At the end I will quickly explain Districts/Regionals/State Tournament
#1 Colorado Springs Christian opened the season at 5-0. They have 4 quality wins over Grand Valley, Jefferson Academy, Vanguard, and Pueblo Centennial (4A). They opened the preseason at #1 overall and have not given that up this year and this will be their 4th straight week at #1. Offensively Colorado Springs Christian is scoring 59 ppg and allowing 42 ppg. Colorado Springs Christian has been challenged twice this year against Jefferson Academy winning by 4 and Pueblo Centennial winning by 6. They start the New Year going to the Rampart tournament and will be facing off against Pueblo West 7-0(4A), Rampart 4-3(5A), and Fruita Monument 4-5(5A). All of these will be big tests before starting league play against 3-2 Rye on January 10th. Colorado Springs Christian will be challenged by every team to open the season. The two teams behind them are very close to them already but I don’t see Colorado Springs Christian even if they lose 2 of 3 dropping out of the top 3. Colorado Springs Christian will be one of the two favorites to win the Tri-Peaks title. The other will be Manitou Springs who is #3. The league title won’t be a straight cake walk though as the Tri-Peaks has a few other good teams who will be fighting for the league title. Rye, Vanguard, Lamar, Buena Vista, Florence, and La Junta will all give good challenges for the league title.
#2 Resurrection Christian opened up its first season in 3A by going 8-0 and climbing to the #2 spot in the rankings. They opened the preseason rankings at #7 and have steadily climbed all the way to #2. They have quality wins over Classical Academy (4A), Rye, Lutheran, Faith Christian, and Wheat Ridge (4A). Offensively they are scoring 83 ppg and defensively they are allowing 57 ppg. Resurrection Christian has been challenged by Classical Academy winning by 9 and Air Academy winning by 10. They have avoid the very close calls this season and the average margin of victory from Res Christian is 22.9 points. They open the New Year with a tough non-league game against 5-2 Coal Ridge and then start league play January 10th against 2-6 Valley. They possibly could be looking at #1 depending on some of the result from Colorado Springs Christian. Resurrection Christian has put up a good showing on why they are the #2 team in 3A. They have 5 quality wins 4 of the victories were against teams with winning records and 1 of which is ranked.
#3 Manitou Springs opened the season at 7-0. They have 5 quality wins and some very impressive one. They have wins over John Mall (2A), La Junta, Classical Academy (4A), Machebeuf, and Kent Denver. Offensively Manitou Springs is averaging 67 ppg and defensively they are allowing 42 ppg. They have only been challenged once this year and that was by Kent Denver and they won by 6. The averaging margin of victory was 26 points. To open up the New Year Manitou Springs will jump straight into league play. They open up with a game against 5-2 La Junta on January 6th and follow that up with a Non-League game on January 10th against 2-2 Ellicott (2A). The #1, #2, and #3 teams are all really close with each other and don’t have much separation between the 3 of them. Manitou Springs has proven they are a good team beating 5 teams with winning records. They could also jump Colorado Springs Christian if they loss and the three teams could also just change places following the opening week after break.
#4 Sterling opened the season at 6-1 traveling for the first tournament to Nebraska. Sterling one loss is to Alliance NE who is 6-1 and ranked #5 in their class and #10 in the entire state. Sterling rebounded from that loss and have won 5 straight games. They have quality 6 quality wins over Gering NE, Sidney NE, Fort Morgan (4A), Buena Vista, Manual, and Grand Valley. Sterling opened the season at #9 preseason ranked so they like the two teams above them have made good jumps in the rankings. Offensively Sterling is averaging 65 ppg and defensively they are giving up 49 ppg. In their loss they lost by 16 points and they have 1 close victory against Sidney NE winning by 6 points. Against in State teams they have yet to be challenged with their closest game being against Fort Morgan and that was by 17 points. To open up the New Year Sterling has a tough Non-League game against 3-4 Lutheran on January 5th and then open up league play against 3-3 University. The Patriot league which Sterling is in will be one of the toughest leagues in 3A this year. The Patriot league has Resurrection Christian, Sterling, Frontier Academy, Strasburg, Brush, Platte Valley, and Eaton who all will be tough games and the league race should be fun to watch. Sterling, Kent Denver, and Alamosa are all sitting very close to each other at 4, 5, and 6 so any slip up could cost one of these teams to drop. Sterling has a very tough game against a Lutheran team whose record is very deceiving.
#5 Kent Denver is the biggest surprise to open the season. They were not ranked or even mentioned in the top 16 teams in the preseason rankings from Chsaanow.com. They are now at 6-1 and their one loss was to #3 Manitou Springs. They have 4 quality wins against Bayfield, University, Eaton, and DSST-Stapleton. Of those quality wins one is against a ranked opponent DSST-Stapleton. Offensively they are scoring 64 ppg and defensively they are allowing 48 ppg. Their one loss to Manitou Springs was only by 6 points. In their wins they have yet to be challenged to single digits. Their closest victory was against Bayfield and they won by 14 points. They open the New Year by making a trip down to Southern Colorado to face 5-1 #6 Alamosa January 6th and 4-3 Monte Vista January 7th. They then open league play against 5-2 #8 Faith Christian January 11th. Kent Denver is in a very tough Metro league playing against Faith Christian, Manual, Colorado Academy, Pinnacle, Lutheran, Machebeuf, and Jefferson Academy. The league title race will be wide open and they could be in running for it. We will know more about Kent Denver after their Matchup with Alamosa. If Alamosa pulls the upset it will drop Kent Denver a bit but Kent Denver also needs to get some momentum heading into a very difficult league schedule.
#6 Alamosa started the season on a bit of a rocky note losing to Palmer Ridge (4A) but quickly rebounded winning 5 straight including a ranked victory over #8 Faith Christian and have ran off to a 5-1 record. Alamosa also has quality wins over Elizabeth (4A) and Glenwood Springs (4A). Alamosa started the season at the #6 spot in the preseason rankings and have stayed put in the rankings. Alamosa and Colorado Springs Christian are the only two teams to not move since the pre-season rankings. Offensively they are averaging 57 ppg and defensively they are allowing 49 ppg. Their one loss to Palmer Ridge was by 12. Alamosa has already played in two overtime games this year winning both against Montrose and Faith Christian. They also played Glenwood Springs to a 7 point victory as well. They open the New Year against #5 Kent Denver then jump into league play against 2-4 Montezuma-Cortez January 13th. Like I stated above we will know a lot more about Alamosa and Kent Denver following their match up. This will be one of the bigger games in Class 3A to open the New Year. Alamosa will be the hands down favorite to win the Intermountain League. It won’t be a complete cake walk but they are the favorites. The only team in the Intermountain League with a losing record right now is Montezuma-Cortez. Bayfield, Pagosa Springs, Centauri, and Monte Vista will all be looking to upset Alamosa this year.
#7 DSST-Stapleton has gained one spot since the preseason rankings and have played a very tough schedule probably second toughest to Colorado Academy. They have started the season 5-3. 2 of the 3 losses to Stapleton have been to 4A opponents both of which have winning record D’Evelyn and Pueblo South. Their other loss was to #5 Kent Denver. DSST-Stapleton has 4 quality wins as well beating Mountain View (4A), Lutheran, Sheridan, and Manual. DSST-Stapleton is averaging 70 ppg on offense and are giving up 58 ppg. In all three of their losses they have not been close. They lost to D’Evelyn by 30 points, Pueblo South by 18 points and Kent Denver by 17 points. They have had to close victories against Mountain View winning by 9 and Manual winning by 1. To open the New Year the jump straight into league play. They open against 1-3 Academy January 10th and follow that up with a January 13th game against 4-3 Platte Canyon. DSST-Stapleton is the favorite to win the Frontier League. There are only a few teams I see challenging for the league crown. Clear Creek, Pinnacle, and possibly KIPP. Besides that the Frontier league is one of the weaker leagues and DST-Stapleton should finish in the top 3. #7 thru #10 in the rankings are all very close and any loss could possibly drop you out of the rankings. DST-Stapleton will be closely followed by Faith Christian and Colorado Academy.
#8 Faith Christian started the season as the #2 overall team and lost two games to drop them to #8. Following a 5-2 start. There losses were quality losses to #6 Alamosa and #2 Resurrection Christian. What has hurt Faith Christian is their lack of quality wins this year. They have quality wins against Platte Valley, Glenwood Springs (4A), and Frontier Academy. They don’t have a ranked win yet but they will have plenty of chances in a very tough Metro league. Offensively Faith Christian is scoring 64 ppg and giving up 56 ppg. Their loss to Alamosa came in overtime by 9 and Resurrection Christian beat them by 18. In their wins they have only been challenged once and that was by Glenwood Springs winning that game by 1 point. Faith Christian opens the New Year against a 2-1 Pinnacle on January 7th. We don’t know very much about Pinnacle so this game will be very important to both Faith Christian and Pinnacle. Faith Christian then opens league play against #5 Kent Denver January 11th which starts a three game stretch against very tough opponents. The Metro league is one of the two toughest leagues in 3A. Faith Christian will be looking to prove they were the #2 preseason ranked team in league play and grab the league title. The real question with Faith Christian is how good is this team. They have yet to win against a top opponent but the New Year will show us who they really are.
#9 Colorado Academy has played the most brutal schedule in 3A. They have played against 6 of their 8 games against 4A or 5A opponents and their two games in class were against teams with winning records. Colorado Academy has opened the season at 5-3. Their 3 losses where to Northridge (4A), Mullen (5A), and Thompson Valley (4A) all of which have 2 losses or less. Their 5 wins are all quality wins against KIPP, Coal Ridge, Steamboat Springs (4A), Grand Junction (5A), and Pueblo Centennial (4A). They have improved their rank from the preseason moving up 1 spot and I expect this team with as battle tested as they are to keep improving on their rank. Offensively they are scoring 60 ppg and giving up 59 ppg. In 2 of their 3 losses they were close. Losing to Northridge by 4 and Thompson Valley by 5 but Mullen did beat them by 20 points but that is also a 5A ranked school. In their wins they have had a few close calls. They beat KIPP by 10, Pueblo Centennial by 3, and Steamboat Springs by 3, and Grand Junction by 5. But also when you play nothing but quality opponents this is what you expect. Things won’t get much easier for Colorado Academy playing in the Metro League. They do open the New Year with two Non-League games. January 4th the play 4-1 DSST-Green Valley and January 6th they play 6-4 Kennedy (4A). Colorado Academy then opens league play January 10thagainst 6-1 Machebeuf. Colorado Academy is already battle tested for league play and the Metro league race will be one of the great ones to watch.
#10 Basalt is another team who started the season not ranked in the top 16 but are making a good run to get ranked. Basalt is 6-1 and their loss was to 6-1 #4 Del Norte (2A). Basalt has 3 quality victories over Center (2A), Delta, and #10 Ignacio (2A). Basalts one knock is their lack of wins against 3A opponents but they have played against top competition in 2A. Offensively Basalt is scoring 69 ppg and giving up 41 ppg. They lost to Del Norte by 14 points but besides that loss have not been challenged winning every game by over 10 points. They start the New Year jumping straight into league play and a huge game right away. January 10th they play 5-1 Roaring Fork and is a big game to help determine the league champion. They follow their game against Roaring Fork with 3-2 Aspen on January 12th. Basalt is the favorite to win the Western Slope league but will have plenty of challengers for the league title. Roaring Fork, Aspen, Delta, Cedaredge, and Coal Ridge will all be fighting for a chance to win the league. Basalt will be looking to prove that they deserve the #10 spot and that they are the favorites to win the Western Slope.
Other Teams to Watch 11-15:
#11 Manual is a very interesting team to watch in the second half of the season. They are 3-4 but have 4 very tough losses. 2 of the losses were to 5A and 4A teams and the other two losses where to DST-Stapleton and Sterling. Their wins were against Mitchell (4A), Ponderosa (4A), and Pinnacle. Those 3 wins are not mind blowing wins is what is keeping them out of the rankings. With Manual playing in the Metro league we will quickly find out how good this team actually is.
#12 Roaring Fork is somewhat of a surprise this year as well jumping out to a quick 5-1 start and will be the main challenger to Basalt for the Western Slope title. Roaring Fork’s one loss was to 4-2 Steamboat Springs (4A). What has hurt Roaring Fork is their lack of a win against a ranked opponent. They have quality wins over Lotus School 6-1, Northglenn 3-4 (5A), and Aspen 3-2. Roaring Fork gets an early opportunity for a ranked win against Basalt and another quality opponent in Delta. The Western Slope league is the second weakest league in 3A so picking up more quality wins will be tough for this team.
#13 Lutheran started the season preseason ranked #3. Since then they have played a very tough schedule. Going to a tournament in Nevada and playing against tough opponents. 2 of their 4 losses were to teams from out of state with winning records their other two losses were to DSST-Stapleton and Resurrection Christian. They have 3 quality wins as well beating two out of state opponents and beating Frontier Academy 5-2. Lutheran is also in the Metro league so seeing who comes out of the league with winning records and playoff spots will be very interesting.
#14 Jefferson Academy is another Metro league school who is looking to make a splash in league play. They are 5-2 and have one good loss and one loss that I am not sure about. Their good loss was to #1 Colorado Springs Christian and the questionable loss was to Bayfield. Jefferson Academy does have 5 quality wins which is what keeps them in the top 15. They have quality wins over Sheridan, Buena Vista, Salida, KIPP, and Vanguard. They will be looking to show that they are a top school in the Metro League.
#15 Frontier Academy is also a surprise school who is a 5-2 and have two good losses to Faith Christian and Lutheran. They only have a pair of good wins against Monte Vista and Ridgeview Academy. We will learn more about this school when they play a tough Lyons team. They are playing in the Patriot league so most of their games will be very tough games. We will know more about Frontier Academy once league play gets going.
How Districts/Regionals/State Works for Class 3A
Districts Determine own seeding Criteria
Seven Districts, each qualify two teams to the state brackets, with the remaining 18 teams determined by RPI
Qualifiers advance to a 32 teams regional/state brackets where the districts champions plus the next highest RPI finisher will host the regions
Seven District Champions and the 1sthighest RPI qualifier will be placed on bracket in order 1-8 and will host the first round and sweet 16 games; seeds 9-32 will be placed on bracket in RPI, avoiding league/district opponents in the first round when possible
Seeds 24-32 may be moved to accommodate geographical considerations
MileHigh Prep Report 