Class 1A Boys League Predictions
The official start to basketball was this week and most teams will kick off play sometime this week. We dive into each league that we are putting as Class 1A. Some mixed Classes will be in the 2A League Predictions. Remember, for Class 1A you now must be ranked inside the top 32 of the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index to make it to Regionals or win your league (Minimum of 5 teams). Regionals will still be first two rounds with the highest seed as the host and the brackets will not be reseeded before state. Class 1A will still play a full Consolation Round.
YWKC League
1. Idalia
2. Otis
3. Arickaree/Woodlin
4. Lone Star
5. Bethune
6. Hi-Plains
The YWKC League will get an automatic qualifier into regionals since they have five teams in their league. Idalia is my pick to win the YWKC League. Idalia returns nearly their entire roster from last year losing their #5 scorer and key senior leadership. Idalia will return their top 3 scorers and top 3 rebounders. Otis is my pick to finish in 2nd. Otis will return the majority of their roster from last season. Otis returns 4 of their top 5 scorers including their top two rebounders from last year. Otis must replace their top scorer from last season. Arickaree/Woodlin is my pick to finish in 3rd, but still be a contender for Regionals. Arickaree/Woodlin return a key leadership piece in their top scorer but lose their #2, #3, and #4 scorers from last year. Depth stepping up will be key to Arickaree/Woodlin pushing for a league title. Lone Star is my pick for fourth place but remain a regional contender. Lone Star will return most of their roster from a year ago including their #2, #3, and #4 scorer, and #2 rebounder. Lone Star will lose a big piece in their top scorer and rebounder but have enough back to push for regionals. Bethune & Hi-Plains round out the YWKC League. Bethune I have in 5th. Bethune lose their #1 & #3 scorers from last year and will look for their #2 scorer to step up this season. Hi-Plains is my pick to finish 6th in the YWKC league they lose their top scorer and will be looking for a new leader this season.
My predictions for YWKC League
League Champion: Idalia
Regional Contenders: Idalia, Otis, Arickaree/Woodling, Lone Star
Dark Horse: Arickaree/Woodlin
Preseason-Player of the League: Kolby Morris Jr. Idalia
Others to watch for: Broderick Kite So. Idalia, Gabe Kechter Jr. Idalia, Grady Bechtle Sr. Otis, Cambric Klinzmann Jr. Otis, Mitchell Stivers Sr. Otis, Austin Wright Sr. Arickaree/Woodlin, Jorge Ramos Jr. Arickaree/Woodlin, Anderson Weathers Sr. Lone Star, Jesus Hermosillo Sr. Lone Star, Josh Salinas Jr. Bethune, Gabe Harvie Jr. Hi-Plains
1A Southern Peaks
1. Sierra Grande
2. Sangre De Cristo
3. Moffat
4. Antonito
5. Centennial
6. Creede
7. Lake City
The 1A Southern Peaks will get a team automatically into regionals since they have 5 teams. My pick to win the SPL will be Sierra Grande. Sierra Grande returns key leadership in their top two scorers, but depth must step up this season for the Panthers to push for the state tournament. Sangre De Cristo is my pick to finish in second place. Sangre De Cristo returns nearly their entire roster, and they hope to push for the league title. Sangre De Cristo did not push any stats in from last season. Moffat is my pick to finish in 3rd and compete for a spot at regionals. Moffat returns their top 5 scorers and top rebounders from a season ago. Moffat will look to build off last season and push the top two teams in the league and for a regional spot. Antonito is my pick for 4th Place. Antonito is my dark horse pick to push for a regional spot. Antonito should be competitive this season as they return their entire roster from a season ago. If things come together for Antonito, they could be in the mix for a regional spot. Centennial is my pick for 5th Place. Centennial lose their top two scorers from last season and will look for new players to step up this year. Look for their #3 scorer to step into a leadership role. Creede & Lake City round out the Southern Peaks League. Creede lose their top two scorers from last year and will look for new players to step into bigger roles. Lake City returns their entire roster from last season. Lake City will be mostly juniors so possibly they could take a big step forward this season.
My predictions for 1A Southern Peaks
League Champion: Sierra Grande
Regional Contenders: Sierra Grande, Sangre De Cristo, Moffat
Dark Horse: Antonito
Preseason-Player of the League: Jadyn Martinez Sr. Sierra Grande
Others to watch for: Rolando Najera Sr. Sierra Grande, Carlos Lopez Sr. Sierra Grande, Nehemiah Wilson Jr. Sierra Grande, Deagon Rogers Sr. Sangre De Cristo, Kolby Shellabarger Sr. Sangre De Cristo, Preston heater Jr. Moffat, Tulasi McBridge Sr. Moffat, Chase Shellabarger Jr. Moffat, Octavian Martinez Jr. Antonito, Rylan Trant Sr. Antonito, Zach Jacquez Sr. Centennial, Greyson O’Hare Jr. Creede, Levi Hartman Jr. Lake City, Daniel Hays So. Lake City
1A North Central
1. Peetz
2. Prairie
3. Briggsdale
4. Fleming
5. Weldon Valley
The North Central League will get an automatic berth into regionals because they have 5 teams in their league. The North Central I think could be very competitive this season with plenty of teams brining back talent. All 5 teams are in the hunt for Regionals! Peetz is my pick to win the North Central League. Peetz is a state tournament contender but must pull everything together this season. Peetz returns their top 6 scorers from last year and could make a deep run if they can pull everything together. Prairie is my pick to finish in 2nd. Prairie will have the talent back to push for the league title but have a few holes to fill. Prairie returns their #1, #3, and #4 scorers from last season but lose their #2 scorer and #4 scorers. Prairie will look for new depth to step up this year. Briggsdale is my pick to finish in 3rd. Briggsdale will lean heavily on their top two scorers this season. Briggsdale will lose their #3, #4, and #5 scorers from last season but should have enough to push for the #2 spot in league. Fleming is my pick to finish in 4th. Fleming lose their top scorer from last season but returned the rest of the roster. If Fleming can find scoring and leadership, look out for this team to push for a top 3 finish in league. Weldon Valley is my pick to finish in 5th. Weldon Valley is also my dark horse pick to jump up the standings. Weldon Valley returns their top two scorers from a year ago. My main concern is depth for Weldon Valley and if they can find 3rd and 4th scorers, they could easily push the top teams in this league.
My predictions for North Central
League Champion: Peetz
Regional Contenders: Peetz, Prairie, Briggsdale, Fleming, Weldon Valley
Dark Horse: Weldon Valley
Preseason-Player of the League: Rhyder Bayne Sr. Peetz
Others to watch for: Connor Schumacher Jr. Peetz, Dylan Wagner Jr. Peetz, Scot Francis Sr. Briggsdale, Kaden Sanders So. Briggsdale, Hunter Johnson Jr. Prairie, Tyler Troudt Sr. Prairie, Brennan Bringelson Sr. Prairie, Dylon Monroe So. Fleming, Treyson Kirkwood Jr. Fleming, Conner Marchant Jr. Fleming, August Filter Sr. Weldon Valley, Zander Braun Jr. Weldon Valley
1A High Plains
1. McClave
2. Cheyenne Wells
3. Granada
4. Kit Carson
5. Eads
6. Cheraw
The High Plains League will get an automatic berth into regionals because they have over 5 teams in league. McClave is my pick to win the High Plains League. McClave has is your defending State Champions and will be the favorite yet again to repeat. McClave will return 4 of their top 5 scorers and look poised to defend their state championship. Cheyenne Wells is my pick to finish in 2nd Place. Cheyenne Wells is another team poised to reach the State Tournament. Cheyenne Wells returns plenty of key pieces but finding top guards will be key for the Tigers. Granada is my pick to finish in 3rd Place. Granada will be searching for a new leader on the floor as they lose their top scorer from a season ago. Granada does have a young group coming back and look for them to take a big step forward this year. Kit Carson is my pick to finish in 4th Place. Kit Carson will field a team for Basketball and will possibly have just 7 to 8 kids playing. Kit Carson will look for the returning players to lead this season and help them try and push for a regional spot. Eads is my pick to finish in 5th and are my dark horse pick to push for a top 3 spot in league. Eads will lose their top two scorers from last season but have plenty of talent back to try and get into the playoffs. Key pieces must step up this year. Cheraw rounds out the High Plains league. Cheraw will still be a competitive team but they lose their top two scorers from a year ago. The rest of the roster must step up and look for Cheraw to still challenge for a regional spot.
My predictions for High Plains League
League Champion: McClave
Regional Contenders: McClave, Cheyenne Wells, Granada, Kit Carson, Eads
Dark Horse: Eads
Preseason-Player of the League: Tuff Kelley Jr. McClave
Others to watch for: Mason Barr Sr. McClave, Myles Northrup So. McClave, Jr Mungaray Sr. McClave, Corey Hill Sr. Cheyenne Wells, Trey Scheler Sr. Cheyenne Wells, Fernando Cadena So. Granada, Sebastian Pizarro So. Granada, Angelo Martinez Jr. Granada, Mason Marriott Sr. Kit Carsson, Junior Farmer Jr. Kit Carson, Adyn Hough Jr. Eads, Karsten Buller Sr. Eads, Anthony Paez Jr. Eads, William Ledbetter Jr. Cheraw, Joseph Reece Sr. Cheraw
Fishers Peak (Will not get automatic berth)
1. Primero
2. La Veta
3. Aguilar
4. Manzanola
The Fishers Peak League will not get an automatic berth into regionals and teams will have to qualify by being in the top 32 of the CHSAA Seeding Index. With just four teams in the league the Fishers Peak league will rely on their out of league schedule to help them get into regionals. Primero is my pick to win the league. Primero will lose a talented senior class and will look for the senior class to step into pivotal roles this season. La Veta is my pick to finish in 2nd. La Veta will lose their top three scorers from last season. They will turn to their #4 and #5 scorers plus their depth from last season to take big steps forward this year. La Veta could still be in the mix for regionals but must have player step up. Manzanola is my pick to finish in 3rd. Manzanola lost their top scorer from a season ago. The rest of the roster returns for Manzanola, and they could easily be the 2nd best team in the Fishers Peak League this year. The main question mark is can they score enough to challenge for the #2 spot and a regional spot. Aguilar rounds out the Fishers Peak League. Aguilar lose their top scorer from last season. They do return the rest of their roster and must find a new leader to help them improve this year.
My predictions for Fishers Peak
League Champion: Primero
Regional Contenders: Primero, La Veta
Dark Horse: Manzanola
Preseason-Player of the League: Aiden Komaroski Sr. Primero
Others to watch for: Gabe Sintas Sr. Primero, Josh Pachorek Sr. Primero, Joaquin Gallegos Jr. La Veta, Kendall Ingram Sr. La Veta, Blake Vargas Sr. La Veta, Julian Chavez Jr. Manzanola, Mark Holland Jr. Manzanola, Dillon Pittman Jr. Manzanola, Caiden Gomez Sr. Aguilar, Jaxon Salapich Sr. Aguilar,
1A Black Forest
1. Elbert
2. Evangelical Christian
3. Pikes Peak Christian
4. Hanover
5. Miami-Yoder
The 1A Black Forest will get an automatic berth into regionals as they have more than 5 teams in their league. Elbert is my pick to win the Black Forest League and be a state tournament contender. Elbert will return 3 of their top 5 scorers from a year ago plus key depth. Elbert has their eyes on a deep state tournament run this year. Elbert will have to replace their #2 scorer and #5 scorer from last year. Evangelical Christian is my pick to finish in 2nd Place. ECA will be losing key seniors from last year’s team and looking for new players to step up. ECA return their #3 and #4 scorers from last year and key depth but who steps up this year. ECA will lose their top 2 scorers, so leadership is also another concern. Pikes Peak Christian is my pick for 3rd Place. Pikes Peak Christian will be looking to jump into the second-place spot but will have to get a junior heavy team to step up this year. Pikes Peak Christian lose their #1, #3, and #4 scorers from last year. Hanover & Miami-Yoder round out the 1A Black Forest League. Hanover will turn to a junior heavy roster plus key leadership from Football to try and contend this year. Hanover lost their top two scorers from last year but could still contend this year if players step into leadership and scoring roles. Miami-Yoder was a senior heavy roster last season and will be looking to rebuild this year. It looks like some sophomores may play a big role this year.
My predictions for 1A Black Forest
League Champion: Elbert
Regional Contenders: Elbert, Evangelical Christian
Dark Horse: Pikes Peak Christian
Player of the League: Ethan Tesman Sr. Elbert
Others to watch for: Eli Cornell Sr. Elbert, Jeremiah LaChausse Sr. Elbert, Anderson Schultz So. Evangelical Christian, Nate Lucia Jr. Evangelical Christian, Matthew Crocfer Jr. Pikes Peak Christian, Jeremiah Wehner Sr. Pikes Peak Christian, Hector Lopez Jr. Hanover, Joseph Molina Jr. Hanover, Jonathan Quiroz-Reyes Jr. Hanover, Robert Book So. Miami-Yoder
1A Ark Valley
1. Walsh
2. Kim/Branson
3. Wiley
4. Springfield
5. Holly
6. South Baca
The 1A Ark Valley will get an automatic berth into regionals. This league I am the most unsure about. I am going with Walsh to win the Ark Valley. Walsh returns nearly their entire roster including 4 of their top 5 scorers. Walsh will have to replace their #2 scorer from last year but should be a team that could push for a state tournament berth. Kim/Branson is my pick for 2nd Place. Kim/Branson will be under a new head coach this year but return plenty of talent to push for a league title. Kim/Branson returns two of their top 5 scorers and they must lead this season. Kim/Branson did lose their #1, #2, and #4 scorers from last season. Wiley is my pick to finish in 3rd place. Wiley will have some reloading to do this year but return enough to try and push for a regional spot. Wiley will return their #3, #5, and #6 scorers from last year but lose their #1, #2, and #4 scorers. Springfield is my pick to finish in 4th place. Springfield is also my dark horse pick to finish inside the top 3 and reach regionals. Springfield lost their top two scorers from last season and took a large part of the offensive production. Springfield will have pieces back but must find scoring to replace what left. Holly is my pick for 5th place. Holly will also be replacing key scoring from a season ago but they do have tradition and could help them quickly jump up the standings. Holly lose their top two scorers from last year and they turn to a new group of leaders to help make them competitive right away. South Baca rounds out the 1A Ark Valley League. South Baca will be in rebuilding mode losing their top 5 scorers from a season ago. We will see who steps up and leads this year for the Patriots.
My predictions for 1A Ark Valley
League Champion: Walsh
Regional Contenders: Walsh, Kim/Branson, Wiley
Dark Horse: Springfield
Player of the League: Hudson Gourley So. Walsh
Others to watch for: Gage Caddick Jr. Walsh, Samuel Wright Sr. Walsh, Will Doherty Sr. Kim/Branson, Trotter Watkins Jr. Kim/Branson, Grant Mauch Jr. Wiley, Kendale Mauch So. Wiley, Carver Cross So. Wiley, Slayde Cohoon Sr. Springfield, Coltin Woodhouse So. Springfield, Brennan Rothman Sr. Springfield, Drayden Williams Jr. Holly, Joe Kodavatikanti Sr. Holly, Coy King Jr. Holly, Ty Brooks Sr. South Baca
1A 5280 League
1. Denver Waldorf
2. Denver Jewish Day
3. Rocky Mountain Lutheran
4. Mile High Academy
5. Front Range Baptist
6. Victory Prep
The 5280 League will get an automatic berth in regionals. The 5280 has 6 teams this season. I do believe the 5280 will be competitive this year with possibly 4 teams making a regional push. Denver Waldorf is my pick to win the 5280 league. Denver Waldorf returns their top 2 scorers from last year but do lose key depth from a season ago. If depth can step up look for Denver Waldorf to make a State Tournament push. Denver Jewish Day is my pick to finish in 2nd. Denver Jewish Day returns their entire roster from last season and will be looking to push for the State Tournament. Depth scoring will be key to Denver Jewish Day making a deep run. Rocky Mountain Lutheran is my pick to finish in 3rd and make a push for regionals. Rocky Mountain Lutheran returns their entire roster from a season ago. Rocky Mountain will look for more depth scoring to step up as they return 3 players over 10 ppg. Mile High Academy is my pick to finish in 4th. Mile High Academy is also my dark horse pick to challenge the top teams plus make a run for regionals. Mile High Academy returns 4 of their top 5 scorers including their top 2. Mile High Academy must find a way to score more this year to push for regionals. Front Range Baptist and Victory Prep round out the 5280. Front Range Baptist will be reloading a bit this year losing 4 of their top 5 scorers and returning their #3 scorer from last year. If players can step up quickly look for Front Range Baptist to still compete in the 5280. Victory Prep is the final team in the 5280. They did not have a roster online and did not post any stats. They went 0-8 last year.
My predictions for 5280 League
League Champion: Denver Waldorf
Regional Contenders: Denver Waldorf, Denver Jewish Day, Rocky Mountain Lutheran, Mile High Academy
Dark Horse: Mile High Academy
Player of the League: Henry Lottridge Sr. Denver Waldorf
Others to watch for: Cayden Quinn Sr. Denver Waldorf, Solly Bielsky Sr. Denver Jewish Day, Ronen Trujillo Sr. Denver Jewish Day, Michael Rafailov Sr. Denver Jewish Day, Blake Harris Sr. Rocky Mountain Lutheran, Abraham Rivas Jr. Rocky Mountain Lutheran, Gavin Borchardt Sr. Rocky Mountain Lutheran, Rogan Annis Sr. Mile High Academy, Noel Koloay Sr. Mile High Academy, Nathan Jaques Jr. Front Range Baptist,
Regional Predictions
I will still give my regional predictions for the 32 teams I think make regionals. I am missing a few leagues that are 2A/1A or 3A/2A/1A league and they will be mentioned tomorrow.
5280
Denver Waldorf, Denver Jewish Day, Rocky Mountain Lutheran
Ark Valley
Walsh, Kim/Branson, Wiley
Black Forest
Elbert
Fisher Peak
Primero
Hi-Plains
McClave, Cheyenne Wells, Granada, Eads, Kit Carson
North Central
Peetz, Prairie, Briggsdale, Fleming, Weldon Valley
Southern Peaks
Sierra Grande, Sangre De Cristo, Moffat
YWKC
Idalia, Otis, Arickaree/Woodlin, Lone Star
2A/1A Lower Platte
Caliche
2A/1A Union Pacific
Stratton, Flagler
2A/1A West Central
None
2A/1A Western Slope
De Beque
3A/2A/1A Mile High
Flatirons Academy
2A/1A San Juan
Ouray, Nucla
MileHigh Prep Report 