Conference races continue to take shape as we approach the final week of the regular season. We update those standings based on important results from Thursday evening.
CLASS 1A
- Primero held onto second place behind Sangre De Cristo in the Southern Peaks by beating La Veta 61-33. The win keeps the Bulldogs one back of the T-Birds and one up on both Cotopaxi and Manzanola in the race for second. Sangre De Cristo stayed perfect in the league with a 67-48 win over Sierra Grande.
- Flatirons Academy scored a key win over Denver Jewish Day (50-36) and now sits third in the 5280 conference. The result also leaves Mile High Academy alone in second and one game off the pace set by unbeaten Denver Waldorf.
CLASS 2A
- Yuma moved to 6-0 in the Lower Platte with a 70-34 win over Caliche. The two-time defending state champions use the win to stay one game up on Sedgwick County atop the standings.
- Mancos had an easy time with a 84-20 win over Nucla to stay one game back of Ignacio in the San Juan division. The top two teams collide next Tuesday in Mancos.
- Fowler stayed perfect in the Santa Fe conference as they blew by Hoehne 69-43
- Meeker stayed in line for the #2 seed in the Western Slope with a 60-53 win over Soroco. The Cowboys are tied with Plateau Valley in third place conference wise but have the head-to-head win. 1A DeBeque and Vail Christian share the league lead with the Saints in good shape to land the #1 district seed; likewise for DeBeque in Class 1A district 1.
CLASS 3A
- DSST-Byers had no issues in keeping the Frontier lead as they blitzed William Smith 96-14 on Thursday. The win kept the Falcons one game up on DSST-Green Valley and Ridgeview Academy. They face Ridgeview Academy next Wednesday.
- Manual’s win over Skyview Academy 82-34 kept the Thunderbolts in a third-place tie with Machebeuf in the Metro. Both teams trail Faith Christian by one game with Machebeuf challenging the Eagles on Friday. Lutheran also clinched the league championship by beating Colorado Academy 69-43.
- Eaton knocked off Frontier Academy to remain third in the Patriot league. The Reds will watch with great interest the Sterling-University matchup on Friday. A Sterling win leaves the Reds alone in third while a University win creates a three-way tie for second between the Bulldogs, Eaton and Sterling.
- Vanguard stayed in a first place tie with Manitou Springs atop the Tri Peaks as the Coursers knocked off Colorado Springs Christian 69-48. St Mary’s also kept sole possession of third place with their 81-48 win over Buena Vista but the Pirates are two games back of the leaders with losses to both. Vanguard goes to Manitou Springs next Tuesday but still has two games with Salida and James Irwin this week.
CLASS 4A
- Longmont topped Mountain View 77-32 to maintain sole possession of the Northern lead. They improved to 9-1 in league play and sit one game up on Silver Creek. The Raptors opened some breathing room in the race for second by beating Niwot 61-26. That left Silver Creek at 8-2 and two games up on Niwot and Centaurus. Centaurus caught up with Niwot thanks to their 55-38 win over Greeley Central.
- Windsor kept at least a share of third place in the Tri Valley by moving past Holy Family 58-35 in Broomfield. The Wizards are 10-4 and a half game up on Skyline (9-4) with both two games out of second place.
- Pueblo East bounced Pueblo Centennial 73-29 to remain alone atop the South Central standings. They also kept their two-game lead on Pueblo Central and Pueblo West so a win over Pueblo South on Tuesday gives East the championship.
- Lewis Palmer stayed alone in second place in the Pikes Peak by beating Palmer Ridge 60-56. The Rangers remain three games back of first place Cheyenne Mountain.
- Mead clinched at least a tie for the Tri Valley title as they cruised by Roosevelt 68-33. The Mavericks are now 14-0 in conference play with a two-game edge on Erie. They can officially clinch the championship by beating Erie on Tuesday or Holy Family a week from Friday.
- Glenwood Springs kept their two-game lead in the Western Slope with a 69-35 home win over Eagle Valley. The Demons head to Steamboat Springs on Saturday with a two-game lead on the Sailors and will cinch the league crown with a win. They also have two conference games with Battle Mountain and Palisade next week.
CLASS 5A
- Broomfield took over third place in the Front Range with a hard-fought 45-39 win over Fossil Ridge. The teams shared third going in so the Eagles are now alone in that spot but they remain two games off the pace set by league unbeatens Fairview and Boulder.
- Vista Peak will remain in second in the East Metro after beating Prairie View 73-44. The Bison are tied with Gateway for the spot but have the edge as they topped the Olys 58-52 on Tuesday. Vista Peak challenges first-place Rangeview on Friday but the game is a non-conference meeting.