Regis Jesuit football wins against Arvada West

Regis Jesuit (Aurora) and Arvada West swapped places in the MaxPreps football rankings this week after a seemingly bona fide Class 5A title contender went down for the second consecutive week.

In Week 1, state runner-up Pomona fell to Bear Creek. Then, Friday, Regis Jesuit used an opportunistic offense and stifling defense to knock off Arvada West 23-13. Regis took over A-West's No. 2 spot in the rankings while the Wildcats fell to No. 4.

"We watched film a lot and got it done through team play," Regis linebacker Mike O'Dwyer said. "Our offense did a great job holding the ball so it was tough for them to get into a rhythm."

Jordan Jungers rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns for Regis while Arvada West speed burner Isaac Fairbairn (eight carries, 30 yards) and quarterback Taylor Connors were relatively contained by the Regis defense.

"It's a good reality check because we might have gotten a bit cocky," Connors said.

2. Mullen still unscored upon: The Mullen (Denver) football team, top-ranked in Colorado and eighth in the MaxPreps Freeman Rankings presented by the Army National Guard, defeated Grandview 24-0 this week. The Mustangs have outscored two foes 59-0 this season, but it hasn't come against the weaklings of the classification. Week 1 victim Chaparral is ranked No. 5, Grandview No. 3.

Mustangs junior quarterback Cyler Miles threw for two touchdowns and ran for another.

3. Highlands Ranch wins Sanders softball tourney: Hardly a favorite, Highlands Ranch pulled off a miraculous seventh-inning comeback to defeat Fruita Monument 8-7 in the championship game of the Dave Sanders Memorial Softball Tournament.

Sanders, a victim of the Columbine shootings in 1999, was a teacher and baseball coach for Highlands Ranch head coach Jeff Markle.

"It's important to come out here not only in respect for Dave but to get a gauge of how we're doing ourselves," Markle said.

Danielle Friel’s two-run double with two outs in the seventh capped a three-run rally to send the Falcons home with the title. Fruita Monument, meanwhile, made its mark in the tourney by winning its first four games to improve to 7-0 on the season entering the title game.

4. Chaparral volleyball falls: One week after dethroning defending-champion Ponderosa for the top spot in the 5A volleyball rankings, the Wolverines were ousted themselves. Chaparral (Parker) watched its 8-0 start become blemished in a four-game loss to Grandview (Aurora). Chaparral won only the second set, and that was by a narrow 31-29 margin.

5. Monarch bounces back: After being pummeled 42-19 in its opener against Broomfield, the Monarch (Louisville) football team roared back to trample Greeley West 42-14 on Saturday. Monarch, a year-in, year-out favorite in Class 4A (ranked No. 2 this week), felt a rare "sense of urgency" for an early-season game, according to coach Phil Bravo.

"They caught us grumpy," he said.

TOP PERFORMERS
• Horizon (Thornton) backup running back Andrew Patrick has shed the "backup" label. After the Hawks starter missed a practice last week, Patrick was called upon and produced the seventh-best rushing total in state history. He bolted for 418 yards and five touchdowns on 38 carries in the Hawks' 42-33 win against Northglenn.

• Elle Madsen, an All-Colorado outfielder at Wheat Ridge as a freshman and sophomore, has taken over the pitching reins this season. After registering 13 strikeouts in a 7-4 win against D'Evelyn in a rematch of last season's 4A championship Tuesday, Madsen is 10-1 with a 0.98 ERA. And she's still hitting (four homers, 16 RBIS in 11 games). "It's tough to focus on pitching and hitting at the same time, but I try to focus on both equally," Madsen said.

• Akron running back Jourdan Hottinger racked up 224 yards and three touchdowns as the Rams knocked off Rye 27-6 in a key 1A football showdown.

• Phillip Rhodes of Mesa Ridge (Colorado Springs) has produced 464 rushing yards in the Grizzlies' first two games, both wins. The senior rushed for 312 and two touchdowns Friday in a 34-21 victory against Liberty.

• Shane O'neill scored two goals as the Fairview (Boulder) soccer team disrupted Ralston Valley's 4-0 start by blanking the Mustangs 4-0.

A LOOK AHEAD
• Another prime week of football features these dandies in 4A: Ponderosa (Parker) at Dakota Ridge (Littleton) (Thursday) and Longmont at Wheat Ridge (Saturday).

• Friday night action in 5A is highlighted by Pomona (Arvada) at Regis Jesuit and Legacy (Broomfield) at Mountain Range (Westminster).
 
• In softball, three-time defending champion Legacy (Broomfield) will welcome Front Range League competitor Fort Collins (which began 7-0 before losing to Chaparral) to its home diamond Saturday morning at 10.

RECRUITING NEWS
ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch) point guard Carlie Needles is bound for the University of Florida. Needles, who averaged 14.1 points a game last season and has started since she was a freshman, follows a long line of Division I talent churned out by the Grizzlies' system. Among the most notable are Abby Waner and Emily Waner (Duke), Emily Fox (Minnesota), Jayna Hartig and Kelly Hartig (Virginia), Rachel Messer (Utah) and 2009 graduate Brooke Jelniker (Kansas). ... So far, Colorado State has three known in-state football commitments compared to two for Colorado. CSU-bound are Longmont offensive lineman Justin Hansen, Monarch tight end/defensive end Joe Kawulok and Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) fullback George Talanoa. Valor Christian quarterback Brock Berglund and Mullen linebacker Brady Daigh have committed to CU.

Paul Willis is a regular sports freelancer for The Denver Post and covered high school, college and pro sports for the Rocky Mountain News from 2000-09. You can reach him at gdpdub@aol.com.