District champions will be crowned today and many other teams will wrap up berths in either the regional or state tournament brackets set for release in Classes 1A, 2A and 3A on Sunday. Colorado Preps will post results on our daily scoreboard and of course update brackets, but this blog is in place to tell you what final scores mean going forward in the playoffs.
We invite you to check back with this story throughout the day as we’ll breakdown possible seeding for next week throughout the afternoon and evening.
10:14pm: Sanford downs Crested Butte to win the District 1 title and Wray holds off Holyoke for the District 2 crown. Both will be at home for regionals next week. Sanford is closing in on the number three overall seed with Wray bumping all the way to number six.
10:12pm: Evangelical Christian in District 7 and Mile High Academy in District 8 round out the district champions in Class 1A as both picked up late wins. ECA heads to the Southeast where they will likely be the #3 seed behind Kit Carson and Walsh but still receive a first round bye. Mile High Academy should land the top overall seed for the Northeast bracket.
9:50pm: Vanguard avenges a regular season loss to Manitou Springs by downing the Mustangs for the 3A Tri Peaks championship. The Coursers will be at home for the first two rounds of the state tournament while Manitou Springs will probably be on the road but as a top 12 seed.
8:48pm: DSST-Montview edged Middle Park for the 3A Frontier title and now they wait to see if they get to play at home in regionals. Montview started the game #16 in RPI and district champs must finish in the top 16 to earn the home court advantage. Middle Park is also in the tournament automatically but would have qualified anyway as they sit #20 in RPI.
8:24pm: Kit Carson is the 1A District 2 champion as they edged Cheraw 45-42. The Wildcats started the night #1 in RPI and two spots ahead of Walsh. They need to stay ahead of the Eagles to earn the number one seed for regionals. They should be the top two with the ECA/Pikes Peak Christian winner getting the third spot.
8:23pm: Haxtun holds off Stratton/Liberty to claim the 1A District 5 championship. Those two will also take part in the Northeast regional but each will be well down the seeding ladder. They’re currently seventh and eighth in the bracket.
8:21pm: Denver Waldorf becomes the third and final qualifier from 1A District 8 as they beat Flatirons Academy in the third place game. Waldorf joins league rivals Mile High Academy and Denver Jewish Day in the regional bracket as those two teams are battling for the championship. Regional seeding will be done by RPI so Waldorf right now sits #5 but is in a tight battle with Flatirons Academy, Briggsdale Merino and Denver Jewish Day. The five clubs hold down spots 7-11 so the order will change once RPI numbers are finalized.
7:44pm: Manual’s overtime win over Lutheran 79-70 to win the 3A Metro will cause some changes to the state tournament bracket. The result does solidify Resurrection Christian’s hold on the top spot but where to put Lutheran will now be a big question. They were #2 in RPI before the Manual loss so that may allow Vanguard (#3) to move up provided they beat Manitou Springs (#9) in the Tri Peaks final. District results, head to head results and common opponents all play a role in laying out the bracket. District champs in the RPI top 16 are guaranteed a top eight seed and home court advantage through the first two rounds. All district champs are currently in the top 12.
6:59pm: Genoa Hugo went into overtime before downing Edison to win third place in 1A District 7. That win pushes the Pirates into the Southeast regional where they will be paired with Granada and South Baca for spots seven through nine in the bracket.
6:49pm: Yuma bounced back from the Friday loss to Holyoke to upend Sedgwick County for third place in 2A District 2. The Indians right now have the highest RPI standing of any non-district champion. If that holds, they will be the #9 seed and likely be headed to Vail Mountain for the regional tournament. Sanford started the game two spots ahead of Yuma in the standings and the Indians must still get by Crested Butte in the District 2 finals to claim a home game in the first two rounds. A loss could drop Yuma to #10 in the bracket meaning they would head elsewhere; possibly to Peyton. Sedgwick County is the third highest rated “wildcard” so they’re sitting #11 in the regional bracket right now.
6:35pm: Vail Mountain finished off a tremendous run to win the 2A District 5 crown. They upset #4 Paonia in the quarterfinals, top seeded Vail Christian in the semifinals and tonight moved past #2 Meeker in the title game. The district title gives the Gore Rangers a chance to play at home for regionals next week but they will be seeded 8th. They entered the game #30 in RPI.
6:30pm: Sangre De Cristo rolled Primero 70-35 to win the 1A District 6 crown and that result finalizes the Western regional for next week. Sangre De Cristo is the #1 team from District 6 so they will play the District 1 runner-up Ouray. The other contest has Primero challenging defending state champion De Beque. Both games are at Gunnison HS next week and winners of each earn a trip to the state tournament.
5:18pm: Gunnison followed up the regular season crown by taking the 3A Western Slope district title with a 30-point win over Aspen. The Cowboys will play at home next week as a district champion. They’re #12 in RPI which will put them most likely at #7 or #8 in the state tournament bracket.
5:11pm: Idalia moves through to regionals as a 68-62 win over Flagler/Hi Plains lands them third place in 1A District 5. The Wolves most likely are looking at the number nine seed in the nine-team bracket.
5:10pm: Granada keeps their season and the career of coach Manual Gonzales alive by outlasting Cheyenne Wells 64-60 in double overtime. The win gives the Bobcats third place in 1A District 2 and a spot in next week’s regional tournament. They will be among the lowest three seeds in that bracket.
4:25pm: Highland likely wrapped up the top overall regional seed in Class 2A by beating Heritage Christian 90-67 for the District 7 championship. The Huskies are unbeaten against 2A opponents and started the game tops in the RPI standings. They’re coming off a runner-up finish at the state tournament a year ago.
4:18pm: Limon wins the rematch with Denver Christian 49-34 to take the 2A District 4 championship. The Badgers opened the game #2 in RPI and will likely stay behind Highland if the Huskies win the District 7 crown. Denver Christian started the night number four and if the brackets were released with the current standings, they would be either the #9 or #10 seed based on Sanford’s result with Crested Butte in the District 1 championship. DC trails Sanford by .004 in the RPI chase.
4:17pm: Mancos rallied past Ignacio to capture the 2A District 3 championship. It was the third meeting between the two rivals and the Bluejays have now won the last two. Mancos sits #7 in RPI but could get to number five in the bracket because Yuma (#5) will not be a district champion and either Limon (#2) or Denver Christian (#4) will fall in the District 4 finals.
4:13pm: Peyton is the 2A District 8 champ as they avenge a regular season loss to DH Prep by beating the Scorpions 55-40. That win assures the Panthers will play at home for regionals next week and they likely will end up as either the #7 or #8 seed overall. They entered the game #13 in RPI which was four spots higher than Dolores Huerta (#17).
3:51pm: Salida kept their state tournament hopes alive by beating Lamar 56-51 for fifth place in the 3A Tri Peaks. The Spartans entered the game #32 in RPI and squarely on the bubble. Atlas Prep (#31) is one team ahead of them that has lost today while #27 Aspen has a game with top seeded Gunnison in the Western Slope. Another concern is Riverdale Ridge. The Ravens are #34 in RPI but earn an automatic bid as runner-up in the confluence.
2:40pm: Machebeuf edged Kent Denver 68-67 for fifth in the 3A Metro. Ranked #21 and #22 respectively in RPI to start the day, both teams are safely in the state tournament bracket.
2:16pm: De Beque rallies from a double-digit first half deficit to stun Ouray in the 1A District 1 championship game. The defending state champion Dragons now face the loser of Sangre De Cristo / Primero in the regional round next week. The T-Birds and Bulldogs collide for the District 6 crown with Ouray facing the winner in regionals.
2:08pm: Merino lands the 1A District 4 title with a 47-32 win over Longmont Christian. The Rams are #11 in RPI but trail potential regional opponents Mile High Academy, Flatirons Academy, Briggsdale, Denver Jewish Day and Denver Waldorf in those standings. So despite winning the district title, the Rams could be seeded no better than #5.
1:28pm: Burlington (District 4) and Dawson (District 7) claimed third in their district tournament with wins over Clear Creek and Dayspring Christian respectively. Dawson is #15 in RPI and could be placed in the top half of the 32-team regional bracket. Burlington is #21. Clear Creek (#23) and Dayspring (#18) will also get good spots in the pairings.
1:24pm: Delta worked overtime but topped Roaring Fork 61-56 to win third place in the 3A Western Slope. The Panthers opened the day #34 in RPI and Roaring Fork #43 so both need help to get into the state bracket. Gunnison and Aspen play for the title later today and both teams have advanced to state.
1:09pm: Telluride earns the 32nd and final berth of the 2A Regional tournament as they stuffed Ridgway 70-51. That win gave the Miners third place in District 3 and only the top three teams advance. 39th in RPI, the Miners will be in the lower half of the regional bracket.
12:44pm: La Junta’s seventh place win over Atlas Prep in the 3A Tri Peaks district may not be enough to get them into the bracket but the result could spoil the chances of Atlas Prep. La Junta was #42 in RPI at the beginning of the day and well outside the top 32. Atlas Prep is #31 in RPI but could drop with today’s loss.
12:00pm: West Grand is the fifth and final qualifier from 2A District 5 as they edged Paonia 36-31. The Mustangs move into the 32-team regional bracket and before the game were #34 in RPI. With this result, only one spot remains in the regional bracket with Telluride battling Ridgway for third in District 3. That game is going on right now.
11:14am: Five of the seven 3A district titles will be decided later today. Resurrection Christian (Patriot) claimed a title on Thursday and DSST-Byers (Confluence) clinched last night. Rez Christian is the likely top overall state tournament seed as they’re unbeaten and sit #1 in RPI. DSST-Byers will also be at home for the first two rounds as they’re #8 in RPI. District champions earn the right to host if they finish in the RPI Top 16.
11:03am: Briggsdale advances to regionals as the third place team in 1A District 4. The Falcons are in a tight battle with Denver Jewish Day, Denver Waldorf and Merino for the third seed and a first round bye in next week’s district tournament. Waldorf must beat Flatirons Academy today to advance. Flatirons (#6) and Mile High Academy (#2) currently hold the top two seeds.
10:01am: Walsh is the first district champion in Class 1A as they edged Kim/Branson 46-44 Friday night in District 3. The Eagles will join the winners of District 2 and 7 as the top three seeds in the Southeast regional next week. Right now, the Eagles would be placed at #2 behind Kit Carson provided the Wildcats get by Cheraw for the District 3 crown. Evangelical Christian is favored to land the District 7 crown and the Eagles are #12 in RPI.
9:55am: Fowler won the 2A District 6 championship on Friday and as a result the Grizzlies will host a regional tournament next week. The eight district champions are seeded 1-8 based on RPI. RPI was updated at 7:15 this morning and right now, the Grizzlies would earn either the #3 or #4 seed in the bracket. They’re 6th in RPI but at least two of the teams ahead of them and possibly a third will not win a district crown. Yuma is #5 but lost in the district semifinals on Friday while Limon (#2) and Denver Christian (#4) square off for the District 4 championship. Sanford (#3) also has a tight battle with Crested Butte for the District 1 title.
