Class 1A Boys Basketball District Predictions
The official start to basketball was yesterday and most teams will kick off play sometime this week. We dive into each District and predict the winner of each district. 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. This will be a quick article but expect later in December a full breakdown.
District 1
1. Nucla
2. De Beque
3. Ouray
4. Dove Creek
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 unless an agreement is come to before the season. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. Nucla is my pick to win the District 1 tournament. Nucla will be tested by De Beque and I think De Beque could very well win this district as well. Ouray and Dove Creek are also contenders and could push for a regional spot.
My predictions for District 1
League Champion: Nucla
Regional Contenders: Nucla, De Beque, Ouray, Dove Creek
Dark Horse: Dove Creek
Player of the League: Jace Graham So. De Beque
Others to watch for: Brycen Rummel So. Nucla, Steele Arnold Sr. Nucla, Hemmy O’Brien Sr. Nucla, Burke Largent So. De Beque, Scottie Vines Sr. De Beque, Kortlan Nelson Sr. Ouray, Caleb Crandall Sr. Ouray, Sheldon Gardner Jr. Dove Creek, Gage Buffington Sr. Dove Creek, Jace Cornelison Sr. North Park, Gavin Pittington Jr. North Park, Reed Struwe Sr. Caprock Academy
District 2
1. Granada
2. Cheyenne Wells
3. McClave
4. Eads
5. Wiley
6. Cheraw
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 unless an agreement is come to before the season. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. District 2 will be extremely tough with at least 3 teams fighting for berths into the state tournament. Granada is my pick to win the District 2 tournament. McClave, Eads and Cheyenne Wells will be the main contenders. Wiley, Cheraw, and Kit Carson could also prove to be difficult opponents with all three returning pieces to make them competitive.
My predictions for District 2
League Champion: Granada
Regional Contenders: Granada, Cheyenne Wells, McClave, Eads, Wiley
Dark Horse: Wiley
Player of the League: Maddox Coleman Jr. Granada (If Healthy)
Others to watch for: Jonus Guverra Sr. Granada, Carson Noe Sr. Cheyenne Wells, Zack Dickey Jr. Cheyenne Wells, Connor Forgue Sr. McClave, Porter Spady Sr. Eads, Brentley Lening Sr. Eads, Evan Larrick Sr. Wiley, Tim Provost Jr. Cheraw, Josiah Irwin Jr. Kit Carson, Keaton Marriott Sr. Kit Carson
District 3
1. Springfield
2. Kim/Branson
3. Primero
4. Walsh
5. La Veta
6. Manzanola
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 unless an agreement is come to before the season. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. Springfield is my pick to win the District 3 Tournament. Springfield will return nearly their entire roster from last season. Kim/Branson and Primero will have some talent back to challenge Springfield. Walsh is my dark horse pick as they also return their entire roster and had a successful Football season that could translate into success on the court.
My predictions for District 3
League Champion: Springfield
Regional Contenders: Springfield, Kim/Branson, Primero, Walsh
Dark Horse: Walsh
Player of the League: Colby Batterton Jr. Springfield
Others to watch for: Cooper Stolebarger Sr. Springfield, Kurt Parks Sr. Springfield, Brock Doherty Sr. Kim/Branson, Kolter Cranson Jr. Kim/Branson, Brett Kendall Jr. Primero, Mat Pachorek Jr. Primero, Gabe Sintas So. Primero, Lane Runkle Sr. Walsh, Gavin McCall Sr. Walsh, Leyton Jones Sr. Walsh, Trey Medina Sr. La Veta, Alex Ramirez Sr. Manzanola, Dalton Carroll Sr. Manzanola, Hayden Brooks Sr. South Baca
District 4
1. Peetz
2. Briggsdale
3. Fleming
4. Prairie
5. Weldon Valley
District 4 will be the North Central League. Remember all District will be seeded by the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index unless an agreement is come to before the season. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. Peetz is my pick to win the district 4 tournament. Briggsdale will be a very tough contender returning key pieces from last season. Fleming and Prairie both lose key pieces from last season team.
My predictions for District 4
League Champion: Peetz
Regional Contenders: Peetz & Briggsdale
Dark Horse: Fleming
Player of the League: Rhyder Bayne So. Peetz
Others to watch for: Noah Naegele Sr. Peetz, Chance Segelke Sr. Peetz, Tanner Fiscus Sr. Briggsdale, Will Bornhoft Sr. Fleming, Wyatt Chase Sr. Prairie, Brennan Bringelson So. Prairie, August Filter So. Weldon Valley
District 5
1. Stratton
2. Otis
3. Idalia
4. Lone Star
5. Arickaree
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 unless an agreement is come to before the season. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. Stratton is my pick to win the District 5 Tournament. Stratton had success last season in the State Tournament and return key starters to make a push for a deeper run. Stratton will be challenge by the next 2 teams behind them as District 5 should be very tough this season. Otis and Idalia, all return key pieces from last years team. These 3 teams I feel are the main teams to push for regionals. Arickaree and Lone Star could sneak into that conversation as well if their depth behind steps up.
My predictions for District 5
League Champion: Stratton
Regional Contenders: Otis, Idalia, Stratton, Lone Star, Arickaree
Dark Horse: Lone Star
Player of the League: Cyler Notter Sr. Stratton
Others to watch for: Von Isenbart So. Stratton, Jose Gallardo Sr. Stratton, Charlie Kendrick Jr. Otis, Sawyer Packer Sr. Otis, Carter Wells Sr. Otis, Kale Morris Sr. Idalia, Fernando Herrera Sr. Idalia, Tarek Glanz Sr. Idalia, Nic Hermes Sr. Arickaree, Dillon Noletubby Jr. Arickaree, Grant Kuntz Jr. Lone Star, Wyatt Cochran Sr. Lone Star, Bex Seaman Sr. Hi-Plains, Jesus Barraza Sr. Bethune, Brayden Hill So. Flagler
District 6
1. Sierra Grande
2. Moffat
3. Centennial
4. Sangre De Cristo
5. Antonito
6. Creede
7. Lake City
District 2 will be the Southern Peaks 1A League. Remember all District will be seeded by the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index unless an agreement is come to before the season. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. Sierra Grande is my pick to win the District 6 tournament. Sierra Grande was young last season and should translate into success this season as they return their entire roster from a season ago. Sierra Grande, I think gets challenge by Moffat and Centennial. Both Moffat and Centennial bring back solid pieces from last years teams. Sangre De Cristo will also be in the mix but will be young and without a key piece from a season ago. I like Antonito as my dark horse pick. They return their top two scorers and bring in a talented freshman class that must step up immediately.
My predictions for District 6
League Champion: Sierra Grande
Regional Contenders: Sierra Grande, Moffat, Centennial, Sangre De Cristo
Dark Horse: Antonito
Player of the League: Brian Ontivers Sr. Sierra Grande
Others to watch for: Manuel Miranda Sr. Sierra Grande, Aron Ojeda Jr. Sierra Grande, Tyler Kester Sr. Sierra Grande, Ziah Pesqueira Sr. Moffat, Noble Cole Sr. Moffat, Landon Bollinger So. Moffat, Jacob Martinez Sr. Moffat, Devon Vigil Sr. Centennial, Martin Navarro Sr. Centennial, Kaiden Smit Sr. Sangre De Cristo, Deagon Rogers So. Sangre De Cristo, Jasiah Jiron Sr. Antonito, Darius Cisneros Sr. Antonito, Will Roden Sr. Creede, Jaxson Fazio Jr. Creede
District 7
1. Genoa-Hugo
2. Pikes Peak Christian
3. Miami-Yoder
4. Hanover
5. Kiowa
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 unless an agreement is come to before the season. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. Genoa-Hugo is my pick to win the District 7 Tournament. Genoa-Hugo will be returning plenty of key pieces but will look for some new depth to step up. Genoa-Hugo will be the heavy favorite in this district but look for a couple other teams to step up to challenge them. Pikes Peak Christian I think is the main challenger to Genoa-Hugo but look for Hanover and Miami-Yoder to also be in the mix. Miami-Yoder is my dark horse pick in this league as they return their top 2 scorers and 4 of their top 5.
My predictions for District 7
League Champion: Genoa-Hugo
Regional Contenders: Genoa-Hugo, Pikes Peak Christian, Miami-Yoder, Hanover
Dark Horse: Miami-Yoder
Player of the League: Trey Smith Sr. Genoa-Hugo
Others to watch for: Konner Rowden-Stum Sr. Genoa-Hugo, Dane Lockhart Sr. Genoa-Hugo, Eddie Harmon Jr. Pikes Peak Christian, Noah Sachsenmaier Sr. Pikes Peak Christian, Trevor Roney Sr. Pikes Peak Christian, Tyler Decker Jr. Hanover, James Orozco Jr. Miami-Yoder, Jel Wallerstedt Jr. Miami-Yoder, Paulino Lupercio Sr. Kiowa, Dillon Ward So. Deer Trail, Damian Reyes Sr. Cripple Creek
District 8
1. Belleview Christian
2. Front Range Baptist
3. Denver Jewish Day
4. Denver Waldorf
5. Flatirons Academy
6. Beth Eden
7. Rocky Mountain Lutheran
8. Mile High Academy
9. Denver Academy of Torah
District 8 is the 5280 League. Remember all District will be seeded by the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index unless an agreement is come to before the season. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. Belleview Christian is my pick to win the District 8 Tournament. Belleview Christian will lose some key pieces but have talent back to help push them for a possible district title. Belleview Christian will be challenged by Front Range Baptist and Denver Jewish Day. Denver Waldorf and Flatirons Academy will be in the running for a regional spot as well. Beth Eden is my dark horse pick in District 8 as they return their top 2 scorers but will need depth to step up to push for a top 3 spot.
My predictions for District 8
League Champion: Belleview Christian
Regional Contenders: Belleview Christian, Front Range Baptist, Denver Jewish Day, Denver Waldorf, Flatirons Academy
Dark Horse: Beth Eden
Player of the League: Brandon Ewing Jr. Belleview Christain
Others to watch for: Jagga Sandhu Sr. Belleview Christian, Josh Norman Jr. Belleview Christian, Alex Prelog Sr. Front Range Baptist, Ethan Granthan Sr. Front Range Baptist, Keenan Winnerman Sr. Denver Jewish Day, Cayden Quinn So. Denver Waldorf, Erik Krakauskas Sr. Denver Waldorf, Pistol Chavez So. Flatirons Academy, Jude Meyer So. Flatirons Academy, Elijah Pilchard Sr. Beth Eden, Alex Coon Sr. Beth Eden, Gavin Borchardt So. Rocky Mountain Lutheran, Jonas Jaklich Sr. Mile High Academy, Yosef Miller Jr. Denver Academy of Torah
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- 4 teams
Nucla, De Beque, Ouray, Dove Creek
District 2- 5 teams
Granada, Cheyenne Wells, McClave, Eads, Wiley
District 3- 4 teams
Springfield, Kim/Branson, Primero, Walsh
District 4- 2 teams
Peetz & Briggsdale
District 5- 5 teams
Stratton, Otis, Idalia, Lone Star, Arickaree
District 6- 3 teams
Sierra Grande, Moffat, Centennial
District 7- 3 teams
Genoa-Hugo, Pikes Peak Christian, Miami-Yoder
District 8- 6 teams
Belleview Christian, Front Range Baptist, Denver Jewish Day, Denver Waldorf, Flatirons Academy, Beth Eden
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