Class 1A 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. Buena Vista
2. Meeker
3. North Fork
4. Gunnison
5. Cedaredge
6. Roaring Fork
7. Olathe
We start a new cycle of leagues, and so far leagues have not been named so we are sticking with the CHSAA bulletin and calling them League One, Two, Ect. League one mostly Western Slope plus Buena Vista. Buena Vista is my pick to win League One. Buena Vista reached the semifinals last year and are now considered one of the favorites to win a state title. Buena Vista returns key skill position players with QB Haden Camp and RB Jacob Phelps coming back. A new top WR will be needed but plenty of talent is back for this offense. The offensive line for Buena Vista returns all but 1 starter this group will look to dominate the offensive line. Defensively Buena Vista returns 9 of their top 13 tacklers. Meeker is my pick to finish in second place. Meeker lose a healthy chunk of their offense to graduation and it turns to who steps up next for Meeker. Meeker will return QB Connor Blunt but a new RB will be needed. The offensive line for Meeker could return 2 or more starters and plenty of size is returning to help the new skill position players step up. Defensively Meeker returns 8 of their top 13 tacklers but only 2 of their top 5. Elijah Leblanc and Buzz Clatterbaugh are two names to look for stepping up this season on defense. North Fork is my pick to finish in second place. North Fork lost key starters on offense last season but return leader in QB Hunter Moreno. A new RB will need to step up for North Fork. The offensive line for North Fork will also look for new leadership but I see leadership coming from the upcoming senior this season. Defensively North Fork returns 5 of their top 13 tacklers. Lane Allen will look to take over the leadership position for North Fork but who steps up this season for North Fork is key for success. Gunnison is my pick for 4th place. Gunnison reached the playoffs last season and will now look for a top 2 finish in league. Gunnison will return QB Rocky Marchitelli, and he will look to improve this season and lead Gunnison. New RBs will be needed for Gunnison but I look to #3 RB Peyton Frias to move into that spot. The offensive line for Gunnison will return at least 3 starters but key leadership did graduate from this group. Defensively Gunnison returns 9 of their top 13 tacklers and this unit could be much improved from last season. Peyton Frias and Royce Uhrig are two of the top 5 tacklers returning from last season. Cedaredge is my pick to finish in 5th place. Cedaredge will be looking to reach the playoffs this season and will turn to QB Luke Maxey to step up this season. New RBs will be needed for Cedaredge but the main weapon at WR does return in Logan Tulis. The offensive line for Cedaredge will return at least 3 starters and will look to improve this season. Defensively Cedaredge return 8 of their top 13 tacklers but lose their top 3 from last season. New leadership must step up defensively for Cedaredge this season. Roaring Fork is my pick to finish 6th. Roaring Fork took big steps last season to start improving and we will see if they can push for a top 4 finish this year. Roaring Fork returns QB Max Bollock and look for him to keep improving this year. A new top RB and WR must step up but look for younger players to step up this season. The offensive line for Roaring Fork looks in solid shape returning 3 out of 5 starters and could improve this season. Defensively Roaring Fork returns 8 of their top 13 tacklers and this unit must improve this season. Olathe is my pick to finish 7th. Olathe has few stats posted and we will see how they do this season as they are coming off a 0-9 season last year.
My predictions for the League One
League Champion: Buena Vista
Playoff Contenders: Buena Vista, North Fork, Meeker, Gunnison
Dark Horse: Gunnison (Can they take the next step and finish top 2 in league)
Player of the League: QB Haden Camp Sr. Buena Vista
Others to watch for: Jacob Phelps Sr. Buena Vista, Elijah Evans Sr. Buena Vista, Ethan Flavin Sr. Buena Vista, QB Connor Blunt Sr. Meeker, Elijah Leblanc Sr. Meeker, Buzz Clatterbaugh Jr. Meeker, QB Hunter Moreno Jr. North Fork, Lane Allen Jr. North Fork, Malachi Deck Sr. North Fork, QB Rocky Marchitelli Sr. Gunnison, Peyton Frias Sr. Gunnison, Royce Uhrig Jr. Gunnison, QB Luke Maxey Jr. Cedaredge, Logan Tullis Jr. Cedaredge, Brady Cooper So. Cedaredge, QB Max Bollock Jr. Roaring Fork, WR Brady Samuelson Sr. Roaring Fork
League Two
1. Centauri
2. Monte Vista
3. Center
4. Del Norte
5. Ignacio
6. Trinidad
League Two or the old SPL league continues to improve but the main question is can anyone challenge Centauri and Monte Vista for the top two spots. Centauri is my pick to win League Two. Centauri is the defending State Champions but lose 7 important seniors to that run. Centauri offensively will be looking for a new QB but will look to Leighton Curtis to take over that role. At RB Deven Brady will take a bigger role offensively and at WR Chaz Holman and Coby Thomas look to take over as playmakers. The offensive line for Centauri will be very tough returning 4 starters and they will be critical for helping the new skill position players. Defensively Centauri returns 6 of their top 13 tacklers but only 1 of their top 5 tacklers. Blade Absmeier and Deven Brady move into the leadership role on defense but who else steps up this year is key. Monte Vista is my pick to finish in second place. The main question for Monte Vista is can they step up and knock Centauri off the top. Monte Vista will be in search of a new QB but look for Senior QB Andrew Chavez to step into that spot. The RB position for Monte Vista is very talented with DeAngelo Archuleta and Khegan Gunter both back. At WR Addan Heredia is back to lead a young but talented WR core. The offensive line for Monte Vista returns 4 starters and this unit should improve this season. Defensively Monte Vista returns 8 of their top 13 tacklers including 3 of their top 5. This unit could be a top 10 unit this season, but most get younger players to step up. Center is my pick to finish 3rd. This will be the first full season for head coach Rod MonDragon. Center will be looking for a playoff finish and to push for a top spot in league. Center will return QB Jesus Valadez, and his growth will be key to Center improvement. RB/WR Ricardo Maldonado and RB Cael Ruggles both returns to help a young skill position group. The offensive line for Center returns 2 starters but provide the key leadership for this team. Defensively Center returns 7 of their top 13 tacklers but only 2 of their top 5. Center will look for Joaquin Moreno and Cael Ruggles to be leaders on that side of the ball. Del Norte is my pick to finish 4th. Del Norte will be under new head coach Henry Castillo. Del Norte will look to continue to build as they look to jump into the top 3 in league. QB Jace Pacheco is back but he must improve this season. Cody Worz returns at RB but also look for Michael Laymon to get some touches. At WR Nickolas Atencio and Tyler Gallegos must step up as well. The offensive line for Del Norte returns at least 3 starters and should improve this year. Defensively Del Norte returns 7 of their top 13 tacklers and will look to keep improving this season. Ignacio is my pick to finish 5th. Ignacio did not post stats last season, but we know they will be in search of a new QB this season. Trinidad is my pick to finish 6th. Trinidad will be young this season, but I think Trinidad will take steps in the right direction this year. Trinidad is a team we will see how much they improve this year.
My predictions for League Two
League Champion: Centauri
Playoff Contenders: Centauri, Monte Vista, Center
Dark Horse: Del Norte (Can they continue to improve and push for a playoff spot)
Player of the League: RB/LB DeAngelo Archuleta Sr. Monte Vista
Others to watch for: Deven Brady Sr. Centauri, Chaz Holman Jr. Centauri, Cody Thomas Sr. Centauri, Blade Absmeier Sr. Centauri, Leighton Curtis Sr. Centauri, Khegan Gunter Sr. Monte Vista, Alex Felix Sr. Monte Vista, Addan Heredia Sr. Monte Vista, Jack Noonan Jr. Monte Vista, Jonah Waggoner Sr. Monte Vista, QB Jesus Valadez Jr. Center, Ricardo Maldonado Sr. Center, Cael Ruggles Sr. Center, Cruz Reyes Sr. Center, Joaquin Moreno Sr. Center, QB Jace Pacheco Jr. Del Norte, Cody Worz Sr. Del Norte, Michael Laymon Sr. Del Norte, Tyler Gallegos Sr. Del Norte,
League Three
1. Banning Lewis
2. C.S Christian
3. Rye
4. Peyton
5. Rocky Ford
6. Ellicott
League Three should be improved this season but plenty of question marks around the top teams means this league could be wide open this year. Banning Lewis is my pick to win League 3. Banning Lewis is going into the third year of their program and look for this team to take a big step. Banning Lewis will be in search of a new QB but return their top 2 RBs from last season in Holden Stennett and Adrian Fletes. At WR there is also plenty of weapons with Joseph Bjegovich and Ben Early coming back. The offensive line for Banning Lewis will return at least 4 starters and will be vital to developing a new QB this season. Defensively Banning Lewis will return 11 of their top 13 tacklers and this could be a top 10 unit in the state this season. Riley Dotson and Nick Vigil will look to have breakout years on defense this season. C.S Christian is my pick to finish in second. C.S Christian will look to be back in the playoff hunt this season, but most improve on offense. C.S Christian posted no offensive stats but only scored 135 points last season. C.S Christian should improve on offense and that will be because the offensive line for C.S Christian returns at least 3 starters. Defensively C.S Christian returns 8 of their top 13 tacklers and we should see an improvement on defense as well. C.S Christian will look to Casey Orawiec, Jonah Bullock, and Alex Niederhauser should all be leaders on defense. Main question for C.S Christian is on offense. Rye is my pick to finish in third place. Rye, I think could surprise everyone this season and could push for the league title. Offensively Rye returns QB Nolan Schauer along with top RBs Dylan Hurne and Caleb Hurne. The offensive line for Rye has the most question marks with 2 or 3 starters returning. The offensive line must show improvement for Rye to have success. Defensively Rye returns 9 of their top 13 tacklers and this unit could be the anchor early on. Rye has a real good shot at pushing for a top spot in league, but development is key. Peyton is my pick to finish in 4th. Peyton will be looking to stay atop the league, but they will be pushed this season. Peyton will return QB Noah Martin but most of their offense graduates with their top two RBs. Peyton must replace their top rushers and look for Robert Graham to step into that spot. The offensive line for Peyton also has a few holes possibly returning just 1 starter on the offensive line. Development of the younger kids is key for success on offense this season. Defensively Peyton returns 7 of their top 13 tacklers but just 2 of their top 5. Robert Graham and Caden Trim will look to step into the leadership roles on defense. Peyton will be looking to the younger classes to step up this season for success. Rocky Ford is my pick to finish in 5th. Rocky Ford will look to continue to improve this season and push for a playoff spot. Rocky Ford will be in search of a new QB this season. Rocky Ford will return their top skill position players with Jose Zamora, Jasha Smith, and Dezmon Reyes all coming back. The offensive line for Rocky Ford could return at least two starters but who else steps up is the main question mark. Defensively Rocky Ford returns 7 of their top 13 tacklers and this unit must improve and help anchor a young offensive group. If Rocky Ford can play shutdown defense, they will be hard to beat. Ellicott did not have a program last season and last played in 2020 and went 0-4. We will have to see what this team does this season and update later in the year.
My predictions for League 3
League Champion: Banning Lewis
Playoff Contenders: Banning Lewis, C.S Christian, Rye, Peyton
Dark Horse: Rye (Can they take the next step and get into the playoffs)
Player of the League: RB/DE Dylan Hurne Jr. Rye
Others to watch for: Holden Stennett Jr. Banning Lewis, Adrian Fletes Sr. Banning Lewis, Joseph Bjegovich Jr. Banning Lewis, Riley Dotson Jr. Banning Lewis, Nick Vigil Sr. Banning Lewis, Casey Orawiec Sr. C.S Christian, Jonah Bullock Sr. C.S Christian, Alex Niederhauser Sr. C.S Christian, Nolan Schauer Jr. Rye, Caleb Hurne Sr. Rye, Codah Graber Jr. Rye, Derick Bak Jr. Rye, Noah Martin So. Peyton, Gunner Graham Sr. Peyton, Robert Graham Sr. Peyton, Caden Trim Sr. Peyton, Jose Zamora Sr. Rocky Ford, Jasha Smith Sr. Rocky Ford, Dezmon Reyes Sr. Rocky Ford
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