Class 1A League Predictions (Leagues 4, 5, and 6)
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 Four
1. Wray
2. Limon
3. Wiggins
4. Holyoke
5. Burlington
6. Yuma
The toughest league in Class 1A is League Four. All 6 teams have a shot at making the playoffs, but I think at most only 4 or 5 will get in. That means some great games once this league moves into league play. My pick to win League 4 is Wray. Wray will be looking to unseat Limon as the defending League Champions. This will be no easy feat but plenty of weapons come back for Wray. Wray will have QB Casey Midcap back along with RB Caeden Bauer, RB Brady Collins, and WR Chris Arambula. The offensive line for Wray will return 2 or 3 starters from a season ago but key leadership from the offensive line comes back. Defensively Wray returns 8 of their top 13 tacklers including 4 of their top 5. Wray will look to be one of the top defensive teams in Class 1A. Limon is my pick to finish in second place. Limon will be replacing a great senior class but don’t expect much of a down year and look for them to keep the league crown. Limon will be in search of a new QB, but weapons do return at the skill positions RB Gabe Schubarth, Ath. Jordan Rockwell, and Ath. Michael Hoffman are all back and look to move into leadership roles. The offensive line for Limon will return at least three starters and this group will be big and physical once again. Defensively Limon will return 6 of their top 13 tacklers and leadership must be replaced. Gabe Schubarth and Treyton Marx are a pair of players to keep your eyes on the defensive side of the ball. Wiggins is my pick to finish in 3rd place. Wiggins is another team hoping to unseat Limon atop the league standings. Wiggins will be very dangerous offensively this season with POY candidate QB Cole Kerr coming back. He has weapons at every position with RB Julio Flores, WR Omar Perez, and WR Trey Fehseke all coming back. The offensive line for Wiggins will also be very tough with at least 3 starters coming back and this unit will also be very tough and physical with solid leadership. Defensively Wiggins will return 11 of their top 13 tacklers. Pepper Rusher and Laith Ibrahim look to be the leaders of a very improved Wiggin’s defense. Holyoke is my pick to finish in 4th place. Holyoke is another team looking for a berth into the playoffs and to push for the league crown. Holyoke returns QB Wyatt Sprague but will be looking for players to replace #1 options at both RB and WR. At RB look for Tyson Mosenteen to step up and at WR Cash Weber is a name to keep an eye on. The offensive line for Holyoke could return just 2 starters but the upcoming senior class has come big lineman coming up. Experience will be key for these new starters. Defensively Holyoke will return 6 of their top 13 tacklers and this group will need new leadership to step up. Wyatt Sprague and Tyson Mosenteen are two players to look at on defense as well. Burlington is my pick to finish in 5th place. Burlington will be looking to improve off last seasons 2-7 record. Burlington will have the skill position players in place to improve. QB Garrett Richardson, RB Dominic Conrardy, and WR Logan Boyd are all back. The main question mark offensively for Burlington will be their offensive line. Possibly just 1 starter back on the offensive line and this group will have to get experience quickly and perform at top level especially in this league. Defensively Burlington returns 8 of their top 13 tacklers. Defensively Burlington should improve this season. Yuma is my pick to finish in 6th but that does not mean they are a team to look over. Yuma can easily push for a playoff spot or knock off a team above them. Yuma will need to find new play makers with over 2000 yards of offense graduating. Nash Richardson, Silas Baucke, Kallen Blach, and Jesus Ross are four names to keep an eye on. Defensively Yuma returns 6 of their top 13 tacklers but key leadership is back from Kallen Blach, Kevin Hermosillo, and Daman Thornton. These unit needs to be the anchor until the offense gets going.
My predictions for the League Four
League Champion: Wray
Playoff Contenders: Wray, Limon, Wiggins, Holyoke, Burlington, Yuma
Dark Horse: Burlington (Can their offensive line improve enough to get into the playoffs)
Player of the League: QB Cole Kerr Sr. Wiggins
Others to watch for: QB Casey Midcap So. Wray, Caeden Bauer Sr. Wray, Brady Collins Sr. Wray, Chris Arambula Sr. Wray, Tell Wade Sr. Wray, Gabe Schubarth Sr. Limon, Treyton Marx Jr. Limon, Michael Hoffman Sr. Limon, Keon Bandy Jr. Limon, Julio Flores Sr. Wiggins, WR Omar Perez Sr. Wiggins, Trey Fehseke Sr. Wiggins, Pepper Rusher Sr. Wiggins, Laith Ibrahim Sr. Wiggins, Wyatt Sprague Jr. Holyoke, Tyson Mosenteen Jr. Holyoke, Cash Weber Jr. Holyoke, Bryson Dirks Jr. Holyoke, Garrett Richardson Sr. Burlington, Dominic Conrardy Sr. Burlington, Logan Boyd Sr. Burlington, Nash Richardson Sr. Yuma, Silas Baucke Sr. Yuma, Kallen Blach Sr. Yuma, Kevin Hermosillo Sr. Yuma
League Five
1. Strasburg
2. Platte Canyon
3. Middle Park
4. Denver Christian
5. Clear Creek
6. Jefferson
League Five will be one of the weaker leagues this season in Class 1A. With possibly just 2 playoff contenders we will see who else steps up and pushes for a playoff spot. Strasburg is my pick to win League Five. Strasburg will be looking for a deeper playoff run this season and have experience coming back this season. QB Kaleb Hart returns along with POY candidate RB Zach Marrero. The main question mark around Strasburg offensively will be their offensive line. They will be looking for almost completely new group and who steps up will be key. Defensively Strasburg will return 6 of their top 13 tacklers. They will have to replace their top two tacklers from last season, but I look to Zachary Rushman and Egen Stephens to fill those roles. Platte Canyon is my pick to finish in second place. Platte Canyon is a traditional power, and they will look to get back into the playoffs this year. QB David Fouts is back to lead the offense but replacing their top two rusher is key. I look to Sam Patterson as someone who looks to step up this season. The offensive line for Platte Canyon will return at least 2 starters and will have a few holes to fill by some younger freshman and sophomores. Defensively Platte Canyon returns 9 of their top 13 tacklers and this unit should improve the most from last season. Top tackler Kamron Skouge is back to be a leader and this unit could be very important to reaching the playoffs this season. Middle Park is my pick to finish in 3rd. Middle Park moves from Class 2A down into Class 1A and they will look to make an immediate impact. Middle Park will be looking for new skill position players to step up this season. Those position battles we be important to watch. The offensive line for Middle Park is a huge strength for the team. They possibly return 4 starters on the offensive line and this unit will help a very inexperienced skill position group grow. Defensively Middle Park returns 7 of their top 13 tacklers but just 1 of their top 7 tacklers. Micah Byrum is the leader on defense, and he must step up this season for Middle Park to get their defense going. Denver Christian is my pick to finish in 4th. Denver Christian moves from 8-Man to Class 1A, but they have plenty of weapons as they move into Class 1A. Denver Christian returns QB Zac Beijer, RB Luke Booysen, and WR Luke Dorsey. The skill position group has plenty of other talented players as well but must re-adapt to 11-man football. The offensive line must also re-adapt and will show some growing pains in the first year. Defensively Denver Christian will also have to improve from last year, but I wonder if they are more suited to 11 man than 8-Man football. Clear Creek is my pick to finish 5th. Clear Creek only posted stats for one game last season and looks like they will be searching for a new QB this year. Clear Creek will be a team to watch as they play and reassess in a few weeks. Jefferson is my pick to finish 6th. Jefferson will be looking to build off a 2-6 season last year but are losing key play makers at QB, RB, and WR. Jefferson offensively could struggle early until they get skill position figured out. Defensively Jefferson returns 7 of their top 13 tacklers but lose 4 of their top 5. Jefferson will be looking for leadership to step up on defense this season.
My predictions for League Five
League Champion: Strasburg
Playoff Contenders: Strasburg, Platte Canyon, Middle Park
Dark Horse: Middle Park (Moving from 2A to 1A should help but can they push for a playoff spot)
Player of the League: RB Zach Marrero Sr. Strasburg
Others to watch for: QB Kaleb Hart Sr. Strasburg, Zachary Rushman Sr. Strasburg, Egen Stephens Sr. Strasburg, Dalton Bergstorm Sr. Strasburg, David Fouts Sr. Platte Canyon, Sam Patterson Jr. Platte Canyon, Kamron Skouge Jr. Platte Canyon, Micah Byrum Sr. Middle Park, Sam Waanders Sr. Denver Christian, Zac Beijer Sr. Denver Christian, Luke Booysen Jr. Denver Christian, WR Luke Dorsey Sr. Denver Christian,
League Six
1. Flatirons Academy
2. Estes Park
3. Highland
4. Manual
5. Pinnacle
6. Sheridan
League Six in my opinion looks to be the weakest league in Class 1A and could be a 1 bid league. Of course, that is just looking at paper and we will see what teams step up and improve. Flatirons Academy is my pick to win League Six. Flatirons Academy will return plenty of talent at the skill position group including QB Nolan Sheppard and RB Devin Glowicki. The offensive line for Flatirons Academy will be very tough and this group should improve again this season. They return all 5 starters, and we will see if they depth continues to improve. Defensively Flatirons Academy returns 10 of their top 13 tacklers. Flatirons Academy must improve against the tougher teams on defense. Estes Park is my pick to finish in second place. Estes Park offensively will have to replace their QB but look for either Michael McCown or Ryland Reetz to jump into that spot. Estes Park also returns their top 3 WRs from last season in Jose Gonzalez, Michael McCown, and Kaiden Smith. The offensive line for Estes Park should return at least two starters. Defensively Estes Park returns 10 of their top 13 tacklers. This unit most improve from last season but should see some improvement this year. Highland is my pick to finish in 3rd place. Highland lose a great senior class and will have plenty of holes to fill. QB, RB, and WR all have holes to fill, and these position battles are key. The offensive line also has holes to fill with possibly just 1 starter coming back. Defensively Highland also has holes to fill with just 4 of their top 13 tacklers coming back. Dawson Fogg and Wyat Woods are two players to keep an eye on. Highland, I think has built a solid culture and that is why I think they find success this year. Manual is my pick to finish 4th. Manual will be looking to jump into the top 2 this year and push for a playoff spot. Manual will have holes at QB and RB to replace but look for Cartail Dickey and Jemir Wyatt to possible fill those holes. At WR Deamonte Maynard is back but look for his role to possibly change this season. The offensive line for Manual will return at least 2 starters and this group will need to improve for the offense to find success. Defensively Manual returns 8 of their top 13 tacklers including 3 of their top 5. Daishaun Long, Jemir Wyatt, and Deamonte Maynard are names to keep an eye on. Pinnacle is my pick to finish 5th. Pinnacle will look to keep improving from last season. Pinnacle went 1-7 last season but return pieces from last year. QB Noah Martinez and RB Noah Estes are both back to help offensively. The offensive line for Pinnacle was also very young last year and should show improvement. Defensively Pinnacle will also look to improve. They did not post any stats from last year. Sheridan is my pick to finish 6th. Sheridan did not post any stats last season, but they will look to improve from last year.
My predictions for League Six
League Champion: Flatirons Academy
Playoff Contenders: Flatirons Academy, Estes Park
Dark Horse: Highland (Will the upcoming seniors and junior step up to get them into the playoffs)
Player of the League: QB Nolan Sheppard Sr. Flatirons Academy
Others to watch for: Devin Glowicki Sr. Flatirons Academy, Tucker Ryan Sr. Flatirons Academy, Danny Rodriguez Sr. Flatirons Academy, Michael McCown Sr. Estes Park, Jose Gonzalez Jr. Estes Park, Calvin Larson Jr. Estes Park, Dawson Fogg Sr. Highland and Wyat Woods Sr. Highland, Jemir Wyatt Sr. Manual, Deamonte Maynard Jr. Manual, Daishaun Long Sr. Manual, Noah Martinez Sr. Pinnacle, Noah Estes Sr. Pinnacle
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