Class 2A First Round Breakdown
Quick though on the bracket: There are two teams in the bracket that took second in their league and didn’t make the playoffs and one teams that took third and made the playoffs while the second place team didn’t. Machebeuf went 7-2 and missed the playoffs and also Eaton 7-2 missed the playoff both teams took second in their leagues and didn’t make the playoffs. Eaton finished second ahead of University who made the playoffs. Eaton beat University head to head and yet University made the playoffs that is my biggest rip on the 2A playoff field. My only recommendation would be to go towards 6 leagues with every league guaranteed two berths into the playoffs and the final 4 spots could be decided by the RPI. The 2A playoff field should be a great field. The Tri-Peaks showed their strength getting 4 teams into the playoffs, Intermountain got 3 and the Patriot East also got 3. The weakest league this year was Western Slope again only getting one team into the playoffs and they were very low in the RPI.
#1 La Junta vs #16 University
University sneaks into the playoffs finishing third in league but winning down the stretch to snag a playoff spot. University won 3 of its last 4 games to help secure a playoff spot. They played against 2 playoff teams this year losing both and neither of the games where close. The lost to Strasburg 50-7 and to Resurrection Christian 42-0. Offensively University is very good against the lower teams but against the upper teams they faced they struggled a bit. University is averaging 28.2 ppg and attack you on the ground they are averaging 189.5 ypg on the ground. They do have the slight advantage when passing the ball averaging 86.3 passing ypg. Offensively University is led by Noah Serrano RB who is averaging 110.3 ypg. University on defense has struggled against the top teams giving up 40+ points. Besides that they only gave up over 28 once. They are allowing 19 ppg on defense. Like I mentioned earlier University is on a bit of a hot streak winning it final two and both were shutouts. They will need a very similar performance on defense this week
La Junta played a very tough schedule this year at one point facing the #2 teams beating them and then facing the new #2 teams the following week and then following that with the #5 team. They played against a total of 5 playoff teams going 5-0 against all of them. La Junta was only challenged once this year and that was the 24-21 game against Classical Academy. La Junta is a defensive juggernaut. They have allowed a whopping 5.2 ppg and that could possibly be the best in the ENTIRE state of Colorado. La Junta has posted 4 shutouts and 8 out of 9 games they held teams to under 10 points. La Junta has the best defense in 2A. Offensively La Junta is pretty good as well averaging 37.4 ppg. They attack you mainly on the ground averaging 248.8 rushing ypg. Their offense complements their defense and they don’t mind just powering the ball down the field. La Junta on offense is led by QB Jon Nuschy is lead the teams in rushing at 98.3 ypg and passing at 76.7 ypg for a total of 175.0 total ypg. La Junta will use the experience they gained from their Semifinals appearance last year and try and get that state title.
These two teams do not have a common opponent. University will need to play their best game on the offensive side of the ball. They also will need their defense to help get La Junta offense of the field as well. University has struggled against the top teams and well see if they gained some experience from that. La Junta is battle tested and ready to show off their defense. They will start that by dominating on defense in this first week. Their offense has been their biggest problem this year but even then it has been very good. I see La Junta winning big in the first round by 35.
#8 Basalt vs #9 D’Evelyn
D’Evelyn finished second in their league losing to Faith Christian three weeks ago. D’Evelyn played against some tough teams playing against 4 playoff teams. They went 2-2 against them. D’Evelyn in the regular season had a few very tight games against the top teams. They had a 4 point win over Sterling, 10 point win over Platte Valley and a 1 point win over Green Mountain (3A). D’Evelyn on offense has struggled a bit with a new QB tacking over from last year. D’Evelyn is averaging 24.0 ppg which is way down from last year but I expect that number to be much higher next year. Offensively they are attacking teams pretty equally. They are rushing for 220.1 ypg and passing for 192.3 ypg. Last year they were more throwing oriented but this year they are attacking a bit more balanced. D’Evelyn is led by Kyle Klataske RB who is averaging 146.6 rushing ypg and 161.9 total ypg. This is D’Evelyn first year in 2A and made the playoffs. They are on a two game winning streak and are hoping to make a mark in the playoffs.
Basalt grabbed the Western Slope crown two weeks ago in a nail bitter. They beat Moffat County 20-8 to secure the league title and the only playoff berth. Basalt is looking to prove that they can beat anyone and have a very tough task in the first round. Basalt only played against 2 playoff teams going 1-1. Offensively Basalt is scoring 35.8 ppg which is a full touchdown better than D’Evelyn the only problem is they didn’t play the competition that they did. Basalt has attacked team on both the ground and through the air nearly equally. Passing they are averaging 152.6 ypg and rushing the ball they are averaging 224.6 ypg. They are led by QB Miles Levy who is averaging 137.1 passing ypg and 157.6 total ypg. Defensively Basalt is giving up 17.7 ppg and will need to improve that a bit to pull the victory out. Since Basalts 42-7 loss to Delta they have won 6 straight games and are on a hot streak they will need that this week.
These two teams have no common opponents and this is a long trip across the mountain for D’Evelyn to face a very good team. D’Evelyn will need their offense to be on point this week. In my eyes they are the favorites in this game even though they are the lower seed. They finished in the top 10 of the RPI and Basalt was 15th. Basalt will be out to prove they belong as a top team. They will need their defense to lead them. If they can slow down D’Evelyn offense they will have a chance at the victory. This will be a very good game. I am going with D’Evelyn in the victory by 10.
#4 Sterling vs #13 Manitou Springs
Manitou Springs had a great season this year going 6-3 and grabbing one of the four playoff spots that the very tough Tri-Peaks league got. Manitou Springs is on somewhat of a down. Manitou Springs has lost their last 2 game and both were by more than 14 points. Manitou has also lost 3 of its last four games so they will have to bounce back very quickly. Manitou Springs played against 4 playoff teams going 1-4 against them. They did beat Faith Christian early in the season though and we will have to see if they can rekindle that magic. Offensively Manitou is scoring 33.8 ppg and attack you mainly on the ground averaging 275.7 rushing ypg. Their offense is led by QB Cole Sienknecht who is throwing for 102.7 ypg and rushing for 108.3 ypg. Manitou Springs biggest knock this year has been their defense. They are allowing 22.5 ppg and most of them come against the top teams. They allowed 40 to La Junta, 34 to Salida, 36 to Florence, and 59 to Classical Academy. So improving their defense is a must if they want to pull the upset.
Sterling started the season 0-3 but since then have ran off 6 straight wins and won the Patriot East league. They played a brutal first three games playing against Resurrection Christian, D’Evelyn, and Classical Academy all of which made the playoffs and two of the three are top three playoff seeds. Sterling played against 6 playoff teams going 3-3 against them. Sterling on offense is scoring 27.4 ppg and attack you very balanced. They are rushing for 170.7 ypg and passing for 175.6 ypg. They are led by QB Bodie Hume who is averaging 162.9 passing ypg and their main running back is Austin Burkholder who is averaging 120.3 rushing ypg. Their offense started the season slow but have turned it up in the second half of the season. Defensively they are middle of the pack in 2A. They are allowing 18.7 ppg but in the second half of the year played much better on defense not allowing over 20 points.
These teams have two common opponents. Both teams played against Valley and both won big and both played Classical Academy and both lost. Sterling played them early on and have improved every week since them and Manitou Springs played them two weeks ago and are on a downward trend. For Manitou Springs to pull the upset they must play great defense. Sterling must get their offense going strong on the run to open up their passing game. Early on they tried to pass too much and it showed in three straight losses. But if they get their rushing attack going they have been tough to beat. I am going with Sterling to win by 14.
#5 Bayfield vs #12 Florence
Florence has had one of the must up and down season I have ever seen. They lost two games early on that they shouldn’t have and then pulled off a huge upset toward the end of the year. At one point Florence was not in the top 16 of RPI but finished 12th I believe. Florence played against 4 playoff teams going 1-3 against them. They ended the season winning 2 of its last 4 and one of them was an upset of Manitou Springs. They played tough against Classical Academy and La Junta only losing by 12 to TCA and 21 to La Junta. Their style of play is to pound the ball and hope their defense can stop the other teams which has been their biggest weakness. Their defense returned a ton of starters but are not a top defense this year. They are allowing about the average in terms of ppg. They are allowing 18.3 ppg and that has what cost them games. Their offense has not scored that many points. They are only scoring 24.9 ppg and with their defense allowing 18 most of their games have been very tight. Offensively they attack you on the ground averaging 225.3 ypg. They are led by QB Alec Lucero who is passing for 94.1 ypg and rushing for 132.8 ypg for a total of 228.3 ypg. He is their main player and he must play amazing if they want to pull the upset.
Bayfield has played a very tough schedule. They played against the #2 team in UT in 2A, played against a pair of 5A teams in New Mexico and also played against a 3A team here in Colorado. They opened the season 2-2 and have since ran off 5 straight victories and won the Intermountain League Crown. Those early season test have been very helpful for Bayfield who is very young to help grown this team and get them ready for the playoffs. Bayfield has played against 3 playoff teams and went 2-1 against them. Bayfield two losses this year were to San Juan UT and Durango. Bayfield on offense is not a scoring juggernaut but they are led by their defense. Offensively they are scoring 29.3 ppg and they love to run the ball. They are passing pretty well as well averaging 124.1 ypg but rushing the ball for 193.2 ypg. They are led by RB David Hawkins who is averaging 91.1 ypg and also led by QB Josh Westbrook who is passing for 90.2 ypg. Like I mentioned earlier this team is led by their defense. They are only giving up 7.9 ppg which is third behind La Junta and Resurrection Christian. They have posted 3 shutout and have 6 games were they held teams to under 7 points. They have only allowed over 20 points once this year and they still won that game.
These teams both have a common opponent in Alamosa. Florence lost to Alamosa in week 1 21 to 16 but have since turned their season around and also are very battle tested playing in the Tri-Peaks. Bayfield hammered Alamosa in the final week of the season 44-0. That game was big for them after beating Delta the week before they used that as momentum and now will need that this week. For Florence to pull they upset they must keep the game low scoring. If they can hold Bayfield to under 17 point they will have a chance at the upset. For Bayfield to pull the victory it will be their defense as well. They must hold Florence rushing attack to under 150 yards and they will easily win. They also must get their offense going in the right direction to open the playoffs. I have Bayfield winning by 17.
#3 Classical Academy vs #14 Alamosa
Alamosa grabbed the final spot into the playoffs according to RPI. They were the 16th team in the RPI and they held off a few teams from jumping them. They played a very tough schedule this year. They played against 5 playoffs teams and went 1-4 against them. They are well prepared for the playoffs due to their schedule. Alamosa offensively has not put up huge numbers but that is due to their tough schedule. Alamosa is averaging 24.7 ppg on offense and are led by their power rushing attack that is averaging 233 rushing yard per game. Their rushing attack is led by Angelo Ramirez 66.9 ypg. Defensively Alamosa is giving up 19.6 ppg. Alamosa will have to quickly bounce back after last week’s loss to Bayfield 44-0. Before that loss Alamosa was on a two game winning streak so getting back to that form will be a must.
Classical Academy is new to 2A so this is their first year in the 2A playoffs. TCA like Alamosa played a tough schedule going against 5 playoffs teams. TCA went 4-1 against playoff teams there only loss of the season was to #1 La Junta. TCA finished 3rd in the RPI and was the only non-league winner to host a matchup. TCA on offense scored a ton of points this year averaging 42.6 ppg and attack you both on the ground and through the air. Their rushing attack is averaging 225.3 ypg and their passing attack is averaging 153.7 ypg. Offensively there are led by their QB Cade Bethany who is averaging 146.0 passing ypg and 196.7 total ypg. Defensively TCA has been very stout only giving up 14 ppg and 4 game that 10 points or less were scored. TCA has rebounded nicely since their close loss to La Junta winning four straight and are on a good winning streak heading into the playoffs.
Classical Academy and Alamosa have 2 common opponents. They both played La Junta and Florence. Both teams went 1-1 against the two of them. Alamosa beat Florence 21-16 and TCA beat Florence 38 to 26. Alamosa lost to La Junta 21-7 and TCA lost to La Junta 24 to 21. On paper this looks to be a very interesting matchup. TCA has progressively improved every week but Alamosa has slowly declined as the year has gone on. If Alamosa plans on pulling the upset they must channel how they beat Florence and then some. Alamosa on offense must improve and if Alamosa can run the ball they will have a chance. TCA will need to forget what happened last week on defense giving up 30+ to Manitou Springs. TCA will need to be able to stop the run or they could be on upset alert. I don’t see Alamosa offense being able to score with TCA though. I am going with TCA in this one by 28.
#6 Kent Denver vs #11 Weld Central
Weld Central had a great season at one point owning the longest winning streak in the state of Colorado. Weld Central won 7 straight games this year before losing to Sterling two weeks ago. Last week was a very important game for Weld Central. They had a huge comeback victory and beat Platte Valley which held keep them the seed they were and finish second in the Patriot East. Weld Central faced 2 playoff teams this year going 1-1 against them. Offensively Weld Central is averaging 32.1 ppg and are led by their rushing attack. Their rushing attack is averaging 212.7 ypg and they are averaging 95.9 passing ypg. Their offense is led by QB Bryan Gudka who is throwing for 95 ypg and a total of 129.7 ypg and their rushing attack is led by Alex Ries 73.1 ypg. Defensively they are very solid they are only giving up 12.7 ppg and have 4 games of holding opponents to under 7 points.
Kent Denver is once again a top team in the 2A ranks. They had some big holes to fill from last year teams and have done that very nicely. They are 8-1 on the season with their only loss to La Junta 35-6. They played against two playoff teams as well going 1-1. They currently are on a 5 game winning streak heading into the playoff but were not tested even once in their very weak league. Kent Denver is averaging 32.4 ppg and also love to pound the ball on the ground. They are averaging 228.1 ypg on the ground and 102.1 passing ypg. They are led by QB Joey Licht who is passing for 100.4 ypg and their rushing attack is led by Spencer Serumaga who is averaging 75.6 ypg. Defensively they are also very good giving up 11.6 ppg and have held 5 opponents to under 7 points.
This is one of two games that have teams on upset alert. On Paper these two teams are nearly identical! They don’t have a common opponent which will make this game very interesting. Both teams have to run the ball to be successful and that is the key of the game. Whichever teams controls the line of scrimmage will win. Kent Denver has not played a meaningful game in some weeks and that will hurt them in the playoffs. Weld Central on the other hand has played meaningful games in league and have some great momentum after last week’s game. I am going with the upset here and I have Weld Central winning by 10.
#7 Faith Christian vs #10 Delta
Delta is brand new to the 2A classification and they are having a great year. Two of their 3 losses were to 3A teams which have battle tested them. They finished second on the Intermountain League behind Bayfield who beat them two weeks ago 23-7. Delta bounced back nicely and beat Gunnison last week 41-0 and that helped them grab the #10 seed. Delta played against 3 playoff teams because 3A has not started that number could be up to 5. Delta on offense is averaging 32.1 ppg and they are led by their rushing attack which is averaging 230.0 ypg. Their passing attack is also effective averaging 115.6 passing ypg. Their offense is led by RB Damon Jensen who is averaging a whopping 170.9 rushing ypg. Delta defensively has been very good as well. They are only giving up 13 ppg and have only allowed over 20 points twice. They also have posted 5 games of holding teams to under 7 points. They are very well battles tested in a league that has 3 teams in the playoffs.
Faith Christian started the season going 0-3 but that stretch was a brutal one. They had an OT loss to Resurrection Christian, a loss to Kent Denver, and a loss to Manitou Springs. Faith Christian since those three losses has played great winning 6 straight games and won their league. The only problem with that is they have only played one playoff team in their 6 game winning streak. Faith Christian has played against 4 playoff teams going 1-3 against them and they beat D’Evelyn. Faith Christian is also a very young team as well so this experience in the playoffs is key. Offensively Faith Christian is averaging 34.3 ppg and they can attack you both on the ground and through the air. They are averaging 153.8 passing ypg and 180.9 rushing ypg. They are led by QB Isaiah Kroll who is averaging 134.6 passing ypg and they are led by RB Joseph Siravo who is averaging 123 rushing ypg. Their defense like Delta is very stout. They are only giving up 14.8 ppg which is slightly higher than Delta defense. Faith Christian has allowed four teams to break the 20 point mark and only 1 broke 40 points and that was Arvada two weeks ago. They have also posted 5 games of holding teams to under 7 points. The only knock on Faith Christian is giving up 42 point to Arvada.
These two teams have no common opponents but both teams are pretty similar in their style of game play. Both teams want to use the pass to open up the run. Whichever team can run the ball most effective will win the game. This will be a low scoring game and don’t expect either team to break the 28 point mark. With that said I am going with the upset here as well. I think Delta will be able to open up the holes a bit better and Jensen will get going again. I have Delta winning by 10.
#2 Resurrection Christian vs #15 Platte Valley
Platte Valley had a very interesting year this year. They grabbed a playoff spot after going 4-5 which is way below standards for this team. They finished third in the Patriot East after losing to Weld Central last week 17-14. Platte Valley will have to quickly rebound from that loss. Platte Valley has played against 4 playoff teams including the teams they play in the first round. They lost to Resurrection Christian 24-22. So this might be the most interesting game in the 2A bracket or even for any #2 seed. Platte Valley is averaging 28.7 ppg and they were hit hard by graduation this past year so they have been rebuilding and expect a surge from next year’s team. Platte Valley has not input much stats this year but I know they are led by QB Trevon Wherman. Platte Valley biggest issue this year has been their defense not getting the big stops when they need them. They are still very good they are only giving up 16.7 ppg. They will need to improve that a bit for this week’s game.
Resurrection Christian is in its first year in 2A after moving up from 1A. They played a very impressive schedule running the table and they played against 4 playoff teams beat all four of them. They are battle tested and each week of the season has mattered for this team. They of course will remember their game against Platte Valley from earlier in the year but this team also has improved in every game so far. Resurrection Christian has been nearly unstoppable on offense scoring 41 ppg. Their offense is pretty balanced averaging 326 total ypg. Their passing attack is averaging 155.9 ypg and their rushing attack is averaging 170.1 ypg. Their offense is led by QB Brin Hayden who is averaging 122.8 passing ypg and 165.8 total ypg. He is their leader and must play a big game this week. Defensively Resurrection Christian is the second best defense in 2A only behind La Junta. They are only giving up 7.2 ppg. They have posted 4 shutouts this year and have held 7 teams to under 7 points. They have allowed two teams to break 20 points Platte Valley and Faith Christian.
This is going to be a very intriguing matchup. The selection committee didn’t do Resurrection Christian any favors putting them against Platte Valley in the first round. Platte Valley has not had the season I expected from them but they are still a very good team. The key of the game will be who controls the line of scrimmage if Resurrection Christian can stop Platte Valley rushing attack they will win this game easily. I think that will be possible but this will be a close game against. I am going with Resurrection Christian to win by 14.
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