Class 2A League Predictions (Leagues 1, 2, and 3)
I have decided to only do 3 or 4 leagues at a time instead of the full 7 leagues. I will be giving my league predictions on who finishes where. This is all in fun and I do not wish bad on any teams. Good Luck to all teams this season.
League One
1. Platte Valley
2. D’Evelyn
3. Bennett
4. Valley
5. Prospect Ridge
6. Wellington
We start a new cycle of leagues, and this league is called League One on the CHSAA Bulletin but on Maxpreps is labeled as the Colorado League. As mentioned, these are completely new leagues and plenty of changes in Class 2A. For League One I am going with Platte Valley as my preseason League Champions. Platte Valley returns their QB in Howdy Johnson and their core of their offensive line. Platte Valley biggest question marks on their skill positions and leadership on defense. D’Evelyn is my pick to finish in second place. D’Evelyn returns QB Austin Bushlack but he must improve heading into this season. D’Evelyn will also return at least 3 starters on the offensive line and the offensive unit could be a top unit. Defensively D’Evelyn returns plenty of talent but can they improve enough to push for a league title/playoff spot. Bennett is my pick to finish in 3rd place. Bennett moves back into class 2A this season. Bennett will have some weapons coming back with 3 of their top 4 rushers and QB all returning. The main question offensively for Bennett is their offensive line with possibly just 1 returning coming back on the offensive line. Defensively Bennett returns 7 of their top 13 tacklers and should improve this season. Valley is my pick to finish in 4th and could show big improvement from a 2-7 record last season. Offensively Valley returns key leadership in QB Carson Adolf but lose their top rusher. The offensive line for Valley could return 3 starters and we should see the offense for Valley improve. Defensively Valley will look for more depth as they return just 6 of their top 13 tacklers. Valley will have solid leadership back but this unit most improve. Prospect Ridge is my pick to finish in 5th. Prospect Ridge also moves back into Class 2A. Prospect Ridge struggled last season going 1-8 in Class 1A. Prospect Ridge could be a year away from pushing for a league title as they lose key pieces from their offensive unit. Defensively Prospect Ridge does return 7 of their top 13 tacklers but their top 2 graduate. My pick to finish 6th is Wellington. Wellington will have a brand-new program this season and we will learn more about them this year and see how they compete.
My predictions for the League One
League Champion: Platte Valley
Playoff Contenders: Platte Valley, D’Evelyn, Bennett
Dark Horse: Valley (How much can they improve and could they be in the mix for a playoff spot)
Preseason Player of the League: QB Howdy Johnson Jr. Platte Valley
Others to watch for: Brody White Jr. Platte Valley, QB Austin Bushlack Sr. D’Evelyn, WR Ethan Bushlack Sr. D’Evelyn, Kafui Fiadonu So. D’Evelyn, Kyle Vanek Sr. D’Evelyn, QB Carson Hawkins Sr. Bennett, Isaak Copeland Sr. Bennett, RB Connor Rayburn Sr. Bennett, James Newton Sr. Bennett, Torrin Bennett Jr. Prospect Ridge, Carson Adolf So. Valley, Julian Ramirez Jr. Valley, Blake Herman Sr. Valley
League Two
1. University
2. Brush
3. Sterling
4. Weld Central
5. Arvada
6. Timnath
League Two could be one of the weaker leagues in Class 2A this season. Perennial powers Brush, Sterling, and University are all graduating big and talented senior classes, so this league is wide open, but I don’t think we see much change in who wins this league. University is my pick to win League Two. University graduates a very talented senior class taking with it their QB and possibly 4 starters on the offensive line, but I do not think University will be completely empty with talent. University has some size coming back with 3 offensive linemen over 3 linemen over 240lbs. Skill position wise look for Logan Getting to move into a very prominent role along with Jacob Cruz and Paxton Daggett. Defensively University returns 6 of their top 13 tacklers but have some leadership back with Kian Baxley and Chase Heck moving into leadership roles. Brush is my pick to finish in second place. Brush will be in the mix for the league title and have some weapons coming back. The offensive line for Brush could return two starters but who else steps up is key. Brush also returns #2 RB Ty Griffith and look for his role to increase this season. Brush will look for a new QB as well. Defensively Brush will look for new leadership as well with just 5 of their top 13 tacklers coming back. Ty Griffith and Kale Stegner could be new leaders for Brush. Sterling is my pick to finish in 3rd place. Sterling will also look for a new QB but return leading rusher Nathaniel Whited. The offensive line for Sterling could return 3 starters and that could be the difference for Sterling to push for a playoff spot/league title. Sterling defensively returns 6 of their top 13 tacklers but key leadership is gone with their top 3 tacklers all graduating. Sterling will return some key pieces with Trevor Berg and Wyatt Buckley and these two must step up. Weld Central is my pick to finish in 4th place. Weld Central like most of the teams in this league lose a big senior class and will look to underclassmen to step up. The skill position group was hit hard by graduation losing their QB and top 3 rushers. The Offensive line could return 1 maybe 2 starters but this group will also be inexperience this season. Weld Central could be a year away from pushing for a league title but with the lack of experience through the league if they come together could push for a league title. Arvada is my pick to finish in 5th. Arvada did not post stats last season but finished 3-4. I really don’t know a ton about this team, but it looks like they could return 3 starters on the offensive line and if they do have experience could push for a league title. Timnath is my pick to finish in 6th. They are a new program this season and we will learn more about them as the year goes on.
My predictions for League Two
League Champion: University
Playoff Contenders: University and Brush
Dark Horse: Sterling (A weak league could mean they push for a league title)
Preseason Player of the League: Ath. Logan Getting Sr. University
Others to watch for: Kian Baxley Sr. University, RB Ty Griffith Sr. Brush, RB Nathaniel Whited Sr. Sterling, Trevor Berg Sr. Sterling,
League Three
1. Eaton
2. The Academy
3. Faith Christian
4. Steamboat Springs
5. Fort Lupton
6. Berthoud
League Three could be one of the tougher leagues in Class 3A this season. We could possibly see 3 maybe 4 teams push for playoff spots. Eaton is my pick to win League Three and they lose a great senior class but also return a great group of upcoming seniors. QB Walker Martin is back to be a leader this season. Eaton will be searching for a new top rusher but with great athletes coming back in Ryder True, Zac Grable, Austin Martinez, and Morgan Tribbett look for them to quickly find more weapons. Defensively Eaton returns 7 of their top 13 tacklers and the main question is who steps up depth wise for Eaton. Eaton is your defending state champions and can they repeat is another question. The Academy is my pick to finish in second place. The Academy returns do it all QB Isaiah Eliot and he is coming off a huge season last year and must do the same this season. The Academy also returns plenty of weapons with RB J Donahue and WR Sean Smith coming back. The offensive line is also nearly intact with at least 4 starters coming back. Defensively The Academy returns 8 of their top 13 tacklers and should continue to improve. If The Academy can pull everything together, they could push for a playoff spot and possibly push Eaton for the League title. Faith Christian is my pick to finish in 3rd place. Faith Christian will have some holes at skill position to fill with their QB and top 2 rushers graduating. The main thing for Faith Christian is they return nearly their entire offensive line with at least 3 starters coming back. If Faith Christian does not develop skill positions, they could have a rough season offensively. Defensively Faith Christian returns 10 of their top 13 tacklers and this unit could be a top 8 unit this season. Faith Christian success depends on their defense stepping up and their skill position group developing quickly. Steamboat Springs is my pick to finish in 4th place. Steamboat Springs drops from Class 3A into Class 2A and will look to make some noise right away. Steamboat Springs will be in search of a new QB but return key skill positions in RB Brady Grove, WR Cade Gedeon, and WR Beck Vanderbosch. Steamboat Springs offensive line could return at least 2 starters but must show depth this season. Defensively Steamboat Springs has the most question marks with just 4 of their top 13 tacklers coming back. This unit most have underclassmen and upcoming seniors step up if they plan to push for the playoffs. Fort Lupton is my pick to finish in 5th Place. Fort Lupton could be a fringe playoff team or possibly push for a playoff spot but must show big improvement this season. Fort Lupton returns key players with QB Will Alvarado coming back. A new RB must step up to show some balance in the offense but key WR’s are back in Danny Rodriguez and Joseph Gallegos. The offensive line for Fort Lupton could return 3 starters and this unit most show the biggest improvement. Defensively Fort Lupton returns 9 of their top 13 tacklers but this unit must show the biggest improvement. This is a big season for Fort Lupton and if they can have everything come together, they could push for a playoff spot. Berthoud is my pick to finish 6th. Berthoud will be searching for new skill position players across the board with their QB and top rusher both transferring. Berthoud offensive line could also be returning just 1 starter, and this could be a rebuilding season for Berthoud. Defensively Berthoud returns 6 of their top 13 tacklers but key leadership most step up.
My predictions for League 3
League Champion: Eaton
Playoff Contenders: Eaton, The Academy, Faith Christian
Dark Horse: Steamboat Springs (They drop into Class 2A this season from 3A)
Preseason Player of the League: QB Walker Martin Sr. Eaton
Others to watch for: WR Zac Grable Jr. Eaton, Ath. Ryder True Jr. Eaton, Morgan Tribbett Sr. Eaton, QB Isaiah Elliot Sr. The Academy, RB J Donahue Sr. The Academy, WR Sean Smith Jr. The Academy, Corbin Miller Sr. The Academy, Brennan Berryhill Sr. Faith Christian, Dante Vigil So. Faith Christian, QB Will Alvarado Sr. Fort Lupton, WR Danny Rodriguez Jr. Fort Lupton, Ben Hughes Sr. Berthoud
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