Class 2A Way to Early Top 15
#1 Bayfield: Last season 9-3, Lost in semifinals to La Junta, Graduating 8 Seniors
A few holes will need to be filled this offseason by Bayfield but they are looking to be a contender once again for a state championship. Bayfield is losing a huge piece in Sam Westbrook Offensive & Defensive lineman and also their starting quarterback Josh Westbrook 1,180 yards passing 15 touchdowns and 7 INT’s. But for what Bayfield is losing they have some very good talent coming back. They will have 3 starting offensive lineman coming back and their workhorse David Hawkins 1,001 yards rushing 13 touchdowns coming back. Also returning is their leading tackler Hunter Killough (121 tackles) and sack leader Ryan Phelps (13). Bayfield will need to find a quarterback to replace Josh Westbrook which they might have in Junior Hayden Farmer but I still think the biggest whole to fill will be Sam Westbrook. Bayfield will be the favorite to win the Intermountain League this year and will be a contender for a State Championship.
#2 Classical Academy: Last season 9-2, Upset by #6 Kent Denver in Quarterfinals, Graduating 9 seniors.
Classical Academy will not be hit to hard this year by graduation only losing 9 seniors. They will be losing leading rusher Austin Weingart 1,198 yards rushing & 14 touchdowns, their leading receiver and 2 offensive lineman. What is scary is the amount of experience gained by the upcoming senior class from last year. They will have 18 seniors next year most of them played huge roles in Classical Academy season. The big returner from last year is quarterback Cade Bethany who threw for 1,621 yards 19 touchdowns and only 2 INT’s. Along with him is a pair of very talented WR who both caught over 200 yards passing. It also looks like Classical Academy will be returning 3 starting offensive lineman and 2 other who probably saw experience. Classical Academy will need to find a suitable replacement at running back and also will have to fill a couple key defensive positions. Classical Academy will be a huge contender and my pick to win the Tri-Peaks this year.
#3 Kent Denver: Last season 11-2, Lost in state championship to La Junta, Graduating 10 seniors
Kent Denver is coming off a tough loss in the state championship to La Junta but will have a few things going for them next year. They will of course have some holes to fill mainly on the offensive and defensive lines. They will be losing 4 offensive & defensive lineman 3 of the over 200 pounds. They are also losing their leading rushing Spencer Serumaga who rushed for 861 yards and 8 touchdowns but are returning two very good back up running back who can fill the void. Kent Denver has somethings to be very excited about next year though. They are returning their quarterback Joey Licht who will be a junior next year and are expecting a big jump next year. He threw for 1,342 yards 17 touchdowns and 5 INT’s. Defensively they are returning their leading tackler Joshua McDonald and leading sack leader Noah VanSickle. They biggest concern for Kent Denver will be replacing their offensive & defensive lineman. They do have a pair of offensive lineman coming up both over the 230 mark. Kent Denver will be the favorite once again to win the very weak Colorado League and a contender for a state championship.
#4 La Junta: Last season 13-0 State, Champions, Graduating 14 seniors
La Junta is losing a ton of talent losing 14 seniors from a very talented team. They will be returning sophomore quarterback Jon Nuschy who threw for 1,100 yards and ran for 1,407 yards. He had a total of 33 touchdowns. Also returning is leading tackler Wyatt Buhr with 52 tackles and 4 INT’s. La Junta is losing their main running back Dax Bender and their #2 back Carlos Triana together they had a total 1274 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns. From what I can tell they are losing 3 offensive lineman as well in Joe Martinez, Salvador Vega, and Pablo Martinez. They will need to replace I am guessing at least 1 or two offensive lineman, their main two running back, and some of their linebackers. La Junta will still be very talented and with Jon Nuschy returning. They will need some of the juniors this year to step up in the leadership position but La Junta will still be force to reckon with and should finish in the top 2 in league play.
#5 Faith Christian: Last season 6-4, Lost in first round to Delta, Graduating 9 seniors
Faith Christian had an interesting season last year going 6-4 and probably having a somewhat down year in terms of the school. They still were able to win the Flatirons league beating D’Evelyn for the crown. They will not be too impacted by graduation this year. They will be losing some skill positions and defensive backs but returning the core of their offensive line and their quarterback. Faith Christian is losing their starting running back 781 yards rushing & 11 touchdowns but received quality carries from freshman Clayton Barden. I would say the biggest upside for Faith Christian is they started a freshman quarterback last year who threw for 1,327 yards 13 touchdowns and 8 INT’s he will be a player to keep an eye on thru his journey through high school. Faith Christian will once again be the favorite to win the Flatirons league this year but replacing some of their WR’s and DB’s will be key. Faith Christian rounds out the top 5 and honestly the top 5 are the only teams I see as legit State Championship contenders right now.
#6 Eaton: Last season 6-3, missed the playoffs (RPI 17), Graduating 11 seniors
Eaton was who I thought was the biggest snub via RPI last year. They had the #17 RPI and just missed making the playoffs. Eaton is playing in the Patriot West which is wide open this year. Eaton will have some holes to fill on the offensive and defensive lines losing 4 offensive & defensive lineman. If you look at the juniors and sophomores they do have some size coming up so filling those holes will be a matter of experience. Eaton is also losing two of their top 4 tacklers. Eaton has a ton of talent coming back. They have QB Austin Coalson 840 yards 12 TD and RB Travis Cunningham 644 yards coming back. Eaton will be the favorite to win the Patriot West to open the season. If Eaton can fill those holes they will be very tough to beat this year. Eaton will be looking to take care of business in the Patriot West this year.
#7 Basalt: Last season 7-3, Lost in first round to D’Evelyn, Graduating 10 seniors
Basalt won the very weak Western Slope league then nearly beat D’Evelyn in the first round of the playoffs gaining valuable experience. D’Evelyn is losing some key senior leadership but will be returning enough talent to compete for the Western Slope title. Basalt is only losing 1 offensive lineman, 2 starting WR/DB, and the main loss is their QB. Their QB Miles Levy threw for 1,297 yards 18 TD & 6 INT’s. They did get some reps to their back up QB who threw for 250 yards 3 touchdowns and 0 INT’s. They will need him to step up big time. Basalt is returning their top running back Alex Alberto 865 yards who will need to pace their offensive attack until their young QB gets going and they are returning their top 5 tacklers. Basalt will need to develop their QB quickly. They will be challenged by Moffat County for the league title but this should be the year the Western Slope gets more than one team into the playoffs.
#8 Salida: Last season 2-7, missed playoff, Graduating 5 seniors
May seem like a surprise to consider Salida a threat in the Tri Peaks and also a top ten team but they are only losing 5 seniors and only 3 of them played big minutes. They are losing 2 starting offensive lineman to graduation but have plenty of underclass man to fill the holes. They have three very talented classes coming up starting with the upcoming senior class going down to the sophomore class. Salida will be a threat for at least the next two maybe three years. They will be returning their starting QB Bridger Russel 1,279 yards, starting RB Cody Farney 601 yards rushing and their top 5 tacklers. Salida I believe is a top 3 team in the Tri Peaks. Salida will need to fill the holes on their offensive line and get experience to these younger kids but I believe Salida is a Top Ten team.
#9 Delta: Last season 8-4, Lost in quarterfinals to Kent Denver, Graduating 15 seniors
Delta is losing some key senior leadership to graduation this year but are still returning plenty of talent to reload and try and push Bayfield for the Intermountain title. Delta is losing some huge talent at the QB, RB, and WR positions. They are losing QB Kole Roberts 1,531 yards passing 10 TD’s & 13 INT’s, main WR in Beau Byers & Abraham Ontiveros, but I would say the biggest loss is at RB losing Damon Jensen 1,946 yards rushing and 14 TD’s and also his back up Tristian Brown 573 yards rushing 11 TD’s. Finding replacements at the skill position will be a huge key to Delta success. The biggest plus for Delta is returning 3 of the 5 starting offensive lineman, the majority of their top defensive players, and their sack leader Josh Reeder. Delta will be a threat defensively but their offense could be in trouble early on in the season.
#10 Manitou Springs: Last season 6-4, Lost in first round to Sterling, Graduating 11 seniors
Manitou Springs finished fourth in the very tough Tri Peaks league and they will be looking to improve on that this year. It won’t be easy considering the Tri Peaks will be the toughest league from top to bottom this year. Manitou Springs is losing 4 offensive & defensive lineman as well as 2 of their 3 leading tacklers but things are looking very much up for Manitou Springs. They will be returning their QB Cole Sienknecht 924 yards passing 13 TD’s & 3 INT’s he also ran for 980 yards. They will need to find a good backup running back to go along with him but have a pair of sophomores who will be eager to prove they can. The other big whole is lineman and it looks like they have a few who will be seniors that will need to step up. Manitou Springs will be a tough out this year in the Tri Peaks.
#11 Machebeuf: Last season 7-2, Missed the playoffs, Graduating 12 seniors
Machebeuf was one of the biggest casualties with the new RPI system (which has been changed). They finished 7-2 and finished second place in the Colorado League. Machebeuf cannot do anything about scheduling but go out this year and win again. Machebeuf is not hurt to much by graduating they are losing 2 offensive lineman and really hurt on the defensive side losing their top 4 tacklers but after that it’s a swarm of juniors who will need to step up. Machebeuf is returning their starting QB Daniel Francis 954 yards 19 TD’s & 4 INT’s and their starting RB Fernando Chavez 719 yards 11 TD’s. For Machebeuf to continue its success they must find two solid replacements on the Offensive line and find some senior leadership on defense. I am expecting Machebeuf to finish in the top 3 in the Colorado League and should finish second behind Kent Denver.
#12 Alamosa: Last season 5-5, Lost in first round to Classical Academy, Graduating 13 seniors
Alamosa surprised just about everyone qualifying for the state playoffs last year and will be looking to shock everyone again this year. They are losing a very big piece to the puzzle in Ryan Brubacher but they may have already found a good replacement for him. In terms of their offensive lineman it looks like they will be returning 4 of their 5 offensive lineman and of course their backup QB who had nearly the same amount of passing and running as their starting QB. Alamosa will need to find quality people to replace their defensive players. They are losing 4 of their 5 top tacklers so replacing them will be a key. Also finding another quality running back will be a must for Alamosa. They will be projected to finish in the top 3 or 4 in the league but will be pushed by Gunnison and Pagosa Springs.
#13 Sterling: Last season 7-4, Lost in Quarterfinals to Bayfield, Graduating 15 seniors
Sterling was hit very hard by graduation this year losing 15 seniors and 6 of them are offensive & defensive lineman and they are some big boys 3 of them over 250 pounds. They are also losing standout running back Austin Burkholder 1374 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns. Sterling will be returning star quarterback Bodie Hume 1,610 yards 16 touchdowns and 9 INT’s. Sterling will need to quickly replace offensive lineman and find another running back. Sterling will be returning their main receivers and top tackler. If Sterling can find replacements for their offensive lineman they could be a force to reckon with.
#14 Moffat County: Last season 5-4, missed the playoffs, graduating 8 seniors
Moffat County finished second in the Western Slope race losing a few keys games down the stretch. Moffat County will look to rebound off last season and they have the talent to do so. Moffat County is not losing a ton with graduation. They will be losing starting QB Keenan Hilderbrandt and also losing some defensive leadership. They will need to find a good replacement at RB as well. Moffat County is returning 2 of their 4 top tacklers and the core of their offensive line. If Moffat County wants to compete for the Western Slope title and make the playoffs they must find replacements for their QB.
#15 Valley: Last season 5-4, missed the playoffs, Graduating 8 seniors
Another School who barely missed the playoffs is Valley. They are playing in the very tough Patriot East league which might be more open than normal. They are returning some very key position but will also need a few players to step up this offseason. Valley is only losing 1 offensive lineman and 2 defensive lineman. They are also losing their top 2 running backs in Ty Nash 550 yards and Aaron Trujillo. That will be the biggest whole to fill this offseason. They are returning 2 of their 4 top tacklers so defensive leadership will be there. Valley will be looking to make the jump this year into the playoffs and compete for the Patriot East league title.
Next Five:
Academy
A team on the rise but is in search of a QB. Team could compete for the Patriot West Title
Platte Valley
Lost their main offensive threat in QB Trevon Wehramn. They also are losing most of their lineman. They do have talent coming up but the off-season will be critical for this team.
Resurrection Christian
Also losing their main offensive threat in QB Brin Hayden and most of their lineman as well. They have a monster sophomore class which will need to develop and they must find lineman.
D’Evelyn
Probably hit the hardest by graduation losing 17 seniors. They are losing 7 lineman, their starting RB, their main WR, and 3 of their 4 top tacklers. But D’Evelyn is returning their QB. They do have some talent in the upcoming Senior Class so getting them up to speed will be the key. If they can watch out for D’Evelyn.
Florence
Losing their main offensive threat in Alec Lucero but returning the core of their offensive and defensive line. If Florence can get their offense figured out they will be a big threat. The Tri-Peaks is absolutely loaded this year so it will be tough sledding the whole way.
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