Class 2A Boys Basketball District Predictions
I have not had a chance to update my Class 2A District Predictions, but we give are first updated look since the beginning of the season. I plan on updating weekly going forward. Most teams have played over 5 games and some District have had a few surprising results. Still, plenty of basketball to be played and plenty will change by the end of the season. Here is a quick reminder of how-to quality for Regionals; Each District qualifies 3 teams to regionals, with the remaining 8 teams determined by the next highest RPI scores.
District 1
1. Sanford
2. Del Norte
3. Crested Butte
4. Center
5. Lake County
6. Monte Vista
7. Custer County
8. Trinidad
9. South Park
10. Sargent
Sanford has taken over as my team to win the District 1 tournament. Sanford is 4-3 and are on a 3 games losing streak but all 3 loses are quality losses. In 2021 Sanford started hot picking up quality wins over La Junta, Fowler, and Peyton. Sanford will look to bounce back this weekend when they face 3A Buena Vista and District opponent South Park. Del Norte moves into my second-place spot. Del Norte is currently 6-3 with quality losses to La Junta and Fowler. Del Norte is on a 4 game winning streak including District wins over Lake County and Center. Del Norte has a huge test on Friday against Crested Butte and could determine who has the #2 or #3 seed entering the District Tournament. Crested Butte slide into my #3 spot. Crested Butte is 2-5 to start the season but in 2021 but a key player has only played one game and that is Sr. guard Grayson White, who has only played one game and that was the first of the season. Crested Butte started 2022 with a big win over Trinidad and will look to continue when they host Del Norte on Friday. I still think Crested Butte is a real threat in this District especially if they get to full strength. Center moves into my #4 spot. Center is 4-5 to open the year and currently on a 3 game losing streak. Center will look to bounce back on Saturday when they travel to face Dolores Huerta. Center will then host Monte Vista next Tuesday and is a key game to Center keeping a top 5 spot in the District tournament. Lake County moves into my #5 spot. Lake County is 3-3 to open the year. Lake County has 2 losses to Vail Christian and 1 to Del Norte. Lake County was beating Del Norte by 15 but then had a rough second half to lose by 10. Lake County is new to the District and won’t play another District team till the District Tournament. Lake County plays a 3A schedule so they will be battle tested once the District Tournament rolls around. Monte Vista rounds out the top 6. Monte Vista is off to a rough start at 2-5. Monte Vista has a key matchup against Bayfield this Friday before jumping into District play against Center and Sanford. Monte Vista played a heavy does of 3A teams in the preseason so they will hope that translates into success once entering District play. Custer County is one last team I want to mention. I think they could contend for a top 5 spot in District as well. They played Lake County very close and only lost by 1 to #1 1A ECA. Custer County is a team I think could cause fits and must be a contender as well.
My predictions for District 1
League Champion: Sanford
Regional Automatic Qualifiers: Sanford, Del Norte, Crested Butte
Regional Contenders: Center, Monte Vista, Custer County, Lake County
District 2
1. Yuma
2. Wray
3. Holyoke
4. Wiggins
5. Sedgwick County
6. Akron
7. Burlington
Yuma takes over as my pick to win the District 2 tournament. Yuma is off to a 7-1 start with quality wins over Wray, Platte Valley, Brush, Haxtun, and Holyoke. Yuma lone loss is to 3A Eaton in OT. Yuma has opened 2022 with a pair of 25+ point wins and will look to stay hot in 2022 when they travel to face rival Akron on Friday. Yuma is a contender to win the Class 2A title. Wray moves into my #2 spot. Wray is 6-3 on the season with only 1 in state loss to Yuma. Wray has only played 4 Colorado teams to open the year. Wray best win in state is over Holyoke by 27. Wray will face Holyoke again on Friday and is a key matchup for seeding in the district tournament. Holyoke stays at my #3 team. Holyoke is 6-2 to start the year with losses to Yuma and Wray. Holyoke does have quality wins over Dayspring Christian, Byers, Sedgwick County, and Haxtun. Holyoke will look for revenge when they host Wray on Friday. This is the league game so this one will matter when it comes to the District Tournament. Wiggins stays at my #4 team. Wiggins is 3-4 to start the year with some tough losses to Fort Morgan and Eaton. Wiggins has started 2022 well with wins over Byers and McClave and has them going in the right direction. Wiggins will face 1A Briggsdale on Thursday before jumping into league play against Burlington. Wiggins still has questions marks as they have 2 interesting losses on their record. Sedgwick County moves into the #5 spot. Sedgwick County is 3-3 to start the year with losses to 1A Briggsdale, 1A Haxtun, and Holyoke. Sedgwick County did start 2022 with a solid win over Caliche but a key test will be on Friday when they travel to meet Haxtun. Akron slides into the #6 spot but I think still a contender for a regional spot. Akron is 3-4 to start the year and they lost their first 3 games of the year. Akron did bounce back with solid wins over Union Colony Prep, Otis, and Stratton. Akron will have a shot at the #1 team on Friday before a pair of games against 1A teams.
My predictions for District 2
League Champion: Wray
Regional Automatic Qualifiers: Yuma, Wray, Holyoke
Regional Contenders: Wiggins, Sedgwick County, Akron
District 3
1. Mancos
2. Ignacio
3. Cedaredge
4. Dolores
5. Ridgway
6. Olathe
7. Telluride
Mancos stays as my pick to win the District 3 tournament. Mancos is off to a 7-2 start with quality losses. Mancos has picked up quality wins over Ignacio, Ouray, Sanford, and Longmont Christian. Mancos has started 2022 hot and will face Ridgway on Friday. Ignacio stays as my #2 team. Ignacio is 5-3 to start the season. Ignacio had an interesting start to the year losing to Cedaredge and Rye but have since picked up quality wins over Crested Butte, Dove Creek, Montezuma-Cortez, and Bayfield. Ignacio will look to bounce back when they host Ouray on Friday and travel to face Ridgway on Saturday. Cedaredge moves into my #3 spot. Cedaredge is 5-3 to start the year. Cedaredge has two quality losses to Centauri and Caprock Academy but an interesting loss to Ridgway. Cedaredge also has quality wins over Ignacio, Grand Valley, and Plateau Valley. Cedaredge won’t face another team from this District until the District Tournament so watching how they play in their league will be key. Dolores holds onto the #4 spot. Dolores is 3-3 to start the year with quality losses to Cheraw and Dove Creek. Dolores picked up a huge district win over Ridgway before we went into holiday break. Dolores opens league play against Mancos next Tuesday and this should give us solid insight into how they will compete for a regional spot. Ridgway moves into the #5 spot. Ridgway is 2-3 to start the year. Ridgway has been up and down to start the year with tough losses to North Fork, Ouray, and Dolores but a key win over Cedaredge has them in the mix for a solid finish in District play. Ridgway still has plenty of questions and seeing how they did against Telluride last night and how they do against Mancos and Ignacio this weekend will be key to seeing if they can compete for a Regional Spot. Olathe is a team I wanted to mention. They were my #3 preseason pick but have started the season 1-6. They are a team I think that could still be a contender but watching what they do in January will be key to how far they will go.
My predictions for District 3
League Champion: Mancos
Regional Automatic Qualifiers: Mancos, Ignacio, Cedaredge
Regional Contenders: Dolores, Ridgway, Olathe
District 4
1. Denver Christian
2. Limon
3. Lotus School
4. Byers
5. Golden View Classical
6. Front Range Christian
7. Platte Canyon
8. Denver Academy
9. Clear Creek
10. Addenbrooke Classical
Denver Christian stays as my pick to win the District 4 tournament. Denver Christian is off to a 6-2 start with their losses coming to top 10 3A opponents. Denver Christian has plenty of quality wins over Peyton, Lyons, and most recently Limon. Denver Christian is on pace to snag the #1 seed in the District tournament. Denver Christian will face Heritage Christian on Friday before a huge matchup with Front Range Christian next Wednesday. Limon holds onto the #2 spot. Limon is 5-2 to open the season with 2 quality losses to Denver Christian and Eaton. Limon has quality wins over Crowley County, Peyton, Genoa-Hugo, and Heritage Christian. Limon will look to bounce back from a tough loss to Denver Christian when they host Flagler on Friday then a tough matchup against 3A Strasburg on Saturday. Lotus School moves into the #3 spot. Lotus School is 5-2 to open the year with quality wins over Mancos, Palisade, Platte Canyon, and Golden View Classical. Lotus School will look to bounce back after a tough loss to 3A DSST-Green Valley. Lotus School won’t face another district opponent the rest of the year but have some quality matchups the rest of the way. Byers slides into the #4 spot. Byers is 3-3 to open the year with quality losses to Grand Valley, Holyoke, and Wiggins. Byers did open 2022 with a solid win over Simla. Byers will look to stay in their winning ways when they host Genoa-Hugo on Friday then a key district matchup against Clear Creek on Saturday. Golden View Classical drops into the #5 spot. Golden View Classical is 3-2 to start the year. They have a interesting loss to Rocky Mountain Lutheran and a quality loss to Lotus School by just 7. Golden View Classical best win is over Belleview Christian. Golden View Classical will have a key district matchup against Addenbrooke Classical tonight then have a key matchup against 1A Flatirons Academy. Front Range Christian and Platte Canyon are both teams I still have question marks on, but both are off to solid starts but still plenty of question marks. Front Range Christian is 5-2 but they have an interesting loss to Swallows Charter. Front Range Christian does have a quality win over Pikes Peak Christian, but I think their upcoming games against Highland and Denver Christian will tell us a bigger story. Platte Canyon is 5-1 with their lone loss coming to Lotus school by 14. Platte Canyon best win is over 1A Rocky Mountain Lutheran. Platte Canyon will be tested with their league schedule being 3A. Platte Canyon first big test will be on Wednesday 1/19 against Middle Park.
My predictions for District 4
League Champion: Denver Christian
Regional Automatic Qualifiers: Denver Christian, Limon, Lotus School
Regional Contenders: Byers, Golden View Classica, Front Range Christian, Platte Canyon
District 5
1. Vail Mountain
2. Vail Christian
3. Meeker
4. Plateau Valley
5. Hayden
6. Soroco
7. Rangely
8. West Grand (IF they are playing this year)
Vail Mountain is my pick to win the District 5 Tournament. Vail Mountain is 5-1 to open the year with quality wins over Lake County and Vail Christian. Vail Mountain opened 2022 with League wins over Plateau Valley and Rangely. Vail Mountain will face Hayden and Caprock Academy this weekend and the Caprock Academy game should be a good game. Vail Christian slides into my #2 spot. Vail Christian is 6-2 to start the year with quality losses to Vail Mountain and Heritage Christian. Vail Christian opened 2022 with a solid start defeating Lake County, Plateau Valley and Rangely. Vail Christian will face Caprock Academy on Friday then Cedaredge on Saturday both are huge games and have big implications for regional seeding. Meeker holds onto the #3 spot. Meeker is 3-3 to start the year. Meeker is on a 2-game winning streak with solid wins over North Fork and Olathe. Meeker will look to keep that going when they face 3A Grand Valley. Meeker next league game will be against Plateau Valley on Friday. Plateau Valley stays as my #4 team. Plateau Valley is off to a rough 2-5 start, but all 5 losses are quality losses. Plateau Valley will look to bounce back from a 12-point loss to Vail Christian when they host Meeker on Friday. Plateau Valley will look to right the ship and hope to contend for a regional spot. Hayden is another team I think could contend for a regional spot. Hayden will have to right the ship as well but a win over North Park should help. Hayden will face Rangely on Thursday, and this is a huge game for League and District seeding. I still have question marks about Soroco and Rangely and with most teams moving into District play, things will get sorted out.
My predictions for District 5
League Champion: Vail Christian
Regional Automatic Qualifiers: Vail Mountain, Vail Christian, Meeker
Regional Contenders: Plateau Valley, Hayden
District 6
1. Fowler
2. Holly
3. Crowley County
4. Rye
5. Las Animas
6. Swink
7. Hoehne
8. Swallows Charter
9. Rocky Ford
10. John Mall
District 6 probably has the most changes since my preseason predictions and still plenty is up in the air for this District. Fowler is my pick to win the District 6 tournament. Fowler is off to a 5-3 start with quality losses to Sanford, C.S Christian, and Peyton. Fowler has started 2022 with a bang defeating Thomas MacLaren, Holly, and Rye. Fowler will face Rocky Ford on Saturday but must bring it every game as their has been plenty of upsets inside this district already. Holly is my pick to finish second. Holly is 4-3 to start the year. Holly has some tough losses to 1A Wiley and 1A McClave both should make regionals or at least be contenders. Holly also lost to Fowler but defeated Rye the night before. Holly will have a pair of tough games upcoming against Las Animas and Crowley County. Crowley County is my pick to finish 3rd. Crowley County is 7-2 to start the season with losses to Limon and Florence. Crowley County has quality wins over Simla, Kim/Branson, and Las Animas last night. Crowley County will have a shot at Holly on Tuesday next week and is a huge game for seeding. Rye falls into the #4 spot. Rye is 6-3 to start the year. They have 3 quality losses to Centauri, Fowler, and Holly. Rye best win is over Ignacio. Rye will have a big matchup on Thursday against Swink then Hoehne on Saturday. Rye will hope to bounce back from back-to-back loses. After the top 4 in this District things get very interesting. Las Animas is 6-2 with a nice win over Hoehne but recently lost to Swink by 14. Swink is 3-5 with back-to-back wins but a loss to Hoehne by 12 raises question marks. Hoehne is 3-7 and have won back-to-back games beating Swink and Swallows Charter in OT. Swallows Charter is interesting because they have a quality win over Front Range Christian but have started 2021 slow. Swallows Charter also lost to Hoehne in OT. Rocky Ford is the last team to mention as they have only played 1 game in 2022 and lost to Peyton by 21. Their game Thursday will tell us a ton when they host Las Animas. I am hoping after this week we have a bit more of a clear picture of #5 thru #9.
My predictions for District 6
League Champion: Fowler
Regional Qualifiers: Fowler, Holly, Crowley County
Regional Contenders: Rye, Las Animas, Swink, Hoehne, Swallows Charter, Rocky Ford
District 7
1. Heritage Christian
2. Lyons
3. Dayspring Christian
4. Loveland Classical
5. Union Colony Prep
6. Gilpin County
7. Twin Peaks Charter
8. Dawson School
9. Poudre Community Academy
10. Nederland
Heritage Christian is my new pick to win the District 7 tournament. Heritage Christian is currently 5-4 on the year and all 4 losses are quality losses. Heritage Christian has quality wins over Ouray, Vail Christian, and most recently Dayspring Christian by 20. Heritage Christian will have a huge matchup against Denver Christian on Friday. Lyons drops into my #2 spot. Lyons is 4-5 to start the season and Lyons opened the year losing 4 straight games to quality opponents. Lyons has now won 4 of their last 5 including quality wins over Longmont Christian and Strasburg. Lyons will face Nederland on Thursday before a key league matchup against Twins Peaks Charter next week. Dayspring Christian holds onto the #3 spot. Dayspring Christian is 4-4 to start the year. Dayspring Christian recently lost to Heritage Christian by 20 and will look to bounce back when they face Denver Academy on Thursday. Key matchup upcoming for Dayspring Christian will be against Union Colony Prep and Front Range Christian next week. Loveland Classical moves into the #4 spot. Loveland Classical is 2-3 to start the year but have district wins over Twins Peaks Charter and Poudre Community. Loveland Classical still has plenty of question marks but key upcoming games against Golden View Classical and Flatirons Academy should give us a solid look at this team. Union Colony Prep is the last team I want to mention as a regional contender. UCP is 4-4 to start the year. They defeated Wiggins early on as their best win. Recently they have won back-to-back games over Twins Peaks Charter and Clear Creek. UCP did lose to Highland last night but another quality opponent. UCP will look to bounce back against Dawson School on Thursday before another tough matchup against Briggsdale.
My predictions for District 7
League Champion: Heritage Christian
Regional Qualifiers: Heritage Christian, Lyons, Dayspring Christian
Regional Contenders: Loveland Classical and Union Colony Prep
District 8
1. Peyton
2. Thomas MacLaren
3. Calhan
4. Fountain Valley
5. Dolores Huerta
6. Colorado Springs School
7. Atlas Prep
Peyton stays as my pick to win the District 8 tournament. Peyton is off to a 6-4 start but have played a brutal preseason schedule. Peyton 4 losses are to Limon, Denver Christian, C.S Christian, and Sanford. Peyton opened 2022 with a pair of big wins over Center and Rocky Ford. Peyton will face district opponent Calhan on Wednesday of next week. A game to watch for is Peyton against Yuma on 1/29. Thomas MacLaren moves into the #2 spot. Thomas MacLaren is currently 6-1 with their lone loss coming to Fowler. Thomas MacLaren has quality wins over Belleview Christian and Banning Lewis. Thomas MacLaren, I think is taking place in a tournament this weekend then will face Pikes Peak Christian on 1/18 before moving in league play against Fountain Valley on 1/20. Calhan is my pick to finish 3rd. Calhan is 4-4 to start the year but their losses have been big expect for their recent OT loss by 1 to Genoa-Hugo. Calhan is supposed to take place in a tournament this weekend. Calhan will have a key matchup against Peyton on 1/19. Fountain Valley is the one team that I still have question marks about. They have played 3 games this year losing twice to Thomas MacLaren. Their lone win is over James Irwin by 5. Fountain Valley will either be a contender after this weekend or not. They face Dolores Huerta on Thursday and Calhan on Friday.
My predictions for District 8
League Champion: Peyton
Regional Qualifiers: Peyton, Thomas MacLaren, Calhan
Regional Contenders: Fountain Valley
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