Class 1A Boys Basketball District Predictions Week 7
We are quickly moving thru the regular season and most teams are playing their league schedules. For my predictions I will be using the Districts from the CHSAA bulletin which is how team will qualify for regionals. I also see they have reverted to 2019 rules to qualify for regionals and state. I will post that below.
How to Qualify for Regionals and State
8 District each qualify 2 or 3 teams to three regionals. The three regionals are posted below
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 3 |
| District 1 & 8 | District 4, 5, 7 | District 2, 3, 6 |
The #1 and #2 seeds from Districts 1 and 8 will be paired, while the #1, #2, and #3 seeds from Districts 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 will advance to a regional site. In Region 2 (4,5,7) and Region 3 (2, 3, 6), the nine qualify teams will be seeded by RPI avoiding any previous district matchups. In Region 1, District 1 and 8 #1s will play each other districts #2. Region 1 receives 2 state qualifiers, Region 2 & 3 receive three state qualifiers each.
After the Final 8 teams have been determined the teams will be re-seeded base on the following: The eight regional winners advance to the state tournament where they will be seeded by seeding criteria approved in a committee, made up of administrative representatives. The committee may use the following criteria to seed the final pairings: final RPI, previous district matchup’s, head-to-head competition, and common opponents.
A consolation bracket will be played in the Great 8.
District 1
1. Caprock Academy
2. Dove Creek
3. Ouray
4. North Park
5. De Beque
6. Nucla
District 1 only gets 2 teams to regionals. Not a ton of changes from my predictions to two weeks ago to today. I still have Caprock Academy as my favorite to win the District 1 tournament and will play the #2 team from District 8. Dove Creek holds onto the #2 spot and would play the #1 team from District 8. Ouray is the one team I think could challenge for a top 3 spot. Ouray took Caprock Academy to OT and played tough against Ignacio and Crested Butte. Ouray and Dove Creek square off Friday.
My predictions for District 1
League Champion: Caprock Academy
Regional Qualifiers: Caprock Academy and Dove Creek
District 2
1. Granada
2. Cheyenne Wells
3. McClave
4. Wiley
5. Cheraw
6. Eads
7. Kit Carson
District 2 gets 3 team into regionals and will compete against District 3 & 6 at Regionals. Granada stays as my pick to win District 2. Granada is still undefeated at 8-0. Granada will face Cheraw this Friday. Granada looks to stay undefeated. Cheyenne Wells stays in the #2 spot. Cheyenne Wells is 6-2 after dropping a 56-50 game to Springfield. Cheyenne Wells will open league play against Wiley, and this is a massive game for seeding purposes. McClave makes the biggest jump into the top 3. McClave has a 56-31 win over Cheraw on 1/7 and also a 64-39 win over Kim/Branson this past Saturday. McClave moves back into league play traveling to face Eads on Friday and won’t be back into league play until 1/28 against Kit Carson. Wiley moves into the #4 spot and sit at 6-2. Wiley needed OT to beat Kit Carson this past Friday and now look to knock off Cheyenne Wells on Friday. Cheraw falls into the #5 spot. Cheraw is 6-3 but their loss to McClave puts them in a tough spot. Cheraw will look to upset Granada at home this Friday. Cheraw may go into their District tournament at a #5 seed, but they will still face Wiley and Cheyenne Wells.
My predictions for District 2
League Champion: Granada
Regional Qualifiers: Granada, Cheyenne Wells, McClave
District 3
1. La Veta
2. Kim/Branson
3. Primero
4. Springfield
5. Manzanola
6. Walsh
7. South Baca
District 3 will get 3 teams into regionals and will compete against District 2 & District 6. District 3 so far has been a battle and I think 5 teams will be competing for the 3 regional spots. La Veta stays as my pick to win the District 3 tournament. La Veta is 6-3 currently but will be coming off a 22-point loss to Cheraw. La Veta hosts Cripple Creek and that should get them back on track. La Veta will also face Custer County and that will be a solid test for La Veta. La Veta won’t move back into league play till 2/3 when they host Primero. Kim/Branson holds onto the #2 spot. Kim/Branson is 4-6 currently but their 6-point win over Primero is the reason I have them at #2. Kim/Branson also beat Cotopaxi on 1/8. Kim/Branson will face Manzanola this Friday in a key league matchup. Kim/Branson won’t face another district opponent thill 2/11 when they face South Baca. Primero stays in the #3 spot. Primero is currently 4-5 but they have shown glimpses of being a top team. Primero lost to Kim/Branson two Fridays ago and get back in the action this Friday against Walsh. Primero also will face Manzanola in a key matchup on Saturday. Springfield is the one team I am unsure of. Springfield knocked off Cheyenne Wells two weeks ago. Springfield could be a team to win this District, but I want to see how they play against Primero on 1/28 before I move them up more. Springfield this Friday will face South Baca and on Saturday face McClave. Springfield could be underrated. Manzanola is a team I want to quickly touch on. Manzanola is 2-3 currently and the lack of games so far still give this team some question to answer. Manzanola will face Kim/Branson this Friday and then Primero on Saturday. We will quickly learn how much of a threat Manzanola is.
My predictions for District 3
League Champion: La Veta
Regional Qualifiers: La Veta, Kim/Branson, Primero
District 4
1. Briggsdale
2. Haxtun
3. Merino
4. Prairie
5. Fleming
6. Caliche
7. Longmont Christian
8. Peetz
9. Weldon Valley
District 4 will get 3 teams into regionals. District 4 will compete against District 5 & 7 at Regionals. District 4 will be one of the toughest leagues this season with 7 competitive teams and should make for a fun January and February. Briggsdale stays as my pick to win District 4. Briggsdale faced Front Range Baptist on Tuesday and took care of business blasting them 76-38. Briggsdale moves back into district play with a game against an improved Caliche team on Saturday. Briggsdale won’t face another league opponent until 1/29 when they host Fleming. Haxtun stays as my pick to finish second. Haxtun is 6-3 currently and some question marks were raised after they dropped a tough 45-41 game to Prairie. Haxtun did bounce back nicely beating Sedgwick County last Friday. Haxtun will host Holyoke this Friday and then move back into 1A play against Otis. Merino stays as my pick to finish 3rd. Merino opened 2022 on a tough foot dropping a 49-46 game to Fleming but have since woken up beating Peetz, Caliche, and then upsetting Genoa-Hugo. Merino will now face Prairie who is also looking to bounce back on Friday. Prairie comes in at #4. Prairie is much improved this season and are hitting a bit of a rough stretch losing 3 of their last 4 games. Things for Prairie will not get any easier as they face Merino this Friday and then Fleming on Saturday. Prairie will hope for a split at a minimum if not to come out at 2-0. Fleming moves into the #5 spot. Fleming in 2022 has come out firing winning 3 of their first 4 games. Fleming picked up the big upset win over Merino to help give them some confidence. Fleming will face Idalia this Friday before a huge league contest against Prairie on Saturday. Longmont Christian and Caliche are two teams still in the hunt for a top 3 spot but will need some wins to help push them into a better position.
My predictions for District 4
League Champion: Briggsdale
Regional Qualifiers: Briggsdale, Haxtun, Merino
District 5
1. Genoa-Hugo
2. Stratton
3. Idalia
4. Otis
5. Hi-Plains
6. Arickaree/Woodlin
7. Bethune
8. Deer Trail
9. Flagler
10. Lone Star
District 5 gets 3 teams into regionals and will compete against District 4 & 7 at regionals. Genoa-Hugo is my pick to win District 5. Genoa-Hugo has hit a bit of a rough patch since starting 5-0. Genoa-Hugo has lost 3 of their past 4 games but 2 where to 2A teams and 1 was to a ranked Merino team. Genoa-Hugo will look to bounce back this Friday against Burlington. Genoa-Hugo has a key matchup against Stratton on Saturday and could be for the #1 seed in the district tournament. Stratton is 3-3 currently but they have started 2022 winning 2 of their first 3 games including wins over Arickaree/Woodlin and Fleming. Stratton will face Kit Carson Friday before their key league matchup against Genoa-Hugo Saturday. Idalia moves back into the #3 spot. Idalia has played a tough schedule this season and is one of the main reasons they are 4-7. Idalia did pick up an important 66-35 win over Otis to move back into the top 3. Idalia will face Fleming on Friday and Eads on Saturday before moving back into league play against Flagler on Tuesday. Otis drops into the #4 spot, but I consider them a threat to finish in the top 3. Otis dropped that game to Idalia on Friday but bounce back nicely beating Caliche on Saturday. Otis will face Haxtun this Saturday before moving back into league play against Lone Star next Tuesday. Otis will hope to finish with a top 4 seed but will be challenged. I have Hi-Plains sitting in the #5 spot. Hi-Plains has 2 losses on their records due to forfeits to Lone Star and Idalia. Hi-Plains seems to have corrected the problem and beat Arickaree/Woodlin last Friday. Hi-Plains will face Miami-Yoder this Saturday. Hi-Plains won’t play another league opponent till 2/5 when they face Otis. Arickaree/Woodlin is the last team I want to mention as a threat in this District. Arickaree/Woodlin is 5-6 and need a win over Bethune to stay in the hunt for the #4 seed.
My predictions for District 5
League Champion: Genoa-Hugo
Regional Qualifiers: Genoa-Hugo, Stratton, Idalia
District 6
1. Sierra Grande
2. Cotopaxi
3. Moffat
4. Creede
5. Centennial
6. Antonito
7. Sangre De Cristo
District 6 will get 3 teams into regionals and will compete with District 2 & 3 at regionals. Sierra Grande is my pick to win the District 6 tournament. Sierra Grande is off to a 8-0 start and I don’t expect them to really be challenged in league. Sierra Grand will face Creede on 1/27 and Antonito on 1/28. Sierra Grande did play their last game without key starter Isiah Chairez so hopefully he will be back to playing when they start up again on 1/27. Cotopaxi is my pick to finish in 2nd. Cotopaxi is 5-3 currently. Cotopaxi is where I expected them and should make a solid run thru league. Cotopaxi won’t be challenge again till they face La Veta on 2/4 then Sierra Grande on 2/5. Cotopaxi is young so any games will be key for them going forward. Creede moves into the #3 spot. Creede is 5-3 on the season and their 41-33 win over Moffat gives them the edge for the #3 spot. Creede has replaced key players so for this season but their true test comes on 1/27 against Sierra Grande. Moffat falls into the #4 spot. Moffat will face Centennial on 1/28 and is key to them keeping a top 4 seed. Moffat will also have another shot at Creede on 1/29. Centennial could get in the mix if they can upset Moffat.
My predictions for District 6
League Champion: Sierra Grande
Regional Qualifiers: Sierra Grande, Cotopaxi, Creede
District 7
1. Evangelical Christian
2. Simla
3. Hanover
4. Pikes Peak Christian
5. Elbert
6. Kiowa
7. Miami-Yoder
8. Cripple Creek
District 7 will get 3 teams into regionals and will compete against District 4 and 5 at Regionals. Evangelical Christian is my pick to win the District 7 tournament. ECA is off to a 7-0 start. ECA will face Colorado Springs School this Friday and will be heavily favored to win. ECA moves back into league play on 1/25 when they face Pikes Peak Christian. Simla holds onto the #2 spot. Simla is 4-3 currently but they have played a tough schedule. Simla picked up a key league win over Pikes Peak Christian 65-43. Simla will face Miami-Yoder tonight in another key league matchup. Hanover sits in the #3 spot. Hanover currently sits at 6-1 with their lone loss coming to Primero. Hanover has started 2022 with a pair of wins over Elbert and Deer Trail both by over 25+ points. Hanover won’t be tested again till 1/26 against Las Animas and 1/27 against Pikes Peak Christian. Pikes Peak Christian is the last team to mention this week as some teams have fallen off. Pikes Peak Christian has been exposed as of late. PPC has lost their last 4 games and most by over 15 points. For PPC things won’t be easy as they face ECA and Hanover in their next two games before their schedule gets easier.
My predictions for District 7
League Champion: Evangelical Christian
Regional Qualifiers: Evangelical Christian, Simla, Hanover
District 8 (Only 2 teams make it to Regionals)
1. Belleview Christian
2. Denver Jewish Day
3. Flatirons Academy
4. Front Range Baptist
5. Denver Jewish Day
6. Rocky Mountain Lutheran
7. Mile High Academy
8. Denver Academy of Torah
9. Beth Eden
District 8 gets just 2 teams into Regionals and will face District 1 at Regionals. So far District 8 has seen 5 teams rise to the top and look to be the 5 teams competing for the 2 spots. Belleview Christian stays as my pick to win the District 8 tournament. Belleview Christian picked up key wins over Denver Jewish Day and Rocky Mountain Lutheran to be sitting atop the standings. Belleview Christian will face Beth Eden tonight before their key matchup against Front Range Baptist tomorrow. Denver Jewish Day moves into the #2 spot. Denver Jewish Day is 6-2 and they lost by just 5 to Belleview Christian this past Tuesday. Denver Jewish Day will face Longmont Christian tonight and then Beth Eden next week before diving back into a key matchup with Flatirons Academy next week. Front Range Baptist moves into the #3 spot. Front Range Baptist is 5-3 and they were on an impressive run to open 2022 before falling by 28 to Briggsdale. Front Range Baptist did pick up an important 63-55 win over Denver Waldorf. Denver Waldorf slides into the #4 spot. Denver Waldorf dropped a key game to Front Range Baptist. Denver Waldorf will face Rocky Mountain Lutheran in their next league game on 1/25. Flatirons Academy is the last team to mention. Flatirons Academy is 5-4 currently but they have yet to play any of the top teams in District. Their first key matchup is tonight against Rocky Mountain Lutheran.
My predictions for District 8
League Champion: Belleview Christian
Regional Qualifiers: Belleview Christian, Denver Jewish Day
MileHigh Prep Report 