Colorado boys soccer polls have had abundance of movement

The movement has been more subtle than dramatic, but all three of Colorado boys soccer's top-ranked teams had to leapfrog someone to get there.

In Class 5A and 4A, the preseason No. 2 teams in the CHSAANow.com rankings, Rock Canyon (Highlands Ranch) and Air Academy (US Air Force Academy), now hold down the No. 1 spot. In 3A, preseason No. 3 Coal Ridge (New Castle) now resides at the top.

Here's a look at how each team muscled its way to the top, and an inventory of each classification.

Rock Canyon (7-1-1) finally has pole position in 5A after patiently waiting for two teams to vacate the No. 1 spot. Pine Creek (Colorado Springs) began the season as the top-ranked team, but Denver East rocketed to the top after beating the Eagles head to head.

The recent struggles of East (2-3) allowed Rock Canyon to slide into the No. 1 spot, and the Jaguars don't look like they are going to give it up. Coach Matt Sassali's group has reeled off six consecutive wins and is getting a standout season from senior Brian Olcott, who already has produced a classification-best 11 goals.

Overall, the 5A circuit hasn't featured much significant movement, as the top five teams in the rankings are the same five that began the season, just in a different order. But here are a few others who have made some moves in the latter half:

Adams City (Commerce City): After a pedestrian 7-8 campaign last year, the Eagles (6-1) are back and have vaulted to No. 6. Adan Varela has seven goals to lead a deep, balanced cast of scorers.

Fort Collins: The Lambkins had settled in at No. 7 this week and even earned one first-place vote. But a rough week that included a loss to Legacy (Broomfield) and a tie to Monarch (Louisville) might have them moving in another direction.

Chatfield (Littleton): An afterthought to begin the season, the Chargers weren't even among the teams receiving votes. An unbeaten start had them up to No. 8 this week, but we'll see what pollsters think after Tuesday's 2-1 loss to Arapahoe (Centennial).

Fossil Ridge (Fort Collins): Like Chatfield, the SaberCats didn't even have one vote in the preseason poll. Steady play from goalies Jay Schroeder and Jake Whitbeck helped Fossil Ridge move to No. 9, and we'll see how much the SaberCats will be penalized for Thursday's loss to No. 2 Boulder.

In 4A, Air Academy said "thank you very much" after Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs) lost to The Classical Academy (Colorado Springs) in the season opener. That allowed the Kadets (8-0) to move into the top-ranked slot and they haven't relinquished it. The three Colorado Springs-based squads now own the top three spots with TCA No. 2 and Cheyenne Mountain No. 3.

Air Academy's Austin Dewing is tearing up the classification with 13 goals and six assists, and the Kadets have a gigantic showdown looming Oct. 14 in the season finale against Cheyenne Mountain.

While the Colorado Springs trio and Ponderosa (Parker) hold down the top four spots in the poll, the remainder is composed of teams that were unranked to begin the season.

Wheat Ridge: The Farmers entered the week No. 5 but since have endured successive 2-1 losses to Jeffco League foes D'Evelyn (Denver) and Evergreen.

Littleton: Oscar Sanchez leads a balanced-scoring Lions outfit that has surprised many with its solid 6-2 start. The No. 6 Lions bounced back from a 1-0 loss to D'Evelyn on Tuesday by thumping Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) 6-1 on Thursday.

Montrose: The Indians are legit. Their lone loss was a 2-0 decision to Air Academy, and behind the talented Braydon Reese, No. 7 Montrose (6-1) has outscored the remainder of its foes 18-1.

D'Evelyn: Wins this week against No. 5 Wheat Ridge and No. 6 Littleton should have the No. 8 Jaguars (6-1) on the rise. Goalie Chris Linden has permitted only six goals all season.

Pueblo Centennial (Pueblo): The No. 9 Bulldogs have outscored the opposition 30-5 and have featured 11 different goal scorers. Junior Jumanne Transou leads the way with eight.

Kennedy (Denver): Coach Bari Abuhadema's group knocked off 5A power Denver East on Wednesday, and it's a good bet the Commanders (8-0) will climb from their No. 10 spot in the poll.

In 3A, Coal Ridge vaulted to the top spot in the poll by utilizing a wide-ranging attack led by Enrique Bucio (nine goals). This classification has featured the most movement, with Colorado Academy (Denver) dropping from No. 2 to all the way out of the poll last week.

Four newcomers joined the 3A fray. Here's a look:

Kent Denver (Englewood): The Sun Devils (5-1) went from on the outside looking in to No. 4, and even received one first-place vote. Sophomore Max Gottesfeld has seven goals for a Kent squad that is about to dive headlong into the rugged Metro League schedule.

Frontier Academy (Greeley): Daniel Buhler has eight goals for a Wolverines squad that currently sits seventh in the poll. A 4-3 win against Fort Morgan this week improved Frontier Academy to 5-1-2.

Denver Science & Tech Stapleton: The No. 8 Knights began the year with a tie against Bruce Randolph (Denver) and have reeled off five straight wins since. Keeper Tirso Rosales has been on point all season.

KIPP Denver Collegiate: The Tigers' lone loss was to 5A Thornton, and they jumped into the poll at No. 10 last week. Sophomore Jhovani Gonzalez already has notched a dozen goals.