Valor Christian still might very well be the most talented team in the state. But the mighty Eagles no longer hold the top perch in Class 5A.
That honor now belongs to ThunderRidge.
Coming off a 24-21 overtime loss against Bingham High School (from South Jordan, Utah) on Saturday, Valor relinquished its throne, dropping to No. 2 behind ThunderRidge. The Grizzlies outscored Valor by only nine points in the latest vote, which is conducted by coaches and members of the media from across the state.
ThunderRidge, which dominated then-5A No. 3 Ralston Valley, faces another stern test at home Friday in the state’s marquee Week 3 game against No. 4 Grandview. Fairview’s dominant second half in a 53-32 win at Overland impressed voters, as the Knights moved up two spots to No. 8.
The marquee matchup from Week 2 was all Monarch, with the Coyotes’ throttling of then-4A No. 2 Wheat Ridge keeping the defending state champs atop the 4A poll. Monarch collected 19 of 20 first-place votes, outscoring No. 2 Denver South 192-170. Wheat Ridge dropped to No. 5.
Silver Creek retained its No. 1 ranking in 3A while Holy Family, on the heels of dominant wins against two ranked foes, climbed two spots to No. 4 heading into this week’s match against upstart Mead.
Fairview didn’t fare quite as well in the latest 5A boys soccer poll, as the Knights’ 2-1 loss to Cherry Creek on Saturday resulted in a drop from No. 3 to No. 6. Defending 5A champion Boulder, also victimized by Cherry Creek last week , dropped from No. 2 to No. 8. The wins helped vault Cherry Creek to the No. 1 spot.
Broomfield remained a close No. 2 in the 4A poll behind Battle Mountain, while Niwot dropped to No. 5. Consecutive shutouts against Thompson Valley and Skyline allowed Silver Creek to make its deubt in the 4A soccer poll at No. 10. Holy Family moved up one spot in the 3A soccer poll to No. 3.
In volleyball, Longmont moved up one spot in the 4A poll to No. 3 while Silver Creek, off to an unbeaten start under first-year head coach Amy Gross, made its its poll debut at No. 9. Holy Family dropped one spot to No. 9 in the 3A volleyball poll.
In softball, Legacy dropped to No. 8 in the 5A poll, while Erie (No. 2), Frederick (No. 5), Silver Creek (No. 6) and Broomfield (No. 8) remained prominent in the 4A poll. Despite an unbeaten record, Holy Family softball dropped from No. 2 to No. 4.
After an impressive win at the St. Vrain Invitational, the Monarch girls cross country team leapfroged Fort Collins into the top spot in 5A. Other BoCoPreps.com-area squads represented in the latest cross country girls polls include Fairview (5A No. 6), Niwot (4A No. 4), Broomfield (4A No. 9), Holy Family (3A No. 2), Peak to Peak (3A No. 7), and Lyons (2A No. 2).
In the boys cross country polls, Boulder checks in at No. 3 in 5A, followed by Monarch (5A No. 6), Niwot (4A No. 7), Broomfield (4A No. 10), Peak to Peak (3A No. 2), Holy Family (3A No. 5), and Lyons, the unamimous choice at No. 1 in 2A.
Dawson School retained its top ranking in 3A golf alongside Boulder (5A No. 3) and Fairview (5A No. 4), and Silver Creek (4A No. 4). Fairview remained No. 2 in the 5A boys tennis poll and Niwot did the same in 4A.
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