Volleyball

Class 5A

Setters seeking settees: Setter, to many people, is considered the most important position on a volleyball team. Class 5A fans this year can judge just how vital setters are to success. Cindy Bathelt of Pine Creek, Vanessa Gemignani of Doherty, Natalie Laband of Lewis-Palmer and Lauren Van Orden of Grandview are some of the best setters in 5A.

League outlooks: A look at each league in the classification.

Top 10 teams & the best players at each position.

Class 4A

Experience on its side: As is the case with fine wine, volleyball can have vintage years. In Class 4A last season, the assemblage of talent at the state tournament probably was the best ever. The eventual champion, Battle Mountain, had five standout players. Third-place finishers Cheyenne Mountain and Sterling had three Division I players between them.

League outlooks: A look at each league in the classification.

Top 10 teams & the best players at each position.

Class 3A

Building blocks secure: All dynasties end sometime, and for this season, the new Class 3A volleyball power from Colorado Springs should be The Classical Academy. In the Titans' initial state tournament appearance last season, they nearly went the distance, losing to Valley in the semifinals.

District outlooks: A look at each district in the classification.

Top 10 teams & the best players at each position.

Class 2A

Segwick County eager to prove its skills again: Sedgwick County had to have raised a few eyebrows in November when the Cougars qualified for the state volleyball tournament.

District outlooks: A look at each district in the classification.

Top 10 teams & the best players at each position.

Class A

Fleming’s oh-so-close loss in final spurs team: Almost any team knocked out of the state volleyball tournament has the right to think it suffered a bitter end. Fleming, though, suffered such a narrow defeat last season that its championship loss to Kit Carson rankles the Wildcats to this day.

District outlooks: A look at each district in the classification.

Top 10 teams & the best players at each position.

Boys soccer

Class 5A

At the head of the class: Even if Alexander Deitz couldn't play a lick, he would stand out on the soccer field. Deitz, a senior at Fort Collins, is one of the most recognizable high school athletes in the state, thanks in large part to his completely hairless head.

League outlooks: A look at each league in the classification.

Top 10 teams & the best players in each league.

Class 4A

Lengthy road to success: It has been a long road, literally, to get to the top for Morgan Sacco and the Greeley Central boys soccer team. Sacco is a big reason the Wildcats enter the season ranked No. 1 in Class 4A.

League outlooks: A look at each league in the classification.

Top 10 teams & the best players at each position.

Class 3A

Peak to Peak’s Borchers certainly goal-oriented: When everything is falling apart around him, Greg Borchers appears to be a portrait of serenity. Underneath that calm demeanor, though, Borchers admits he is a bundle of nerves. Don't tell that to Peter Chandler, his soccer coach at Peak to Peak.

League outlooks: A look at each league in the classification.

Top 10 teams & the best players at each position.

Boys cross country

Williams sheds jitters: As a sophomore competing at the Nike Outdoor Nationals track meet, D'Evelyn's Kevin Williams was terrified and white as a ghost. After seeing his competition in the warm-up area, Williams told coach Micah Porter there was no way he could run at their level.

Top 5 teams & top runners in all three classifications.

Top runners.

Girls cross country

Vanatta brings spark: The Dakota Ridge girls cross country team is going to have a different look this season. The jerseys are the same. The mascot and school colors are the same. Even the faces look the same, as six of the seven members from a team that finished third at the Class 5A state meet last season are returning.

Top 5 teams & top runners in all three classifications.

Top runners.

Gymnastics

Simmons stares it down: Anna Simmons would make a good contestant on Fear Factor. Simmons won the Class 4A state gymnastics all-around title last season and is the favorite to repeat. Strange as it might seem, though, the Mountain Range sophomore looks fear in the face whenever she competes.

Top 5 teams & the best gymnasts in both classifications.

Field hockey

Making sound choices: Instincts rule Courtney Engle's world. That's the way it is for Engle as a multiple-sport athlete. Whether it is selecting a pitching wedge or a 9-iron on an approach shot, or deciding whether to come out of the cage an extra 5 or 7 feet to stop an oncoming opponent in field hockey, Engle's decision-making abilities certainly have molded her as an athlete.

Top 5 teams & the best players at each position.

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