Wishes for the new year

With 2016 soon to arrive, it seems time to offer just a few of many wishes for Colorado high school athletics heading into the New Year.

My first wish is for the Colorado High School Activities Association Legislative Committee to reconsider the proposed Class 5A waterfall football league alignments before approving the change during its January meeting. The new leagues would take away some neighborhood rivalry games, while forcing many teams to log excessive miles for road games.

Another hope would be for Valor Christian to change its football jerseys so people in the stands and press box can read the numbers without having to use binoculars.

And it sure would be nice if golf, swimming and wrestling coaches could file scores and results from tournaments and meets so those results could be included in weekly roundups.

My Colorado Community Media cohort Tom Munds would like to see the state gymnastics meet set up so it is easier to follow and the public address system improved so everyone knows who is competing and who is on deck for each event.

Hockey teams, Munds says, also need to have numbers on their shoulders or helmets so it would be easier to identify players for photos. It is also tough to ID swimmers unless names are scribbled in ink on the competitors’ legs.

Valor grad is Player of the Year

Valor Christian graduate Christian McCaffrey, a sophomore at Stanford, reversed the finishing order with Alabama running back Derrick Henry between the Heisman Trophy presentation and the naming of the AP Player of the Year.

McCaffrey was the runner-up to Henry in the Heisman Trophy voting, but he was named the Associated Press college football player of the year on Dec. 22 to become the first non-Heisman Trophy winner to be honored by AP in six years.

After setting an NCAA record 3,496 all-purpose yards, McCaffrey received 29 of the 60 votes from an AP media panel. Henry garnered 16 votes to finish second and Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, the third Heisman finalist, collected 11 votes.

Far-West All-Stars

Arapahoe keeper James Conley and Heritage defender Dylan Keeney, both seniors, were named to the 18-player National Soccer Coaches Association of America Fall Boys High School All-Far-West team.

Conley and Keeney were among four Colorado players picked on the all-star team.

National cross-country champions

Brooke Wilson and Aidyn Woodall of Castle Rock won national championships on Dec. 12 at the USA Track & Field Junior Olympic National Cross-County Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Parker Panthers teams captured three national titles, winning the boys and girls 9-10 age group titles and the 11-12 girls crown.

Woodall won her third straight national crown with a time of 10:52.1 over the 3,000-meter course in the 11-12 division this year. She won by 14.5 seconds.

Wilson was the 9-10 girls champion with a time of 11:45.8 over the 3,000-meter course in a race that was run in the rain with 30-degree temperatures.

Youngs stands up

Lutheran senior Chris Youngs appears ready to make an impact on the Class 3A state track meet this spring.

He finished sixth in the open 60-meter dash at the Air Force Open Indoor Meet on Dec. 11, and the five runners ahead of him were all collegiate runners.

Spirit state champions

Mountain Vista’s pom team won its third straight title, this year in the 5A jazz competition at the State Spirit Championships held Dec. 11 at the Denver Coliseum.

Castle View captured the 4A/5A co-ed title, Ponderosa was crowned the 4A poms champion, and Cherry Creek won the 5A poms state championship.

State rankings

Highlands Ranch is once again the top-ranked Class 5A girls basketball team in the CHSAANow.com rankings that were released Dec. 21 prior to the holiday break.

ThunderRidge was third, Ralston Valley fourth, Lakewood fifth and Cherry Creek seventh in the 5A girls poll. Valor Christian was third and Golden sixth in the 4A rankings. Lutheran was sixth in the 3A poll.

The Grizzlies boys basketball team was second in the 5A poll with Rock Canyon ninth. Valor Christian was second and Golden sixth in the 4A boys poll, while Lutheran came in fourth and Faith Christian seventh in the 3A rankings.

In the CHSAANow.com hockey poll, Ralston Valley was third, defending state champion Cherry Creek fourth and Mountain Vista eighth.

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