A lot of focus on football and the state softball tournament on Friday and Saturday but it was also an important stretch for volleyball. We look back at some of the top moments.
The regular season concludes on Saturday with regional tournament pairings released on November 1st.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN CONTRERAS / JOHN’S SPORT PAGE ON FACEBOOK
LAMAR WINS STERLING TOURNAMENT
In a field that included six combined ranked teams from Classes 3A, 2A and 1A, Lamar started the day unbeaten on the season and headed home with the same distinction after winning four matches on their way to the championship. The Savages swept Wiggins, Sterling and Fleming in pool play and then won a tremendous final against 1A defending state champion Merino 25-20, 23-25 and 16-14. The Rams reached the championship match by getting past Frontier Academy, Alamosa and Dayspring Christian in the pool round.
Other results from cross over matches
- 3RD: Alamosa beat Sterling 2-1
- 5TH: Fleming beat Denver Christian 2-0
- 7TH: Wiggins beat Frontier Academy 2-0
SEVERAL MATCHES INVOLVING TOP 10 CLUBS IN CLASS 1A
Fans in Class 1A probably saw a preview of several volleyball matches we could see at the state tournament next month. Many teams near the top of the RPI standings squared off on Friday and Saturday or both and the results will weigh heavily on new RPI standings and also regional tournament bracketing.
Rankings noted are based on the CHSAA coaches poll from last Monday.
- #1 Fleming beat #7 Idalia 3-0
- Genoa Hugo beat #8 Cheraw 3-2
- #2 Briggsdale beat #6 Stratton 3-0
- #3 Haxtun downed #5 Wiley 3-0
MORE LEAGUE CHAMPIONS CROWNED
Top trophies were won on several fronts as clubs clinched league titles and earned a ticket to regional tournaments early next month.
- Palmer Ridge dropped the first to Rampart but then took the next three to beat Rampart 3-1. The Bears and Rams entered the match tied for the 4A/5A Pikes Peak conference lead so the defending 4A state champions landed the title with the win.
- Calhan topped Colorado Springs School in four sets to land the 2A Black Forest championship
- Bayfield moved past Centauri 3-1 on Saturday and that win finished off a conference sweep of the Falcons. The victory also gave the Wolverines the outright title of the 3A Intermountain league.
- Fruita Monument and Montrose both beat Durango over the weekend and the wins leave the two teams tied for the 4A?5A Southwestern championship. Both finished the conference slate at 7-1 and they split two regular season matchups. Montrose beat Durango 3-2 on Saturday and Fruita swept the Demons the night before.
MEEKER STAYS UNBEATEN ON THE SEASON
The 2A Cowboys have spent the season bouncing back and forth between the top two spots in the statewide rankings but should stay number one this week after moving to 19-0. They swept both Vail Mountain on Friday and Caprock Academy on Saturday to finish the conference schedule without a loss. They finish up the regular season on Saturday at the Buena Vista Tournament.
The Cowboys are one of three unbeaten teams left in Colorado. We mentioned Lamar (19-0) earlier in the report and Resurrection Christian (17-0) enters the final week without a loss as well. The Cougars have a tough stretch as they finish against Eaton on Tuesday and DSST-Montview on Thursday. They also have a tournament on Saturday. Resurrection Christian also clinched the 3A Patriot title with last Thursday’s win over Brush.
FRONTIER LEAGUE TOURNAMENT EXTENDED TO TUESDAY
The Frontier league tournament was expected to wrap on Saturday but will be finished on Tuesday. DSST-Montview, which won the regular season crown, was leading Academy 1-0 in the championship match when lighting became an issue at the facility. It appears that match will be picked up on Tuesday.
Both teams captured sweeps in the semifinals as Montview beat Middle Park and Academy rolled past Lake County. Lake County then beat Middle Park to end up third.
DSST-Montview remains the favorite as they have just one loss of the season overall. They fell to Resurrection Christian (2-0) in the Machebeuf tournament very early in the season. As mentioned, those two clubs collide again on Thursday. Montview was ranked sixth in Class 3A last week. The Academy sits at 14-3 on the season and will also face Clear Creek on Wednesday before finishing up with a tournament on Saturday.
LOWER RANKED TEAM WINS CLASS 4A SHOWDOWN
5th ranked Cheyenne Mountain scored a very impressive win over #3 Erie on Saturday. The win continued a strong closing stretch for the Red-Tailed Hawks as they also beat Western Slope runner-up Eagle Valley 3-0 on Saturday. They’ve now won eight straight and were the only team to beat Palmer Ridge inside the Pikes Peak.
Next up is a tournament for Cheyenne Mountain as they host their regular season closing event which always features a high level field. This year, the list of teams includes currently ranked teams Grandview, Rampart, Palmer Ridge, Chaparral, Windsor, Valor Christian and Eaton.
