Palmer Ridge is 6-0 in girls soccer — its best start since it reached the semifinals in 2022.

Because of it, the Bears are currently ranked No. 1 in Class 4A. They’ve outscored opponents 30-1 so far, with their only allowed goal coming in a 2-1 win over No. 2 Rampart in their fifth game of the season.

It’s been impressive, but what do early records really tell us?

History says: meh, not much.

Coronado was the top-ranked 4A team through the majority of the first month last season — and also for the first few weeks of 2024 — but over the last two postseasons, the Cougars combined to win just one game.

Meanwhile, back-to-back 4A champion Evergreen was never inside the top 10 in 2024, when it eventually won the title as the No. 14 seed. The year before, the Cougars didn’t reach the top spot until late April.

Further back, 2023 champion Dakota Ridge and 2022 winner Northfield didn’t crack the top 10 until weeks into their respective seasons. And in 2021, champion Holy Family was ranked just 12th entering the postseason.

With that, here are a few games that might shed more light on these early rankings.

5A No. 1 Fossil Ridge at 4A No. 26 Windsor, April 7, 6:30 p.m.

By rankings, this looks like a lopsided affair. But not all is as it seems … maybe.

Windsor is coming off a finals appearance last year, and though the Wizards are 0-7 against the SaberCats since 2009, four of those losses were by just one goal, including last season’s 2-1 defeat.

4A No. 25 Mead at No. 1 Palmer Ridge, Monday, 7 p.m.

Here’s a good chance to see what’s real or not for teams on opposite sides of the ranking spectrum.

The Mavericks (1-0-1) won the 4A/3A Granite Peaks League and reached the quarterfinals last season. They opened this year with a 6-0 win at Liberty Common before playing to a scoreless draw against Thompson Valley. If there are 24 better teams in 4A, it’ll be a strong year for soccer in the state.

The Bears (6-0) currently have four more games under their belt. Junior Teagan Porterfield has one more goal than Mead’s entire team this season, with seven.

4A No. 46 Skyline at 3A No. 2 Longmont, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.

The Trojans (5-0) have made huge strides over the last three seasons, totaling 29 wins after six straight losing seasons. But they haven’t found postseason success yet.

Though Skyline (1-3) is off to a middling start, this would be a significant win for the Trojans, who haven’t beaten the Falcons since 2014. In the past nine meetings, the Falcons have outscored Longmont 38-5.

2A No. 1 Crested Butte at 3A No. 21 Manitou Springs, Saturday, 3 p.m.

Could this finally be Crested Butte’s year?

The Titans (4-0-2) have been close to the mountain top, reaching the semifinals a year ago. Last week, they turned some heads by beating defending champion Loveland Classical 5-3.

The Mustangs (1-1), who have one of the higher winning percentages in the state over the last decade, meanwhile, dropped their opener against 3A No. 1 Pueblo Centennial before beating 2A No. 26 Banning Lewis Academy.

Rankings aside, a win over Manitou Springs would be a huge nonconference victory for Crested Butte.