley relay for Lewis-Palmer. Thompson Valley was the runner-up in 1:46.74.
On the first day of championship finals for sprint relays, records were shattered.
Springfield boys broke the 1A state meet record in the 800-meter relay with a 1:33.25. Plateau Valley girls set a new 1A best in the 800 medley relay with a 1:53.90.
In 2A, Cedaredge girls blew past the classification record in the 400 relay with a 49.71, the first 2A team to ever run sub-50 seconds. Paonia had a 2A best time of 1:45.03 in the 800 relay.
No relay records were broken in 3A on Friday, but in 5A, Denver East and Mountain Range both shattered the 800 medley state meet record. The East Angels won the crown in 1:43.31 and the Mustangs were the runner-up in 1:43.74.
Oh, and another one of those special talents, Ally Watt of Pine Creek, helped the Eagles defend their 800 relay crown in 5A with a sizzling 1:38.03, clear of Cherokee Trail’s 1:39.94.
Fountain-Fort Carson boys won the 5A 800 relay in 1:26.82, the first of what could be three relay championships over the weekend. The Trojans are favorites in the 400 relay and co-favorites with Smoky Hill in the 1,600 relay on Saturday.
Valor Christian boys cruised 1:26.31 to earn the 4A crown in the 800 relay, another standout performance, and Niwot girls posted a new 4A state meet record in the same event with a 1:41.13.
Relays didn’t exactly disappoint on the second day of the track and field state championships.
Expect more of the same Saturday as more individuals and relays will be crowned and team champions will be decided. The meet begins at 9:30 am with the 100-meter hurdle finals for every classification.
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Other notable performances:
Palmer Ridge boys won 4A in the 1,600 prelims with a blistering 3:17.36. The Bears are looking poised to defend their team championship.
Rylee Anderson, a freshman at Silver Creek, won the 4A high jump with a mark of 5-05.
Sangre de Cristo’s Jenna McKinley broke the 1A state record in the shot put with a 41-8.5 and earned her first state championship.
Merino’s Jorden Jole won a thrilling 800-meter race in 2A in 1:58.64 over Evan Anderson of Resurrection Christian (1:58.85).
Burlington’s Ellie Berry (128-03) and Miryah Jones (127-02) placed first and second in the 2A discus.
Ben Butler of Skyview Academy, the 3A cross country champion last fall, won his first title on the track with the 3,200 crown in 9:25. Butler is a junior.
Eaton excelled in the 3A field events in winning the boys discus (Garrett Coalson, 163-03) and the girls shot put (Tarynn Sieg, 43-05.25).
Marcelo Laguera of Pomona won the 5A 3,200 in 9:24, his first state championship in track. He won 5A cross country last fall.
Shayna Yon (first, 18-09.25) and Sydnee Larkin (second, 18-02.75), a Cherokee Trail tandem, dominated the 5A long jump.
Kent Denver is moving on to the Class 3A girls soccer semifinals. They were able to sneak by Peak to Peak with a 2-1 victory, setting up a rematch with league foe Colorado Academy.
The fourth-seeded Sun Devils got on the board in the 22nd minute with a goal from Peyton Brophy to take a 1-0 lead a score that held up until halftime.
The convincing win sets up a rematch with Kent Denver in the semifinals. Colorado Academy won the first meeting, 2-1.
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(3) Jefferson Academy 3, (6) Frontier Academy 2
At Jefferson Academy: This game couldn’t be decided in 80 minutes. The teams found themselves locked in a 1-1 tie at halftime, with Jefferson Academy taking a 2-1 lead in the second half.
However, the Wolverines wouldn’t give in and they were able to tie the game, sending it to overtime.
But it was just a minute in that the Jaguars found the net, earning a bid into the semifinals.
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(2) The Academy 1, (10) SkyView Academy 0
At The Academy: The Wildcats took advantage of their home field, winning a nail-biter to send them into the 3A semifinals.
Smoky Hill’s Blake Yount wins the boys 800-meter run. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)
LITTLETON — Colorado has a long-standing tradition of producing excellent girls distance runners.
But the recent group of transcendent stars, equally capable in cross country and track, make a case as the greatest high schoolers to ever run on Colorado soil.
Just look at the past three weekends.
On April 10 at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational in California, Fort Collins sophomore phenom Lauren Gregory ran a 4:48 in the mile, good for fourth place in the race and sixth place in the country. But Gregory was only third among competitors from her own state. Cherry Creek senior Jordyn Colter won in a national-best 4:45, while Air Academy junior Katie Rainsberger placed third in the race in the fourth best time in America, 4:47.
If that’s not enough to impress you, consider Colter broke the Colorado record in the 800-meter run with a 2:05.48 at the Stutler Bowl Twilight Invite on Friday, smashing Tara Mendozza’s 2:07.53, set in 1999. Colter is now number one in the country in the 800, as well.
The Liberty Bell Invitational, hosted by Heritage High School at Littleton Public School Stadium on Friday and Saturday, followed suit with some eye-popping times.
Gregory, already a three-time individual state champion in cross country and track, came within shouting distance of setting a Colorado record in the 3,200 on Friday with a ridiculous time of 10:25. Her winning margin was 39 seconds over Denver North’s Kayla Young (11:04) and Legacy’s Emma Gee (11:06), standout runners in their own right.
The all-time best is 10:17, set by Niwot’s Elise Cranny at the 4A state championships a year ago. Cranny recently broke the American junior record in the indoor 3,000 meters as a freshman at Stanford, so it’s fair to say Gregory is in good company. The sophomore broke the Fort Collins’ school record and the meet record and now boasts the best time on Colorado soil this spring by 28 seconds over Rainsberger.
Air Academy’s Katie Rainsberger. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)
Not to be outdone, though, Rainsberger cruised to a comfortable victory in the 1,600-meter run on Saturday with a 4:56. She was a mere four seconds off the meet record and won by 16 seconds over Fort Collins’ Devynn Miller.
Count Rainsberger as one of those who embraces the competition.
“I think it’s always awesome when Colorado girls go out and represent,” she said. “It’s kind of a pride thing.”
That being said, Rainsberger shies away from comparisons between her, Gregory, and Colter — the elite trio.
“I think it’s hard to compare yourself to someone, because you are all at different points, but I definitely look up to them,” she added. “I aspire to run 2:05 or 10:25. I don’t necessarily compare myself to them, but I admire them. We’re all really good friends too.”
The girls distance events at Liberty Bell were exceptional all around as 25 young ladies broke 12 minutes in the 3,200 and Fort Collins’ Becca Schulte won a stacked 800 in 2:14. Shining Mountain’s Ginger Hutton, a 1A competitor, ran an 11:28 in the 3,200 Friday and came back to get second place in the two-lapper in 2:15.
On the boys side of things, SkyView Academy’s Ben Butler handled a worthy 3,200 field with a time of 9:23. The 3A runner ranks second for all classifications in the event.
Regis Jesuit’s Javan Lanier ran the second quickest time in all classifications himself in the 100 meter dash in 10.73. Four others broke 11 seconds.
Pine Creek’s Dionne Taylor won the high jump with a mark of 6-8. Trevor Rex of Highlands Ranch also went 6-8, but in more attempts.
Castle View’s Mackenzie Pettit broke the meet record in the girl high jump, clearing 5-7.
Gateway’s Mike Ware (48.25) and Lakewood sophomore Brock Miller (48.99) impressed in the 400 meter dash.
Fountain-Fort Carson boys, speaking to their dominance in 2015, won the 4×100-meter relay in a time of 41.64 — a new best mark in the state — the 4×200 relay in 1:27.99, the 4×400 relay in 3:26, and the 4×800 relay in 7:59. Entering the weekend, the Trojans were ranked No. 1 in 5A in all four relays.
They are the heavy favorites to defend their team crown.
Dylan Day, a future Ole Miss Rebel and one of the cogs in the Trojan machine, placed third in the 3,200 (9:40), second in the 1,600 (4:23), and ran a leg on that winning 4×800. The senior says one of Fountain-Fort Carson’s goals is to dominate the relays at Jeffco Stadium.
“I don’t know if it’s ever happened before, but we would like to win all four relays at state,” Day said. “That would be one of the best ways to end my senior year.”
Smoky Hill senior Blake Yount, a 1:51.63 runner in the 800 a season ago — the state record — crushed the field Saturday with a 1:52.61. That’s the new No. 1 in 5A in 2015 and should give him the top seed at the state meet.
Fort Collins girls pushed past fellow 5A title favorites Pine Creek to win the Liberty Bell Invite as a team. Fountain-Fort Carson, as expected, were the boys champions.
There was a lot of shakeup to the 5A rankings, including Mountain Vista’s rise to No. 2 after beating last week’s No. 2 Rock Canyon.
Grandview also made a big jump in going from No. 8 to No. 4.
Other newcomers this week include No. 9 Cheyenne Mountain and No. 10 Littleton in 4A; and No. 9 Middle Park in 3A.
A week after three new No. 1 teams dotted the rankings, all four top teams held firm in their respective classifications. Those are ThunderRidge (5A), Evergreen (4A), Colorado Academy (3A) and Front Range Christian (2A).
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association.
Monarch 12, Mountain Range 9, Regis Jesuit 9, Cherry Creek 6, Doherty 5, Denver East 4, Brighton 3, Ralston Valley 2, Prairie View 1, Smoky Hill 1.
Dropped out:
Fairview (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Evergreen (11)
10-0-0
119
1
1-0-0
2
The Classical Academy (1)
10-0-0
106
2
1-0-0
3
Lewis-Palmer
8-1-1
86
3
1-0-0
4
Valor Christian
9-1-1
80
4
1-0-1
5
Mullen
7-1-0
68
5
0-1-0
6
Wheat Ridge
8-2-1
51
6
0-1-0
7
Windsor
8-1-0
39
7
1-0-0
8
Battle Mountain
10-1-0
27
8
0-0-0
9
Cheyenne Mountain
5-5-1
22
–
2-0-0
10
Littleton
7-4-0
16
–
1-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Niwot 10, Ponderosa 10, Palmer Ridge 8, Weld Central 4, Discovery Canyon 2, Elizabeth 2, John F. Kennedy 2, Palisade 2, Standley Lake 2, Durango 1, Holy Family 1, Pueblo Centennial 1, Thompson Valley 1.
Dropped out:
Niwot (9), Silver Creek (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Colorado Academy (10)
9-1-0
118
1
1-0-0
2
Jefferson Academy (1)
9-0-0
98
2
2-0-0
3
The Academy (1)
10-0-0
95
3
1-0-0
4
Kent Denver
7-2-1
82
4
2-0-0
5
Liberty Common
8-1-0
61
5
1-0-0
6
Peak to Peak
4-4-1
41
8
1-1-0
7
St. Mary’s
6-3-0
40
6
1-1-0
8
Coal Ridge
8-3-0
30
9
2-0-0
9
Middle Park
7-0-0
25
–
1-0-0
10
SkyView Academy
6-2-0
19
10
1-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Machebeuf 13, Faith Christian 8, Frontier Academy 5, St. Mary’s Academy 5, Alamosa 4, Aspen 3, Fountain Valley 3, Salida 3, Sterling 3, Manitou Springs 2, CS Christian 1, Trinidad 1.
Behind them, Broomfield rose to No. 3, Mountain Vista is fourth and Rocky Mountain rounds out the top five. There were no new teams to this week’s 5A poll.
Evergreen takes over the 4A ranking with eight of the 12 first-place votes. The Classical Academy, last week’s No. 1, got the other four votes. Both teams are 9-0-0.
There was a lot of movement in 4A, which also added No. 7 Windsor, No. 9 Niwot and No. 10 Silver Creek.
Front Range Christian, meanwhile, regained its spot atop 2A following a 2-1 win over then-No. 1 Denver Christian.
DC fell to No. 3. Vail Mountain is second.
In 3A, Colorado Academy is the lone No. 1 team to hold its spot from last week. That ranking added SkyView Academy at No. 10.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association.
COLORADO SPRINGS – Once again, Paul Roberts had no peers at the Class 2A state cross country meet.
The junior won his third title in a row with a dominating 16.131-second time, which also was a new 2A record at the 3.2-mile course at the Norris Penrose Event Center.
(Tracy Renck/CHSAANow.com)
“There really wasn’t any more pressure on me this year,” Roberts said. “I’ve been here before and our team just needed to come out here and race well. We wanted to come out here and take care of business, that was our goal, and that’s what we did.”
Corey Lewenkamp of Custer County Central was second at 17:02.30.
“My coaches said to sit with the pack a little bit for the first mile and just make sure you get to the top of the hill feeling good,” Roberts said. “Then they said go as hard as I could that last half. I felt like everybody on our team went out and did that.”
Roberts’ effort powered Lyons to its third state title in a row. Roberts’ teammate Matt Dillon was fifth.
Roberts acknowledged he has already been thinking about what it would mean to be a four-time Colorado state cross country champion.
“My goal since I was an eighth grader was to win four high school state championships,” Roberts said. “That’s a goal I want to reach.”
In the Class 4A race, Palmer Ridge also doubled its pleasure.
Eric Hamer, a senior, claimed his inaugural state title with a Class 4A record time of 16.17.7 seconds on the challenging course.
“It wasn’t my plan, I just wanted to go out and run the best that I could,” Hammer said about setting a new record. “This was about me doing my part and it feels great to help the team win. My coaches were yelling at me how much do you want second place to have to earn it. So, I just ran as fast as I could.”
Cheyenne Mountain’s William Mayhew, a fellow senior, was second at 16:49.7.
Thanks to Hamer’s victory the Bears won the team title with 94 points, this was their first state boys cross country title since the school opened six years ago. Niwot was second in the team race with 106 points.
“My coaches had a vision for me to win state and I accomplished this goal,” said Hamer, who was sixth a year ago.
Like Hamer, SkyView Academy’s Ben Butler also won the 3A race in a class record-breaking fashion with a 16.18.20-second performance.
“That’s awesome,” Butler said after he was informed he set a 3A record. “The preparation was there, but the difference was I came in here with the thought of winning in my mind. I wanted to stay humble, but at the same time I wanted to believe it was possible and it happened for me.”
Butler, a junior, finished fourth in the 2A state race last year. SkyView Academy is based in Highlands Ranch.
(Tracy Renck/CHSAANow.com)
The 5A race didn’t see any records get broken, but that didn’t dampen the excitement of Pomona’s Marcelo Laguera.
The senior won his first state championship with a time of 16.19.40
“Last year my body broke down and I finished like 71st,” Laguera said. “I just worked really hard to get back here and to win state means everything. All those days of training and hard work I put in paid off. It is an amazing feeling.”
Laguera said he took the lead for good in the race at the 2-mile mark. Thornton’s Joshua Joseph was second at 16:42.8 seconds.
“This course was brutal and all that mattered was who got to the line first,” Laguera said.
Mountain Vista won the 5A boys team title with 114 points, followed by Fort Collins at 156 points.
The Classification and League Organizing Committee meeting was Tuesday. (Jenn Roberts-Uhlig/CHSAANow.com)
AURORA — Valor Christian’s athletic programs will reside in the Jefferson County League for the 2014-16 cycle.
The school, which is independent of a league during the current two-year cycle, had requested to join the Centennial League. And though the Centennial previously denied Valor’s request through a vote at a league meeting, there was still a chance that move would be approved at Tuesday’s Classification and League Organizing Committee (CLOC) meeting.
However, at the meeting, CLOC voted to not approve Valor’s move to the Centennial. Instead, through a 6-4 vote, it placed the Eagles in the Class 5A Jeffco League. Valor previously played in the 4A Jeffco from 2010-12. Their teams will continue to compete at the 4A level.
“That’s our job: to put them in a league. They had to be in a league,” CLOC chair Tom Arensdorf said after the meeting. “Every member has the right to be in a league after they’ve done their probationary period. They were not placed in a league two years ago … because basically their membership was in jeopardy. We felt it was best at that time not to put them in a league. No one wanted them, but the reasons for not wanting them were based on past issues that were pretty valid.
“In this past two-year cycle, Valor has done a lot of things to correct those issues. And they deserve to be placed in a league. That’s this committee’s job, to get them in a league.”
So Valor, finally, has a league for all of it’s sports — excepting football, which is still awaiting a conference. (That alignment will be finalized later in November.)
But that doesn’t mean it was easy.
(Jenn Roberts-Uhlig/CHSAANow.com)
Valor athletic director Rod Sherman spoke briefly at the meeting about the reasons his school sought to join the Centennial. He also said, in part, “We believe now is the time for Valor’s transition from an independent status to being a full-time member of a league. It would be an honor for us to be a member of the Centennial League; there’s much we can learn. We believe we have respected the process of being placed and we humbly request placement in the Centennial League.”
A long discussion ensued, with Centennial and Jeffco reps also speaking, and emphasizing Valor Christian’s private status. Then, CHSAA commissioner Paul Angelico spoke up.
“We’ve had a public-private school discussion going on for over two years now,” Angelico said. “I’m afraid I’m to blame for that because I wanted that to be an open and above-board discussion, rather than all the back-biting that was going on behind the scenes. If I would have known that it would have turned into this bickering that will never end, I think I would have stopped it … and not allowed it to start. There’s no end to this.
“A couple of points I need to make: There is no written or unwritten policy of any sort regarding public and private schools and league placement,” Angelico continued. “Secondly, in the last 24 months, I would say to you, that since that discussion started, it’s not the private schools I’m worried about. … The private school people have heard loudly your message of discontent. Their response has been one of that I can’t complain about. Whatever it takes to be above-board and avoid issues, they’re doing. That applies to Valor doubly. They’ve hired a consultant, they’ve done everything I’ve asked. To the point that last night, in our discussions, we talked about, ‘Well Valor had four ADs show up at the (All-School) Summit.’ I said, ‘Yeah, they did. I told them to, and they did what they were told.’
“I think we have our priorities goofed up and have kind of started turning around what we’re supposed to be about,” he added. “This isn’t a public/private school issue. I hear loudly that it’s an issue about unfair advantage or differences in schools. … Frankly, I would just like to get this conversation back to what it’s about: somebody needs a home. The fact that they’re a public or private school is not the reason you place them in a conference. Nor has it ever been. Let’s talk about what’s the best fit.
“The association has certainly survived with several public and private schools together in the same league. I just want to center this. This becomes a ‘Who can win the argument?’ not, ‘What’s the best thing?’ And I think we need to go back to what are we supposed to be doing here. The committee is charged with placing a school, and they will place a school, and they’ll have to do it to somebody’s chagrin.”
Shortly after, the committee broke into a private session, and then for lunch. When they came back, the vote on Valor request to join the Centennial League was quickly called. Three CLOC members abstained, three voted in favor of the request, and seven against.
Moments later, committee member Rich Wildenhaus from Erie proposed moving Valor to the 5A Jeffco League. There was no discussion from the audience, and the vote ended with six agreeing with the move, four against it and three abstaining. The entire process was swift.
(Jenn Roberts-Uhlig/CHSAANow.com)
“Honestly, that surprised me,” Arensdorf said afterward. “Over the last two days, we probably discussed this issue as a committee for three-and-a-half hours — because whatever decision was made by the committee was going to be unpopular with some schools and cause some angst within leagues. There is no perfect fit.
“We went through a process that, if the first request did not pass, we — as a committee, it’s our responsibility to come up with something before the end of the day. And different committee members had different proposals,” he continued. “I was surprised that we finished that quickly. And I was surprised there was no feedback from the floor when that proposal was made by Richie Wildenhaus. I didn’t know what to expect at that point, because, as a committee, no one felt comfortable with any solution. There were no solutions that were going to make everybody happy.
“But, in the end, it is what it is, and all these people are professionals and they’ll deal with what they have to deal with and hopefully make the best situation for all the kids that participate in those programs.”
Valor Christian did approach Jeffco about joining the league prior to the CLOC meeting. Jeffco has 5A and 4A leagues.
“Right now, the CLOC committee voted for them to be in 5A Jeffco. I think that discussion still needs to happen,” Jim Thyfault, Jefferson County’s district athletic director, and a member of CLOC, said after the meeting. “Since we do have a 4A option, I think that needs to be discussed.
“I respect Rod Sherman and the people at Valor, I really do. They were in our league before. And, you know what? We’ll all be very professional about it, and I’m sure they will be, too.”
CLOC’s actions on Tuesday still need to be confirmed by the Legislative Council in January.
More league changes
Earlier, Burlington’s request to join the Lower Platte League was denied. That league had previously voted 9-0 against allowing Burlington admittance. CLOC voted 11-2 against overruling that vote. So Burlington will stay in the Union Pacific League.
Approved league changes:
(Jenn Roberts-Uhlig/CHSAANow.com)
Broomfield (Northern to Front Range)
Canon City (South Central to Colorado Springs Metro)
The Classical Academy (Tri-Peaks to Colorado Springs Metro)
Clear Creek (3A Frontier to 2A Frontier)
Ellicott (Tri-Peaks to Black Forest)
Highland (Patriot to Mile High)
Holy Family (Metro to Tri-Valley)
Littleton (Continental to Jeffco)
Lyons (Patriot to Mile High)
Manzanola (Southeastern to High Plains)
Northridge (Tri-Valley to Northern)
Skyview Academy (Independent to Metro 3A)
Swallows Charter Academy (Independent to Santa Fe)
Twin Peaks Charter (New school, joining Mile High)
Vanguard (Black Forest to Tri-Peaks)
New members
Vail Ski & Snowboard Academy’s request for membership was denied. The school has a unique schedule to allow its students to train on the mountain during the week — training from 8 a.m. to noon, and then attending classes from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. each Tuesday through Friday during the winter.
However, after a lengthy discussion, the committee said they were uneasy going down the road of adding a sports academy as a member.
“It seems so fundamentally different than what our membership is now,” said committee member Mark Kanagy, Windsor’s athletic director.
The committee did approve membership for Caprock Charter Academy in Grand Junction, as well as Denver School of Science & Technology – Green Valley Ranch, and Venture Preparatory School in Denver.
Playdowns
The overwhelming majority of playdowns were approved, save for Abraham Lincoln football (5A to 4A), Estes Park football (2A to 1A) and Palmer football (5A to 4A). Approved playdowns:
(Jenn Roberts-Uhlig/CHSAANow.com)
Adams City football (5A to 4A)
Alameda football (5A to 4A)
Antonito football (8-man to 6-man)
Aurora Central football (5A to 4A)
Boulder softball (5A to 4A)
Centaurus volleyball (4A to 3A)
Central (Grand Junction) football (4A to 3A)
Civa Charter boys/girls basketbal, volleyball (2A to 1A)
Denver North football (3A to 2A)
Dolores Huerta girls basketball (3A to 2A)
Greeley Central softball (4A to 3A)
Greeley West boys soccer (5A to 4A)
Miami-Yoder football (8-man to 6-man)
Mitchell football (4A to 3A)
Montbello girls soccer (5A to 4A)
Montezuma-Cortez soccer (4A to 3A)
Montezuma-Cortez football (3A to 2A)
Nederland football (1A to 8-man)
Niwot football (4A to 3A)
Rifle boys/girls soccer (4A to 3A)
Roosevelt boys soccer (4A to 3A)
Skyline softball (4A to 3A)
South Park football (8-man to 6-man)
Noteable
The committee set the 1A/2A cutoff at 92 students. So schools with 92 and below will be 1A in basketball and all other sports, while those with 93-240 students will be 2A.
