MileHigh Prep Report Preseason Class 1A Football Rankings
We are getting closer and closer to the start of the football season. Here is my top 16 preseason rankings. 1A will be battle this year with plenty of talent returning. The top of 1A again is dominated by the blue bloods but look for some new teams to push for the top. We are doing a media/coahces poll again this season. If you are interested in voting shoot me a message. This is just my preseason rankings so as I watch more film, talk to other coaches, and other media expect changes before the start of the season. I move to 8-Man Football next week. Good Luck to all teams this season!
Class 1A
| Rank | Team | Notes |
| #1 | Wray HS Made the Playoffs, lost in the Semifinals | Wray reached the Semifinals last season before falling to Strasburg. Wray will be looking for a return trip to the State Championship and return a talented senior class. Wray returns leadership offensively returning QB Casey Midcap and RB Samuel Meisner. Both contributed to over 3000 yards of total offense last season. Wray offensive line will also remain intact returning 4 if not all 5 starters on the offensive line. Defensively Wray returns 12 of their top 13 tacklers including their top 6 from a season go. |
| #2 | Limon HS Defending State Champions | Limon is your 2x defending State Champions. They lose a very talented senior Class and will be looking to reload and make a push to defend their title. Limon will be searching for a new QB but return Skylur McCready at RB who will take his shot as the top RB. Limon defensively will also need to reload returning just 6 of their top 13 tacklers. I do not expect Limon to fall off much with their amazing tradition and great coaching staff. |
| #3 | C.S Christian HS Made the playoffs, lost in First Round | C.S Christian made the playoffs last season falling in the first round by 6 to Buena Vista. C.S Christian returns nearly their entire roster to make a deeper push this season. C.S Christian will return QB Jace Velasquez and RB Will Moore. Both contributed to over 2500 yards of total offense last season. C.S Christian offensive line will also return a talented group with at least 3 starters if not 4 back. Defensively C.S Christian returns 10 of their top 13 tacklers including 5 of their top 6. |
| #4 | Wiggins HS Made the playoffs, lost in the First Round | Wiggins made the playoffs last season falling in the first round to Banning Lewis. Wiggins was young at many positions last year and will look to build off last season success. Wiggins returns QB Marus Steinbar who will look to improve this year. Wiggins also returns RBs Jayson Lousberg and Tyler Dilka. Combined they ran for over 1900 yards last season. Wiggins also returns at least 3 starters on the offensive line. Defensively Wiggins returns 9 of their top 13 tacklers. Wiggins will lose their top 3 tacklers from last season but don’t expect this defense to take a big step backwards. |
| #5 | Buena Vista HS Made the playoffs, lost in the Quarterfinals | Buena Vista made the playoffs last season falling in the Quarterfinals to Meeker. Buena Vista did some reloading last season and had a lot of youth at many positions. This year Buena Vista returns talent at QB in Hudson Wingo and top RBs in Eli Schuknect and Tray Cardwell. Buena Vista offensive line also returns their core from a season ago returning at least 3 starters. Defensively Buena Vista returns 8 of their top 13 tacklers. Buena Vista will lose some key leadership returning just 2 of their top 5 from a season ago. |
| #6 | Yuma HS Made the playoffs, lost in the first round | Yuma made the playoffs a season ago falling in the first round to Gunnison. Yuma will be returning a solid core this year and will be a team to watch in the rugged North Central. Offensively Yuma dual threat QB Jonathan Thomson and RB’s Silas Baucke and Damien Kosinski. Yuma will have the most holes to fill on the offensive line possibly returning just 1 or 2 starters from a season ago. Defensively Yuma returns 10 of their top 13 tacklers including 4 of their top 6. |
| #7 | Platte Valley HS Missed the playoffs, went 5-4 | Platte Valley missed the playoffs last season in Class 2A going 5-4. Platte Valley will make the move from Class 2A down to Class 1A and will have a shot to make an immediate impact right away. Platte Valley returns QB Regan Edstrom and RB Talyn Short. These two should help power an improved offense this season. The offensive line for Platte Valley also returns 3 starters from a year ago. Defensively Platte Valley returns 8 of their top 13 tacklers including 4 of their top 6. |
| #8 | Centauri HS Made the playoffs, lost in the first round | Centauri made the playoffs last season falling to Wray in the first round. Centauri will be looking to reload at some key positions this year mainly on the offensive line. Centauri returns QB Sean Jarvies and RB Parker Buhr. These two headline a solid returning skill position group. The offensive line for Centauri was hit the hardest by graduation losing possibly 4 if not 5 starters on the offensive line. Defensively Centauri returns just 6 of their top 13 tacklers and just 2 of their top 6. Centauri has had amazing tradition and are well coached so don’t expect them to drop off. |
| #9 | Monte Vista HS Missed the playoffs, went 6-3 | Monte Vista missed the playoffs last season going 6-3 and being the first team outside the top 16. Monte Vista will be looking to change that this season and have a solid core to do that. Monte Vista returns QB Kaden Madrid along with RB’s Jacob Pacheco and Kevin Cisneros. The offensive line should also make big strides this season returning 4 starters from a season ago. Defensively Monte Vista will look to make the biggest improvement returning 11 of their top 13 tacklers including 5 of their top 6. |
| #10 | Highland HS Made the playoffs, lost in the first round | Highland made the playoffs a season ago falling to Meeker in the first round. Highland started the year slow and then won 5 straight games. Highland will look to build on last season success, and they return their core to make that run. Offensively Highland returns QB John Bingley but he will be looking for new weapons at both RB and WR. The offensive line for Highland should also be a strength this year returning 3 if not 4 starters on the offensive line. Defensively Highland made their mark a season ago and will look to be a top unit again. Highland returns 9 of their top 13 tacklers including 4 of their top 6. |
| #10 | Forge Christian Missed the playoffs, went 4-5 | Forge Christian missed the playoffs a season ago going 4-5. Forge Christian makes the move from Class 2A down to Class 1A and I think make an immediate impact in the class. Forge Christian returns QB Sullivan Strange along with top RB’s Euli Tafoya and Dante Vigil. The offensive line has the most question marks this season but look for them to step up this year. Defensively Forge Christian will look to be a top 10 unit and return 10 of their top 13 tacklers from a season ago. Forge Christian also returns 4 of their top 6. |
| #12 | Holyoke HS Made the playoffs, lost in the Quarterfinals | Holyoke made the playoffs last season falling to Wray in the Quarterfinals. Holyoke lose a talented senior class hitting the skill position group the hardest. Holyoke will lose their starting QB, RB, #2 and #3 WR from last season. Holyoke will return #1 WR Reid Sprague and expect his role in the offense to change this year. Holyoke does have plenty of experience returning on the offensive line with 4 starters coming back. Defensively Holyoke also returns a solid core with 8 of their top 13 tacklers coming back. Holyoke also returns their #2 and #3 tacklers from a year ago. |
| #13 | Cedaredge HS Made the playoffs, lost in the first round | Cedaredge made the playoffs last season falling in the first round to Limon. Cedaredge will lose some key leaders on offense but look for some youth to step up. Cedaredge will be searching for a new QB, but RB Ethan Toothaker and WR/QB Brady Cooper should help fill the holes. The offensive line for Cedaredge will also be a strength returning 4 starters from a season ago. Defensively Cedaredge should be a top 16 unit this year. Cedaredge returns 10 of their top 13 tacklers including 4 of their top 6. |
| #14 | Meeker HS Made the playoffs, lost in the Semifinals | Meeker made the playoffs last season falling to the eventual state champions Limon in the Semifinals. Meeker will lose a talented senior class that hits them hard at a lot of positions. Meeker will be searching for a new QB but return their top two RB’s from a season ago in Clay Crawford and Cade Blunt. The offensive line for Meeker was also hit hard by graduation losing 4 if not all 5 starters. Defensively Meeker also will be reloading returning just 4 of their top 13 tacklers. Meeker has a lot of tradition and is well coached so don’t expect them to fall off much this year. |
| #15 | North Fork HS Made the playoffs, lost in the First Round | North Fork made the playoffs last season falling in the first round to Strasburg. North Fork was a senior led team last year and they will be reloading and looking to make a push for the playoffs this season. North Fork will be searching for a new QB and RB’s this season. Look for Joe Hollembeak and Payson Pene to step up this year. The offensive line for North Fork will also be reloading returning just 1 maybe 2 starters from last season. Defensively North Fork returns 6 of their top 13 tacklers from last season. North Fork is another traditional power and are well coached and look for them to still make an impact. |
| #16 | Burlington HS Missed the playoffs, went 1-8 last year | Burlington missed the playoffs last season going 1-8. Burlington had a lot of youth play big minutes last season and we should see them improve this year. Burlington offensively still has some holes losing their starting QB and #1 RB. Scout Humrich and Connor Halde are a few names that could step up this year. The offensive line for Burlington should take the biggest strides returning 3 starters from a season ago. Defensively Burlington should be the toughest. Burlington returns 8 of their top 13 tacklers including 4 of their top 6. |
| Other Teams to Watch | #17-Peyton, #18-Rye, #19-Flatirons Academy, #20-Grand Valley, Platte Canyon, Denver Christian, Estes Park, Jefferson, Ignacio |
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