Class 2A League Predictions & Previews (East, Intermountain, League 7)

Class 2A League Predictions & Previews (East, Intermountain, League 7)

I have decided to only do 3 or 4 leagues at a time instead of the full 7 leagues.  I will be giving my league predictions on who finishes where.  This is all in fun and I do not wish bad on any teams.  Good Luck to all teams this season.

East League

1. Kent Denver

2. Strasburg

3. Elizabeth

4. Bennett

5. Englewood

We enter a new cycle for teams and league this year and we kick things off with the East League.  The East League will consist of just 5 teams and have members from the Colorado League, 1A Frontier, and the Patriot League.  Kent Denver is my pick to win the East League.  Kent Denver went 9-1 last season and made the playoffs.  Kent Denver offensively returns a ton of weapons with POY Candidate QB Yianni Balafas and RB Wyatt Walker.  The defense has the most question marks returning just 5 of their top 13 tacklers.  Kent Denver is also ranked #2 in the MHPR Media/Coaches Poll.  Strasburg is my pick to finish in second place.  Strasburg makes the move from Class 1A to Class 2A, and they will have some key holes to fill at the skill position group.  Strasburg does return their offensive line and should help the offense come together.  Defensively Jorge Parra and Ian Ross will look to step up and be leaders.  Strasburg received votes in the Media/Coaches Poll.  Elizabeth is my pick to finish 3^rd in the East League.  Elizabeth will still be a playoff contender but have some big holes to fill this season.  Elizabeth offensively will look to a new batch of skill position players with possibly Tristan McCray being someone who could step up.  Defensively Elizabeth returns key leadership with top tackler Wes Noe and #3 tackler Jaden Francis coming back.  Elizabeth would have been the 11^th ranked team in the Media/Coaches Poll.  Bennett is my pick to finish 4^th but I think could still be in the mix for the playoffs.  Bennett had just 1 win a season ago and they will look to bounce back this season.  Bennett will return QB Brody Hawes and #2 rusher Aaron Driggs.  Bennett offensively returns their core but how much work did they put in the offseason will determine how far they go.  Defensively Bennett returns 11 of their top 13 tacklers and this unit should make big improvements.  Englewood rounds out the East League.  Englewood will have a new coach this season in Wade Auld.  He will have some key talent back with RB Deon Robinson back.  He will have to find a new QB, but the core of his offensive line is back.  Englewood defensively has some holes to fill returning just 6 of their top 13 tacklers. 

My predictions for the Colorado League

League Champion: Kent Denver

Playoff Contenders: Kent Denver, Strasburg, Elizabeth, Bennett

Dark Horse: Elizabeth (traditional power)

Preseason Player of the League: QB Yianni Balafas Jr. Kent Denver

Others to watch for: Wyatt Walker Sr. Kent Denver, Tripp Skewes Jr. Kent Denver, Damien Garcia Sr. Strasburg, Jorge Parra Jr. Strasburg, Ian Ross Sr. Strasburg, Strasburg Offensive Line, Tristan McCray Jr. Elizabeth, Wes Noe Sr. Elizabeth, Jaden Francis Jr. Elizabeth, Brody Hawes Sr. Bennett, Aaron Driggs Sr. Bennett, Austin Stiers Jr. Bennett, Deon Robinson Sr. Englewood, Logan Mael Jr. Englewood

Intermountain

1. Gunnison

2. Pagosa Springs

3. Alamosa

4. Montezuma-Cortez

5. Salida

6. Bayfield

The Intermountain League for the 2024 & 2025 cycle returns Alamosa back into the league along with Gunnison who moves up from Class 1A to Class 2A.  The IML had no teams ranked in the top 10 in the MHPR Media/Coaches Poll, but 3 teams still received votes in the poll.  The IML should be a league with 4 if not 5 teams with playoff aspirations.  Gunnison is my pick to win the IML league.  Gunnison as mentioned moved from Class 1A to Class 2A this season and picked up a win over Alamosa a season ago.  Gunnison will return plenty of key pieces this season including POY Candidate RB Graden Buckhanan who rushed for over 1000 yards last season.  The offensive line also returns their core.  Defensively Gunnison returns 8 of their top 13 tacklers including their #2 and #3 tacklers from last season in Buckhanan and Tate Taramarcaz.  Gunnison would be ranked #13 in the Media/Coaches Poll.  Pagosa Springs is my pick to finish in second place.  Pagosa Springs lost a good senior class but still return plenty of talent to push for the league title.  Pagosa Springs returns QB Creede Dozier along with RB Colton Lucero who will have to step into the #1 rushing role.  The offensive line for Pagosa Springs could return 2 or 3 starters who will have to step up and be leaders this year.  Defensively Pagosa Springs lose 4 of their top 5 tacklers but Seth Zeigler will return to be a leader.  Pagosa Springs would be ranked #15 in the Coaches/Media Poll.  Alamosa is my pick to finish in 3^rd in league.  Alamosa lose a good senior class from last year’s state playoff team but return key leadership to push for a league title.  Alamosa will return POY Candidate QB Dyson Woodward who had a breakout season a year ago surpassing 2000 yards of total offense.  He will look to WR Kevin Gonzales to take a big step forward this season.  The offensive line for Alamosa also has four starters to replace and will look for some youth to step up.  Defensively Alamosa returns 7 of their top 13 tacklers and will look for Landon Garcia and Carlos Garcia to be leaders this season.  Montezuma-Cortez missed the playoffs last season and will look to get back this year.  Cortez will return QB Colby McMillian and RB Tay Wheat who led the offense last season.  Cortez will lose 3 or 4 starters on the offensive line so that is a big question mark for the Panthers.  Defensively Montezuma-Cortez returns 8 of their top 13 tacklers including Rusty Snyder.  Salida missed the playoffs last season going 4-5 but look to change that this season.  Salida will be searching for new skill position players to step up and look for Wyatt Farney to be one of those players.  Defensively Salida returns 6 of their top 13 tacklers but return their top two tacklers in Casen Pridemore and Brody Hudson combined these two had over 200 tackles last season.  Bayfield rounds out the IML league.  Bayfield was hit hard by graduation on the skill position group and will be searching for a new QB and RB’s.  Bayfield does return WR Lincoln Williams who is a big threat for the new QB.  Defensively Bayfield returns 8 of their top 13 tacklers but lose their top 3 from a season ago.  Austin Wilmer and Caelan Ramos could be players to step up for Bayfield this season.

My predictions for Intermountain

League Champion: Gunnison

Playoff Contenders: Gunnison, Pagosa Springs, Alamosa, Montezuma-Cortez

Dark Horse: Alamosa (Have the top end talent to challenge for the league crown)

Preseason Player of the League: QB Dyson Woodward Sr. Alamosa

Others to watch for: Graden Buckhanan Sr. Gunnison, Tate Taramarcaz Sr. Gunnison, Kellan Yoder Sr. Gunnison, Crede Dozier Jr. Pagosa Springs, Colton Lucero Jr. Pagosa Springs, Seth Zeigler Sr. Pagosa Springs, Zane Zook Sr. Alamosa, Kevin Gonzales Sr. Alamosa, Landon Garcia Sr. Alamosa, Tay Wheat Sr. Montezuma-Cortez, Colby McMillian Sr. Montezuma-Cortez, Rusty Snyder Jr. Montezuma-Cortez, Casen Pridemore So. Salida, Brody Hudson Sr. Salida, Austin Wilmer Sr. Bayfield, Lincoln William Sr. Bayfield

League 7

1. Brush

2. Sterling

3. Weld Central

4. Fort Lupton

5. The Academy

6. Arvada

We move into league 7 and it’s a combination of the Front Range Mountain League (2) and the Patriot East League (4).  This league has two teams ranked in the top 10 of the MHPR Media/Coaches and we could see 4 if not 5 teams push for a playoff spot.  Brush is my pick to win the league title.  Brush went 6-4 last season and made the playoffs. Brush returns their core from last season including QB Eric Rico and POY Candidate RB Ritchie Bruno.  The offensive line for Brush returns 2 starters but have plenty of size coming up.  Defensively Brush returns 7 of their top 13 tacklers including Bruno and Percy Odle.  Brush was ranked #6 in the Media/Coaches Poll.  Sterling is my pick to finish second in league.  Sterling went 4-5 last season missing out on the playoffs.  They return the bulk of last season team and are hungry for a playoff run.  QB Hunter Diamond and RB Carter Jaeger are both back to lead the offense.  The offensive line also returns all 5 starters from a season ago.  Defensively Sterling returns 11 of their top 13 tacklers including Jaeger, Ayden Gandee, and Aidan Kiser.  Sterling was ranked #10 in the Media/Coaches Poll.  Weld Central is my pick to finish in 3^rd in league.  Weld Central started the year on fire winning 3 of their first 4 games but ended the season with just a 4-5 record and outside of the playoffs.  Weld Central will be looking to reach the playoffs this season and return plenty of talent to do so.  Weld Central returns QB Jace Cornelius and RB Marcello Rossi combined they had over 2000 yards of total offense.  The most question marks come from the offensive line which may return just 2 starters.  Defensively Weld Central returns 9 of their top 13 tacklers from a season ago.  Harley Nulsen and Cael Schellenberg look to be the leaders for Weld Central.  Fort Lupton is my pick to finish in 4^th.  Fort Lupton went 5-4 last season and had one of their more successful seasons but are looking for the playoffs this year.  Fort Lupton returns QB Royce Guerrero along with WR Jesse Ceretto, and RB Christopher Galicia.  The most question marks could be on the offensive line where they could return 1 or no starters from a season ago.  Defensively Fort Lupton returns 8 of their top 13 tacklers but lose their top tackler form last season.  Ceretto, Galicia, and Abraham Lujan must step up to be leaders this season.  The Academy is my pick to finish in 5^th in league.  The Academy went 0-9 last season but were young in many positions last year.  QB Jase Farmer returns to lead the offense this season but will be looking for other players around him to step up.  The offensive line for The Academy returns at least 4 starters from a season ago.  Defensively The Academy returns 7 of their top 13 tacklers from last season including their top tackler Aidan Smith.  Arvada rounds out League 7.  Arvada went 6-3 last season and just missed out on the playoffs.  Arvada lose a good senior class taking most of their top skill position players and will be looking to rebuild this year.  Arvada will look for Cody Williams and Junior Aragon to take big steps forward this year.  Defensively Arvada returns 7 of their top 13 tacklers but lose their top 4 from last season.  Williams and Yahin Villegas will be tasked with stepping up this year.

My predictions for League 7

League Champion: Brush

Playoff Contenders: Brush, Sterling, Weld Central, Fort Lupton

Dark Horse: Weld Central (Did they improve enough to challenge for the league crown)

Preseason Player of the League: RB/LB Ritchie Bruno Jr. Brush

Others to watch for: Eric Rico Jr. Brush, Percy Odle Sr. Brush, Hunter Diamond Sr. Sterling, Carter Jaeger Sr. Sterling, Ayden Gandee Sr. Sterling, Jace Cornelius Sr. Weld Central, Marcello Rossi Sr. Weld Central, Harley Nulsen Jr. Weld Central, Royce Guerrero Sr. Fort Lupton, Christopher Galicia Sr. Fort Lupton, Jesse Ceretto Sr. Fort Lupton, Jase Farmer Sr. The Academy, Aidan Smith Sr. The Academy, Andres Mendoza Sr. The Academy, Cody Williams Sr. Arvada, Yahin Villegas Sr. Arvada

MileHigh Prep Reports Playoff Predictions

I am going to pick the 16 teams I think make it to the playoffs for the 2024 Football Season. Last season I got 12 of the 16 teams correct so I am expecting to have a few teams wrong. Regardless Good Luck to all teams this season.

Kent Denver

Strasburg

Gunnison

Pagosa Springs

Alamosa

Brush

Sterling

Classical Academy

Wellington

Resurrection Christian

Eaton

Berthoud

Woodland Park

La Junta

Delta

Basalt

Just Outside Top 16:

D’Evelyn, University, Elizabeth, Weld Central, Florence, Moffat County, Aspen, Lamar, Fort Lupton