Class 1A League Breakdown & Predictions (Santa Fe, Southern Peaks, Tri-Peaks, and Western Slope)
I have decided to only do 3 or 4 leagues at a time instead of the full 7 leagues. I am going to breakdown the league then at the end predict my champion and playoff contenders. I know these articles are a bit lengthy, but I try and mention every team.
Santa Fe League
The Santa Fe League improved last year with almost 4 teams over .500 records and two teams getting into the playoffs. This league did have two weak teams which probably hurt a third team getting into the playoffs, but we will see if the Santa Fe League can continue to improve. Trinidad went 0-9 last year and 0-5 in league and Trinidad has been struggling recently with their last winning season in 2015 and last playoff season was 2012. Trinidad had just 15 players on their roster last year and nearly half were seniors. Early #’s do look better for Trinidad with possibly 30 kids out. Trinidad does have a new head coach. Trinidad does return some offensive fire power with Matt Martinez coming back. I am interested to see how a new head coach will handle Trinidad and if this program can get back to it’s winning ways. Ellicott went 1-8 last year and 1-4 in league with their lone win coming over Trinidad. Ellicott was under first year head coach Sasan Sattari last year and seeing what he does in year two will be big for Ellicott. Ellicott is hoping to get back to the playoffs and with just two seniors last year we should see Ellicott improve this year. No stats were posted for Ellicott so we will have to see how this team does with a lot of experience coming back. John Mall was 3-6 last year and 2-3 in league. John Mall took steps last year to improve with near wins against St. Mary’s, Rye, and Center. All three of those losses were by less than 10 and could have easily changed their record from 3-6 to 6-3. John Mall will lose some talent from last year’s team with 8 seniors graduating. The offensive line will be losing possibly 3 starters but should have some leadership back. Look for Jaziah Sandoval and Alexus Booth to lead this newly constructed offensive line. Looking towards the skill positions John Mall will need a new QB and look for Anthony Aldretti to possibly fill that role. The RB position will be solid for John Mall with Wesley Van Matre returning and he must have a big season for John Mall this year. Defensively John Mall return 8 of their 11 top tacklers with their top 5 tacklers all returning. Wesley Van Matre and Anthony Aldretti were the leaders on this defense last year and look for them to continue leading again. John Mall is trending in the right direction, but their offensive line must come together. Rocky Ford is another team that looks to be going in the right direction. Rocky Ford went 4-5 last year and 3-2 in league but missed out on the playoffs. Rocky Ford is poised for a playoff run but this upcoming Senior class will have to really step up. Rocky Ford is losing just 2 seniors to graduation and both were WR/DB so this team will be returning every position. The offensive line for Rocky Ford should continue to improve and I think help power this team to the playoffs. Looking at the skill positions QB Isiah Garcia is back. Garcia threw for 1023 yards last year and 13 TD’s, but he must continue to improve on the INT numbers. The RB position will have Octavio Holguin back and #2 rusher David Medina. Since Rocky Ford is more of a passing team the RB numbers have not been high. Looking towards the WR position and Rocky Ford will lose their #1 receive but will return Jadon Baldonado and Andre Montano. Defensively Rocky Ford will return 10 of their 11 top tacklers with their top 5 tacklers all returning. Rocky Ford is a team that we must watch this year. Crowley County went 7-3 last year and 4-1 in league which was good enough for second place in league and a trip to the playoffs. Crowley County will have some holes to fill but Crowley County rarely rebuilds and just reloads. Crowley County does lose 10 seniors to graduation. The offensive line could possibly be losing 4 starters on the offensive line. Look for Kevin Suarez, Jacob Karle, and Jaden Harris to step up and lead this offensive line which will have to really step up this year. At QB Adam Schulz will return for his Junior year and a year of experience should help Crowley County improve this year. A new RB will be needed but look for Quamon Williams or Brandon Geringer to step up. Defensively Crowley County returns 6 of their 11 top tacklers but lose their top 3 tacklers. Crowley County will look for Zach Auchterlonie and Jaden Harris to lead the defensive group. Crowley County is very consistent, and I expect them to compete yet again for a league title. Peyton went 10-1 last year and 5-0 in league. Peyton won the Santa Fe League and ran the table during the regular season. Peyton season came to an end with a loss to Centauri in the quarterfinals. Peyton is losing a very good senior of 9 seniors. The offensive line could possibly be losing 4 starters on the offensive line. Jase Lantto, Jake St. Claire and Antonio Reza will have to lead a young offensive line for Peyton. Peyton will be looking for a new QB and look for Colton Murray to fill that position. RB is another position hit hard by graduation but look for Brandon Hussey and Abraham Caves to fill that hole. Defensively Peyton is returning 4 of their 11 top tacklers. Brandon Hussey and Jacob St. Clair will be the leaders who must step up for Peyton. Peyton was hit hard by graduation and it will be interesting to see how this teams reloads or rebuilds. After looking over everything my predictions for league are: 1st Crowley County, 2nd Rocky Ford, 3rd Peyton, 4th John Mall.
My predictions for the Santa Fe League
League Champion: Crowley County
Playoff Contenders: Crowley County, Rocky Ford, Peyton, John mall
Dark Horse: Rocky Ford (They return the most of all the teams in the Santa Fe League. They have a chance to win the league, but can they take the next step.)
Player of the League: QB Adam Schulz Crowley County
Others to watch for: RB/LB Wesley Van Marte, QB Isiah Garcia Rocky Ford, QB Matt Martinez Trinidad, QB/RB Colton Murray Peyton, LB Anthony Aldretti John Mall, RB/LB Brandon Hussey Peyton, DL Ricardo Rocha Rocky Ford, RB/WR Quamon Williams Crowley County, WR Jadon Baldonado Rocky Ford
Southern Peaks League
The Southern Peaks League has been a two team race most years since both Centauri and Monte Vista moved down to 1A. Last year it was a two-team race once again but Center did show they were a threat finishing 3rd. This year I see it being a two-team race once again but Center should push the top 2 teams. Dolores went 2-8 last year and 0-4 in league. Dolores has struggled for a while now with their last winning season in 2010 and last playoff appearance in 2009. Dolores looked like they were on the right path two years ago going 4-5 but now they are looking to rebuild this year. Dolores will lose just 1 senior from last year’s team. Dolores will return plenty of players from last year’s team and have experience. I think Dolores is 1 or 2 years away from really making a push at a top 3 spot. I do think Dolores will be improved this year. Ignacio went 3-6 last year and 1-3 in league. There were some rumors ago Ignacio fielding a team this year but it looks like 26 kids are on the roster so they will have a team. Ignacio last playoff season was 2009. Igancio will be losing 7 seniors from last year’s team and will have to replace some key leadership positions. No stats were kept for Ignacio so we will see how they look this year. Center surprised a few people last year going 5-4 but due to low SOS they missed the playoffs. Center finished third in league losing to Centauri (55-19) and Monte Vista (38-0). Center will have a new head coach this year with Brian Ullery taking over as the HC. Center has good #’s again this year with 24 kids going out. Center will lose some key pieces from last year’s team with 3 seniors graduating. Those 3 kids played all 4 years and take some important leadership with them. The offensive line was hurt the most with 2 starters graduating. Center will look to Izzy Palacios, Eleazar Aguilar and Pablo Valencia to lead the offensive line. Center will return QB Habran DeLacruz who must lower his INT numbers. Center will have to replace their #1 rusher but look for Devin Porres to have a big year at RB. Defensively Center returns 8 of their 11 top tacklers but lose 3 of their top 4. Devin Porres and Eleazar Aguilar will have to step up as leaders for Center. Center should continue to improve but will they have enough leadership to push past Monte Vista or Centauri. Monte Vista went 5-5 last year and 3-1 in league and made it to the playoffs. Monte Vista struggled at times last year and I think it was due to lack of experience for several lower classmen. Monte Vista this year won’t have that problem with a ton of lower classmen playing last year but Monte Vista will have a few holes to fill. Monte Vista will lose 13 seniors to graduation. The Offensive line for Monte Vista will lose 2 or 3 starters on the offensive line but due to the rough start a lot of Juniors and Sophomores played last year. Andrew Smith, Jason Ross, Jason Duran, and Emilio Sandoval will be the 3 seniors’ leaders on the offensive line. This group should be much improved this year and help the pirate’s offense which started coming together at the end of last year. Monte Vista will be looking for a new QB and the battle will be between Sophomore Colton Mellot and Senior Levi Trujillo. The RB position is the spot were the most talent returns with #1 rusher Kaidon Wenta coming back. Levi Trujillo and Cobi Garcia will also attribute to the running game. Defensively Monte Vista returns 6 of their 11 top tacklers but are losing 3 of their top 4. Cobi Garcia was the leading tackler last year he must step up and be the leader this year along with Kaidon Wenta and Diego Villegas. Monte Vista must improve their defense from last year and have senior leadership if they plan on making a push for the league title. Centauri went 9-3 last year and 4-0 in league. Centauri has won two straight league titles and are the early favorites to win their third straight. Centauri will have some big holes to fill with a very good senior class leaving of 9. The offensive line will possibly be losing 3 or 4 starters on the offensive line along with the leadership of Bennie Chacon. Remi Lucero, Adam Chacon, and Luke Archer will have to step up and lead this offensive line. Centauri will look for two other upcoming Junior to fill the remaining spots on the line. The skill positions for Centauri is where most of the experience returns. QB Eric Maez returns for his second year at the QB position. Maez had a solid Junior year throwing for 1092 yards and 17 TD’s. He was slowed down in the playoff game against Strasburg but look for him to continue to develop. At the RB position Taj Cornum will return for his senior year and look for Cornum to have a big year. Mason Claunch was the #2 rusher and #1 receiver, and his speed is a difference maker. Defensively Centauri was hit the hardest by graduation. Centauri returns 4 of their 11 top tacklers but lose 5 of their top 6. Adam Chacon lead the team in tackles last year and he will be the leader this year along with Taj Cornum. This unit will have a lot of younger or inexperienced players playing this year. Centauri, I think just reloads but of course their game against Monte Vista will determine the league title. After looking over everything my predictions for league are: 1st Centauri, 2nd Monte Vista, 3rd Center, 4th Ignacio, 5th Dolores
My predictions for the Southern Peaks League
League Champion: Centauri
Playoff Contenders: Centauri, Monte Vista, Center
Dark Horse: Center (They return plenty of talent but how will they handle adversity and also handle the top two teams in the league.)
Player of the League: RB Kaidon Wenta Monte Vista or RB Taj Cornum Centauri
Others to watch for: RB Taj Cornum Centauri, QB Eric Maez Centauri, QB Habran DelaCruz Center, QB Wyatt Koskie Dolores, RB Devin Porres Center, RB/WR Mason Claunch Centauri, Isaiah Cordova Dolores, RB/LB Cobi Garcia Monte Vista, LB Adam Chacon Centauri,
Tri-Peaks League
The Tri-Peaks league was very competitive last year with 4 teams getting 4 wins and 3 teams making the playoffs. I think this year could be just as competitive and should be a fun league to watch. Rye went 3-6 last year and 0-4 in league but were a very young team. Rye loses just 4 seniors from last year’s team and should improve this year. The offensive line for Rye is losing just 1 starter. Johnny Marquez, Kreed Rahl, and Justice Hanson must step up this year and lead a improved offensive line. Rye has some big upcoming junior coming up as well and this offensive line should improve. The skill positions for Rye should also improve with QB Bryce Benz coming back. Benz must improve heading into his senior year and get the offense figured out. RB Hayden Palmer also returns, and this offense must improve. Defensively Rye returns 10 of their 11 top tacklers. Kreed Rahl was the leading tackler a year ago and he must continue to lead the defense this year. Rye should improve but the rest of the league also was young so the work put in during the summer will make a difference. St. Mary’s went 4-5 last year and 1-3 in league. St. Mary’s league win was over Rye. St. Mary’s is hoping to improve this year and losing just 5 seniors should help improve St. Mary’s this year. The offensive line for St. Mary’s is all coming back and the 5 seniors that are coming back are Dominic Hughes, David Torrence, Anthony Depner, Rykert Balfe, and Peter Catalano. Those 5 must improve this year to try and make the playoffs. St. Mary’s will have to replace both the QB and top rusher. Robbie Muehlbauer will look to take over at QB and Andrew Sorensen will look to take over at RB. St. Mary’s defensively returns 9 of their 11 top tacklers. Rykert Balfe and Andrew Sorensen were the leading tacklers last year and must step up this year. St. Mary’s also should improve but their lack of experience at QB and RB might hurt them. Buena Vista went 4-6 last year and 2-2 in league. Buena Vista was able to take big steps last year going 4-6 and making the playoffs. BV will hope to continue the success and with just 6 seniors graduating this team should improve. The offensive line will lose just 1 starter and the core should improve this year. Jim Gabriel, Tim Sullivan, and Sam Mcgill will anchor this offensive line. This side of the ball must improve this year to help out a new QB. Buena Vista will need a new QB and the only returning QB will be Tucker Storms, but we will see who comes out of camp as the starter. BV must also replace their #1-#4 rusher but look Malachi Bardol or Brandon Cattell to step up at RB. Defensively Buena Vista returns 8 of their 11 top tacklers. BV will have to find a new leader on defense but look for Malachi Bardol and Jim Gabriel to lead this unit. Buena Vista will have some inexperience on the offensive side, but the defense can make up for that. Florence played their first year of 1A football going 8-3 and 3-1 in league and reaching the quarterfinals. Florence will have some holes to fill from that team with 11 seniors graduating. The offensive line will be losing possibly 3 starters on the offensive line. Javier Lancaster will be the lone returning senior offensive linemen so look to upcoming juniors in Justin Johnston, Alex Mehring, and Julian Sullivan to step up on the offensive line. Looking at the skill positions Florence Graduates both their QB and #1 rusher. Florence did give Joshua Martinez reps at QB last year and look for him to step up this year. Owen Busetti will fill the hole at RB and should have a break out year. Florence Defensively returns just 4 of their top 11 tacklers. New leadership will be needed on Defense. Look for Owen Busetti and Javier Lancaster to step into those roles this year. Florence will have some key holes to fill this year and will need some inexperience players to step up. Colorado Springs Christian went 10-2 last year and 4-0 in league and caught some people by surprise. C.S Christian this year won’t catch anybody by surprise and are returning a ton of talent. C.S Christian will have minimal holes to fill with just 4 seniors graduating. On the offensive line C.S Christian was hit the hardest losing 3 starters on the offensive line. C.S Christian will turn to Mike Lavrenz, Ben McDonald, and Zeke Larson to step up as seniors. C.S Christian offensive line could be tough this year. Looking at the skill positions QB Caleb Stockton returns for his Junior year and should continue to improve. The biggest part returning for C.S Christian will be at RB with Peyton Brones and Joe Dunn returning. This 1 2 punch will be one of the toughest combos to stop in 1A. Defensively C.S Christian returns 8 of their 11 top tacklers. Peyton Brones and Rian Chavez will return as leaders of the defense this year. C.S Christian will be one of the toughest defenses in 1A and their offensive attack will not be easy to stop either. After looking over everything my predictions for league are: 1st C.S Christian, 2nd Buena Vista, 3rd Florence, 4th St. Mary’s, 5th Rye
My predictions for the Tri-Peaks League
League Champion: Colorado Springs Christian
Playoff Contenders: C.S Christian, Buena Vista, Florence, St. Mary’s, Rye (I know all 5 won’t make it but this league could get 4 teams into the playoffs)
Dark Horse: Rye (Rye returns a ton of talent but can their offense step up this year and push for a Top 3 finish in league.)
Player of the League: RB Peyton Brones C.S Christian
Others to watch for: RB Joe Dunn C.S Christian, QB Caleb Stockton C.S Christian, RB/MLB Owen Busetti, QB Bryce Benz Rye, Hayden Palmer Rye, Malachi Bardol Buena Vista, Rian Chavez C.S Christian, Rykert Balfe St. Mary’s
Western Slope
The Western Slope League as always was very competitive with 3 teams over .500 records and two teams getting into the playoffs. This year should also be competitive I still see two or three teams at the top of the standings. Hotchkiss went 2-7 last year and 0-5 in league. Hotchkiss is a team that should improve this year. Hotchkiss had just 2 seniors on last years team, one was an Athlete and the other was a WR/CB. With that said the offensive line should all return and help power this team to a better record. Hotchkiss will also return QB Yahir Chavez who must improve heading into his junior year. Jace Peebles also returns at RB and he broke 1000 yards last year and should get over 1200 yards this year with a more experience offensive line. Defensively Hotchkiss returns their top 13 tacklers. Adam Smith and Jace Peebles both return to lead this defense. This could be a big year for Hotchkiss if they put the work in during the summer as well as leadership steps up at QB and on the defensive side of the ball. Grand Valley went 2-7 last year and 1-4 in league. Last year I expect Grand Valley to compete for a top 3 spot in league, but the skill positions didn’t develop like I thought and Grand Valley somewhat struggled. Grand Valley now loses 9 seniors from that team including possibly 4 starters on the offensive line. Grand Valley also will be looking for a new QB and new RB this year as well. I really think Grand Valley is about a year away from competing for a top spot in the Western Slope League. If this team can really grow this year, I think watch out for Grand Valley next year. Cedaredge went 3-6 last year and 2-3 in league. Cedaredge finished around what I thought. Cedaredge is losing 8 seniors to graduation with some key pieces leaving. Cedaredge is losing possibly 4 starters on the offensive line. David Lopez will be the lone returning senior offensive linemen. Cedaredge also will be looking to replace their QB and RB. Dusty Emig should fill the hole at RB and Jacob Brown will compete for the starting QB spot. Defensively Cedaredge will return 6 of their 11 top tacklers but lose 3 of their top 5. Leadership will need to be developed on the defensive side of the ball and look for Joshua Jenkins and Dusty Emig to step up. I think Cedaredge will still compete with their defense returning the talent but look for this team in 2020 especially with the amount of younger kids playing. Olathe went 5-4 last year and 3-2 in league. Olathe just missed out on the playoffs I think finishing #17 in the RPI to close out the year. Olathe is losing 17 seniors from last year’s team. Olathe may take a slight step back this year. Olathe is possibly losing all 5 starters on the offensive line. Porter Apt, Michael Huston, and Gustavo Alejo are the upcoming seniors returning on the offensive line and they must step up this year. Olathe did not post many stats from last year, but they will return QB Dedrix Waterman. A new RB must be found though for Olathe. With the limited stats for Olathe I am guessing they are only return a handful of players on defense. Some inexperience players will have to step up for Olathe this year. Paonia went 6-4 last year and 4-1 in league on route to a playoff berth. Paonia surprised a few people last year putting together a tough team especially losing the senior class they did. Paonia will lose 7 seniors from last years team. The offensive line will only lose 1 maybe 2 starters from last years team. Austyn Norris, Levi Peterson, and Justin Holt will all return to lead this offensive line. QB Grey Neal also returns for Paonia and he will have to improve this year especially with a bigger work load coming his way. Paonia will have to replace their top 3 rushers but look for Logan Green and Jai Petmezas to take over at RB. Paonia defensively will return 6 of their 11 top tacklers but lose their top 3 tacklers. Leadership must be found for Paonia on defense and look for Grey Neal and Levi Peterson to step up this year. Paonia should finish in the top 2 this year but some key holes and leadership must be found. Meeker went 7-3 and 5-0 in league to win the Western Slope League title and a playoff berth. Meeker got to the quarterfinals before running into Limon. This was good experience for Meeker to play the eventual state champions to see what it would take to win it all. Meeker will lose 12 seniors from last years team but plenty of talent is coming back. The offensive line will possibly have to replace 3 or 4 starters, but a good group of upcoming seniors should fill those holes. Colby Shelton and Ridge Williams will have to anchor this offensive line and look for Keston Hobbs and Reese Harvey to step up this year. Meeker at QB will return a key leadership piece with Ryan Phelan returning. Phelan had a great first year at QB throwing for over 1800 yards and 16 TDs. His experience will be huge this year. At RB Meeker will have to replace their #1 rusher but Kelton Turner and Jeremy Woodward should both be able to fill the hole. Meeker must also find a couple new WR as 3 of his top 4 targets graduate. Defensively Meeker will have some holes to fill with just 4 of their 11 top tacklers returning. Leadership also graduated from the defense with their top 3 tacklers graduating. Tevin Pelloni and Kelton Turner will have to become the leaders on defense. I think my biggest concern for Meeker will be their inexperienced defense. After looking over everything my predictions for league are: 1st Meeker, 2nd Paonia, 3rd Hotchkiss, 4th Olathe, 5th Cedaredge, 6th Grand Valley
My predictions for the Western Slope League
League Champion: Meeker
Playoff Contenders: Meeker, Paonia, Hotchkiss
Dark Horse: Hotchkiss (They return most of their roster. This team has a lot of seniors this year and if they want a shot at the playoffs it is this year.)
Player of the League: QB Ryan Phelan Meeker
Others to watch for: RB Jace Peebles Hotchkiss, QB Grey Neal Paonia, QB Yahir Chavez Hotchkiss, RB Dusty Emig Cedaredge, RB Kelton Turner Meeker, WR Jacob Shelton Meeker, LB Adam Smith Hotchkiss, LB Emmet Kuper Grand Valley, LB Tevin Pelloni Meeker
MileHigh Prep Report 