Class 1A Girls 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. Dove Creek
2. North Park
3. De Beque
4. Nucla
5. 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 agreed upon before the season on a different seeding criteria. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. Dove Creek is my pick to win the District 1 tournament. Dove Creek is loaded again and looking for a deep run in the State Tournament. I expect them to be the heavy favorite in this District. North Park and De Beque are the main challengers in District 1 and should be contenders to reach regionals. My dark horse pick is De Beque. De Beque returns their entire roster from last season and could push for the top spot.
My predictions for District 1
District Champion: Dove Creek
Regional Contenders: Dove Creek, North Park, De Beque
Dark Horse: De Beque
Player of the League: Kylie Gatlin Sr. Dove Creek
Others to watch for: Kalie Gatlin Sr. Dove Creek, Ralynn Hickmann Jr. Dove Creek, Dezirae Gonzales Sr. North Park, Abby Altwine Jr. North Park, Ally Sandidge Jr. De Beque, Rachel Graham Sr. De Beque, Avery Rigsby So. De Beque, Keiran Bray Sr. Nucla, Garcia Sr. Caprock Academy
District 2
1. McClave
2. Cheyenne Wells
3. Kit Carson
4. Eads
5. Granada
6. Cheraw
7. Wiley
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 agreed upon before the season on a different seeding criteria. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. My pick to win District 2 is McClave. McClave will be the favorite to win the league returning their top three scorers from last season. Cheyenne Wells and Kit Carson will be the main challenger to McClave this season. Eads and Granada I have as regionals contenders. Eads is also my dark horse pick to push for a top spot in districts. They were led by freshman and sophomore last season and could take a big step forward. I think Cheraw is also a regional contender as this district could get 6 teams in.
My predictions for District 2
District Champion: McClave
Regional Contenders: McClave, Cheyenne Wells, Kit Carson, Eads, Granada, Cheraw
Dark Horse: Eads
Player of the League: Abrielle Gomez So. McClave
Others to watch for: McKayla Kiniston Sr. McClave, Ashlynn Steinbrunn So. McClave, Paige Ryser Jr. Cheyenne Wells, Shaylee Scheler Sr. Cheyenne Wells, Lindsey Mayhan Sr. Kit Carson, Payge Booker-Rady Sr. Kit Carson, Tailee Weeks-Johnson So. Eads, Lexi Shotton So. Eads, Alessandra Paez Jr. Eads, Marissa Valenzuela Sr. Granada, Torilin Riddle Sr. Granada, Crislyn Miell Sr. Cheraw, Kieran Harris Jr. Cheraw, KJ Phillips Sr. Wiley
District 3
1. Springfield
2. Kim/Branson
3. La Veta
4. South Baca
5. Primero
6. Walsh
7. Manzanola
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 agreed upon before the season on a different seeding criteria. 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 lose some key pieces from last season including their top scorer but have some pieces back to help push for the district crown. Kim/Branson and La Veta I believe are the main threats to Springfield. Both teams lose key pieces as well but have enough back to challenge for the district crown. South Baca could also be in the mix for a top 3 finish but will also look for depth to step up. My dark horse pick is South Baca. They return their top scorer but could lack depth behind her.
My predictions for District 3
League Champion: Springfield
Regional Contenders: Kim/Branson, La Veta, South Baca
Dark Horse: South Baca
Player of the League: Lainee Leathers Sr. Springfield
Others to watch for: Aliya Cohoon Sr. Springfield, Bay Ellis Jr. Springfield, Ysabel Gonzalez Sr. Kim/Branson, Emma Amato Jr. Kim/Branson, Aspen Autry Jr. La Veta, Kate Elmore Sr. South Baca, Isabela Maldonado So. Primero, Kayla Penick So. Walsh, Emily Hume Jr. Walsh, Eva Anderson Jr. Manzanola
District 4
1. Briggsdale
2. Fleming
3. Weldon Valley
4. Prairie
District 4 will be the North Central League. Remember all District will be seeded by the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index unless agreed upon before the season on a different seeding criteria. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. I believe that District 4 will be a two-horse race between Briggsdale and Fleming. Briggsdale is my pick for the District 4 crown. Briggsdale is the defending state champions and will look to repeat. They return their top two scorers but who else steps up depth wise for the Falcons. Fleming is the main challenger to Briggsdale and they also will have some key pieces to replace. Weldon Valley is my dark horse pick. Weldon Valley returns their entire roster from last season. We will see if Weldon Valley can build off the success they had during volleyball and push for a regional spot.
My predictions for District 4
League Champion: Briggsdale
Regional Contenders: Briggsdale, Fleming
Dark Horse: Weldon Valley
Player of the League: Jenna Krise Sr. Briggsdale
Others to watch for: Kayl Klem Jr. Briggsdale, Claire Brown So. Briggsdale, Madi Serrato Sr. Fleming, Ciana Lousberg So. Fleming, Skylar Scott So. Weldon Valley, Haylee Nelson So. Weldon Valley, Nicole Anderson Jr. Weldon Valley, Tanna Bailey So. Prairie, Kayla Kugler Sr. Prairie
District 5
1. Stratton
2. Idalia
3. Hi-Plains
4. Otis
5. Arickaree
6. Flagler
7. Lone Star
8. Bethune
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 agreed upon before the season on a different seeding criteria. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. District 5 could be the toughest District in Class 1A this season. All 8 teams look to be very competitive and I am guessing 6 maybe 7 teams get into regionals. Stratton is my pick to win District 5. Stratton returns their top 3 scorers from last season plus key experience in the state tournament. Idalia, Hi-Plains, and Otis I think are the main three challengers to the district crown. All 3 return their top talent and could push Stratton. Arickaree, Flagler, and Lone Star all return key pieces but can they jump into the top 4 of the district? Arickaree is my dark horse pick. They return 3 of their top 5 scorers and could push the top 4 teams. They will have to step up offensively and I think could push for a top spot.
My predictions for District 5
League Champion: Stratton
Regional Contenders: Stratton, Idalia, Hi-Plains, Otis, Arickaree, Flagler, Lone Star, Bethune
Dark Horse: Arickaree
Player of the League: Sedonia Isenbart Sr. Stratton
Others to watch for: Sophia Isenbart So. Stratton, Clare Miltenberger Jr. Stratton, Jaylyn Kechter Jr. Idalia, Krista Wieser Jr. Idalia, Ailyn Monarrez So. Idalia, Caelan Church Sr. Hi-Plains, Serenity Hernandez Jr. Hi-Plains, Jessica Sayles Sr. Hi-Plains, Aedyn Tribelhorn So. Otis, Alli Hornung Sr. Otis, Madelyn Willeke Jr. Otis, Janiya Smith Jr. Arickaree, Raeya Schrock Jr. Arickaree, Jaylie Stone Sr. Flagler, Kacee Saffer Sr. Flagler, Jade Kuntz So. Lone Star, Amanda Kubitz Sr. Lone Star, Madilyn Powell Jr. Bethune
District 6
1. Sangre De Cristo
2. Sierra Grande
3. Creede
4. Antonito
5. Moffat
6. Centennial
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 agreed upon before the season on a different seeding criteria. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. Sangre De Cristo is my pick to win District 6. Sangre De Cristo will lose their top scorer from last season but return the rest of the roster. They will look for some of the upcoming juniors to take a big step forward this season. Sangre De Cristo will be the heavy favorite to win the league. Sierra Grande and Creede will be the main challengers to the district crown. Antonito and Moffat could also throw their name in the hat but must have depth take big steps forward this season. Creede is my dark horse pick to push for the #2 spot and regionals but the upcoming sophomore must step up this year as they were leaders as freshman.
My predictions for District 6
League Champion: Sangre De Cristo
Regional Contenders: Sangre De Cristo, Sierra Grande, Creede
Dark Horse: Creede
Player of the League: Presley Wilson Jr. Sangre De Cristo
Others to watch for: Idahlia Garcia Sr. Sangre De Cristo, Palma Enriquez Sr. Sangre De Cristo, Haylee Freel Jr. Sangre De Cristo, Jaylyn Quezada Jr. Sierra Grande, Lila Fairchild So. Creede, Jasmin Laing So. Creede, Luz Parra Sr. Antonito, Zanita Ruybal Sr. Antonito, Paige Hammel Jr. Moffat, Rhylina Serna Sr. Centennial, Rowan Mcneese So. Lake City
District 7
1. Kiowa
2. Hanover
3. Pikes Peak Christian
4. Genoa-Hugo
5. Cripple Creek
6. Deer Trail
7. Miami-Yoder
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 agreed upon before the season on a different seeding criteria. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. Kiowa is my pick to win the District 7 tournament and they will be the heavy favorite in this District. Kiowa will be returning 2 of their top 3 scorers. Kiowa will have to replace their top scorer but have plenty coming back to push for the district crown and possibly a state tournament spot. Hanover and Pikes Peak Christian will be the main challengers and possible regional contenders. Both teams return key pieces from last season but who takes the bigger step forward. My dark horse pick is Cripple Creek. They return their entire roster from a season ago but can they improve on the offensive side of the ball enough to push for a regional spot.
My predictions for District 7
League Champion: Kiowa
Regional Contenders: Kiowa, Hanover, Pikes Peak Christian
Dark Horse: Cripple Creek
Player of the League: Jordan Perreault Sr. Kiowa
Others to watch for: Paola Vidales Sr. Kiowa, Lauryn Morehead Sr. Kiowa, Lavan Sweazy Sr. Hanover, Valeria Diaz Sr. Hanover, Rebecca Thomas Sr. Pikes Peak Christian, Sarah Harris Sr. Pikes Peak Christian, Haley Ewing Sr. Genoa-Hugo, Rylee Kelly So. Genoa-Hugo, Ki McDowell Sr. Cripple Creek, Allyson Durham So. Cripple Creek, Allena Sanchez Jr. Deer Trail, Ally Hardwick Sr. Deer Trail, Kylie Mcknight Jr. Miami-Yoder
District 8
1. Flatirons Academy
2. Rocky Mountain Lutheran
3. Front Range Baptist
4. Belleview Christian
5. Denver Waldorf
6. Mile High Academy
7. Denver Jewish Day
District 8 is the 5280 League. Remember all District will be seeded by the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index unless agreed upon before the season on a different seeding criteria. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. Flatirons Academy is my pick to win District 8. Flatirons Academy will be the heavy favorite to win the district. I think we will see a few contenders step up but I still expect Flatirons Academy to get the crown. Rocky Mountain Lutheran and Front Range Baptist appear to be the main challengers to Flatirons Academy and possible regional contenders. Belleview Christian is my dark horse pick. They lost their top scorers but still found success for Volleyball so we will see if that translates.
My predictions for District 8
League Champion: Flatirons Academy
Regional Contenders: Flatirons Academy, Rocky Mountain Lutheran, Front Range Baptist
Dark Horse: Belleview Christian
Player of the League: Emma Cox Sr. Flatirons Academy
Others to watch for: Emily Dehaan Sr. Flatirons Academy, Annabelle Rakers Jr. Flatirons Academy, Ginny Shade Sr. Rocky Mountain Lutheran, Eva Vogel So. Rocky Mountain Lutheran, Katie Jaques Sr. Front Range Baptist, Olivia Donadio Sr. Belleview Christian, Arwen Opyd Jr. Denver Waldorf
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- 3 Teams
Dove Creek, North Park, De Beque
District 2- 6 Teams
McClave, Cheyenne Wells, Kit Carson, Eads, Granada, Cheraw
District 3- 4 Teams
Springfield, Kim/Branson, La Veta, South Baca
District 4- 3 Teams
Briggsdale, Fleming, Weldon Valley
District 5- 7 teams
Stratton, Idalia, Otis, Hi-Plains, Arickaree, Flagler, Lone Star
District 6- 3 teams
Sangre De Cristo, Sierra Grande, Creede
District 7- 3 teams
Kiowa, Hanover, Pikes Peak Christian
District 8- 3 teams
Flatirons Academy, Rocky Mountain Lutheran, Front Range Baptist
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