Class 1A League Predictions & Previews (Frontier, League 6, North Central Leagues)
I have decided to only do 3 or 4 leagues at a time instead of the full 6 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.
Frontier League
1. Forge Christian
2. Flatirons Academy
3. Denver Christian
4. Platte Canyon
5. Prospect Ridge
The Frontier League is a combination of teams from 4 different league and two teams dropping from Class 2A down into Class 1A. This league has not been one of the strongest leagues in Class 1A but could possibly see 3 teams fighting for a playoff spots. Forge Christian is my pick to win the Frontier League. Forge Christian drops from Class 2A down to Class 1A and will be in the mix right away. Forge Christian went 4-5 last season and missed the playoffs. Forge Christian was young at many positions last year and will look to build off last season. Forge Christian will return QB Sullivan Strange he will look to have a breakout season. RB is a loaded position for Forge with Euli Tafoya and Dante Vigil back both ran for over 600 yards. The offensive line could have the most holes to fill with possibly all five starters lost to graduation. Defensively Forge Christian returns 10 of their top 13 tacklers and should be a top unit. Dante Vigil, Carson Craig, and Ethan Maxwell could be the leaders. Flatirons Academy is my pick for 2nd. Flatirons Academy went 4-5 last season and missed the playoffs. Flatirons Academy was young last season, and they return the bulk of their roster this year. The offseason was crucial for this team as they look to get back to the playoffs. QB Parker Wilson is back along with RB Ryan Coulter, RB Elijah Ricca, and WR Judah Burgess. The offensive line is nearly all back with 4 starters returning from last season. Defensively the Bison returns 11 of their top 13 tacklers with Judah Burgess and Ryan Coulter back as leaders. Denver Christian is my pick for 3rd. Denver Christian went 4-5 last season and missed the playoffs. This will be their 3rd year since moving into Class 1A and they are looking to get into the playoffs. Denver Christian will have a big hole at QB to replace this season but return other weapons on offense. RB Ben Pereira and WR Patrick Elson are back as weapons for the Thunder along with at least 3 starters on the offensive line. Defensively Denver Christian returns 9 of their top 13 tacklers from last season. Ben Pereira and Diego Pellegrini are back as leaders for Denver Christian. Platte Canyon is my pick for 4th. Platte Canyon went 8-2 last season and made the playoffs. Platte Canyon lose a good senior class and will be looking to reload and push for the league title. Platte Canyon has holes to fill at QB, RB, and WR. The Huskies will look for some new names to step up this year with possibly Seth Coffman and Leo Batzer being some of those players. Platte Canyon will return at least two starters on the offensive line. Defensively Platte Canyon returns just 6 of their top 13 tacklers from last season and lose their top 4 from last season. Keaton Brown and Quinn Tanner are two names who could step up this season. Prospect Ridge rounds out the Frontier League. Prospect Ridge drops from Class 2A down to Class 1A. Prospect Ridge is looking to break a streak of below .500 seasons and rebuild their program. Prospect Ridge will be searching for a new QB and will look for some players to step up this year. WR Travis Agbosse and WR Arnav Sudheer are a pair of players who lead the WR core. Defensively Prospect Ridge should improve returning 12 of their top 13 tacklers. Brady Mckenney and Arnav Sudheer are leaders for the Miners.
My predictions for the Frontier League
League Champion: Forge Christian
Playoff Contenders: Forge Christian, Flatirons Academy, Denver Christian
Dark Horse: Platte Canyon (Have the tradition to be a contender still this season)
Preseason Player of the League: Dante Vigil Sr. Forge Christian
Others to watch for: Sullivan Strange Sr. Forge Christian, Euli Tafoya Sr. Forge Christian, Carson Craig Sr. Forge Christian, Judah Burgess Sr. Flatirons Academy, Ryan Coulter Sr. Flatirons Academy, Parker Wilson Sr. Flatirons Academy, Ben Pereira Sr. Denver Christian, Diego Pellegrini Sr. Denver Christian, Quinn Barkema So. Denver Christian, Patrick Elson Sr. Denver Christian, Keaton Brown Sr. Platte Canyon, Quinn Tanner Jr. Platte Canyon, Brady Mckenney Sr. Prospect Ridge, Arna Sudheer Sr. Prospect Ridge
League 6
1. Platte Valley
2. Highland
3. Jefferson
4. Estes Park
5. Manual
League 6 is a combination of 3 different leagues with one team dropping from Class 2A down to Class 1A. League 6 has possibly 3 playoff contenders and the battle for the league title should be a good one. Platte Valley is my pick to win League 6. Platte Valley drops from Class 2A down to Class 1A and should be an instant playoff and league title contender. Platte Valley went 5-4 last season and just missed out on the playoffs. Platte Valley was young at many positions last season and will return QB Regan Edstrom and RB Talyn Short. Platte Valley also returns at least 3 starters on the offensive line. Defensively Platte Valley return 8 of their top 13 tacklers but do lose 2 of their top 3. Jaycob Chavarria-Cogburn, Wyatt Ehrlick, and Talyn Short will look to step into the leadership role. Highland is my pick for 2nd. Highland went 5-5 last season with a trip to the playoffs. Highland had a rough start to the season last year losing four straight games before running 5 straight wins to reach the playoffs. Highland will return key leadership offensively with QB John Bingley. Highland will be looking for some other players to step up at the skill positions and look for Tyler Varra and Shane Sverak Jr as some names to watch. The offensive line for Highland also returns at least 3 starters and will help some of the youth at the skill positions. Defensively Highland returns 9 of their top 13 tacklers from last season. Ira Sittner and Brogan Palmer return to lead the Huskies defense. Jefferson is my pick for 3rd. Jefferson went 2-7 last season and will be looking break the slump of losing season that dates back to 2018. Jefferson has the talent back, but can they take the next step. QB Demitrias Martinez is back to lead the offense but improving his TD to INT ratio will be key also back for the offense is Samuel Rosales and Angelo Field. Defensively Jefferson returns their top 13 tacklers, and this unit must show improvement. Enzo Hernandez is back to lead the defense along with James Hitzemah and Demitrias Martinez. Estes Park is my pick for 4th. Estes Park went 5-4 last season and missed the playoffs. Estes Park offensively was hit hard by graduation. Estes Park will have to replace their QB, RB, and top WR. A few names who could step up this season are Hayden Powell and Raul Perez. Defensively Jack Stegeman and Santiago Salgado will look to lead the defense this season. Estes Park will look for youth to take a big step forward this season. Manual rounds out League 6. Manual went 4-5 last season and missed the playoffs. They were also hit hard by graduation and will be looking to retool this year. Manual lose key offensive pieces at QB, WR, and RB. We will have to see who steps up and fills some big holes left by the seniors. Defensively Manual returns 7 of their top 13 tacklers and this unit will be tasked with being the anchor for the Thunderbolts. Kearre Watson and Sirkentae Harris-Cook are key for the Manual defense.
My predictions for League 6
League Champion: Platte Valley
Playoff Contenders: Platte Valley, Highland, Jefferson
Dark Horse: Center: Jefferson (Can they final get over the hump and push the top two teams)
Preseason Player of the League: Talyn Short Sr. Platte Valley
Others to watch for: Regan Edstrom Jr. Platte Valley, Jaycob Chavarria-Cogburn Sr. Platte Valley, Wyatt Ehrlick Sr. Platte Valley, Wyatt Meyer Sr. Platte Valley, Ira Sittner Sr. Highland, Brogan Palmer Jr. Highland, John Bingley Sr. Highland, Enzo Hernandez Jr. Jefferson, Demitrias Martinez Sr. Jefferson, James Hitzemah Jr. Jefferson, Samuel Rosales Sr. Jefferson, Jack Stegman Sr. Estes Park, Santiago Salgado Sr. Estes Park, Kearre Watson Jr. Manual, Sirkentae Harris-Cook Jr. Manual
North Central League
1. Wray
2. Limon
3. Wiggins
4. Yuma
5. Holyoke
6. Burlington
The North Central League is the toughest league in Class 1A. Last season 5 teams from this league made the playoffs and, in the past, we have seen all 6 teams make it. This year will be no difference with all 6 teams being playoff contenders. This will be a brutal battle for the league title. Wray is my pick to win the North Central League. Wray went 8-4 last season with a trip to the Semifinals. Wray return nearly their entire roster to try and push for the league title and a state championship. Offensively Wray will return QB Casey Midcap, RB Samuel Meisner, RB/WR Austin Collins and WR Aaron Tena. Wray offensive line is also nearly all back with at least 4 starters coming back and this unit could be responsible for one of the more explosive offenses this season. Defensively Wray returns 12 of their top 13 tacklers and are pushing for a top unit this season. Tavery Chappell, Austin Hendrix, and Austin Snapp are a few names to keep an eye on defensively this season. Limon is my pick to finish in 2nd. Limon is your two-time defending State Champions and coming off a perfect 13-0 record last season. Limon was hit hard by graduation across the board but are well coached by Mike O’Dwyer and have a ton of tradition. Limon will return some key pieces like RB Skylur McCready who will be a leader this season. Another returning leader is OL/DL Keagan Mellott who will also be tasked with being the leader for a young offensive line. Defensively Limon will look for Jacob Jaklich and Keagan Mellott to be leaders for the Badger defense. Limon will look for their youth to take a huge step forward this year. Wiggins is my pick to finish in 3rd. Wiggins went 5-5 last season with a trip to the playoffs. Wiggins was young at many positions last season and will look to use their experience to improve this year. Wiggins will return QB Marcus Steinbar along with RB Jayson Lousberg, RB Tyler Dilka, and RB Jorge Mendez. Last season the offensive line for Wiggins powered over 3000 yards on the ground and they return at least 3 starters from last season. Defensively Wiggins returns 9 of their top 13 tacklers but lose their top 3 tacklers from last season. Cameron Schmidt, Mark Walker, and JR Meyer will be tasked with becoming leaders this season for the Tigers. Yuma is my pick for 4th. Yuma went 3-7 last season with a trip to the playoffs. Yuma was also young at many positions and will look for a big upcoming senior class to power them to a deeper playoff run. Yuma offensively returns QB Jonathan Thomson along with RB Silas Baucke and RB Damien Kosinski. They lead the rushing attack that ran for over 2000 yards last season. The offensive line lost the most to graduation with possibly just 1 or 2 starters returning from last season. Defensively Yuma will be a top unit returning 10 of their top 13 tacklers. Thomson will also be a defensive leader but also look for Reyli Trejo and Brody Sheffield to be leaders this season. Holyoke is my pick to finish in 5th. Holyoke went 9-2 last season with a trip to the Quarterfinals. Holyoke was hit hard by graduation at the skill positions losing their QB, RB, #2 WR, and #3 WR. Holyoke will look for the youth to step up this season. #1 WR Reid Sprague will probably take a bigger role in the offense this season for Holyoke but also look for Colby Weber and Tyler Bergstrom to step up this year. The offensive line for Holyoke will be the biggest strength as they return 4 starters from a season ago. They will be key to Holyoke success. Defensively Holyoke returns 8 of their top 13 tacklers and will look for Cody Maloney, Reid Sprague, and Luke Roberts to be leaders. Burlington is my pick to round out the North Central League. Burlington went 1-8 last season and missed the playoffs. Burlington will have a few holes to fill from graduation losing their QB and top RB. Burlington will look for some new playmaker to step up like Scout Humrich, Rodolfo Estrada-Acosta, and Connor Halde. The offensive line for Burlington returns at least 3 starters and could be huge for the younger skill position players. Defensively Burlington will return 8 of their top 13 tacklers and this will be a top unit for the Cougars. Stanton Cure, Anthony Estrada, and Scout Humrich should lead Burlington.
My predictions for the North Central League
League Champion: Wray
Playoff Contenders: Wray, Limon, Wiggins, Yuma, Holyoke, Burlington
Dark Horse: Holyoke (Youth at the skill position group will have to step up)
Preseason Player of the League: Samuel Meisner Sr. Wray
Others to watch for: Casey Midcap Sr. Wray, Austin Collins Jr. Wray, Aaron Tena Jr. Wray, Tavery Chappell Sr. Wray, Jacob Jaklich Jr. Limon, Keagan Mellott Jr. Limon, Skylur McCready Sr. Limon, Jayson Lousberg Sr. Wiggins, Tyler Dilka Sr. Wiggins, Jorge Mendez Sr. Wiggins, Cameron Schmidt Sr. Wiggins, Jonathan Thomson Sr. Yuma, Silas Baucke Sr. Yuma, Damien Kosinski Sr. Yuma, Reyli Trejo Jr. Yuma, Cody Maloney Sr. Holyoke, Reid Sprague Sr. Holyoke, Stanton Cure Sr. Burlington, Anthony Estrada Jr. Burlington, Scout Humrich So. Burlington
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