Pikes Peak area rankings: Pine Creek, Air Academy clash in early-season baseball showdown

PIKES PEAK AREA RANKINGS

Baseball

5A

1. Pine Creek (0-0)
2. Rampart (1-1)
3. Liberty (1-0)

4A

1. Air Academy (0-0)
2. Cheyenne Mountain (0-0)
3. Coronado (0-0)

3A and below

1. TCA (0-0)
2. St. Mary’s (0-0)
3. Florence (0-0)

NOTES: After lousy weather Saturday wiped out numerous games, better conditions welcome the first full week of competition. Pine Creek starts its season Saturday with a 10 a.m. home game against Air Academy in a battle of state-qualifying teams in 5A and 4A, respectively. Not among the 5A rankings, but a team to watch later, is Doherty. The Spartans begin a difficult nonconference stretch Tuesday against Cheyenne Mountain – which reached the 4A state tournament last season – followed by three games at the New Mexico Invite in Las Cruces. … With snow still covering its home field, Woodland Park moved its opener Tuesday against Falcon to El Pomar Youth Sports Complex. The Panthers won’t play at home again until April 5, when they will officially retire the jersey of Paul Kekich, the former center fielder who was killed along with two other former teammates in a car crash June 30, 2012, in Wyoming. … Florence isn’t messing around in the nonconference part of its schedule, opening with a home game Thursday against Lamar, which lost in last season’s state championship game to Eaton. The following week, the Huskies will be among several Pikes Peak region teams spending their spring break at the renowned Coach Bob National Invitational in the suburban Phoenix area.

Click here to read about this week's Peak Performer

Girls’ soccer

5A

1. Pine Creek (0-0)

2. Doherty (1-0)

3. Rampart (1-0)

4A

1. Cheyenne Mtn (1-0-1)

2. Air Academy (1-0)

3. Palmer Ridge (1-0)

3A

1. St. Mary’s (0-0)

2. TCA (1-0)

3. Manitou Springs (0-0)

Notes: For our first rankings of the season we put it to the coaches and you can see what they came up with. ... Pine Creek has won its league four consecutive times and has a league unbeaten streak of 30 games, dating back to 2008. ... Cheyenne Mountain comes in ranked ahead of the defending state champs. That’ll already get people anxious for the Indians’ trip to Air Academy on April 25. ... St. Mary’s went to the 3A semifinals a season ago and returns strong senior leadership, plus an impressive group of juniors.