4A-5A Volleyball Conference Rundown

Conference championships are a bit more important in the shortened 2021 season than in the past as those clubs earn automatic bids into the regional tournament.  And with just 24 teams making the playoffs in each class, the job of qualifying is much more difficult this year.  Colorado Preps sets the stage for each conference race entering the final two weeks of the regular season.

 

 

CLASS 4A

CS METRO NORTH:  Classical Academy (5-0) holds down the top spot midway through the conference schedule as they lead Falcon (4-1) by one game.  The Titans won the first meeting with Falcon by sweep last week and will play again on April 20^th.  That outcome should decide whether TCA wins the crown outright or if the two teams share it.

CS METRO SOUTH:  Coronado (7-0) scored a big win over Woodland Park last week as it gave them a one game edge on the Panthers.  It’s a two-team race as all other league clubs have at least three losses.  Game two between the Cougars and Panthers is set for April 22^nd.

JEFFCO:  Littleton is alone in first but the Lions have played just two conference games (2-0) so they have plenty of activity in front of them.   On the schedule this week are matches with Golden (Monday) and D’Evelyn (Saturday).  The Demons and Jaguars each have one league loss and share second place with Evergreen.  D’Evelyn and Golden also square off on Tuesday so it’s an important week for the top of the standings.

WEST SLOPE:  Palisade (5-1) and Eagle Valley (4-1) are tied in first with Steamboat Springs in third with two league losses.  Eagle Valley and Palisade have already split their two conference meetings so they could easily end up sharing the crown.  One important match yet to be played is Saturday between Palisade and Steamboat Springs.  Palisade won the first meeting.

COLORADO:  Eagle Ridge Academy kept their share of first place by beating Weld Central last week.  That win kept Eagle Ridge unbeaten in conference play (4-0) and tied with Skyview (3-0).  That tie will be broken on Tuesday when they collide at Skyview.  Skyview must also tangle with Weld Central on the 20^th.  Despite last week’s loss, the Rebels are still in third just one game back.

LONGS PEAK:  Thompson Valley (4-0) earned the outright lead by beating Niwot (6-1) in four sets last week.  That loss dropped the Cougars into a second-place tie with Fort Morgan (5-1) and Berthoud (4-1).  Thompson Valley has beaten Fort Morgan and Niwot so a win over Berthoud this Saturday moves them very close to the championship.  Niwot also goes to Fort Morgan on Monday in a very important match concerning playoff qualifying and positioning for both.

SOUTH CENTRAL:  Class 5A Pueblo West (6-0) has a two-game edge on Pueblo South and Pueblo County (both 4-2) so it appears any league team that gets in the 4A bracket will do so through the wildcard route.  Pueblo South goes to Pueblo County on Thursday to break the second-place tie.

NORTHERN:  Windsor (4-0) and Mead (2-0) continue sharing the lead with two weeks to play.  They were supposed to play early in the season but COVID has pushed that contest back to the 19^th.  Holy Family and Erie are both 3-1 and still very much alive.  The two sets of Tigers play one another on Wednesday and then Erie goes to Mead on Thursday and Holy Family visits Windsor on Saturday.  So, it’s a very important week for the top four clubs.

PIKES PEAK:  Cheyenne Mountain (6-0) leads Palmer Ridge (6-1), Liberty (4-1), Rampart and Pine Creek (both 3-1) by one game in the loss column.  The standings will change quite a bit as there are at least five matchups of note involving those teams on tap this week alone.  That includes Cheyenne Mountain at Palmer Ridge on Tuesday in a matchup that could easily feature the two highest ranked teams in Class 4A.  Pine Creek and Rampart face off on Monday, then Pike Creek host Cheyenne Mountain on Wednesday.  Rampart also goes to Liberty on Wednesday and then closes the week at Palmer Ridge.

SOUTHWESTERN:  Durango scored a second five-set win over Montrose last week and the result kept them alone atop the league standings at 5-0.  Fruita Monument (3-1) is now alone in second while Montrose fell back to third (2-2).  Durango still meets Fruita Monument for a second time on April 23^rd but that contest could be meaningless to the championship picture as Fruita and Montrose battle twice before then.  The first is this Saturday.  Another interesting matchup has Durango facing 3A Montezuma Cortez on Thursday.  Both are conference leaders with the Panthers already securing the Intermountain championship.

 

CLASS 5A

SOUTH CENTRAL:  As mentioned earlier, Pueblo West has a two-game edge on 4A rivals Pueblo County and Pueblo South so the Cyclones are close to clinching an automatic berth.  They face County a second time this Tuesday and then South for the rematch on the 20^th.

CONTINENTAL:  Mountain Vista (6-0) leads Chaparral (5-1) by one game with Regis (5-2) alone in third.  Since the Golden Eagles have a win over Chaparral, they own the tiebreaker.  They need just one win to official secure the crown and can get it at Ponderosa on Tuesday night.  If they fall short, Mountain Vista is the champion by beating Castle View next Monday (19^th).  Chaparral, which has a win over Regis, still has three league contests left against Legend (Tuesday), Heritage (Thursday) and Highlands Ranch (20^th).  Wins in two of them wraps up second.

EAST METRO:  Still very early in this chase as Brighton (2-0), Vista Peak and Prairie View (1-0) share the lead despite having just four combined league wins.  Brighton has the best overall record (6-1) so the Bulldogs are the favorite.  They go to Prairie View on Friday and then host Vista Peak on the 20^th.  Prairie View and Vista Peak meet up this Tuesday.

FRONT RANGE:  Only two weeks remain in the regular season but seven teams are within one game of the conference lead.  Fossil Ridge (3-0) stands alone atop the standings but six teams have just one league loss and remain in the chase.  That group includes Rocky Mountain, Fort Collins, Horizon, Broomfield, Monarch and Loveland.  One of those will fall a bit farther back in the pack on Monday as Loveland meets Horizon.  The Indians must also tangle with Fort Collins on Wednesday and Monarch on Thursday so it’s a difficult week for them.  Fossil Ridge cannot rest either as they head to Broomfield on Tuesday, faces Horizon on Thursday and then Monarch on Saturday.

JEFFCO:  Ralston Valley (4-0) and Columbine (2-0) enter this week sharing the top spot.  They collide on April 20^th but both still have some work left before making that match for the conference championship.  Columbine meets Lakewood this Friday and then Chatfield next week.  The Tigers and Chargers are tied for third one game back in the loss column.  Ralston Valley has already beaten Chatfield and Lakewood but still must travel to Valor Christian on Tuesday.  The Eagles have two league losses but have spent most of the season in the 5A Top 10.

CENTENNIAL:  Could be closing in on a tie between Cherry Creek (9-1) and Cherokee Trail (8-1) for the championship.  They’ve already played twice and split two highly charged five-set marathons.  Both are two up on Grandview with Mullen in fourth place another game back.  Creek must still play Grandview and C-Trail has a date left with Mullen.  Both of those matches are on April 20^th.

DENVER PUBLIC:  Denver East (4-0) and Thomas Jefferson (5-0) are the last two league unbeatens remaining.  They meet on April 23^rd in the match that could crown the champion.  Thomas Jefferson scored a huge win over Denver South last week; handing the Ravens their first league loss.  Denver South challenges Denver East on the 21^st.