Class 1A League Breakdowns and League Predictions
Northern League
Class 1A also had some major changes with plenty of 2A schools dropping down to 1A. In the Northern League they added 2A power Strasburg which added to this league strength. This league looks to be a two playoff team league maybe a third but more than likely will only end up with two. To start off we will begin with Lyons. Lyons lost 12 seniors off a 1-8 team. They lost most of their offensive line, RB, and most of their defensive playmakers. They do return their starting QB but will need to develop an offensive line quickly or it will be a long season. Lyons I feel could be looking at a very similar record this year as well. They need to replace a lot of talent lost last year. Estes Park is up next. Estes Park lost 10 seniors off a 2-7 season. The seniors lost included most of their offensive line, RB, and a ton of defensive playmakers as well. Like Lyons they do return their QB but also face a similar problem. They will need to quickly replace their offensive line and replace the play makers they lost on defense. If not I could also see another 2 or 3 win season for this team as well. Next up is Byers they are coming off a 2-7 record but only lost 2 seniors. The two seniors where an offensive lineman and a WR/DB. They return everything else and could be a team to watch out for. They are very senior loaded class this year and if they want to make a run it must be this year. They must improve on defense and the seniors must lead this team. Next up is Cornerstone Christian who is also in a similar boat as Byers. They lost 1 senior who was an offensive and defensive lineman. They went 5-4 last year and this year could challenge for the league title and a playoff spot. They must improve their defense if they want to compete for a playoff spot. They could be the dark horse of this league and they should compete for a playoff spot. The final two teams are what I believe to be the league title contenders and playoff contenders. That is Highland and Strasburg. Highland is coming off a 4-5 season and lost 6 seniors. That included their 2 offensive lineman and their starting TE. They return a ton of talent and should be a scary team if they have the right leadership. They do have the leadership returning in their starting QB from a year ago who was a freshman and their starting RB who was a sophomore. I could see this team winning league due to their experience but it won’t be Easy. Strasburg is moving from 2A to 1A and last year in 2A went 7-4 and made it to the second round of the playoffs. They did lose some of their leaders. They lost most of their offensive line, RB’s, and their starting QB. Those are big position to lose and will need to replace them immediately. The biggest thing going for Strasburg is they are returning most of their defensive playmakers and will need to lean on their defense early on until their offense can get their feet under them.
League Champs: Strasburg
Playoffs: Strasburg, Highland, and maybe Cornerstone Christian
North Central
The North Central league once again has added Limon to the mix and makes for an extremely tough league. With three teams last year making the playoffs once again this could be a race to see who gets into the playoffs. We will start off with Yuma. Once again Yuma is still trying to find the winning formula going 1-8 last year and could possibly win a few more this year. They are returning most of their roster they only lost 2 seniors which were both WR’s. They need to find the leadership to push them into the right direction and this year could lay the groundwork for that. Next up is Wray who are also looking to find the winning formula. They went 3-6 last year and lost 9 seniors off that team. They lost only 1 offensive lineman and their main running back but they have a very good back up. They return most of their defensive playmakers and their starting QB. If Wray can find a leader and gain some confidence they could make a run for a playoff spot but they must improve their defense if they plan on doing that. Wiggins is up next and they were hurt badly by graduation. They lost 8 seniors but all of them were key contributors to this team. They lost their starting QB, RB, and most of their offensive and defensive lineman. They do return some key playmakers on defense but they have a ton to replace this year. They went 8-3 and made the playoffs but the playoffs could be in jeopardy this year due to the amount of talent they lost this year. If they cannot reload they could possibly finish fifth in league. They will need some senior leadership to step up. Next up is who I think the dark horse of the league is. Holyoke went 5-4 last year and barely missed the playoffs and this year they are coming back with a vengeance. They lost 4 seniors two of which were offensive lineman. They return a ton of leadership in their Starting QB and RB their defense should be very good this year as well returning most of their starters on that side of the ball. Holyoke could sneak up on the two traditional powers and grab the league title. I do think they will make the playoffs but watch out for this team when it comes to the league title. The last two teams are traditional powers in 1A and once again that is no different. Limon is coming off an 8-3 record and a playoff appearance. They were hit hard by graduation losing 9 seniors. They lost most of their offensive line and their starting QB which won’t hurt as bad due to their run heavy offense. The biggest return for this team will be their starting RB’s who must be leaders for this team. For Limon to stay in contention for the league title and for the playoffs they must quickly replace their offensive line. Limon also returns their defensive playmakers which will be key until their offense comes together. The league favorite will be Burlington. They are coming off a 9-2 record and a playoff appearance as well. They did take a small hit from graduation losing 10 seniors. They half of their offensive and defensive line. They return plenty of talent though bringing back their starting RB and starting QB. They must be leaders for this offense and their defense should also be in good hands brining back their top two tacklers from last year. Burlington could be in contention for the state title this year as well.
League Champs: Burlington
Playoffs: Burlington, Limon, Holyoke
Foothills
The Foothills league is the old Metro league from last year expect a few new teams into the mix. New to the league is Bennett, Manual, and Vail Christian each played a different classification a year ago. We will start off with Clear Creek. They went 3-5 last year and lost 6 seniors. The lost most of their offensive line and starting RB. They do return their starting QB which will be great leadership for this team. Clear Creek I feel is a year or two out from really challenging for the league title and a playoff spot. They have a talented sophomore group so I will be keeping an eye out for them in a year or two. Next up is Vail Christian who played 8 Man last year and now must adjust to the 11man ranks. They went 7-2 last year and lost in the first round of the playoffs. Vail Christian lost 7 seniors including most of their offensive line and their starting QB. They do return their RB and most of their defensive playmakers. Vail Christian is going to have to adjust to playing 11man football which could be a challenge for the first couple years. It could be a few years before they challenge for the league crown. Next up is Manual who is dropping from 2A to 1A. Last year Manual went 3-6 in 2A and are looking for rebound from that season. They will have to replace a lot of seniors though. They lost 14 seniors which included most of their offensive and defensive line and their main RB. They do return their QB but will need to replace a lot of talent that was lost. Manual should improve on their 3-6 record but I don’t think they will be in the race for a playoff spot or league title this year. The three teams I think to look out for in the Foothills league are Bennett, Front Range Christian, and Platte Canyon. Front Range Christian went 4-5 last year and missed the playoffs. They lost 6 seniors which included 2 of their offensive and defensive lineman. They return a ton of leadership and talent. Coming back is their starting QB, RB and most of their defensive playmakers. Front Range Christian could make a big challenge for the league title and should also push for a playoff spot. They must use their experience and leadership to help them this year. Next up is Platte Canyon who will battle it out with Bennett for the top spot in league this year. Platte Canyon went 7-2 last year and made the playoffs. They lost only 6 seniors which included 2 offensive lineman and their main RB. They do return their QB but Platte Canyon is run heavy so replacing their RB will be a high priority. They should once again be very competitive this year. Their defense did take a hit losing some very good playmakers. Platte Canyon will need to replace those playmakers and their RB if they want to make a run for the league title. The league favorite is Bennett who is dropping from 2A to 1A. They are bringing with them a very talented team going 7-3 last year in 2A and losing in the first round of the playoffs. They only lost 7 seniors but most of them were starters. They are losing the majority of their offensive line, their RB, and most of their defensive playmakers. They are returning their starting QB, and a great backup RB which will be helpful in their run heavy offense. Bennett must replace their losses on the offensive line and on defense if they plan on winning the league title.
League Champs: Bennett
Playoffs: Bennett, Platte Canyon, and maybe Front Range Christian
Southern Peaks
They only league in 1A that had no changes at all was the Southern Peaks league. This year could be somewhat of a down year. Well start with the non-contenders. Ignacio went 0-9 this year and lost 7 seniors. Their roster this year looks to be down around the 11 to 15 mark so they must keep players healthy. I don’t see Ignacio doing much better than last year maybe 1 win. The other non-contender I fill is John Mall. They lost 10 seniors off a 5-4 team. They lost their starting QB, RB, and most of their offensive line. They do return a very talented backup RB. Their defense will have to replace a few key pieces but I don’t see John Mall challenging for the league title this year. They could surprise a few teams but I feel that their losses could be too much to fix in one year. This year I feel there could be 4 teams that could challenge for the league crown. Monte Vista and Centauri lost a ton of talent to graduation and I feel that opens the door for Center and Dolores. We will start with Delores. They went 3-6 last year and are losing some talent as well. They lost 8 seniors which included their starting QB and RB and 2 offensive lineman. The biggest thing going for Dolores is they are returning most of their defense which will be very helpful until their offense can figure things out. For Dolores to challenge for the league title they must replace their starters on the offensive side of the ball to have a chance. The final three teams all could win league this year and possibly grab a playoff spot. I will start with Centauri. They went 5-5 last year and made the playoffs. They had a lot of young skill players last year and an experience offensive and defensive line. This year it will be the opposite. Centaur lost most of their offensive and defensive line as well as their starting QB but they do return their other skill positions. Centauri also must replace a lot of defensive starters. For Centauri to challenge for the league title they will need their skill players to take a leadership role for their offensive line. Next up is Center. I could not find too much information online on them but good thing I saw them play last year and saw what they had coming back. Center did not lose very much to graduation I think 4 or 5 seniors. They will have to replace 1 or 2 offensive lineman and a RB. They do return a very talented QB and a very talented backup RB. They also have a good offensive line coming back. The Key for Center will be defense. The biggest knock on Center last year was not playing good defense. This could be Center’s year to win league and make the playoffs but they must lean on their leadership if they plan on doing so. For the first time in year’s I can honestly say Monte Vista or Centauri are not the clear cut favorites. Monte Vista lost a ton of seniors 16 to be correct. That include 4 of the 5 offensive lineman, both starting running back, and a ton of defensive playmakers. Monte Vista is returning their starting QB but they will need a ton of people to step up if they want to compete for a league title. Monte Vista could be in trouble if people don’t step up on both sides of the ball.
League Champs: Monte Vista (Could honestly be three way tie)
Playoffs: Monte Vista, Center, Centauri (more than likely only 2)
Santa Fe
The Santa Fe league went from 6 to 5 when Calhan dropped its football program this year. This league is the old South Central league. The new team added to the mix was Trinidad which is dropping from 2A to 1A. I will start with the team I don’t think will compete for the playoffs or league title. Dolores Huerta went 0-9 last year and lost 6 seniors which included their starting QB, RB, and most of their offensive line. Dolores Huerta has a ton of work it need to do this year to be competitive. They are looking to have a very similar record to last year. Next up is Rocky Ford. They went 3-6 last year and lost 8 seniors. That included their starting defensive line and 2 offensive lineman. They do return their starting QB and RB. They will need to get a ton more from these two this year and also they need their defense to improve a ton. Rocky Ford will probably end up with about the same record as last year. These final three teams should all be very competitive and all three should make the playoffs. We will start with Ellicott which went 6-4 last year and made the playoffs. They are losing 7 seniors which includes 2 offensive lineman. They are returning a ton of talent including their starting RB and QB and a ton of defensive playmakers. They will have great experience going into this year and I feel have a great chance to win league especially with all the talent that Crowley County lost. There is no clear cut favorite in this league either so if Ellicott can get their offense going they should be very competitive this year. Trinidad is up next and they went 5-4 in 2A last year and missed the playoffs. They lost 11 seniors this year. They lost most of their defensive playmakers and their QB but have a very solid back up QB. Trinidad does return their starting RB and most of their offensive line. This will be huge for them to help control the tempo of the game. Trinidad will also have a good chance at winning league this year. They must control the tempo of games if they plan on doing so. Last and barely the favorite to win league is Crowley County. They went 10-2 last year and made the playoffs but lost 11 seniors most of whom where big contributors on both sides of the ball. Crowley County lost 3 offensive lineman, their star running back, most of their WR’s and a ton of talent of the defensive side of the ball. They do return their starting QB and some offensive lineman. For Crowley County to repeat as league champions they have to replace a lot of talent that was lost especially their RB who ran for over 1600 yards last year. They still will be very tough to beat but this league is wide open just like the southern peaks.
League Champ: Crowley County
Playoffs: Crowley County, Trinidad, Ellicott
Tri-Peaks
The Tri-Peaks league I believe has the most state qualifiers than any other league in 1A. They have 4 teams that made the playoffs last year and the State Champion. This year is different though Buena Vista has lost a ton of talent and the door could be open for a new league champion. I will start with who I think won’t be in the league title race. Lake County went 0-9 last year but only lost 2 seniors. Things should start looking up for Lake County if they can get the right leadership. I believe they will win a few games this year and possibly upset one of the main contenders but I don’t think they will compete for a league title this year maybe a few years away. St. Mary’s is dropping from 2A to 1A where they went 0-9 last year. They lost 8 seniors which includes most of their offensive line, their starting RB, and most of their defense. They do return their starting QB which will be helpful this year and next year. Which is when I think St. Mary’s will make a run. Now let’s get to the four state playoff teams from last year. It was hard to pick an order because of the amount of talent lost form some teams but I will start with Colorado Springs Christian. They may have been hit the hardest in terms of players lost. They lost 13 seniors which included most of their offensive and defensive lines, they also lost their starting RB and WR but have very talented backups. They do return their 2000 yard QB from last year and a LB’s and secondary. For Colorado Springs Christian to compete for the league title they must replace their offensive line they like to throw the ball and if they can’t give their QB time they will be in trouble. Watch out for this team if they can get a good OL together their offense is fun to watch. They open up the season this week against Crowley County which will be a very tough game. Next is Peyton who lost 6 seniors from their 6-4 season and made the playoffs. They only lost 6 seniors but that included 3 offensive lineman and their starting QB. They are returning a bunch of key players on defense and their starting RB. This will be key to them competing for a league title. Their defense is going to have to lead the way. They open up the season against a good Trinidad squad this week. Next up is Rye who went 6-4 last year and made the playoffs. They were hit somewhat hard by graduation as well. They lost 8 seniors all of which contributed. They lost their offensive line and of course their star running back who ran for over 1700 yards last year. Rye is returning some key players though. They will have their QB, WR’s, and most of their defense back this year. The key for Rye to be competitive is replacing their star RB and the offensive line. If Rye can do this I believe they can push for the league title maybe even win it. The favorite this year is Buena Vista but barely. Buena Vista lost a ton of talent losing 11 seniors. The biggest loss has to be their star QB who threw for 800 yards and ran for over 2000 yards. That will be a huge whole to fill. Besides him Buena Vista also must replace 3 offensive lineman, their running backs, and some of their defensive playmakers. They do not have too much returning on offense but some talented players on defense will be there. Buena Vista will have to reload this year or could honestly not win league. It will be interesting to watch this league title race. We will know more about how deep Buena Vista is after they play their first game which should be an easy game against Alamosa (2A).
League Champs: Buena Vista
Playoffs: Buena Vista, Rye, Peyton, and maybe Colorado Springs Christian
Western Slope
The Western Slope league got even better this year when they moved Lake County out and put Olathe for 2A in. All 6 of these teams are talented and this league is wide open this year. We will start off with Grand Valley. Grand Valley had 0 seniors on their roster last years which means they are loaded with experience this year. For Grand Valley to have a successful year they must improve on the offensive side of the ball. Their offense was not very good last year and that is what hurt them. For Grand Valley to challenge any of these teams it needs to use the experience they have gained. Next is Cedaredge who went 7-3 last year and made the playoffs. They took the biggest hit from graduation losing 13 seniors. These included their offensive line, their QB and their RB. The biggest thing returning will be their defense which will have a few pieces to replace but otherwise is very solid. Cedaredge might be looking at a small rebuilding year this year due to the amount lost on the offensive side of the ball. I don’t think they will make the playoffs this year. Next is Olathe which dropped from 2A to 1A. In 2A last year they went 5-4 and didn’t make the playoffs. I couldn’t find much on Olathe team from last year or this year so if anyone can please give me any information that would be great. These last three teams should all make the playoffs and should be the race for the league title. I will start off with Meeker. Meeker took a good hit as well from graduation losing 9 seniors. Included in those 9 was their start running back who ran for over 1700 yards. They also lost 3 offensive linemen. They do return their QB and most of their defensive playmakers. For Meeker to be competitive again this year they need to replace their RB and most of their offensive line. If that happens watch out for this team because their QB is a good leader. Next is Hotchkiss who had a down season last year going 3-6 and missing out on the playoffs. They lost 9 seniors to graduation of which 3 were on the offensive line. Hotchkiss brings back a very talented backfield and a good starting QB. They also have most of their defense coming back as well. Hotchkiss I feel could challenge for the league title and will make the playoffs. Last and the favorite to win the league title is Paonia. This Paonia team will be completely different though. They lost their longtime starting QB who threw for 750 yards and ran for over 2200 yards. That will be a huge whole to fill. Also lost to graduation was their RB and most of their offensive line. They also have some holes on defense but are brining enough talent back that they should be the strength of this team. Paonia was the runner up last year and have some work to get back into the state championship. This could be the year they get knocked off by one of the other teams. Hotchkiss and Meeker have fewer holes to fill and could easily challenge Paonia for the league title.
League Champ: Paonia Playoffs: Paonia, Hotchkiss, Meeker
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