Class 2A League Predictions and Playoff Predictions Week 3
Second week of the season complete, and we update both my League Predictions and Playoff Predictions. Since I did not update this last week there are plenty of changes across most leagues. Some great games upcoming this week and we will learn more about a few teams this week. (Can always use more Class 2A pictures!!!!!!)
Colorado League
#1 Elizabeth
#2 Englewood
#3 Kent Denver
#4 Denver West
#5 Alameda
An interesting first 2 inside the Colorado League. Elizabeth is now my pick to win the Colorado League. Elizabeth is 2-0 to start the season and picked up the 44-8 victory over Woodland Park last week. Elizabeth will face a huge test this week when they host Eaton. This will be a true measure of how good Elizabeth will be. Englewood falls into my #2 spot. Englewood is 0-1-1 to start the season. Englewood lost to Bayfield on the road 26-13. Englewood will look to move into the win column when they host D’Evelyn. This is a make a break game for both teams. Kent Denver is 1-1 on the season after picking up the 36-15 win over D’Evelyn last week. Kent Denver will be tested this Friday by Manual but should get the win. Denver West fell to 1-1 on the season dropping a 19-0 loss to Riverdale Ridge. Denver West could be somewhat of a surprise team they host Arvada this week. Alameda is 1-1 to start the season and they host George Washington this week.
Flatirons League
#1 Faith Christian
#2 D’Evelyn
#3 Middle Park
#4 Northfield
#5 Arvada
#6 Pinnacle
The Flatirons League saw some big changes from my preseason predictions to today. The Flatirons League is starting to shape up into a 1 team into the playoffs league but still early. I still have Faith Christian as my pick to win the Flatirons League. Faith Christian is 1-0 to start the season. Faith Christian had a bye last week and now face a 2-0 Basalt team in what should be a good game. Faith Christian schedule over the next 3 weeks will tell us a lot about how good they are. D’Evelyn stays as my #2 team. D’Evelyn is off to a 0-2 start but have played a difficult schedule. D’Evelyn will hope to get things back on track this week when they travel to Englewood. Middle Park is 1-1 to start the season. Middle Park fell to Estes Park 46-34. Middle Park will look to bounce back when they travel to Steamboat Springs. Northfield is off to a 0-2 start and have a bye this week. Northfield will look to regroup. Northfield will play Lincoln on 9/18. Arvada is 0-1 after losing to Weld Central 40-7. Arvada has a big non-league game against Denver West this week.
Patriot East League
#1 Brush
#2 Platte Valley
#3 Sterling
#4 Weld Central
#5 Valley
#6 Fort Lupton
The Patriot East League is another league with big changes heading into week 3. Some surprising starts to the season have made me change my mind on how this league is going to go. Brush is now my pick to win the Patriot East League. Brush is 1-1 on the season after falling to 3A Fort Morgan 35-12. This was an expected result, but Brush will have a week to get ready for a big non-league game against Severance. We will dive much more into that game next week. Platte Valley moves into my #2 spot. Platte Valley is 1-0 on the season and had a bye last week. Platte Valley has a huge game tonight against Severance. This game will tell us a ton about how good each team is. Sterling falls into my #3 spot. Sterling is off to a 0-2 start and have yet to score a point. Sterling has played a brutal schedule playing both the #1 and #2 teams but spread of the score has me concerned. Sterling has another tough game at home against 3A Evergreen. Weld Central nearly moved into the #3 spot but I wanted to see how they perform against 1A Florence. The Weld Central vs Florence game will be a very physical game and should be a good game. Valley is 0-2 to start the season and host University this week. Fort Lupton is 0-2 to start the season and will have a bye this week to try and regroup.
Patriot West League
#1 Eaton
#2 Resurrection Christian
#3 Severance
#4 University
#5 The Academy
#6 Berthoud
My pick early on as the toughest league in Class 2A. The Patriot West League teams have not lost a game yet, but things do get much more difficult this week. Eaton is my pick to win the Patriot West League. Eaton opened their season with a 63 to 0 victory over Sterling. Eaton this week hits the road for a big non-league contest against Elizabeth. This will be a good contest between playoff contenders. Resurrection Christian is off to a 2-0 start and have yet to surrender a point. Resurrection Christian defeated 3A Thompson Valley 40-0. Resurrection Christian this week hosts 3A Skyview. Resurrection Christian should win that game, but the true test will be next week when they host 3A Holy Family. Severance moved to 2-0 on the season defeating Niwot 27-2. Severance this week has a big non-league battle with Platte Valley. This is a big game for both teams who are fighting for playoff berths. University is 2-0 to start the season. University blasted Manitou Springs 43-0 last week. University travels this week to Valley and should start the season at 3-0. University will be tested in the next week weeks. The Academy kicked their season off with a 35 to 18 victory over Fort Lupton. The Academy this week faces Pinnacle and should move to 2-0. The Academy will look to avoid the upset this weekend. Berthoud is 1-0 and had a bye last week. Berthoud will face Woodland Park this week and should be a good challenge.
Southwest League
#1 Alamosa
#2 Bayfield
#3 Pagosa Springs
#4 Salida
#5 Montezuma-Cortez
Early on the Southwest League has two teams who have risen to the top but still early in the season. Alamosa is my pick still to win the Southwest League. Alamosa is 1-1 on the season defeating Monte Vista last week. Alamosa this week will face La Junta. This will be a very physical game and a good game for both teams. Bayfield is still my #2 pick. Bayfield picked up an important 26 to 13 win over Englewood. Bayfield has a bye this week before facing Aztec NM. Pagosa Springs is 0-2 to start the season but have played a tough schedule. Things do not get easier for Pagosa Springs as they host #2 1A Centauri. This will be another difficult game for a young Pagosa team. Salida is off to an 0-2 start and face Manitou Springs this week. Both teams are fighting for their first win of the season. Montezuma-Cortez is 1-1 to start the season. Cortez picked up the 28 to 13 win over Cedaredge last week. Montezuma-Cortez has a bye this week then have a huge non-league game against Delta on 9/17.
Tri-Peaks League
#1 Classical Academy
#2 La Junta
#3 Lamar
#4 Manitou Springs
#5 Woodland Park
The Tri-Peaks league is off to an interesting start and a few surprises have mixed the order up a bit. Classical Academy is still my pick to win the Tri-Peaks. TCA is 1-0 to start the season and had a bye last week. TCA this week will host Harrison and will be the favorites in that game. TCA has a big non-league game next week against Elizabeth. La Junta is 1-1 to start the season. La Junta picked up the 46-0 win over Pagosa Springs last week. La Junta will host Alamosa this week and like I mentioned above should be a physical game. Lamar is 1-1 to start the year. Lamar was beat by Burlington last week 36-0. Lamar has a bye this week to fix the mistakes from last week. Lamar gets back into action next week when they travel to Pueblo County. Manitou Springs is off to a 0-2 start and this is a bit of a surprise. Manitou Springs will look to move into the win column this week when they host Salida. This is a much win game for both teams. Woodland Park is off to a 0-2 start as well. Woodland Park lost to Elizabeth last week 44-8. Woodland Park hosts Berthoud this week and could be a must win as well for Woodland Park.
West League
#1 Rifle
#2 Delta
#3 Moffat County
#4 Basalt
#5 Aspen
#6 Coal Ridge
The West League is going to be tough to read until we start league play then things should come into focus. Rifle is still my pick to win the West League. Rifle is off to a 0-2 start losing back-to-back games to 3A opponents. Rifle this week travels to face Lincoln. This is an important game for Rifle to try and get into the win column. Delta stays at #2 this week. Delta is off to a 2-0 start and have yet to give up a point. Delta beat Salida last week 49-0. Delta has a much tougher task this week when they host Palisade and should be a physical matchup. Moffat County is also off to a 2-0. Moffat County blasted Steamboat Springs 50-0. Moffat County travels out of state this week to face Rawlins WY. Basalt is off to a surprise 2-0. Basalt won in double OT last week beating Battle Mountain 40-34. Basalt this week travels to Faith Christian and should be a good game. This will tell us a lot about both teams. Aspen is 1-0 to start the season and had a bye last week. Aspen travels to Summit this week. Coal Ridge is 0-1 to start the year and face Cedaredge this week.
Playoff Predictions
I give the 16 teams I think make the playoffs. This is all in fun for now until we move deeper into the season. In 2A all league champions are guaranteed a berth. The other teams are selected with the RPI and seeded with the CHSAA Seeding index. My League Champions are:
Elizabeth (Colorado)
Faith Christian (Flatirons)
Brush (Patriot East)
Eaton (Patriot West)
Alamosa (Southwest)
Classical Academy (Tri-Peaks)
Rifle (West)
The League Champions automatically get in. The remaining 9 teams are picked via RPI. RPI is your winning percentage, opponents winning percentage, and opponents opponents winning percentage. Seeding is determined by the CHSAA Seeding Index.
(NOT IN ANY ORDER!)
#1 Elizabeth (Colorado)
#2 Faith Christian (Flatirons)
#3 Brush (Patriot East)
#4 Eaton (Patriot West)
#5 Alamosa (Southwest)
#6 Classical Academy (Tri-Peaks)
#7 Rifle (West)
At-Large Berths
#8 Platte Valley (Patriot East #2)
#9 Resurrection Christian (Patriot West #2)
#10 Severance (Patriot West #3)
#11 University (Patriot West #4)
#12 Bayfield (Southwest #2)
#13 La Junta (Tri-Peaks #2)
#14 Delta (West #2)
#15 Moffat County (West #3)
#16 Englewood (Colorado #2)
Sterling/Weld Central, Lamar, and Basalt all have a shot at the playoffs. Lots of non-league games to help sort things out and winning inside your own league could be key to getting into the playoffs.
MileHigh Prep Report 