Week 7 Class 2A League Breakdown
Colorado
The Colorado league is falling into place just like most thought it would. One big game on the docket this week and that is Kent Denver at Englewood. Kent Denver is looking to keep pace with Machebeuf who will win this week and also stay one game ahead of Elizabeth. I don’t see Kent Denver having any problems with this game and they should win by 24 points. In terms of RPI right now the Colorado league is sitting at one team getting in. Machebeuf and Elizabeth honestly are the only two other schools that could make a run at a spot unless Englewood upsets Kent Denver this weekend. Machebeuf is only 0.26 behind 16th right now and need to be big fans of Basalt and anyone that Machebeuf has beat this season.
Sheridan at Machebeuf Elizabeth at Ridgeview Academy
Kent Denver at Englewood
RPI of Teams in Colorado League: 11 Kent Denver .573, 17 Machebeuf .501, 21 Elizabeth .479, 27 Englewood .427, 28 Ridgeview Academy .424, 38 Sheridan .372
Flatirons
The league title will be on the line this week as D’Evelyn travels to Faith Christian. The main reason this is the title game is because Arvada pulled off a huge win last week against Middle Park and now both are 1-1. The league title could have huge implications for both teams. Faith Christian is currently sitting 20th in the RPI and a win would lock them into the playoffs as the automatic qualifier plus would give them a huge boost in RPI. D’Evelyn with the win could possibly move from 6 to 5 and set up a better match up. Faith Christian is still searching for that key victory and I am going with them in the upset of D’Evelyn by 3. Right now only D’Evelyn is in the playoffs sitting 6th in the RPI. The only other team with a shot is Faith Christian who is sitting 20th. If they lose this weekend they will need to win out and hope for some bad losses in front of them.
Denver West at Arvada D’Evelyn at Faith Christian
Middle Park at Jefferson
RPI of Teams in the Flatirons League: 6 D’Evelyn .612, 20 Faith Christian .484, 30 Arvada .407, 32 Jefferson .394, 34 Middle Park .387, 41 Denver West .320
Intermountain
The top two teams both won last week Delta beat Alamosa and Bayfield beat Montezuma Cortez Gunnison also picked up a win over Pagosa Springs and is keeping pace with the winners. Delta and Bayfield should both win this week and set up a monster game next week. The big game of interest is Gunnison at Alamosa. This game is huge for both teams in terms of RPI. Alamosa is sitting squarely on the bubble at 15 and need a win. A loss won’t necessary drop them out of the top 16 but they would feel much better. Gunnison is sitting a little better at 12th in the RPI but a win could solidify their position in the playoffs. They just have to avoid a letdown against one of the bad teams and it does not matter how they do against Delta. A loss will hurt their RPI a bit but won’t destroy their playoff chances and should stay in the top 15. I am going with Gunnison by 14. The Intermountain league currently has 4 teams in the playoff. 2 look to be pretty secure and those are Delta and Bayfield. The other two are more on the bubble and that is Gunnison and Alamosa. All four could get in if they win the games they are supposed to and hope for a little help from their previous opponents.
Delta at Montezuma Cortez Gunnison at Alamosa
Bayfield at Pagosa Springs
RPI of Teams in Intermountain League: 8 Bayfield .589, 9 Delta .588, 12 Gunnison .572, 15 Alamosa .542, 36 Montezuma Cortez .383, 39 Pagosa Springs .370
Patriot East
The Patriot East league is one of the more loaded leagues with 3 teams in the top ten of the RPI and a fourth in the top 16. There are two easy games this week. Weld Central should beat Brush and Sterling should beat Fort Lupton if both win they set up a huge game next week. Both teams must avoid overlooking these opponents especially Weld Central as Brush is still a tough team and could sneak up on you if you are not careful. The big game this week is Valley at Platte Valley. Valley is sitting pretty good right now in 10th in the RPI and a win will be huge for them considering they only have Sterling and one of the weaker teams left to play. Platte Valley on the other hand cannot afford to take a loss here. They are sitting in the last spot in right now and a loss would drop them to 2-5 and will hurt one of the three factors for figuring out the RPI. Machebeuf is only trailing them by .026 and Florence by .028 so grabbing a win here is a must. It won’t eliminate them because of their strength of schedule but it will definitely have them behind the 8 ball. I think Platte Valley gets back on the winning side of things and win here by 7.
Weld Central at Brush Fort Lupton at Sterling
Valley at Platte Valley
RPI of Teams in the Patriot East League: 2 Weld Central .656, 7 Sterling .591, 10 Valley .576, 16 Platte Valley .527, 26 Brush .432, Fort Lupton .381
Patriot West
The Patriot West is very much still up for grabs in terms of the league title and getting into the playoffs. The only teams that can feel good about their chance of getting into the playoffs is Resurrection Christian. They are sitting number 3 and are a lock into the playoffs. The next 3 teams are all on the bubble and only 1 is currently in. University is sitting in 13th right now and face a huge game against Resurrection Christian. A win for University would give them a shot at the league title but a loss wouldn’t hurt them that much and actually could rise their RPI as well. I don’t think University can beat Resurrection Christian and have Resurrection winning by 21. The big game of the week is Eaton at Academy. Eaton is sitting at 2-0 in league and still can win league. They may have to do that just to get into the playoffs. Eaton is sitting in 24th place right now and their biggest downfall is their weak Strength of Schedule. Academy is sitting in 19th place and also need a lot of help to get in. Their problem just like Eaton’s is their weak schedule. The loser and winner could see their RPI go up a bit here but the win for Eaton is more important. I think Eaton pulls off a close on here by 3. Right now only two teams are into the playoffs and will stay that way after this week. Depending on the result from the other game we could see one more team get closer to the bubble.
Eaton at Academy Pinnacle at Prospect Ridge
University at Resurrection Christian
RPI of Teams in the Patriot West: 3 Resurrection Christian, 13 University .571, 19 Academy .496, 24 Eaton .456, 25 Prospect Ridge .447, 40 Pinnacle .332
Tri Peaks
La Junta has all but locked up the league title with wins over Classical Academy and Manitou Springs. They also are well on their way to a #1 overall seed. They might have had the hardest three game stretch in all of 2A and maybe even the state. They played Kent Denver, Classical Academy, and Manitou Springs all ranked and two of the three were in the top 3. They finally have an easier game this week when they host their rival Lamar who is way down this year. I expect La Junta to win by 35 points. The #2 and #3 teams in league have also more than likely locked up playoff spots. Classical Academy is sitting #4 and Manitou Springs is sitting #5. Manitou Springs faces a tough Salida team this week and must be careful of an upset. Salida desperately need a big win and Florence will also be cheering for Salida as well as a win over Manitou would bump their RPI a bit as well. I see a very fired up Manitou Springs coming into Salida and winning big though. The big game this week is Classical Academy traveling to Florence. Florence is sitting in 18th right now and just .028 behind 16th. They will benefit from this game either way. They would love to grab the victory but having Classical Academy win will keep their opponents winning percentage a bit higher. Classical Academy is hoping to stay where they are in the RPI and would help them have a home game in the playoffs. They still have to face Manitou Springs and that will be for second and third place.
Lamar at La Junta Classical Academy at Florence
Salida at Manitou Springs
RPI of Teams in the Tri Peaks: 1 La Junta .773, 4 Classical Academy .620, 5 Manitou Springs .614, 18 Florence .499, 23 Salida .457, 35 Lamar .386
Western Slope
The Western Slope will come down to Moffat County and Basalt once again and the winner might be the only one to get into the playoffs this year. Both Basalt and Moffat County should win this week and set up the league title match next week. Moffat County is sitting in 22nd and more than likely will need a league title to get into the playoffs. They would be stealing a berth from one of the bubbles teams as well if they win league. Basalt on the other hand is sitting in 14th and are on the bubble but just as long as they take care of business against the lower teams they still could snag a spot as a wild card if they lose to Moffat County next week. The next closest team in terms of RPI is Coal Ridge and they are sitting in 31st and are no threat to make the playoffs.
Steamboat Springs at Moffat County Basalt at Coal Ridge
Aspen at Roaring Fork
2A Player of the Week
The 2A player of the Week goes to Austin Burkholder from Sterling High School. In Sterling upset victory over Platte Valley 27 to 19 Burkholder ran for 244 yards on 28 carries and 2 touchdowns.
MileHigh Prep Report 