Class 2A Football League Predictions & Playoff Prediction Update
We have completed the first two weeks of the season and I felt it was time I updated my league predictions and give my first playoff prediction. Of course, this is extremely early, and I will update again in two weeks then this will be weekly once we kick off league play. Again, I am not cheering against any team but felt I needed to update all my predictions.
My preseason predictions are located here: Preseason Predictions Part 1 & Part 2
Jump to Playoff Predictions Click Here
League One
1. Platte Valley
2. D’Evelyn
3. Bennett
4. Valley
5. Wellington
6. Prospect Ridge
League one is off to a very interesting start with one of my top preseason picks starting 0-1. Platte Valley stays as my pick to win league one. They have been tested early with close wins over Kent Denver and Weld Central. A very big test comes for them this week against Eaton. D’Evelyn stays as my pick to finish in second. D’Evelyn lost in the opening week to Elizabeth but showed they can compete with a top 10 team. They face Faith Christian this week before another top 10 matchup next week against the Academy. Bennett may be the biggest surprise. Bennett is 2-0 to start the season and I almost moved them into the #2 spot. Bennett was big wins over Sterling and Weld Central and their ground game has been physical. Bennett could be a pick to win this league if they can continue to improve. Valley holds onto the #4 spot. They were blasted in their first game against Berthoud. They must show improvement this week against Manitou Springs, or I could see them slide out of a shot at the playoffs. Wellington moves into the #5 spot. Wellington got their first program win last week beating Highland. Wellington will face Sterling this week and this is a true test to see how they measure against the rest of 2A. Prospect Ridge is my pick to finish last. Prospect Ridge is 0-2 with a 14-point loss and a 42-point loss. They could move up but so far, they have not had the start they were hoping for.
Playoff Contenders: Platte Valley, D’Evelyn, Bennett
League Two
1. Brush
2. University
3. Weld Central
4. Sterling
5. Arvada
6. Timnath
League Two so far has been one of the weaker leagues in non-league so far. Brush and Arvada are the only teams with wins. Brush is now my pick to win league two. Brush picked up an impressive win over Fort Morgan last week and played very tough against 1A Wiggins in the opening week. Brush defensively has been extremely tough and could carry this team. University falls into my #2 spot. University is 0-2 currently with a close loss to Delta and a big loss to Eaton. University has a bye this week before another tough game against Elizabeth on 9/16. Weld Central moves into my #3 spot. Weld Central is 0-2 currently but played much tougher against Platte Valley last week only falling by 14. Weld Central must get their offensive woes figured out if they plan on pushing for a top 3 finish. Sterling falls into the #4 spot. Sterling is also 0-2 but the main question mark is on their defense. They have given up 56 and 68 in two games and must improve defensively. Sterling has a big game against Wellington this week and we will see if they have fixed their defense. Arvada holds the #5 spot. Arvada is 1-1 currently and they played tough against 3A Littleton last week. Arvada has a huge matchup against Englewood this week and another good showing will probably move them up in the standings. Timnath is my pick to finish last. Timnath is a brand-new program and will look to continue building thru the year.
Playoff Contenders: University and Brush
League Three
1. Eaton
2. The Academy
3. Faith Christian
4. Steamboat Springs
5. Berthoud
6. Fort Lupton
League Three has proven so far to be one of the toughest leagues in 2A. All 6 teams have won at least 1 game and 3 are currently still undefeated. Eaton stays as my pick to win League Three. Eaton is 1-1 and are coming off a big win over University last week. Eaton will face Platte Valley this week and this is a big top 10 showdown. The Academy stays as my pick to finish second. The Academy is 1-0 currently but were not tested in the opening week. The Academy will now hit the tough part of their schedule and face Elizabeth this week. This is a true test to see how much The Academy has improved. Faith Christian stays as my pick to finish in 3rd. Faith Christian is 1-0 currently and are coming off a 49-7 win over Prospect Ridge. Faith Christian also hit the tough part of their schedule now with a big game against D’Evelyn this week and this is a big test for both teams. Steamboat Springs is my pick to finish in 4th. Steamboat Springs is 1-1 currently and coming off a 33-20 lose to Moffat County last week. Steamboat Springs will look to bounce back this week against Middle Park and I think should win the remaining non-league games. Berthoud is my pick for 5th place. Berthoud is 2-0 to start the season but have not truly been tested in their opening two games. Berthoud will face 3A Thompson Valley and this should be a better test for Berthoud. Berthoud will face Lamar next week and is another big test to see where Berthoud is. Fort Lupton rounds out league 3 but I may have them to low. Fort Lupton is 1-1 and coming off a 3-point win over Lamar last week. Fort Lupton also lost by just 1 to Wheat Ridge in the opening week. Fort Lupton will face Weld Central this week and a win over them could have them in position to push for a playoff spot and possibly a top 4 finish in league.
Playoff Contenders: Eaton, The Academy, Faith Christian, Steamboat Springs, Berthoud
League Four
1. Classical Academy
2. Englewood
3. Elizabeth
4. Kent Denver
5. Denver West
6. Alameda
League 4 so far has lived up to being a very tough league but still very early in the year. Classical Academy stays as my pick to win League Four. TCA is 2-0 and the #1 team in the state after knocking off Eaton in the opening week. TCA will face Alamosa this week and should be a solid test for both sides of the ball. Englewood stays as my pick to finish in second. Englewood is 1-0 currently but were not tested in the opening week. Englewood will face a bit more of challenge against Arvada this week, but the main test is week 3 against 3A Littleton. Elizabeth stays as my pick to finish 3rd. I nearly moved them into the #2 spot, but I want to see how Englewood performs this week. Elizabeth is 2-0 on the season with impressive wins over D’Evelyn and Burlington. Elizabeth is going to be very tough defensively and has proven to be physical on the rushing attack. Kent Denver is my pick to finish 4th. Kent Denver is 0-1 currently after falling to Platte Valley in the opening week by 1. Kent Denver will face Highland this week and could move to 1-1 on the season. Kent Denver will see their schedule get much tougher next week when they face rival Faith Christian. Denver West is my pick to finish 5th. Denver West opened the season with a win over Manual last week. Denver West will face Lincoln this week before huge games against Flatirons Academy and Denver North. Alameda is my pick to finish last in League 4. Alameda is 0-1 to start the season and they face 3A Littleton this week. Alameda is still a team we don’t know a lot about.
Playoff Contenders: Classical Academy, Englewood, Elizabeth, Kent Denver, Denver West
League Five
1. Delta
2. Pagosa Springs
3. Salida
4. Bayfield
5. Montezuma-Cortez
League 5 so far has not started out the gates hot with only 2 teams getting wins and 3 currently sitting at 0-2. League 5 looks to be wide open from spots 2 thru 5 and should be a interesting race to watch. Delta stays as my pick to win League Five. Delta is 2-0 to start the season and picked up the forfeit win over Eagle Valley last week. Delta will face 3A Palisade this week and we will see how they look without QB Ty Reed who left the game against University. Pagosa Springs stays as my pick to finish in second place. Pagosa Springs is currently 0-2 and have struggled to get going offensively. Pagosa Springs does not see their road get much easier as they face Florence this week and Alamosa in the following week. Pagosa Springs defensively has been tough but must find answer on the offensive side of the ball. Salida moves into my #3 spot. Salida is currently 0-2 cut they have played tough against Buena Vista and Woodland Park. Salida has a tough matchup against Rye this week. Bayfield falls into the #4 spot. Bayfield is 0-2 currently against out of state opponents and we will truly see where they measure this week when they host Moffat County. This is a very big game for Bayfield to try and bounce back. Montezuma-Cortez rounds out League 5. Montezuma-Cortez is 1-1 currently and have a solid win over Aztec. Cortez also played tough against Rifle but fell just short. Montezuma-Cortez will face an out of state opponent this week.
Playoff Contenders: Delta, Pagosa Springs, Bayfield, Salida
League Six
1. Moffat County
2. Basalt
3. Rifle
4. Grand Valley
5. Coal Ridge
6. Aspen
League Six so far is off to a hot start with 3 teams sitting undefeated and just 1 team without a win. Moffat County stays as my pick to win League Six. Moffat County is 1-1 currently and they picked up their first win least week defeating Steamboat Springs. Moffat County has a big matchup this week against Bayfield. Basalt stays as my pick to finish in second. Basalt is 2-0 currently with a pair of wins over 3A schools. Basalt will face Roaring Fork this week before facing their third 3A School in Glenwood Springs next week. Rifle stays as my pick to finish in third. Rifle is 1-0 currently and coming off a solid win over Montezuma-Cortez. Rifle will face Glenwood Springs this week and I believe this is a true measuring stick game to see how much Rifle has improved. Grand Valley jumps into the #4 spot this week. Grand Valley is 2-0 currently and picked up an impressive 14-13 win over Cedaredge last week. Grand Valley will face North Fork this week and this is a huge test for Grand Valley. Coal Ridge slides into the #5 spot. Coal Ridge is 1-1 currently and come off a win over Roaring Fork last week. This was a big win for Coal Ridge, and they face Olathe this week and should be 2-1 heading into a very important matchup with Salida. Aspen rounds out League 6. Aspen is 0-1 currently after losing in the opening week to Gunnison. Aspen will face Meeker this week, and this is another tough matchup.
Playoff Contenders: Moffat County, Basalt, Rifle, Grand Valley
League Seven
1. Florence
2. La Junta
3. Alamosa
4. Woodland Park
5. Lamar
6. Manitou Springs
League Seven is still a bit of a mystery but the top 3 teams I think still hold down their spots and have proven so far that they are the best 3 in league. Florence stays as my pick to win League Seven. Florence is 1-1 currently and are coming off a 29-7 win over Centauri. Florence did somewhat struggle offensively but their defense really came to play in that win. Florence will face Pagosa Springs this week and we will see if they can put everything together on offense this week. La Junta stays as my pick to finish in second. La Junta is 2-0 to start the season and are coming off a win over Pagosa Springs last week. La Junta has not struggled scoring points break the 30-point mark in both games. La Junta this week face 3A Pueblo East and this is a huge test for La Junta. Alamosa stays in the #3 spot. Alamosa is 1-1 currently and are coming off a win over Gunnison last week. Alamosa got the ground game going last week but will need to put everything together when they face #1 TCA this week. This will truly tell us where Alamosa is ranking wise in 2A. Woodland Park moves into the #4 spot. Woodland Park picked up a big win over Salida last week. Woodland Park could move to 2-1 when they face Mitchell this week but have a huge test in week 4 vs C.S Christian. Lamar slides into the #5 spot. Lamar fell to Fort Lupton last week. Turnovers killed Lamar and they must fix that. Lamar has a bye this week before a huge test against Burlington on 9/16. Manitou Springs rounds out League 7. Manitou Springs is 0-1 on the season and were up 20-0 against Rye before losing 28-20. Manitou Springs had a lot of positives and must bounce back against Valley. If Manitou Springs can win this game they should enter league play a 3-1.
Playoff Contenders: Florence, La Junta, Alamosa
Playoff Predictions
We are very early in the season, so I am just going to pick the 16 teams I think make the playoffs. They are not in any order, and I am just picking the 16 teams I think have a shot at the playoffs. Remember still very early and plenty can still change if you are left of the list.
Platte Valley
Bennett
D’Evelyn
Brush
Eaton
The Academy
Faith Christian
Classical Academy
Englewood
Elizabeth
Delta
Moffat County
Basalt
Florence
La Junta
Alamosa
Just Missed:
University, Kent Denver, Berthoud, Steamboat Springs, Rifle
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