Glen Ramos and his Holy Family softball team know this is the last season Erie will be a potential thorn in the Tigers’ side.
Is Erie graduating a gaggle of seniors and figures to be mediocre next season? Nope. Are Erie’s lower-level programs looking a bit shoddy, meaning bad times are on the way? No, not that, either. Erie, which has participated in all 11 Class 3A championship games and won nine of them, is moving up to 4A in 2010.
“It might level out the playing field some,” Ramos said.
Holy Family knows best of Erie’s recent history, as the teams have met in the past four state championship games. Holy Family won in 2006 but dropped the other three.
“People always say 3A softball isn’t competitive, but it really is, especially among the top teams,” Ramos said. “But this will be a challenge for the rest of the classification to keep it strong.”
Holy Family, ranked No. 5, is priming itself to take over Erie’s slot as the benchmark 3A squad, as the Tigers entered the week 8-3 and are improving mightily with an underclassmen-based lineup that includes three freshmen.
True test: D’Evelyn has heard the word “potential” uttered the past few seasons, but the No. 3 Jaguars want to shed that label and simply be known as an upper-echelon team in 4A.
How far that potential has transformed will be known Thursday, when the Jaguars welcome defending champion and No. 2 Wheat Ridge to their home diamond in a Jefferson County League showdown.
D’Evelyn entered the week 10-1 – its lone loss to ultracompetitive and top-ranked Windsor – and had outscored foes 81-15. Wheat Ridge began the week 9-1-1 – its opening loss to 5A Arvada West was its only in-state setback since moving to 4A to begin last season – and is boasting a 99-9 run differential. Each entered the week 3-0 in league play.
"It has been a nice transition this year with everyone back from last year," said D'Evelyn coach Dan Porreco, who indicated his team is "excited" to play Wheat Ridge. "We have some higher goals and expectation that we didn't accomplish and finish last year."
Numbers game: 3 losses in four games for Standley Lake after beginning the season 10-0. The Gators encountered a brutal portion of the schedule, which included games against both 5A title-participants last season (Legacy and Ralston Valley). They also were nipped 2-1 at Green Mountain.
Quote of the week: (courtesy of candid Eaton pitcher Lacee Jansson, about how she was able to shut out potent Holy Family in five of six innings): “The other team’s dads were calling out the pitches, so we had to change it up.”
Key week: Many of the lopsided matchups that defined the past few weeks have given way to a number of big-time league contests in a week that could go a long way toward determining playoff position.
None are bigger than Thursday’s Wheat Ridge-D’Evelyn tilt, but Thursday also features Mullen at Cherokee Trail in a key Centennial League square-off. Additional enormous league games include Ralston Valley at Pomona (5A Jeffco), Berthoud at Windsor (4A Northern) and Platte Valley at Valley (3A District 2).
Saturday also is chock-full of key games on the league slate, including Pomona at Standley Lake and Mullen at Eaglecrest for a doubleheader. Mullen entered the week in first place in the Centennial League with a 6-1 mark, while Eaglecrest was tied for third at 5-2. Mullen is the lone 4A team in the league.
Boys Soccer
As usual, the state's recognized soccer powers in all three classifications are off to strong starts, but as teams get heavy into league play this week it's a good time to take a look at some up-and-coming clubs that also have played well entering Tuesday's action.
In Class 5A, Eaglecrest has the most impressive record, sporting a 7-0-0 mark. Certainly, the competition hasn't all been top-flight, but the Raptors have done what is necessary, while allowing less than a goal per game. Eaglecrest, which is led by Jon Sawyer's eight goals, get its first major test Wednesday (Sept. 23) when it meets fifth-ranked Arapahoe in a Centennial League contest.
Included in the big-school conversation are Pine Creek (4-0-0) and Bear Creek (3-0-0). Pine Creek has pushed itself into the title discussion with wins against Arapahoe (2-1) and Ponderosa (2-0). Paced by Zack Wiese (four goals, four assists), the Eagles would like to erase the disappointment of last season, when they entered the state tournament as the 10th seed before being upset by No. 23 Green Mountain in the first round.
Bear Creek was on the other side last season, making a surprising run to the semifinals as the 20th seed. The Bears seem to have recaptured that momentum and look like the team to beat in the Jefferson County League. Salman Bahurmoz tops Bear Creek with four goals.
Castle View is making its case in the Class 4A ranks. The Sabercats largely have gone unnoticed in the weekly Colorado High School Coaches Association/MaxPreps poll despite a 7-0-0 record. Castle View has outscored the competition 20-1 (Rampart scored the lone goal) and five wins have come against 5A teams. If the run continues, the Colorado Springs Metro League title figures to be decided Oct. 20 when Castle View meets fifth-ranked Cheyenne Mountain in the regular-season finale.
Also garnering major mention is Silver Creek. The Raptors scored a huge victory Sept. 18, beating then top-ranked Niwot 1-0 on a goal by junior Alex Martin. Perhaps looking ahead to its matchup with new No. 1 Broomfield on Wednesday (Sept. 23), Silver Creek stumbled to a 1-1 tie against winless Northridge on Monday. Martin scored the equalizer in that one and co-leads the Raptors in goals with seven with Johnny Mercer. At this point, the gauntlet that is the Northern League looks to be a four-team chase between Broomfield, Niwot, Silver Creek and Fossil Ridge.
One other 4A team of note is Golden. The Demons have gone 5-0-1, with the only blemish coming in a tie against Denver South. Jorge Lopez (four goals) leads the Demons, who figure to head into their Oct. 6 showdown against third-ranked Wheat Ridge unbeaten.
In Class 3A, keep an eye on The Classical Academy (6-0-0), Lutheran-Parker (7-1-0), whose only loss came against TCA, and Frontier Academy (5-0-0). Frontier Academy could be a team to watch for the next few seasons, as the Wolverines are keyed by freshman Isaac Reinert, whose five goals and seven assists rank among the state's best.
MaxPreps Colorado editor Gerry Valerio contributed to this report. Follow Valerio on Twitter for Colorado high school sports updates.