Class 1A Boys Basketball District Predictions Week 3
We are about 2 ½ weeks into the basketball season and we are nearing Christmas Break. We have a few big tournaments this weekend and plenty of season left. I am just giving a quick update to my preseason predictions but also, I will mention any big stories for teams. Remember Class 1A has changed the way to qualify for Regionals. You now must just be ranked inside the top 32 of the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index to make it to Regionals or win your District. District winners also host if they are ranked inside the top 16 of the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index. I have my regionals predictions at the end of the article. Those are my original predictions from the preseason.
District 1
1. Dove Creek
2. Ouray
3. Nucla
4. De Beque
5. North Park
6. Caprock Academy
District 1 will be a combination of the 1A/2A Western Slope League and the 1A/2A San Juan League. Remember all District will be seeded by the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. Not big surprises so far to kick off the season. Ouray did beat Dove Creek by 1 last week but that is meeting #1 of possible 4. I am not changing my predictions and staying with Dove Creek to win the District. Ouray stays as my pick for second and their win over Dove Creek does show why. Ouray does have losses to 2A Ridgway and Telluride. My main changes in District 1 are moving Nucla into the #3 spot and De Beque into the #4 spot. Both teams are playing better than expect and Nucla picked up a 1-point win over De Beque last week. A huge game this week pits Nucla vs Dove Creek so we will see just how close they are to the top teams. De Beque has also surprised to start the season beating Ridgway in Double OT and falling by 8 to Ouray. De Beque will continue to get better as the season goes and look for them to push the top teams. North Park I think could still challenge for a top spot but will have to show as we move deeper into the season. North Park lost by 34 to Dove Creek.
My predictions for District 1
League Champion: Dove Creek
Regional Contenders: Dove Creek, Ouray, Nucla, De Beque
District 2
1. Granada
2. McClave
3. Wiley
4. Cheyenne Wells
5. Cheraw
6. Eads
7. Kit Carson
District 2 will be a combination of the High Plains League and Arkansas Valley League. Remember all District will be seeded by the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. I think I am going to hold off on making any changes in District 2 so far. Most teams have played minimal games or played against out-of-state opponents. Granada will be without one of their key players till after Christmas and another possibly till February so they will build depth with their final games in the Lamar holiday shootout. McClave has only face out of state opponents so far so their appearance in the Lamar Holiday Shootout against other SE teams will be first true look at the defending state champions. Wiley has face 3 in state opponents to start the year going 2-1. Wiley lost to Springfield which is a bit concerning but we will see how they bounce back. Wiley did shoot just 30% from the field with Springfield shooting 56%. I think we learn a ton about Wiley this weekend. Cheyenne Wells also has face just 3 out of state opponents going 0-3. They will be taking place in the Tournament in Idalia this weekend. They open against Briggsdale on Friday. Cheraw has played 5 games already to kick off the season going 4-1 with their lone loss coming to 2A ECA. Cheraw best win so face is over Centennial who is much improved. Cheraw will face a solid test by Kim/Branson on Thursday. Eads has played 4 games with 3 against out of state opponents. Eads does have a win over Hi-Plains to start the year. They will take place in the Lamar Holiday Shootout this weekend. Kit Carson has played one game so far defeating Miami-Yoder 43-35. Kit Carson like most teams in the District will take place in the Lamar Holiday Shootout.
My predictions for District 2
League Champion: Granada
Regional Contenders: Granada, McClave, Wiley, Cheyenne Wells, Cheraw Eads
District 3
1. Springfield
2. Kim/Branson
3. La Veta
4. Primero
5. Manzanola (Are they playing this season?)
6. Walsh
7. South Baca
District 3 will be a combination of the Arkansas Valley League and the Fishers Peak League. Remember all District will be seeded by the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. I don’t see many changes after the first two weeks in District 3. Springfield is off to a solid start at 2-1 with their lone loss coming to Sierra Grande. Springfield did pick up a important win over Wiley last week. Springfield will be taking place in the Lamar holiday shootout this week. Kim/Branson has kicked off at 1-3 to start the season. Their lone win is over winless Trinidad. Kim/Branson has played a tough schedule to start the season so their final two games against Cheraw and Swink could tell us more about this team. La Veta is 1-2 to start the season and they have also played a tough schedule. Losses to 2A ECA and Las Animas are solid losses but La Veta lacks a quality win. La Veta will face Hoehne and Centennial this week and we learn about this team with these two games. Primero sits at 2-2 and they host their own tournament this weekend. I don’t think we truly learn about Primero till after Christmas. Walsh, South Baca, and Manzanola are all question marks still.
My predictions for District 3
League Champion: Springfield
Regional Contenders: Springfield, Kim/Branson, La Veta, Primero
District 4
1. Briggsdale
2. Fleming
3. Prairie
4. Peetz
5. Longmont Christian
6. Weldon Valley
District 4 will be a combination of the North Central League and One team from the Mile High League. Remember all District will be seeded by the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. District 4 will be a slug fest once again. I don’t have many changes so far in District 4. Briggsdale remains my team to win the District but they have lost 1 if not 2 games already due to cancelations. They will take part in the Idalia Tournament this weekend and open against Cheyenne Wells. Fleming remains my pick for second, they are 1-2 to start the season but both losses are quality losses. Fleming did pick up a nice 30-point win over Caliche last Friday. Fleming will be taking place in a tournament this weekend and face Flagler. The main change I have for District 4 is moving Prairie into the #3 spot. Prairie has started the season with a bang picking up nice wins over Front Range Baptist and Otis. They did fall by 4 to 2A Caliche but we will see how the season progresses. Prairie will take place in the NJC Shootout this weekend. Peetz falls into the #4 spot. They are 2-3 to start the season with losses to Caliche (by 16) and Otis (by 14). They did beat Lone Star by 6. Longmont Christian is another team who has seen their stock rise. Longmont Christian is 3-1 with a quality win over Rocky Mountain Lutheran and Campion Academy. Longmont Christian will take place in the Idalia Tournament and should learn more about this team.
My predictions for District 4
League Champion: Briggsdale
Regional Contenders: Briggsdale, Fleming, Peetz, Prairie
District 5
1. Stratton
2. Otis
3. Idalia
4. Arickaree
5. Lone Star
6. Hi-Plains
7. Bethune
8. Flagler
District 5 will be a combination of the YWKC and the Upper Plains League. Remember all District will be seeded by the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. I have a few changes in District 5. Stratton takes over as my pick to win the District. Stratton has a head-to-head win over Otis and a quality win over Akron. Stratton will face Otis again this Friday and then Colby KS on Saturday. Otis falls into that #2 spot. Otis is 2-2 to start the year beating Peetz and Idalia. Otis will face Weldon Valley on Thursday before a rematch with Stratton on Friday. Idalia stays in the #3 spot despite the 0-3 start. Idalia has played a tough schedule and they will look to get going in the right direction in the Idalia tournament this weekend. Arickaree holds the #4 spot and I am not sure if they will play another game before Christmas, if anyone knows let me know. Lone Star, Hi-Plains, Bethune, and Flagler still have many question marks that will need to be answered after Christmas break.
My predictions for District 5
League Champion: Stratton
Regional Contenders: Otis, Idalia, Stratton, Arickaree
District 6
1. Sierra Grande
2. Moffat
3. Centennial
4. Sangre De Cristo
5. Antonito
6. Creede
District 6 will be the Southern Peaks 1A League. Remember all District will be seeded by the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. A few changes in District 6 mainly the bottom part of the league. Sierra Grande remains my pick to win the district and their two losses are to 2A Holly and 3A Ellicott. Sierra Grande will take place in the Center Tournament this week and they open against 2A top ten Crowley County. Moffat remains my pick for second. Moffat is 3-2 to start the year granted two wins are over Cripple Creek. Moffat does have a solid win over West Grand but their South Park lose does raise some questions. Moffat will be at the Primero tournament and face either Primero or Hanover. I think this weekend tells us more about Moffat. A team on the rise is Centennial. They opened the season 2-1 beating Center and Sangre De Cristo. They have a big test Saturday against La Veta. Centennial will be a team that could challenge for a regional spot. Sangre De Cristo, Antonito, and Creede all have plenty of question marks still and we will continue to figure them out more after Christmas.
My predictions for District 6
League Champion: Sierra Grande
Regional Contenders: Sierra Grande, Moffat, Centennial
District 7
1. Genoa-Hugo
2. Kiowa
3. Pikes Peak Christian
4. Hanover
5. Miami-Yoder
6. Deer Trail
7. Cripple Creek
District 7 will be a combination of the Black Forest League, Upper Plains League, and West Central League. Remember all District will be seeded by the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. No changes this week in District 7. We are still learning about these teams and some question could be answered this weekend. Genoa-Hugo remains my pick to win the league they are 3-0 to star the season and close 2022 against Flagler and Hi-Plains. Genoa-Hugo shouldn’t be tested in those games so 2023 will be the time to learn more about this team. Kiowa is 3-3 to start the year. Kiowa I believe is done playing till next year. Kiowa is missing a quality win and their losses are ok with the worst being to Hi-Plains. Kiowa still has many question marks. Pikes Peak Christian is 2-1 to start the year. PPC best win is over Fountain Valley but they did lose by 30 to CS School. PPC will face Front Range Christian Thursday and I believe that will be it for 2022. PPC will look to answer some questions early in 2023 with a loaded schedule. Hanover, Miami-Yoder, and Deer Trail all have major questions as well and hopefully we get things figured out a bit more to close this year or early next year.
My predictions for District 7
League Champion: Genoa-Hugo
Regional Contenders: Kiowa, Pikes Peak Christian, Hanover, Miami-Yoder
District 8
1. Denver Jewish Day
2. Belleview Christian
3. Flatirons Academy
4. Front Range Baptist
5. Denver Waldorf
6. Rocky Mountain Lutheran
7. Mile High Academy
8. Denver Academy of Torah
9. Beth Eden
District 8 is the 5280 League. Remember all District will be seeded by the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. District 8 looks like it will be a slugfest. I have very little changes to my order currently as most teams are doing about as expected. The loan team I changed is dropping Rocky Mountain Lutheran from the #4 spot to #6. They have not played as expected and a key player from last season is either not playing or injured. 6 teams currently in this District are above .500 with 3 still undefeated. I don’t think we truly learn about District 8 until after Christmas.
My predictions for District 8
League Champion: Denver Jewish Day
Regional Contenders: Denver Jewish Day, Belleview Christian, Flatirons Academy, Rocky Mountain Lutheran
Regional Predictions
I am going to pick the 32 teams I think qualify for Regionals. Remember to qualify for Regionals you either need to win your District or be in the top 32 of the CHSAA Seeding & Selection Index after Districts.
District 1
Dove Creek, Ouray, North Park
District 2
Granada, McClave, Wiley, Cheyenne Wells, Cheraw, Eads
District 3
Springfield, Kim/Branson, La Veta, Primero
District 4
Briggsdale, Fleming, Peetz
District 5
Otis, Idalia, Stratton, Arickaree, Lone Star
District 6
Sierra Grande, Moffat, Centennial
District 7
Genoa-Hugo, Kiowa, Hanover, Pikes Peak Christian
District 8
Denver Jewish Day, Belleview Christian, Flatirons Academy, Front Range Baptist
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