Boys Basketball League Predictions Class 1A
In Class 1A things are much different than 3A & 2A. In Class 1A you must finish in the Top 3 or 2 of District to advance to regionals (District 1 & 8 only qualify two to regionals). I will pick essentially which teams are making it to regionals and some District have more than 3 good teams and picking those districts will be extremely tough. I do hope that one day 1A will move to the Regional set up for 2A but 1A also has a smaller amount of teams so going with a lower amount of Regional teams makes sense. Regionals works as follows Region 1 is District 1 & 8, Region 2 is District 4, 5, & 7, Region 3 is District 2, 3, 6. In my opinion Region 3 will be the toughest Region to come out of!
District 1 (Only qualifies 2 teams)
1. De Beque
2. North Park
District 1 is 3 teams deep but only two teams will make it to Regionals. In first I have De Beque. De Beque is still undefeated on the season at 7-0. De Beque already has a 25 point victory over North Park and solid wins against Monument Valley UT and of course North Park. De Beque will have a hard time staying undefeated as they play in the 2A Western Slope League which will have them battle tested for the District Tournament. Picking the second team for District 1 was a tough pick. Ouray who is a normal power house has some tough losses and North Park is in the same boat. I went with North Park just over Ouray for the second spot. North Park has a good win over Skyview Academy and Gilpin County but still lacks a big win. North Park like De Beque plays in the 2A Western Slope and will be ready for the District Tournament. Ouray cannot be counted out though and could easily slip past both if they can get some of the younger players to develop.
District 2
1. Cheyenne Wells
2. Kit Carson
3. Cheraw
District 2 has two very solid teams and the battle for the third and final spot will come down to two teams. I have Cheyenne Wells picked as my #1 team in District 2. Cheyenne Wells has big win against South Baca which they later lost to. Cheyenne Wells has won nearly every game by 10 points and will only get better as some of the younger players develop. Kit Carson is my #2 team in District two with a 6-1 record. Kit Carson started out the gates hot this year winning 4 straight games before running into defending state champions Holly. Holly beat Kit Carson by 18 but Kit Carson will also continue to improve as the season rolls on. Kit Carson has 2 wins already to start the new year as well but have yet to play a District game. Picking the #3 teams very tough it came down to 3 teams Cheraw, McClave, and Eads. I gave Cheraw the nod for the #3 spot as they have some good wins and they already beat Eads. Cheraw has good wins against Miami-Yoder, Cornerstone Christian, and Eads. Cheraw also only lost to South Baca by 14. Cheraw though will be tested by McClave and Eads who are chasing them.
District 3
1. Holly
2. South Baca
3. Walsh
Like District 2 I believe that District 3 has two very solid teams at the top but the #3 spot is very much up for grabs. At the #1 spot I have the defending State Champions Holly who are also the #1 team in the State. Holly is just edging out South Baca for the #1 spot but the battle between these two teams will be very good. Holly is currently 8-0 but will be tested big time on 1/12 when then travel to South Baca. South Baca is my #2 team. South Baca has two losses on the season 1 to Cheyenne Wells which they avenged and the other to Felt Ok who is 9-2. Like i mentioned above South Baca hosts Holly and this game could essentially be for the #1 spot in the District Tournament. The #3 spot in District 3 looks to be one of the better races to watch. Walsh, Kim/Branson, Wiley, and Springfield are all looking at that #3 spot and all 4 have already been playing each other. Currently i have Walsh as the #3 team but I do think anything can happen for this final spot.
District 4
1. Peetz
2. Heritage Christian
3. Longmont Christian
District 4 looks to be a 5 teams race for 3 spots and two very talented teams will be left out of regionals. My #1 team in District 4 is Peetz who is 8-0 and very athletic. Peetz has won every game by 10 points this season and include big wins against 2A Haxtun, 2A Merino, and Caliche. Peetz won’t have it easy though as they have 4 other teams looking to unseat them. At #2 is Heritage Christian. Heritage Christian has only 1 lose on the season to Rocky Mountain Lutheran. Heritage Christian has a win on Longmont Christian already and good wins against Shining Mountain, Denver Christian, and West Grand. At #3 is Longmont Christian. Longmont Christian lost some very talented seniors but have not fallen off much. My biggest concern with Longmont Christian is they are only 3 players deep with two scoring over 15 ppg and the other at 7 ppg after that no one else is over 5 ppg. Longmont Christian will be looking to hold off Caliche and Fleming for that #3 spot. The District 4 tournament will be a great battle to watch.
District 5
1. Arickaree/Woodlin
2. Otis
3. Flagler/Hi Plains
District 5 is wide open with only 1 team with a winning record and that team has picked up a few tough losses recently. My #1 team in District 5 is Arickaree/Woodlin. Arickaree/Woodlin is 5-3 on the season and played well against Kit Carson losing by 13. Arickaree/Woodlin will have to play consistent basketball to win the District title and Arickaree/Woodlin has win against Bethune and Flagler/Hi Plains which helps for the #1 spot in the District tournament. At #2 I have Otis. Otis has played a brutal schedule including Peetz, Merino, Dayspring Christian, and Akron. Otis does have a good win against Stratton/Liberty by 16. Otis will be looking for more consistency dropping into their 1A schedule. Otis has Bethune next and must get a win to start in the right direction. At #3 I have Flagler/Hi Plains. Flagler/Hi Plains started the season rough losing 4 straight games but have since won 2 of their past 3 and only lost to Arickaree/Woodlin by 13. Flagler/Hi Plains must continue to improve to hold off Stratton/Liberty for the 3rd spot.
District 6
1. Creede
2. Primero
3. Sierra Grande
District 6 will be a battle for the 3 spots. 5 teams are very solid and only 3 will make it to regionals were they will battle in a very loaded Regional. My #1 team is Creede. Creede has started the season undefeated including wins against Sangre De Cristo, Sierra Grande, and Cotopaxi. Creede has won every game so far this year by 10+ points but if they learned anything from State last year it’s that they must play tough all year. Last year District 6 looked to be a lock with Sierra Grande and Primero but Creede and Sangre De Cristo beat them to move to Regionals so Creede must remember that and take care of business. At #2 is Primero. Primero is 5-1 on the season with their lone lose coming to 3A La Junta by 11. Primero had a close game against Kim/Branson to end December but started the new year with a 12 point win against Manzanola. Primero will have a chip on their shoulder after losing in the District tournament and not making it to Regionals. My #3 team was a tough pick. I went with Sierra Grande as my #3 just ahead of Sangre De Cristo. Sierra Grande is 4-3 on the season but have some solid experience after losing to 2A Sargent, 2A Del Norte, and of course Creede. Sierra Grande also beat Kim/Branson by 26 so them jumping Primero for the #2 spot could also happen. Sangre De Cristo and Cotopaxi are chasing the Top 3 spots and will hope to pull an upset or two.
District 7
1. Genoa-Hugo
2. Pikes Peak Christian
3. Deer Trail
District 7 has 2 teams that are at the Top and then the rest of the District will be chasing the #3 spot. At #1 is Genoa-Hugo who has played a good schedule. Genoa-Hugo has played a good amount of 2A opponents so using that experience will help them for the District Tournament. Genoa-Hugo is currently on a two game losing streak and with a big game against Arickaree/Woodlin on 1/13 they will need to snap their losing streak. At #2 is Pikes Peak Christian. Pikes Peak Christian is currently 3-3 with a 12 point win over Deer Trail. Pikes Peak Christian has also played a tough schedule with quite a few 2A opponents. Both Genoa-Hugo and Pikes Peak Christian must take care of business and they should meet in the District Championship. The #3 spot for District 7 is up for grabs. I went with Deer Trail for the #3 spot. Deer Trail like Genoa-Hugo and Pikes Peak Christian have played a ton of 2A teams this season and seeing how they play against 1A opponents will be key. Deer Trail plays Elbert on 1/13 and could be a huge game for the #3 spot in the District Tournament.
District 8 (Only 2 teams make it to Regionals)
1. Rocky Mountain Lutheran
2. Front Range Baptist
District 8 only gets two team into Regionals and that will be one heck of a battle for those spots. I also believe that the two teams from this District will also have a very good shot at making the State Tournament. District 8 has 6 solid teams so picking two was tough. I went with Rocky Mountain Lutheran at #1. Rocky Mountain Lutheran is 4-3 on the season with their 3 losses to Dawson School (2A), Skyview Academy (3A), and Nebraska Lutheran (Top 10 NE team). Rocky Mountain Lutheran has one very good win beating Heritage Christian by 11. At #2 I have Front Range Baptist. Front Range Baptist is currently 6-1 with their lone lose to Longmont Christian by 7. Front Range Baptist did beat West Grand and Vail Mountain. Front Range Baptist and Rocky Mountain Lutheran both will need to play solid basketball all season and mainly in the District Tournament. The 4 teams I think can challenge for one of the two spots will be Shining Mountain, Cornerstone Christian, Denver Jewish Day, and Belleview Christian. This District Tournament will be very interesting to watch and like I said I fully believe the two teams from this District will have a solid shot at State.
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