Class 1A Football Week 9 League Breakdown
The Final week of the regular season. I am going to focus mainly on playoff scenarios and if there are league titles on the line I will make sure to touch on them as well. My RPI #’s I am coming up with are not exact and there are a ton of factors. My RPI #’s just gives some insight on the current situations. I was close last year with my numbers and sticking with the same formula.
Foothills League
The Foothills league has 1 team atop the standings and it’s Platte Canyon. Platte Canyon controls their own destiny. Platte Canyon faces Manual and that will be for a league title. Manual did pick up a 31-30 OT loss to Clear Creek. Manual will have to find a way to quickly bounce back. Manual only shot at the playoffs is a league title and they will have to play desperate to try and win. Manual will have to stop the run to have any shot at the playoffs. For Platte Canyon it’s simple win and you have the league title. Platte Canyon RPI wise can only improve slightly and look to have locked up the #13 spot. If Platte Canyon is upset by Manual, then things get much more interesting. I am not sure how the Tie will be broken between Clear Creek, Manual, and Platte Canyon. One thing I know is Platte Canyon RPI could drop around the .510-.515 area which puts them square on the bubble. One other team to mention is Clear Creek. Clear Creek is 5-3 and must win to have any shot at the playoffs. Clear Creek plays Jefferson who have a 5-3 record as well. Clear Creek must win to have a shot, so I only looked at that scenario. If Clear Creek wins their RPI will move into the .515-.510 range which gives them a shot at the playoffs and the 16-18 spot. Manual as mentioned only shot is with a league title.
RPI: #13 Platte Canyon, #20 Clear Creek, #30 Manual, #31 Jefferson, #35 Sheridan, #39 Lake County
North Central League
The North Central League has 1 team sitting atop the standings and that is Limon. Limon and Holyoke face each other this week. If Limon wins they win the North Central League and the #1 RPI and the #1 overall seed. Holyoke with a win could force a three-way tie for the league title and a huge boost to their RPI. Limon will have to focus on stopping Holyoke rushing attack and Holyoke defense which is playing outstanding. Limon offensively must find a way to get their offense moving. Holyoke offensively must find a way to open their rushing attack. Holyoke defense may be the key to them pulling the upset. Holyoke defensively will have to be ready for a balanced offensive attack. I am going with Limon in this game, but this will be a very good game. One other game to mention is Yuma vs Wray. This is a huge game for both teams as they fight for a playoff spot. Wray is #14 in the RPI and Yuma is #18. The winner of this game will get into the playoffs. If Wray wins they probably sit around the 13-14 range. If Yuma wins they jump into the same range. The loser will be eliminated so this is a huge game. Burlington was not mentioned in the article, but they play Wiggins and are hoping to stay in contention for a 1st round home game.
RPI: #1 Limon, #5 Burlington, #10 Holyoke, #14 Wray, #18 Yuma, #33 Wiggins
Northern League
The Northern League has 1 team sitting in first place and that is Strasburg. Strasburg controls their own fate in terms of a league title. Strasburg plays Cornerstone Christian and with a win clinch the league title. Strasburg would also be a Top 3 seed. Strasburg will be facing a desperate team as Cornerstone Christian will need a league title to get into the playoffs. Cornerstone Christian is #24 in the RPI and a win would only move them around .500-.495 which is around 19. Cornerstone Christian need the league title and a win forces a three-way tie. Strasburg is hoping to get home field. I am also interested to see who Strasburg has at QB this week. I am going with Strasburg in this game. Their defense has slowed some of the better offenses and I think their offense will help power them to the win. I do think Cornerstone Christian will give Strasburg a game. One other team to mention is Highland. Highland plays Estes Park tonight and a loss would destroy any shot at the playoffs. Highland has seemed to find it’s grove and a win should move their RPI around .525 or in the 15-16 range. Highland cannot lose as mentioned and a young Estes Park team would like to play the spoiler role. Estes Park is at #25 but just too far back but Estes Park has made strides this year.
RPI: #3 Strasburg, #16 Highland, #24 Cornerstone Christian, #25 Estes Park, #36 Lyons, #40 Pinnacle
Santa Fe League
Peyton is your league champion. They gain the automatic berth and more than likely the home game to go with it. Peyton closed out the league title beating Crowley County 30 to 14. Peyton is ranked #2 in the RPI and Peyton should remain in the Top 5 of the RPI with a win over Trinidad. Crowley County finishes second in league. Crowley County closes the year against Ellicott which will hurt their RPI a bit but should remain in the Top 10 of the RPI. Crowley County will hope to jump up more and get land a home game. 1 other team to talk about and it’s Rocky Ford. Rocky Ford faces John Mall this week. For John Mall they are just too far out in the RPI but a win could really jump start them for next season. Rocky Ford is still hopeful for an at-large berth. Rocky Ford with a win could see their RPI move up to .490 but that is only good enough for 19. This is a monster game for both teams still as they continue to build for the future. The Santa Fe league will get two berths into the playoffs.
RPI: #2 Peyton, #9 Crowley County, #22 Rocky Ford, #28 John Mall, #34 Ellicott, #37 Trinidad
Southern Peaks League
Centauri has already wrapped up the league title for the Southern Peaks League. Centauri closes the year against Ignacio and are hoping to get back on the winning track. Centauri lost a close one to Florence last week 12-7 and 4 turnovers really hurt the Falcons. Centauri will try and fix the mistakes and get ready for the playoffs. I see Centauri possibly moving into the 6-8 range. One other team to really dive into is Monte Vista. Monte Vista moved very close to the Top 16 and are .0013 behind #16 Highland and .005 behind #15 Olathe. Monte Vista cannot get into the playoffs with a loss this week, so it’s win or go home for the Pirates. Monte Vista faces Buena Vista in Buena Vista. Monte Vista will have to come out clicking on all cylinders if they plan on grabbing the win. Monte Vista must establish the running game and also must stop the run from Buena Vista. Buena Vista has some momentum after beating Rye 21-7. Buena Vista will focus everything on stopping the rushing attack from Monte Vista. I will dive into more depth about Buena Vista RPI in the Tri-Peaks breakdown, but they may also need this week. Monte Vista with the win could see their RPI jump to .535-.528. That would put them into the 14-16 range and into the playoffs. Key for Monte Vista though is beating Buena Vista.
RPI: #8 Centauri, #17 Monte Vista, #27 Center, #29 Ignacio, #32 Dolores
Tri-Peaks League
The Tri-Peaks has are the league championship match this week. Colorado Springs Christian vs Florence should be a great game and will decide the league championship. Both teams enter the match at 7-1 and a win will get them a guaranteed home game. Florence is coming off an upset of Centauri beating them 12-7. Florence forced 4 turnovers in the game one of which resulted in a defensive touchdown. Florence relies heavily on their rushing attack and they were slowed by Centauri but Florence defense was the difference in the game. Florence will have to bring the same defensive intensity this week and try and stop an explosive offense. Colorado Springs Christian enters the game on some momentum as well beating St. Mary’s 55-6. Colorado Springs Christian is on a 6 game winning streak and you can account that to a great defensive effort and a explosive offense. CSCS has posted 6 games of giving up 6 points or less, 5 of which were shutouts. CSCS will have to stop the run but also must take care of the ball on offense. This will be a great game and I am going with CSCS to win this game and capture the league championship. Florence will still be in the hunt for a home game and will have a good chance at it. We mentioned Buena Vista in the Intermountain League and how big the game between them and Monte Vista is. Buena Vista with a win could see their RPI move to .580-.575 which is around the 10-11 spot. Buena Vista with a loss could drop to .545-.540 which is still good enough to stay in the Top 16 and will put them around 13. Buena Vista would prefer to keep their 11 RPI and their game with Monte Vista will be a good one. There is one last game in the Tri-Peaks between Rye and St. Mary’s. I went through the RPI and neither team has a shot at the playoffs. Whichever team wins I see their RPI moving around .485 which is just not enough to contend for a spot.
RPI: #4 Florence, #6 Colorado Springs Christian, #11 Buena Vista, #21 Rye, #23 St. Mary’s,
Western Slope League
Meeker is your Western Slope League champion as they beat Olathe 14-7 last week to clinch the league title. Meeker now is in prime position to host a first round game as well just if they beat Hotchkiss this week. Meeker continues to improve weekly and could be a dangerous team once in the playoffs this team is also young so it’s a team to watch for. Paonia is in second place and play rival Cedaredge. Paonia with a win lock up a playoff spot and should be around the #12 spot. Paonia with a loss though makes things much more interesting and they could drop to .536 and is in the 14 range but also depends on the rest of the teams below them. Olathe is in third place and #15 in the RPI. Olathe faces Grand Valley this week and is a much win game. Olathe with a win could see their RPI rise around .530 and that is around 15-16 and will put them still in danger of being jumped. Olathe if they loss will be eliminated from the playoff hunt or would take a ton to go in their way. Olathe will be a team watching the RPI this week. I also took a look at Cedaredge RPI and if they upset Paonia their RPI could rise into the .510 range which is around the #16 spot. Cedaredge would need a few things to go their way like Highland, Monte Vista, and Yuma all losing to jump those teams.
RPI: #7 Meeker, #12 Paonia, #15 Olathe, #19 Cedaredge, #26 Grand Valley, #38 Hotchkiss
Teams from each League in the hunt or locked up a berth
Foothills League: 2
North Central: 5
Northern League: 3
Santa Fe League: 2
Southern Peaks: 2
Tri-Peaks: 3
Western Slope:4
21 teams are still in the hunt for a playoff berth and only 16 will get into the playoffs. Winning your last game of the season is key.
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