Class 2A Week 9 League Breakdown
The final week of the season and the last chance for teams trying to boost their RPI before the playoffs.
Colorado League
The Colorado League has your league champion and that is Kent Denver. Kent Denver locked up the league title with a victory over Machebeuf. Kent Denver should easily beat Sheridan and be ready for the playoffs. Right now they currently would get the 3 seed but will probably drop a bit because this win won’t do too much for them. Elizabeth and Machebeuf are the two teams fighting to grab a playoff spot but both are sitting in the 20’s. Big movement can happen for a team that wins a big game at the end of the year. Machebeuf is sitting in 20th and Elizabeth is in 21st. The winner of this game will have an outside chance at making the playoffs. They would need a few things to go their way but would have a chance. Machebeuf will need a few teams in front of them to loss and then need some major help. Their biggest knock is their SOS which is 39th and the worst in the top 25 teams in the RPI. The Colorado League may only get one team into the playoffs especially since Alamosa is in 16th and plays Bayfield and 15 and 14 are league leaders.
Kent Denver at Sheridan Elizabeth at Machebeuf
Englewood at Ridgeview Academy
RPI of teams in league: 3 Kent Denver .615, 20 Machebeuf .496, 21 Elizabeth .480
Flatirons League
The Flatirons has its league champion plus your only two teams making the playoffs. Faith Christian is your league champion and sits in 14th in the RPI and is fighting to stay in the top 16 to make sure they get a home game. D’Evelyn will finish in second place and is hoping they can somehow jump Classical Academy and get a home game in the first round. D’Evelyn probably won’t be able to jump Classical Academy but will have a good seed and would probably face Basalt for the 9 seed. It will be very interesting to see how things turn out in terms of seeds for the top two teams. Arvada did give a good scare to Faith Christian last week and will be a much better teams next year. They improved a ton this year and should finish at 5-4 and will be fun to see how good they turn out to be next year.
Faith Christian vs Middle Park D’Evelyn vs Denver West
Arvada at Jefferson
RPI of teams in league: 6 D’Evelyn .595, 14 Faith Christian .545
Intermountain League
The league title game was somewhat last week when Bayfield faced off against Delta. Bayfield won that showing in impressive fashion and controls their own fate. The league title will be handed out this week when Bayfield hosts Alamosa. Alamosa is sitting in 16th in the RPI and are squarely on the bubble. They will get a bump in the RPI with a win or a loss so the comfort of playing the league leading Bayfield is at least helpful. They are barely ahead of Gunnison who is in 17th. Alamosa should be able to stay in the playoffs regardless of if they win or not. A win would make them feel a lot more comfortable and if they can beat Bayfield by 21 they would have a chance at the league title. Bayfield is in 7th in the RPI and are hoping to improve their seed with a victory over Alamosa. A win will give them a good boost in the RPI and a better seed. They had a very impressive victory last week and are starting to build some very good momentum for this young team. They will be a threat in the playoffs. I am going with Bayfield winning this week by 21. Delta is in second place and are 9th in the RPI and are a lock for the playoffs. They will have a tough game against Gunnison this week who is desperate for a win. Gunnison is in 17th and chasing league member Alamosa who is in 17th. Both teams will get bumps in the RPI but all that will depend on how much of a bump. They will have to hope Faith Christian can leap a few teams and then hope Basalt does not drop out of the top 16 or have Basalt upset by Roaring Fork in the final week. I don’t think Gunnison will be able to upset Delta as Delta will be playing with some fire. Delta should win by 21 points. The Intermountain League should get 3 teams but it will be interesting to see if they could squeeze a fourth team in.
Bayfield vs Alamosa Delta at Gunnison
Pagosa Springs at Montezuma Cortez
RPI of teams in league: 7 Bayfield .595, 9 Delta .571, 16 Alamosa .531, 17 Gunnison .525
Patriot East
Sterling has locked up the league title. They should easily beat Valley this week and they have the guaranteed home game. Things are still very unsettled from here down though. Battling for second and third place will be Weld Central and Platte Valley. This should be a great game and will decided a ton. Weld Central dropped a bunch in the RPI after losing one game they fell from the top 5 to 11th. Their RPI was boosted a bunch by their WP so another loss would hurt. They have the 31st SOS which is 3rd worst in the top 25. Another loss would drop them some more in the RPI but I don’t think will knock them out of the top 16. A win would make them a lock for the playoffs and not make them as nervous for the final RPI. Platte Valley has been on a hot streak since losing to Sterling. They have won two straight and are back at .500 for the year. They are sitting in 12th in the RPI and should be a lock win or lose for the playoffs. Their SOS is 3rd and that is what is giving them a great chance at the playoffs. Best case scenario is win but a loss to a quality opponent won’t destroy their chances. Both teams are looking for more momentum heading into the playoffs and the winner of this game will have it. Weld Central should be able to rebound and I have them winning this game by 6. Valley is the other team fighting for a playoff spot and sit in 18th. They will get a bump in RPI from this game but the two teams in front of them will also get a bump. Alamosa, Gunnison, and Valley will all be looking at Florence, University, and perhaps the loser of the Weld Central vs Platte Valley game to see if their RPI will fall. The race for the final few spots will be a fun one to watch. All the teams on the bubble will be cheering for Basalt to win this week and not have a team like Roaring Fork steal a spot.
Sterling at Valley Weld Central vs Platte Valley
Brush at Fort Lupton
RPI of teams in league: 4 Sterling .615, 11 Weld Central .557, 12 Platte Valley .556, 18 Valley .502, 25 Brush .456
Patriot West
The Patriot West league title will be decided this week when Resurrection Christian hosts Eaton. Eaton is currently on the outside looking in. They have the second worst SOS in the top 25 and will need some help to get into the playoffs. They do have a chance for a league title and the automatic berth into the playoffs. Eaton will get a bump in the RPI from this game with a win or a loss but it will be interesting to see how much of a bump it will be. The teams ahead of them all face quality opponents so they may need a league title to get in. Once again Eaton will be looking towards Florence, University, Weld Central, and Platte Valley so see if their RPI will drop. Resurrection Christian is sitting very solid at #2 and should finish in that spot and grab the #2 seed. They have had a great season this year and this is their first season in 2A. They would love to grab a league championship and I believe they will beat Eaton by 14. University is the third team fighting for a playoff spot. They won’t get much help this week in their RPI. They face a Pinnacle team who is winless and they will be hoping that their RPI does not drop to much. University should win but if they lose would be in a huge mess. University will be closely watching all the teams behind them but I think they have done enough to get into the playoffs, it will be interesting to see how far they drop from this game. The fourth team is Academy and I don’t think they have enough points left in their final game to make the playoffs. They play a 1 win team and that won’t help their RPI and they will be left out. The Patriot West is a good example of the RPI problem. Eaton is going to finish in second place and possibly won’t make the playoffs but the THIRD place team University will get into the playoffs. It will be very interesting to see how this turns out.
Resurrection Christian vs Eaton University vs Pinnacle
Prospect Ridge at Academy
RPI of teams in league: 2 Resurrection Christian .638, 8 University .581, 19 Eaton .501, 23 Academy .472
Tri-Peaks League
The Tri-Peaks league is the best league in 2A this year and every week there are always good games and once against this week will not disappoint. We will start off with the La Junta at Florence game. Florence pulled a huge upset when they beat Manitou Springs last week and now have given themselves a great chance to make the playoffs. Their RPI will increase with a win or lose this week and Florence should make the playoffs. They are still on the bubble but they do have a great opportunity against the #1 team in the state. Florence has had a very interesting season losing some games that they shouldn’t but also upsetting teams. This will be a good test for this Florence team. La Junta is a lock in the playoffs and with a win will be your #1 overall seed. La Junta has played the 2nd toughest schedule behind Sterling in terms of SOS but I feel they have played the toughest schedule in 2A. They will be more than battle test come playoffs. La Junta has one more test ahead of them and that is Florence. La Junta has played amazing defense and will need that again this week. I have La Junta winning here by 14 and locking up the #1 overall seed. Another big game is Classical Academy hosting a struggling Manitou Springs. Manitou Springs has lost 2 games in the past 3 weeks and now face another huge test. They were beat last week by Florence and must rebound quickly. They sit at 10th in the RPI and are nearly a lock for the playoffs. They would love to win this game and grab some momentum for the playoffs. Classical Academy has taken care of business since losing to La Junta. They have played great football all year and one more victory will put them very close to a home game in the first round. They currently sit in 5th in the RPI and should lock up that spot with a win here. They could still grab a share of the league title if Florence upsets La Junta. I have Classical Academy winning this game by 21. Salida is the fifth team in the top 25 for the Tri Peaks league and are facing Lamar. They will also see an increase in their RPI with a win only. Salida RPI has been hurt because their WP is so low. A win here will give them a boost. Them and Brush are two teams sitting outside the top 20 with Top 7 SOS. Salida will be a scary team next year in the Tri-Peaks and this year has been a great building year for this young team.
La Junta at Florence Classical Academy vs Manitou Springs
Salida at Lamar
RPI of teams in league: 1 La Junta .702, 5 Classical Academy .608, 10 Manitou Springs .568, 13 Florence .555, 22 Salida .480
Western Slope League
The Western Slope league title game is this week when Basalt travels to Roaring Fork. Roaring Fork is currently outside the top 25 RPI so mush win the league title to get into the playoffs. They will have to beat Basalt by more than 12 points to do so or Moffat County could potentially sneak in and grab the title. For Basalt it is simple beat Roaring Fork and you’re the league champions. They will then hope their RPI stays in the top 16 and if it does will host a first round game. They beat Moffat County last week and control their own destiny. I am going with Basalt to win the league by 28. Moffat County is in 24th and I don’t think has a chance at the playoffs besides a league title which would take quite a bit for that to happen. I feel that Basalt will be the only team to get into the playoffs.
Basalt at Roaring Fork Aspen at Moffat County
Coal Ridge at Steamboat Springs
RPI of teams in league: 15 Basalt .538, 24 Moffat County .457
The 2A Player of the Week
The 2A player of the week goes to Alec Lucero of Florence High School. Lucero ran for 263 yards and 3 touchdowns in Florence’s upset victory of Manitou Springs. Lucero also had 5 tackles and 30 yards passing.
MileHigh Prep Report 