Earlier today we posted our first story on the possibility of adding a sixth classification for basketball and what it may do for conference alignment and placement of teams in each division. In the first story, Colorado Preps laid out our thoughts on Classes 1A, 2A and 3A and now we finish up the proposal by presenting our ideas for the largest three classifications.
As we did with the smallest three divisions, we did some shuffling of teams to keep traditional rivalries intact and to keep the number of schools in each classification almost the same. We also suggest that some of the conferences with a large number of schools be split to a more manageable eight to ten team league.
A big reminder that there is nothing official in our presentation. We understand CHSAA has started the discussion of adding another classification but nothing has been approved by the organization. This breakdown is for discussion purposes only and we welcome your thoughts on our conference layout. You can add comments to the story below, send us an email to [email protected] or post on our Facebook once we link the story there.
CLASS 4A — 52 TEAMS
| WEST | SOUTH |
| Aspen | Atlas Prep |
| Coal Ridge | James Irwin |
| Delta | Manitou Springs |
| Moffat County | Classical Academy |
| Steamboat Springs | Elizabeth |
| Rifle | Woodland Park |
| Summit (down from 5A) | Sierra |
| Lake County | |
| METRO | CONFLUENCE |
| Colorado Academy | DSST-College View |
| Jefferson Academy | DSST-Byers |
| Prospect Ridge | Strive Prep |
| Kent Denver | Eagle Ridge Academy |
| Lutheran | Riverdale Ridge |
| Peak to Peak | DSST-Green Valley |
| Holy Family | Englewood |
| Faith Christian (up from 3A) | Alameda |
| FRONTIER | NORTHEAST |
| Arrupe Jesuit | Fort Lupton |
| Pinnacle | University |
| Academy | Eaton |
| DSST-Stapleton | Valley |
| Conifer | Berthoud |
| Skyview | Brush |
| Arvada | Sterling |
| D’Evelyn | Weld Central |
| SOUTHWEST | Â |
| Montezuma Cortez | |
| Alamosa | |
| Pagosa Springs | |
| Bayfield | |
| Durango (down from 5A) |
NOTES: Probably the biggest move in this classification involves Durango. The Demons have an enrollment of over 1100 students so they would easily be the biggest school in the division and pairing them with the likes of Pagosa Springs, Bayfield, Alamosa and Montezuma Cortez is more for geography than size of school. Most of the schools play during the regular season anyway and under this format, the games (full of intensity) would count in the league standings. Another move kept Faith Christian in with their traditional Metro rivals and also competitive balance as the Eagles have been a regular visitor to the 3A state tournament for the past two decades and we can see them staying a state championship threat on the 4A level with this layout.
CLASS 5A — 63 TEAMS
| NORTHERN | TRI VALLEY |
| Erie | Fort Morgan |
| Skyline | Roosevelt |
| Niwot | Frederick |
| Centaurus | Mountain View |
| Mead | Thompson Valley |
| Longmont | Northridge |
| Silver Creek | Windsor |
| Broomfield | Greeley Central |
| CITY | SOUTHERN |
| Regis Groff | Pueblo County |
| Lincoln | Pueblo South |
| Kennedy | Pueblo East |
| Denver North | Pueblo Centennial |
| Denver West (brought up from 4A) | Pueblo West |
| Northfield (brought up from 4A) | Pueblo Central (up from 4A) |
| CS METRO | PIKES PEAK |
| Harrison | Discovery Canyon |
| Canon City | Falcon |
| Mesa Ridge | Sand Creek |
| Mitchell | Cheyenne Mountain |
| Widefield | Vista Ridge |
| Lewis Palmer | |
| JEFFCO | WEST |
| Green Mountain | Eagle Valley |
| Golden | Glenwood Springs |
| Evergreen | Battle Mountain |
| Littleton | Summit |
| Wheat Ridge | Palisade |
| Standley Lake | Montrose |
| Pomona | GJ Central |
| Dakota Ridge | Grand Junction |
| Fruita Monument |
NOTES: This layout is mainly the former Class 4A division simply moved up to Class 5A. The enrollment numbers keep most of the league the same as in the past. We did so some shuffling between the Northern and Tri Valley conferences in our proposal. The Longmont area schools were all placed in the Northern leagues while the Loveland area schools (Mountain View & Thompson Valley) were moved to the Tri Valley. The reason is simply geography and to set up more rivalry areas between neighboring schools. One concern is the few number of schools in the Southern, CS Metro and Pikes Peak leagues as some movement there could trim those three leagues to two and get closer to a traditional eight team league, but we tried to keep current conferences in place where possible.
CLASS 6A — 54 TEAMS
| EAST METRO | CENTENNIAL |
| Brighton | Smoky Hill |
| Adams City | Arapahoe |
| Prairie View | Overland |
| Aurora Central | Grandview |
| Hinkley | Eaglecrest |
| Rangeview | Cherokee Trail |
| Vista Peak (moved up from 5A) | Cherry Creek |
| Gateway (moved up from 5A) | Mullen (up from 5A) |
| FRONT RANGE | NORTH METRO |
| Fort Collins | Thornton |
| Poudre | Northglenn |
| Rocky Mountain | Westminster |
| Fossil Ridge | Horizon |
| Boulder | Mountain Range |
| Fairview | Legacy |
| Loveland (up from 5A) | Monarch |
| Greeley West (up from 5A) | |
| JEFFCO | CITY |
| Arvada West | Denver East |
| Chatfield | Far Northeast |
| Ralston Valley | Thomas Jefferson (up from 5A) |
| Lakewood | George Washington (up from 5A) |
| Bear Creek (up from 5A) | Denver South (up from 5A) |
| Columbine (up from 5A) | |
| CS METRO | CONTINENTAL |
| Fountain Fort Carson | Heritage |
| Doherty | Highlands Ranch |
| Palmer (up from 5A) | Regis |
| Rampart (up from 5A) | Douglas County |
| Liberty (up from 5A) | ThunderRidge |
| Pine Creek (up from 5A) | Legend |
| Castle View | |
| Rock Canyon | |
| Chaparral | |
| Mountain Vista | |
| Valor Christian | |
| Ponderosa (up from 5A) | |
NOTES: Traditional rivalries were the main thought in creating a new Class 6A as a whopping 15 schools were bumped up from 5A enrollment to make 6A a viable division. This league structure is virtually identical to current 5A classification. The main change involves moving Valor Christian to the Continental based on geography and splitting up the East Metro and Front Range conferences to create the new North Metro. All those schools seem to be within almost walking distance of one another (except for Monarch) so we think that would be a good league filled with natural neighborhood rivalries. We may also push for the Continental to divide into two six-team divisions to give more teams a chance to win a league championship. There are also eight leagues in our format and we would then recommend a conference champion automatically earn a top 16 seed and get a first round bye.
