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
Cherry Creek (8)
6-0
123
1
W
2
Valor Christian (4)
6-0
116
2
W
3
Columbine (1)
6-0
109
3
W
4
Eaglecrest
6-0
88
5
W
5
Pomona
4-2
72
6
W
6
Grandview
5-1
64
4
L
7
Cherokee Trail
6-0
45
8
W
8
Ralston Valley
5-1
35
7
W
9
Fairview
5-1
24
9
W
10
ThunderRidge
5-1
21
10
W
Others receiving votes:
Smoky Hill 10, Castle View 3, Denver East 2, Doherty 1, Highlands Ranch 1, Regis Jesuit 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Loveland (14)
5-0
176
1
W
2
Pine Creek (2)
4-1
161
2
Bye
3
Montrose (1)
5-0
131
3
W
4
Broomfield
4-1
118
4
W
5
Heritage (1)
5-0
75
7
W
6
Longmont
4-1
63
8
W
7
Ponderosa
3-2
60
10
W
8
Greeley West
4-1
58
–
W
9
Fruita Monument
3-2
47
5
L
10
Pueblo West
3-2
40
9
Bye
Others receiving votes:
Air Academy 11, Skyline 11, Grand Junction Central 10, Rampart 6, Vista Peak 6, Chatfield 3, Golden 3, Standley Lake 3, Brighton 2, Windsor 2, Hinkley 1, Wheat Ridge 1.
Dropped out
Skyline (6).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Erie (9)
5-0
131
1
W
2
Discovery Canyon (2)
5-0
119
2
Bye
3
Palmer Ridge (1)
3-2
86
6
Bye
4
Palisade (1)
4-1
81
3
W
5
Harrison
5-0
76
5
W
6
Thomas Jefferson (1)
5-0
75
4
W
7
Holy Family
4-1
58
8
W
8
Pueblo East
3-2
50
7
Bye
9
Durango
3-2
44
9
Bye
10
Fort Morgan
4-1
17
10
W
Others receiving votes:
Lewis-Palmer 8, George Washington 7, Mead 6, Green Mountain 5, Evergreen 3, Frederick 3, Pueblo Central 1.
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
Cherry Creek (8)
5-0
123
1
W
2
Valor Christian (4)
5-0
113
2
W
3
Columbine (1)
5-0
102
3
W
4
Grandview
5-0
82
5
W
5
Eaglecrest
5-0
75
7
W
6
Pomona
3-2
73
4
W
7
Ralston Valley
4-1
33
10
W
8
Cherokee Trail
5-0
31
–
W
9
Fairview
4-1
30
9
W
10
ThunderRidge
4-1
16
6
L
Others receiving votes:
Arvada West 15, Castle View 11, Smoky Hill 6, Arapahoe 3, Doherty 1, Lakewood 1.
Dropped out
Arvada West (8).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Loveland (13)
4-0
148
1
W
2
Pine Creek (1)
4-1
128
2
W
3
Montrose (1)
4-0
100
4
W
4
Broomfield
3-1
79
5
W
5
Fruita Monument
3-1
72
6
W
6
Skyline
3-1
55
3
L
7
Heritage
4-0
40
9
W
8
Longmont
3-1
37
–
W
9
Pueblo West
3-2
35
–
L
10
Ponderosa
2-2
34
–
W
Others receiving votes:
Greeley West 26, Chatfield 21, Rampart 13, Windsor 12, Denver South 7, Vista Peak 6, Grand Junction Central 5, Vista Ridge 4, Air Academy 1, Hinkley 1, Wheat Ridge 1.
Dropped out
Chatfield (7), Rampart (8), Windsor (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Erie (10)
4-0
144
1
W
2
Discovery Canyon (2)
5-0
134
3
W
3
Palisade (2)
3-1
112
2
L
4
Thomas Jefferson (1)
4-0
99
5
W
5
Harrison (1)
4-0
84
7
W
6
Palmer Ridge
3-2
65
6
W
7
Pueblo East
3-2
52
4
L
8
Holy Family
3-1
48
8
W
9
Durango
3-2
47
9
W
10
Fort Morgan
3-1
30
10
W
Others receiving votes:
Battle Mountain 15, Lewis-Palmer 12, Mead 11, Frederick 9, Green Mountain 7, Evergreen 5, Canon City 2, Skyview 2, George Washington 1, Pueblo Central 1.
Derrick Martin is no stranger to a championship atmosphere. The 2003 graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School has been to the very top of the highest mountain when it comes to football.
Among his collection of memorabilia from his time in the NFL are two Super Bowl rings. One with the Green Bay Packers and one with the New York Giants.
Martin’s last season in the NFL was 2013 and it was in March of 2016 that he was chosen to revitalize his alma mater.
This year, his efforts have paid off as he has the Spartans sitting at 4-0 after a 44-0 win over Northfield on Friday.
His path through high school football, a Division I college program and the NFL has been one that he feels fortunate enough to be able to share with kids once stood in his very shoes.
“I can say that most of my (learning) experiences are from high school,” he said. “It’s crazy because not too much has changed at Thomas Jefferson in terms of the hallways so I can put myself in their same environment and guide them and tell them things that I didn’t do that I wish I would have.”
Having the chance to offer up life lesson is just as valuable to Martin as being able to pass on football lessons. He buys into his kids as human beings and not as football players. They’ve rewarded him by taking care of what he asks them to on and off the field.
For that reason, Martin was selected as this week’s Denver Broncos coach of the week.
[divider]
Derrick Martin Bio
(Dustin Price/dustinpricephotography.com)
Years as a head coach: 3 (20-5 overall record)
Years at Thomas Jefferson: 3 (20-5, 4-0 this season)
Previous coaching stops: None.
[divider]
Question: Why do you coach?
Martin: I coach for the kids. I like being out there with the kids just to be out there and drop some knowledge on them and hopefully some lifelong lessons that they can pick up as human beings.
Q: What do you think it’s like for your players to be coached by a former D-I standout and Super Bowl champion?
Martin: I think it’s hard. I have high expectations for my guys and I’ve been in the same situation as a lot of them so I can put myself in their shoes. They know I’m telling the truth. Anything that comes out of my mouth is first-hand experience.
Q: What are your favorite coaching memories?
Martin: Oh man, I don’t know. It was fun to beat (Denver) South this year. South has been a powerhouse in the DPS for several years. To play them for the first time in a long time and beat them was pretty awesome.
Q: Does this experience, especially starting 4-0 this year, let you go back and remember just how much fun the high school football world is?
Martin: Yeah, it’s funny, I was actually talking to one of my former coaches kind of about that. We’re playing a (Class) 3A schedule and I feel like we have the same number of kids that we had back then (when Thomas Jefferson was 4A).
For me, it puts things in perspective of the atmosphere of the 3A, 4A, 5A landscape.
Q: From a football standpoint, how does it feel emotionally when you’ve accomplished something like winning a Super Bowl compared to having a kid grow and develop according to the plan you’ve built for him?
Martin: It’s crazy. I have a running back who I think is the best in the state in Daveon Hunter. He just turned 16. He’s just a kid. We had to tell him his freshman year that he had to workout, he had to watch film and to see that he’s done that and now that he’s on the field and he’s not supposed to be there is an accomplishment.
You give these guys the potion and once they figure it out, it’s astonishing to see how it changes their passion for the game.
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.
Ponderosa 34, Pueblo West 33, Longmont 22, Denver South 7, Vista Peak 6, Grand Junction Central 5, Air Academy 4, Greeley West 4, Hinkley 3, Wheat Ridge 1.
Dropped out
Ponderosa (9).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Erie (12)
3-0
144
1
Bye
2
Palisade
3-0
105
3
W
3
Discovery Canyon
4-0
101
4
W
4
Pueblo East
3-1
99
2
L
5
Thomas Jefferson (2)
3-0
82
7
W
6
Palmer Ridge (1)
2-2
80
5
W
7
Harrison
3-0
58
8
W
8
Holy Family
2-1
52
6
L
9
Durango
2-2
42
10
W
10
Fort Morgan
2-1
18
9
L
Others receiving votes:
Mead 7, Frederick 6, Lewis-Palmer 6, Pueblo Central 6, Battle Mountain 5, Canon City 2, George Washington 2, Pueblo Centennial 2, Evergreen 1, Glenwood Springs 1, Pueblo South 1, Skyview 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
La Junta (7)
4-0
112
2
W
2
Platte Valley (3)
4-0
110
3
W
3
Bayfield (1)
3-1
95
1
L
4
Rifle (2)
3-0
91
6
W
5
Basalt
3-0
75
8
W
6
Resurrection Christian
3-0
68
4
W
7
Salida
4-0
53
9
W
8
Berthoud
3-1
29
10
W
9
Eaton
2-1
26
7
L
10
Kent Denver
2-1
26
5
L
Others receiving votes:
Alameda 8, Alamosa 6, Delta 6, Aspen 3, Bennett 3, Pagosa Springs 2, Faith Christian 1, Middle Park 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Strasburg (8)
3-0
98
1
Bye
2
Limon (2)
3-0
89
2
W
3
Burlington
2-1
68
3
W
4
Peyton
3-0
65
4
W
5
Wray
2-1
56
6
W
6
Centauri
2-1
51
5
W
7
Crowley County
3-1
31
7
W
8
Holyoke
3-0
23
8
Bye
9
Meeker
1-2
21
9
L
10
Buena Vista
2-1
12
10
L
Others receiving votes:
Paonia 11, Jefferson 8, St. Mary’s 5, Colorado Springs Christian 4, Yuma 3, Clear Creek 2, Olathe 2, Estes Park 1.
Dropped out
None.
8-man
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Sedgwick County (13)
3-0
137
1
W
2
West Grand
4-0
121
2
W
3
Mancos (1)
3-0
80
10
W
4
Caliche
2-1
64
7
W
5
Hoehne
2-1
63
5
W
6
Holly
3-1
60
6
W
7
Rangely
4-0
49
8
W
8
Fowler
2-1
48
4
W
9
Sargent
2-1
36
3
L
10
Sanford
3-0
30
–
W
Others receiving votes:
Simla 20, Akron 16, Merino 12, Norwood 10, Pikes Peak Christian 10, Soroco 9, Haxtun 4, Springfield 1.
Hinkley’s football team is off to its best start in more than a decade following a 14-10 homecoming win over Kennedy on Friday night.
The Thunderbirds are now 3-0 this season — something the program hasn’t done since at least 2004.
On Friday, Hinkley trailed Kennedy 3-0 early, but responded with a quick touchdown, and added a safety to go up 8-3 at halftime.
Kennedy did grab a 10-8 lead after the third quarter, but Hinkley responded with a fourth-quarter touchdown to continue its perfect start to the 2018 campaign.
[divider]
Colorado PrepsCast audio recap
[divider]
1A: (2) Limon 25, (9) Meeker 16
Limon raced out to a 18-0 lead after three quarters, then held on for a 25-16 win over Meeker.
“That’s a really good football team, and they’re extremely well-coached,” Limon coach Mike O’Dwyer told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show. “One thing about a Meeker team is they’re never going to give up.”
But, ultimately, “I was pleased that our kids just kind of stayed with what we do,” O’Dwyer said.
The Badgers are now 3-0 this season.
[divider]
5A/4A: (5A 2) Valor Christian 28, (4A 1) Pine Creek 7
(Paige Stingley/Valor Christian HS)
In a heavyweight matchup of big-school powers, Valor Christian quarterback passed for a touchdown and rushed for two others to lead his Eagles to another important win.
The game was tied at 7 after the first quarter before McCaffrey connected with Gavin Sawchuk on a 29-yard touchdown pass less than two minutes into the frame. McCaffrey added his second rushing score of the game 10 minutes later to put Valor up 21-7 at halftime.
Marcus Staples capped the scoring for Valor Christian with a three-yard rushing touchdown later in the fourth quarter.
Max Lofy scored Pine Creek’s lone touchdown on a 95-yard kickoff return in the first quarter.
Radio: Highland, Mesa Ridge among winners on Friday
Clips courtesy of KFKA 1310, Orange and Blue 760 and Xtra Sports 1300.
[divider]
Notables
In a cross-classification matchup of ranked teams, 2A No. 9 Salida took care of 1A No. 10 Buena Vista 43-0. Vince Deleo had four touchdowns for Salida.
A week after breaking a long losing streak, Niwot football has a second-straight win. The Cougars beat Littleton in the final seconds.
3A No. 7 Thomas Jefferson is 3-0 for the third year in a row following a 22-14 win over No. 9 Fort Morgan.
Another top-10 game in 3A: No. 4 Discovery Canyon beat No. 6 Holy Family in a shootout, 52-34. “We were fortunate to get out of that game with the score that we did, for sure,” coach Shawn Mitchell told the Scoreboard Show. Here’s a game recap from BoCoPreps.com.
Castle View beat rival Douglas County 28-0 and is now 3-1 this season. Its the best start for the Sabercats since the 2011 season, when they began 6-0 and finished 11-2.
Eight newcomers joined this week’s football rankings. They are: ThunderRidge (5A), Ponderosa (4A), Harrison (3A), Salida and Berthoud (2A), Buena Vista (1A), Mancos (8-man), and Cotopaxi (6-man).
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.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Cherry Creek (9)
3-0
99
1
W
2
Valor Christian (1)
3-0
89
2
W
3
Columbine
3-0
78
4
W
4
Pomona
2-1
68
3
L
5
Grandview
3-0
56
5
W
6
Eaglecrest
3-0
45
7
W
7
ThunderRidge
3-0
38
–
W
8
Ralston Valley
3-0
28
8
W
9
Fairview
2-1
26
6
L
10
Arvada West
3-0
15
9
W
Others receiving votes:
Cherokee Trail 6, Mullen 2.
Dropped out
Mullen (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Pine Creek (13)
3-0
148
1
W
2
Loveland (2)
2-0
120
2
W
3
Chatfield
3-0
103
4
W
4
Skyline
2-0
80
5
Bye
5
Rampart
2-1
61
7
W
6
Broomfield
2-1
57
6
W
7
Montrose
3-0
53
8
W
8
Windsor
1-1
42
3
L
9
Ponderosa
1-2
31
–
W
10
Fruita Monument
1-1
27
9
Bye
Others receiving votes:
Vista Ridge 18, Heritage 15, Longmont 14, Grand Junction Central 12, Pueblo West 11, Brighton 10, Denver South 7, Hinkley 6, Vista Peak 6, Greeley West 2, Greeley Central 1, Widefield 1.
Dropped out
Monarch (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Erie (6)
3-0
104
1
W
2
Pueblo East (4)
3-0
93
3
W
3
Palisade
2-0
72
4
W
4
Discovery Canyon
3-0
65
6
W
5
Palmer Ridge
1-2
64
2
L
6
Holy Family
2-0
62
5
Bye
7
Thomas Jefferson (1)
2-0
52
7
Bye
8
Harrison
2-0
22
–
W
9
Fort Morgan
2-0
19
10
W
10
Durango
1-2
15
8
L
Others receiving votes:
Mead 6, Pueblo South 5, Conifer 4, Evergreen 4, Pueblo Centennial 4, Roosevelt 4, Frederick 3, Lewis-Palmer 3, Canon City 2, George Washington 1, Skyview 1.
Dropped out
Mead (9).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Bayfield (11)
3-0
127
1
W
2
La Junta (1)
3-0
102
2
W
3
Platte Valley
3-0
93
3
W
4
Resurrection Christian
2-0
82
4
Bye
5
Kent Denver (1)
2-0
79
6
W
6
Rifle
2-0
71
5
W
7
Eaton
2-0
47
9
W
8
Basalt
2-0
43
7
W
9
Salida
3-0
30
–
W
10
Berthoud
2-1
12
–
W
Others receiving votes:
Bennett 5, Bishop Machebeuf 5, Alamosa 4, The Academy 4, Moffat County 3, Pagosa Springs 3, Faith Christian 2, Delta 1, D’Evelyn 1, University 1.
Dropped out
Bennett (8), D’Evelyn (10).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Strasburg (8)
3-0
115
1
W
2
Limon (4)
2-0
109
2
W
3
Burlington
1-1
82
4
W
4
Peyton
2-0
74
5
W
5
Centauri
1-1
65
3
L
6
Wray
1-1
56
6
W
7
Crowley County
2-1
40
7
L
8
Holyoke
3-0
29
9
W
9
Meeker
1-1
24
8
Bye
10
Buena Vista
2-0
19
–
W
Others receiving votes:
Yuma 14, Paonia 12, Jefferson 8, St. Mary’s 5, Platte Canyon 4, Colorado Springs Christian 3, Olathe 1.
Dropped out
Cornerstone Christian (10).
8-man
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Sedgwick County (13)
2-0
130
1
W
2
West Grand
3-0
116
2
W
3
Sargent
2-0
83
5
W
4
Fowler
1-1
53
–
W
5
Hoehne
1-1
50
8
W
6
Holly
2-1
45
6
W
7
Caliche
1-1
38
7
Bye
8
Rangely
3-0
37
9
W
9
Akron
2-1
31
4
L
10
Mancos
2-0
30
–
W
Others receiving votes:
Merino 24, Soroco 14, Haxtun 13, Sanford 12, Byers 10, Simla 9, Norwood 6, Pikes Peak Christian 6, Custer County 3, Vail Christian 3, Dove Creek 2.
Dropped out
Merino (3), Soroco (10).
6-man
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Stratton/Liberty (8)
2-0
98
1
W
2
Otis (1)
2-0
87
2
W
3
Kit Carson (1)
2-0
84
3
W
4
Peetz
1-1
62
6
W
5
Flagler/Hi-Plains
2-0
55
8
W
6
Prairie
1-1
51
4
W
7
Cheyenne Wells
2-0
41
7
W
8
Briggsdale
1-1
25
10
L
9
Cotopaxi
2-0
14
–
W
10
Arickaree/Woodlin
1-1
12
5
L
Others receiving votes:
Granada 6, Fleming 5, Idalia 4, Weldon Valley 3, Manzanola 2, North Park 1.