Class 1A Boys Basketball District Predictions Week 8
We have around a month left of the regular season and some Districts are starting to come together as a picture. We have a few updates this week from last week, I added Regional Contenders to the article this week. This is mainly to show which teams I think could compete for the top 3 or top 2 spot in the District tournament. 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
Automatic Regional Qualifier Predictions:
1. Caprock Academy
2. Dove Creek
Contenders:
3. Ouray
District 1 only gets 2 teams to regionals. Caprock Academy is still the team I think wins this District Tournament. Caprock Academy will be battle tested playing a 2A schedule but most teams in this District do the same. Caprock Academy is 8-2 and could run the table the rest of the way. A game to keep an eye on is on 2/12 against Ouray. I am sticking with Dove Creek as my team to finish in second place. I know Ouray beat them head-to-head but I think Dove Creek gets them in the District Tournament. Either way I think it’s Ouray vs Dove Creek in the #2 and #3 seeds with the winner getting a berth to regionals. Ouray still holds onto the #3 spot. Ouray has played a tough schedule but their 57-52 win over Dove Creek should be a momentum builder. Ouray could possibly have to play Dove Creek 2 more times to get to Regionals.
District 2
Automatic Regional Qualifier Predictions:
1. Granada
2. McClave
3. Wiley
Contenders:
4. Cheyenne Wells
5. Cheraw
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 10-0. Granada continued to push for the #1 District seed with a solid win over Cheraw last weekend. Granada still must face Cheyenne Wells, Wiley, and McClave before locking up any seed. Granada has a non-league game against Springfield this Thursday and Manzanola Saturday. McClave jumps into the #2 spot. McClave has played well in 2022 with only losses to 2A teams or out of state teams. McClave must still face Cheyenne Wells and Wiley but I think could be a tough out for any team. Wiley jumps into the #3 spot. Wiley picked up a very important win over Cheyenne Wells last Friday 34-23. Wiley has a key league game against Cheraw this Saturday but Granada and McClave still sit ahead of Wiley if they plan to hold onto or improve on their #3 spot. Cheyenne Wells drops into the #4 spot. Cheyenne Wells currently sits at 7-3 after splitting last weekend at 1-1. Cheyenne Wells fell to Wiley and will look to bounce back against Eads this Friday. Cheyenne Wells will face McClave on 2/3 and could be the difference between a #3 seed or #4 seed in the District Tournament. Cheraw I also think could be in the conversation for the #3 spot. Cheraw is 6-4 overall but have shown glimpses of being able to hang with top teams. Cheraw faced Manzanola last night and got the win, but the key game is Saturday against Wiley.
District 3
Automatic Regional Qualifier Predictions:
1. Springfield
2. Kim/Branson
3. Primero
Contenders:
4. La Veta
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 has been very hard to separate the top 4 teams. This should be a great race to see of the 4 teams who gets the top 3 spots. This week I am going with Springfield as my team to win the District 3 Tournament. Springfield is 5-4 overall but their upset of Cheyenne Wells is why I have moved them up. Springfield will face Granada tonight but a huge game against Primero Friday night is the game to watch. Kim/Branson still holds onto the #2 spot. Kim/Branson picked up the 18-point win over Manzanola last Friday to get to 5-6 overall. Kim/Branson could improve to 8-6 before moving into a tough stretch of games. Kim/Branson will face Walsh on Friday and Eads on Saturday this week. Primero hangs onto the #3 spot. Primero has had ups and downs so far this season and out of the 4 teams is the only 1 to face Kim/Branson but came up short 42-36. Primero did pick up the important 47-40 win over Manzanola last weekend. Primero will face Centennial tonight but the game to watch is Fridays against Springfield. La Veta drops into the #4 spot. La Veta would miss regional currently but if a team gets hot in the district tournament that is what matters. La Veta should pick up back-to-back wins before face Primero on 2/3.
District 4
Automatic Regional Qualifier Predictions:
1. Briggsdale
2. Haxtun
3. Merino
Contenders:
4. Fleming
5. Prairie
6. Caliche
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 February. Briggsdale stays as my pick to win District 4. Briggsdale continued their solid 2022 start with a 68-61 win over 2A Wiggins. Briggsdale has one more non-league game against Otis before a stretch of games against Fleming, Haxtun, and Peetz. Briggsdale should be tested in that 3 games stretch, and the Haxtun game could be the game of the night on 2/1. Haxtun stays as my #2 team. Haxtun improved to 8-4 with a 51-41 over Chase County NE. Haxtun also beat Otis last Saturday by 25+ points. Haxtun has a tough matchup against Caliche this Friday before a huge game against Briggsdale on 2/1. Haxtun will only have one last game against District opponents and that is Merino on 2/11. Merino holds onto the #3 spot. Merino is on a 5-game winning streak including solid wins over Prairie on 1/21 and Dayspring Christian (2A) on Saturday. Merino will face rival Akron this Friday and Limon on Saturday. Merino has just 1 one 1A game remaining in the regular season against Haxtun so they will be battle tested heading into the District Tournament. Fleming jumps into the #4 spot. Fleming and Prairie seem to be switching off in this spot and I give Fleming the slight edge after their 49-36 win over Prairie last week. Fleming has played well in 2022 including an upset of Merino. Fleming is getting hot at the right time and could be scary come district tournament time. Prairie has hit a bit of a skid losing 4 straight games. Prairie has shown the potential to knock off top opponents and getting going in the right direction must be key for this team. Prairie will face Peetz this Friday and Weldon Valley Saturday both are winnable games and I think needed for Prairie. Prairie does close the season with some winnable games and if they can get hot going into District watch out. Caliche is the last team I want to mention. Caliche is 4-7 overall but they have played tough against multiple opponents and cannot be taken lightly. Caliche will have a shot at an upset this Friday when they host Haxtun.
District 5
Automatic Regional Qualifier Predictions:
1. Genoa-Hugo
2. Stratton
3. Idalia
Contenders:
4. Otis
5. Hi-Plains
6. Arickaree/Woodlin
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 in 2022. Genoa-Hugo has gone 2-5 in their past 7 games, but they have played a very tough schedule with multiple games against 2A opponents. Genoa-Hugo will move back into the 1A ranks to end the season and face Arickaree/Woodlin next week. Genoa-Hugo does have some key games remaining but should be in good position to get the #1 seed in the District Tournament. Stratton holds onto the #2 spot. Stratton is currently 4-4 and in 2022 they have gone 3-2 with solid wins over Fleming and Kit Carson last week. Stratton did drop a close one to Genoa-Hugo Saturday. Stratton will face 2A Burlington tonight but have a key league game against Flagler on Saturday. I think a key game for Stratton will be 2/18 against Idalia as that will probably be for the #2 or #3 seed. Idalia is my pick to finish in 3rd. Idalia improved to 6-7 on the season after a very difficult start to the season. Idalia picked up solid wins over Fleming and Eads last weekend. Idalia will face Bethune next week and is a key game for Idalia. Otis is my pick to finish in 4th. Otis is currently 6-5 and picked up a hard-fought win over Lone Star on Tuesday. Otis has a big 3 game stretch upcoming with games against Briggsdale, Arickaree/Woodlin, and Hi-Plains. This is a very important run for seeding purposes. Hi-Plains sits at #5. Hi-Plains is 3-6 currently but they broke their 2-game slide beating Miami-Yoder on Saturday. Hi-Plains will face Weskan KS and Cheyenne Wells this weekend. Hi-Plains has key games against Otis, Bethune, and Deer Trail remaining. Arickaree/Woodlin is last to mention. They are currently 7-6 but have lost to teams ahead of them. Arickaree/Woodlin have just 5 games remaining schedule on Maxpreps. This could be very important for momentum that they get 3 wins and could boost their seed heading into the District Tournament.
District 6
Automatic Regional Qualifier Predictions:
1. Sierra Grande
2. Cotopaxi
3. Creede
Contenders:
4. Moffat
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 improved to 9-0 on the season with a huge win over top 5 team ECA. Sierra Grande seems to be the clear favorite, but they must prove it tonight when they travel to face Creede. Sierra Grande has not faced any district opponents yet. Cotopaxi comes in at #2. Cotopaxi is currently 5-3 and they face Lake City this Friday and should cruise to the win. Cotopaxi also will face Antonito on Saturday. Cotopaxi schedule gets tough on 2/4 when they face La Veta with 4 tough games to follow. Creede is my pick to finish 3rd. Creede is 5-3 on the season but they have not played since 1/7. Creede gets their shot at Sierra Grande on Thursday, and we will learn if they are contenders or if 3rd place is the correct spot. Moffat, I think the only contender. Moffat is 2-4 currently but they have not played since 1/7. Moffat restarts play this Friday against Sangre De Cristo. The game to watch is on Monday against Cotopaxi. Moffat will hope to keep the #4 spot, but a very difficult schedule awaits them in February.
District 7
Automatic Regional Qualifier Predictions:
1. Evangelical Christian
2. Simla
3. Hanover
Contenders:
4. Pikes Peak Christian
5. Elbert
6. Kiowa
7. Miami-Yoder
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 9-1 start with their only loss coming to Sierra Grande. ECA did bounce back from their loss with a 72-62 win over Pikes Peak Christian. ECA will face Miami-Yoder tomorrow in another league clash. Simla stays as my pick to finish in second. Simla is 5-4 currently and a team I think that could easily challenge for the top spot in the district. Simla fell to Limon last night by 2 and Simla is yet to lose to a 1A team. Simla moves back into 1A play tomorrow night when they face Cheraw but the game, I am looking towards is against Hanover on 2/1. Hanover is my pick to finish in 3rd. Hanover is 9-1 currently but their schedule has not been the most difficult. Hanover does have a quality win over Wiley back in December and their lone loss it to Primero. Hanover did pick up a solid win over 2A Las Animas last night. Hanover has a key league game tonight against Pikes Peak Christian before another key game against Simla next week. Pikes Peak Christian started the season 5-0 but have since lost 5 straight games and will look to get back on track. PPC will face Hanover tonight which will be a battle, but I do think PPC gets back on their winning way when they face Cripple Creek next week. Kiowa and Miami-Yoder are two teams on the verge of competing for a top 3 finish but need a win against top teams to really push for a top 4 seed.
District 8 (Only 2 teams make it to Regionals)
Regional Automatic Qualifier Predictions:
1. Belleview Christian
2. Denver Jewish Day
Contenders:
3. Flatirons Academy
4. Front Range Baptist
5. Denver Waldorf
6. Rocky Mountain Lutheran
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 another key win defeating Front Range Baptist last week by 25+ points. Belleview Christian still must face Denver Waldorf and Flatirons Academy before trying to lock up the #1 seed in the District tournament. Denver Jewish Day holds onto my #2 spot. Denver Jewish Day beat Longmont Christian last week and Beth Eden this week. Denver Jewish Day will face Flatirons Academy tonight and this will go along way to determine seeding in the District Tournament. Flatirons Academy, Front Range Baptist, Denver Waldorf, and Rocky Mountain Lutheran are 4 team I think could all compete for the only 2 spots. Seeding will be very important to avoid meeting early in the District Tournament. Lots to still be figured out in District 8 in the month of February.
My predictions for District 8
League Champion: Belleview Christian
Regional Qualifiers: Belleview Christian, Denver Jewish Day
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