MileHigh Prep Report Class 2A Girls Basketball Preseason Rankings
Note: I am just going to quickly give the rankings and a quick breakdown of what they are returning. I will be doing my District/League Predictions for Class 1A thru 3A later in the week. Practice is underway today and games kickoff for Basketball December 2nd.
Class 2A
| Rank | Team | Notes |
| #1 | Merino Defending State Champions | Merino is your defending State Champions. Merino has won back-to-back State Championship and will be looking for their third in a row and return plenty of key pieces from last season. Merino return their top 3 scorers from a year ago but lost some depth. Kya Piel (16.9 ppg) and Jay Lynch (11.2 ppg) look to lead the Rams Title Defense. |
| #2 | Akron Made State Tournament (Went 1-2, 4th Place) | Akron made the State Tournament last season going 1-2 and falling in the Third Place Game. Akron will be locked and loaded for this season and return their entire roster from a season ago. Akron will look for Molly O’Neil (15.6 ppg) and Kashlee Randel (9.3 ppg) to take a big step forward this season. |
| #3 | Sanford Made State Tournament (Went 2-1, 3rd Place) | Sanford made the state tournament last year going 2-1 and finishing in 3rd place with a win over Akron. Sanford has a few key holes to fill losing their top scorer and their top rebounder from a season ago. Sanford will look for Claire Crowther (9.6 ppg) to take a big step forward this year but also Brinlyn Smith (6.0 ppg) to take a leadership role. |
| #4 | Simla Made State Tournament (Went 1-2) | Simla made the State Tournament last year going 1-2 and falling in the Consolation Finals Game. Simla will return the core of their roster but lose key pieces in their #3 and #6 scorers from a year ago. Carlee Cox (14.7 ppg) and Katie Gotschall (11.1 ppg) both look to have breakout seasons. |
| #5 | Sargent Made State Tournament (Went 0-2) | Sargent made the State Tournament last year going 0-2. Key experience was gained by the Farmers, and they will look to improve on last season success. Sargent will look for depth to take a huge step forward this year and also look for Kandace Pargin (14.9 ppg) and Angelise Garcia (13.3 ppg) to lead this year. |
| #6 | Sedgwick County Made State Tournament (Went 2-1, Runner Up) | Sedgwick County made the State Tournament last year and were the runners up. Sedgwick County had a great run to the finals and will have some big holes to fill losing their #1 and #3 scorers. Sedgwick County will look to some junior to step up this season. Lainee Nein (13.8 ppg) and Ryen Carlson (6.7 ppg) will be tasked with leading a younger Sedgwick County team. |
| #7 | Hoehne Made State Tournament (Went 0-2) | Hoehne made the State Tournament last year going 0-2. Hoehne will return their top scorer in Braylee Foster (12.6 ppg) but lose plenty of key seniors from a year ago. Hoehne will look for Aspen Garrison (4.5 ppg) to step up this season. |
| #8 | Burlington Made State Tournament (Went 2-1, 5th Place) | Burlington made the State Tournament last year going 2-1 and finishing in 5th Place with a win over Simla. Burlington will have a key piece to replace in their #1 scorer & rebounder. Burlington does return the rest of the roster and they will look to push for another State Tournament Berth. Lynzee Neal (9.4 ppg) and Bethany Cure (8.8 ppg) look to lead the Cougars into the season. |
| #9 | Heritage Christian Lost at Regionals to Sargent | Heritage Christian did not make it to the State Tournament falling in the regional finals to Sargent. Heritage Christian will hope to get back to the State Tournament and return plenty of talent including 3 of their top 5 scorers. Heritage Christian will look for Cadence Smith (9.6 ppg) and Samantha Snow (8.9 ppg) to take a big step forward. |
| #10 | Byers Lost at regionals to Simla | Byers did not make it to the State Tournament falling to Simla in the Regionals Finals. Byers will return their core from last season and look to push for a State Tournament berth. Byers returns Madilee Olsen (9.0 ppg) and Joclynn Rector (7.0 ppg) to lead Byers and try and get to the State Tournament. |
| #11 | Dayspring Christian Lost at Regionals to Center | Dayspring Chistian did not make it to the State Tournament last year falling to Center at Regionals. Dayspring Christian was led by a sophomore core last year and return their top 4 scorers from a year ago. Dayspring Christian will look to make a big jump this year. Peyten Reese (12.1 ppg) and Brynnli Bryson (7.9 ppg) look to lead the junior heavy team into 2026. |
| #12 | Del Norte Lost at Regionals to Haxtun | Del Norte did not make the State Tournament last year falling to Haxtun at Regionals. Del Norte will look to improve on last years results but will look for a lot of depth to step up this year. Del Norte returns their top 2 scorers but lose their next 4. Emma Parra (15.1 ppg) and Brynley Brown (6.4 ppg) look to lead the Tigers this year. |
| #13 | Plateau Valley Lost at Regionals to Calhan | Plateau Valley did not make the State Tournament last year losing to Calhan at Regionals. Plateau Valley will lose their top scorer from a season ago but have other pieces back to help them push for a deeper run. Plateau Valley returns Macy Bevan (13.1 ppg) and Presley Hawkins (8.6 ppg) to lead Plateau Valley but other depth will have to step up around them. |
| #14 | Holyoke Lost at regionals to Sanford | Holyoke fell in the Regional Round to Sanford a season ago. Holyoke will hope to find more success this season and return their entire roster from last season. Holyoke will hope to have the senior leadership of Ellie Kleve (8.9 ppg) and Anessa Colglazier (7.9ppg) to lead them to more success in 2026. |
| #15 | Crowley County Lost at regionals to Sargent | Crowley County did not qualify for the State Tournament losing to Sargent at Regionals. Crowley County returns all but 2 seniors from last year and should be a threat this season. Alexis Rusher (11.2 ppg) looks to lead the Chargers this year but who else steps up is key for Crowley County this season. Look for Emalee Ross (6.9 ppg) to possibly be that player. |
| #16 | Swink Lost at regionals to Burlington | Swink did not make it to the State Tournament last year losing to Burlington at Regionals. Swink will hope to find more success this year and returning their entire roster should help. Players like Jocelynn James (9.5 ppg) and Taylor Mendenhall (7.4 ppg) look to lead a young Swink team into 2026. |
| Teams to Watch for: | Center, Dove Creek, Las Animas, Loveland Classical, Hayden, Calhan, Rangely, Gilpin County, Trinidad |
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