MileHigh Prep Report Preseason Football Class 2A Rankings
We are getting closer and closer to the start of the football season. This is my top 16 preseason rankings. Class 2A will be expanding this year from 16 teams to 24 teams that make the playoffs. We are going to be doing a Media/Coaches Poll again this season. If you are interested in voting shoot me a message. This is just my preseason rankings and as I do more research and talk to more coaches, I may make changes come closer to the season. I am moving to Class 1A next week.
Class 2A
| Rank | Team | Notes |
| #1 | Wellington HS Defending State Champions | Wellington is your defending State Champions. They went a perfect 13-0 last year and were sporting a top defensive unit. Wellington lost 13 seniors from last year including 6 of their top 13 tacklers. Wellington will return plenty of key pieces from last year including RB Brayton Meglen, RB Cyle Kisner, and top defensive player Teagen Greiman. Wellington will return plenty of offensive and defensive linemen returning 12 Jr. & Sr. Defensively Wellington returns 7 of their top 13 tacklers including 2 of their top 6. |
| #2 | Eaton HS Made the playoffs, lost in the Semifinals | Eaton reached the Semifinal yet again falling to Elizabeth 35 to 13. Eaton once again went into the playoffs as a lower seed and made another deep run. Eaton this year should be loaded up for a deep run losing just 10 seniors including just 2 offensive/defensive linemen and 5 of their top 13 tacklers. Eaton offensively returns QB Brayden Legler, RB Jackson Savona, and WR Cooper Wiedeman. They also return 13 Jr. & Sr. Offensive & Defensive Lineman. Defensively Eaton also returns 8 of their top 13 tacklers including 4 of their top 6. Key leadership returning is Ben Lawhead, Paxton Pettinger, and Austin Bright. |
| #3 | Elizabeth HS Runners Up | Elizabeth was your runner up last season. Elizabeth made their deepest run-in program history reaching the State Championship. Elizabeth will have some key pieces to fill across the board including most of their offensive output with over 2000 yards of rushing graduating. All is not lost with Elizabeth as they will return 4 of their 5 starting offensive linemen and look for players like Joaquin Aviles, Ryker Atkins and Brody Aldrige to step into big roles offensively. Defensively Elizabeth should have a top unit returning 8 of their top 13 tacklers including 4 of their top 6. Key defensive players returning are Tyler Hanak, Landon Edwards, and Talyn Douglas. |
| #4 | Forge Christian Made the playoffs, lost in the First Round | Forge Christian made the playoffs in Class 1A last year falling in the first round to Highland. Forge Christian makes the jump into Class 2A this year and look for them to be a contender right away. Forge Christian will have some holes to fill losing 6 seniors with a pair of them graduating over 2000 yards of total offense. Forge Christian offensively will bring back POY Candidate QB Jack Widdifield, RB Raleigh Cleveland, and RB Hayden Hall. The offensive line also returns at least 2 or 3 starters from a year ago. Forge Christian defensively will bring back plenty of talent returning 8 of their top 13 tacklers but will look for new leadership to step up returning just 2 of their top 6. Key defensive players back are Danny Granillo, Evan Eytcheson, and Raleigh Cleveland. |
| #5 | La Junta HS Made the playoffs, lost in the First Round | La Junta made the playoffs last season falling in the first round to Eaton 21 to 13. La Junta made a big leap last year winning their league and are set up for a deep run again this year. La Junta will have some holes to fill losing 11 seniors and taking 5 offensive/defensive linemen. Offensively returning for La Junta is POY Candidate QB Gavin Denahy, RB Raif Robinson and WR Eban Morales. La Junta also returns 6 Jr. & Sr. Offensive/Defensive linemen. Defensively La Junta should continue to improve, returning 8 of their top 13 tacklers including 5 of their top 6. Key defensive players returning are Eban Morales, Jordyn Herrera, and Ryan Remick. |
| #6 | Delta HS Made the playoffs, lost in the First Round | Delta made the playoffs last season falling in the first round to Brush 28 to 7. Delta will be under a new head coach this year and he will have a few holes to fill losing 13 seniors. Offensively Delta will still be a tough unit returning 6 Jr. & Sr. offensive linemen. POY Candidate RB Mack Lockhart looks to have a breakout Sophomore season along with RB Dominick Teal and QB Cole Morlan. Defensively Delta will look to fill a few holes returning just 5 of their top 13 tacklers including 2 of their top 6. Key defensive players returning are Mack Lockhart, Scott Floyd, and Ben Morfitt. |
| #7 | Lamar HS Made the playoffs, lost in the First Round | Lamar made the playoffs last season falling in the first round to Kent Denver 18 to 14. Lamar will look to made a deeper run this year but lose key offensive weapons at WR and RB. Lamar offensively will return POY Candidate QB Jacob Dunning, RB Alex Aguilar, and WR Andrew Chairez. Lamar also returns 8 Jr. & Sr. Offensive/Defensive Lineman. Defensively Lamar could have a top unit returning 7 of their top 13 tacklers including 2 of their top 6. Key defensive players returning are Kilian Losa, Izaias Miera, and Dalton Lira. |
| #8 | Florence HS Made the playoffs, lost in the First Round | Florence made the playoffs last season falling in the first round to Classical Academy 56 to 14. Florence loses just 6 seniors from last year’s playoff run but over 2500 yards of total offense did graduate. Florence has the talent back to make a deep run in Class 2A. Offensively Florence will look for a new weapon to step up and look for RB Ryan Robinson and WR JJ Baker to possibly fill into that role. The offensive line for Florence will be their biggest strength, returning 4 starters on the offensive line. Defensively Florence will be a top unit returning 7 of their top 13 tacklers including 3 of their top 6. Key defensive players returning are Brynnen Lambert, Ayden Jennings, and Damon Shaffer. |
| #9 | Basalt HS Made the Playoffs, lost in the First Round | Basalt made the playoffs last season falling in the first round to Strasburg 21 to 17. Basalt will look for a deeper run this year but will have some holes to fill losing 7 seniors and taking with them over 1800 yards of total offense. Offensively for Basalt they will look for new players to step up like Jude Webb and Sam Volf. Basalt will return 7 Jr. & Sr. offensive linemen and at least 2 starters on the offensive line. Defensively Basalt could be a top 6 unit this year returning 8 of their top 13 tacklers including 3 of their top 6. Key defensive players returning are Chris Hays, Connor Anthes, and Brooks Ragan. |
| #10 | Strasburg HS Made the playoffs, lost in Quarterfinals | Strasburg reached the Quarterfinals last season before falling to Eaton 35 to 32. Strasburg will have some reloading to do this year, especially defensively losing 9 of their top 13 tacklers and 11 total seniors. Offensively Strasburg will bring back a loaded unit including 8 Jr. & Sr. Offensive/Defensive Linemen. POY candidate QB Brody Hopwood is back along with top targets WR Jayden Miller and WR/RB Ayden Dodge. Defensively Strasburg has the most work cutout returning just 4 of their top 13 but return some leadership with Reagan Rosier and Mason Dickens. |
| #11 | University Missed the playoffs, went 4-5 | University missed the playoffs last season, going 4-5. University played in one of the toughest leagues in Class 2A and it should have them battle tested for this year. Offensively University will have a few holes to fill mainly at RB. University will return POY Candidate QB Max Davis, WR Dominic Chacon, and WR Ethan Baker. University also returns 10 Jr. & Sr. Offensive Linemen. Defensively University should make the biggest strides returning 9 of their top 13 tacklers including 3 of their top 6. Key defensive players returning are Aiden Gonzales, Luis Angel Garcia, and Bryce Constance. |
| #12 | Pagosa Springs HS Made the playoffs, lost in the First Round | Pagosa Springs made the playoffs last season, falling to Elizabeth 44 to 38. Pagosa Springs will lose 8 seniors from last years team including their top RB and starting QB. Pagosa Springs will return at least 2 or 3 starters on the offensive line plus have another 4 Jr. and Sr. linemen ready to step up. Pagosa Springs will look for RB Alex Pacheco and RB Hudson Mazur to take a huge step forward this year. Defensively Pagosa Springs could have a top unit in Class 2A returning 8 of their top 13 tacklers from last year including 4 of their top 6. Key defensive players returning are Zander Lefthandbull, Hudson Mazur, and Jimmy Elledge. |
| #13 | Weld Central Missed the Playoffs, went 6-3 last year | Weld Central missed the playoffs last season, going 6-3 and finishing 2nd in their league. Weld Central just missed out on the playoffs and look to make a run for it this year. They do lose 10 seniors from last year including their top RB and top 2 WR’s. Offensively Weld Central will return QB Luke Witzel and RB Braden Schellenberg. The offensive line for Weld Central could also be a huge strength returning at least three starters from a year ago. Defensively Weld Central will have the most to replace from a year ago returning just 6 of their top 13 tacklers and 2 of their top 6. Key defensive players returning are Bryen Stalcup, Cristiano Ontiveros, and Logan Pevler. |
| #14 | Brush | Info will be input soon. Found out more information and removed Sterling. |
| #15 | Classical Academy Made the Playoffs, lost in the Semifinals | Classical Academy made the playoffs last year reaching the Semifinals before falling to Wellington. TCA lose a very good senior class losing 19 seniors including key offensive pieces. Offensively TCA will search for new leaders look for Josiah Musili and Wilson Grothe to step into bigger roles this year. The offensive/defensive line for TCA also returns 11 Jr. & Sr. Defensively TCA also was hit hard by graduation returning just 2 of their top 13 tacklers. Key defensive players returning are Josiah Musili, Aaron Young, and Nathaniel Thorne. |
| #16 | Resurrection Christian Made the Playoffs, lost in the Quarterfinals | Resurrection Christian made the playoffs last year reaching the Quarterfinals before falling to Wellington. Resurrection Christian also lost a good senior class with 17 seniors graduating and over 2300 yards of total offense graduating and key defensive leaders. Offensively Resurrection Christian will return 9 offensive/defensive Jr. and Sr. from a year ago. Resurrection Christian will also look for players like Camden Davis to step into a big role this year. Defensively Resurrection Christian returns 5 of their top 13 tacklers and they always seem to have a top defensive unit. Key defensive players returning are Cooper Fast, Josh Stockton, and Hamilton Pszanka. |
| Other Teams to Watch | #17-Alamosa, #18-Englewood, Coal Ridge, D’Evelyn, Banning Lewis, Denver West, Bayfield, Gunnison, Woodland Park, Aspen |
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