Saturday marks the final day of district tournament play in Classes 1A, 2A and 3A. Regional tournaments are set for next week and results from today will greatly impact the brackets for those events. Throughout the day, we’ll provide some insight and thoughts on regional bracketing as results come in.
For Classes 1A, the top three seeds in the Northeast and Southeast brackets receive first round byes. #4 faces #9, #5 vs #8 and #6 vs #7 in the first round. For Class 2A, the district champions earn the right to host and will be seeded 1-8 by RPI. In Class 3A, district champions earn the right to host if they finish in the top 16 of RPI.
10:59pm: Let’s do a correction on the 1A Western regional pairings. The District 8 championship score was given to us incorrectly as Front Range Baptist actually won the championship. So they will face North Park and DeBeque will instead meet Cornerstone Christian.
9:42pm: Pairings can now be set for the 1A Western regional. The top two teams from Districts 1 and 8 cross bracket for two games next Saturday in Glenwood Springs. Winners advance to the state tournament.
- Cornerstone Christian vs North Park
- Front Range Baptist vs DeBeque
9:15pm: With more results coming in, we’re starting to get a feel for the 1A Northeast bracket. Again several scores from today have not been added to the standings but we’d like to think that Heritage Christian will move ahead of Peetz for the number one seed. Peetz seems to be solid at #2 with Longmont Christian at #3. Otis, despite a loss to Arickaree/Woodlin in the District 5 finals today, could hold onto the fourth seed with Genoa Hugo fifth and A-W #6. Stratton/Liberty, Elbert and Deer Trail probably will end up 7-9. Stratton/Liberty and Elbert could be exchanged to avoid a first round district pairing between A-W and Stratton/Liberty.
9:11pm: 2A regional pairings for the top eight are starting to layout. We’ve had some surprises today as Sanford took the District 1 crown and Ellicott captured the District 8 title as the 4th seed. Using RPI standings from 3:30pm, Crowley County would be the top seed followed by the winner of Sedgwick County/Yuma. Highland sits at #3 with Byers at #4 and Meeker #5. The Bottom three at this point are Ignacio, Ellicott and Sanford but several results have not been factored in meaning changes could easily occur.
5:13pm: In a game that will greatly impact the Southeast regional seedings next week, Cheraw edged Cheyenne Wells 42-41. The Tigers were looking at either the third or fourth seed in the bracket but instead will not get to play into next week. Cheraw will be in the mix with Walsh and McClave for spots seven through nine in the RPI seed but one or two could be moved to avoid facing a district rival in the opening round.
4:45pm: Three teams in 2A have locked up district titles and earned the right to play at home. Crowley County was the first to do so in District 6 on Friday and the Chargers today have been joined by Ignacio in District 3 and Byers in District 4. Ignaco won their title for the 11th straight year while Byers used a strong fourth quarter to pull away from Limon. It’s still a bit too early to determine seeding for these teams as five other champions must be crowned.
2:45pm: We’ve discussed this in the 1A District 4 girls bracket between Fleming and Briggsdale and the same situation could be brewing in the boys division. Heritage Christian used two free throws with 2.5 seconds left to upset Peetz 63-62 in the district championship game. Going into the game, Peetz was ahead of Heritage Christian in the RPI and feasibly could stay there despite today’s loss. Both are in the same region and hopefully RPI will change to put Heritage Christian as the number one seed ahead of Peetz because of the head-to-head win.
12:28pm: Paonia becomes the 32nd and final qualifier to the 2A regional bracket. The Eagles worked overtime to beat Plateau Valley 66-63 to land fifth place in District 5. Paonia started the day 19th in RPI so should be a middle of the pack team in the bracket – will be involved in one of those toss-up first round matchups.
12:20pm: Telluride has earned third place in District 3 by beating Ridgway 55-32. The Miners are 38th in RPI so again they will be one of the lower seeds in the 32-team field. Could be shipped to face the Western Slope district champion or possibly the winner of the Southern Peaks district.
11:20am: Longmont Christian has beaten Fleming 61-38 to clinch third in District 4. The Warriors advance to regionals next week and right now in RPI they would be the third seed behind district rivals Peetz and Heritage Christian who play for the title later today.
11:15am: Crowley County is the only 2A club that has clinched a home regional next week. The Chargers topped Fowler to land the District 6 title last night and could be the top overall seed. They’re unbeaten at 21-0. The top seed in every other bracket except for District 8 are still in position to win a championship and should they all win, the bracket will lay out cleanly. Sedgwick County and Calhan are two teams to keep an eye on. They’re 2nd and 3rd in RPI currently but only Sedgwick County can host next week. They must beat Yuma to get there. Calhan lost in the District 8 semifinals last week and could be facing a trip to Ignacio, Del Norte, Sanford, Meeker or Hotchkiss in the first round as a 9 or 10 seed. Sedgwick County is in the same boat if they fall short against Yuma. Yuma also gets into that category with a loss as does Limon and Byers. The Badgers and Bulldogs meet for the District 4 crown title later today and they’re 5th and 7th in RPI respectively.
10:55am: Sangre De Cristo has eliminated Primero to grab third place inside District 6. The T-Birds opened the day fifth in the regional bracket based on RPI and could move up if Cheyenne Wells falls to Cheraw in their third place game inside District 2. Longmont Christian leads Fleming 44-23 late in the third so the Warriors appear on their way to the regional tournament. The winner of the game probably lands the third seed in the regional bracket.
9:15am: The 1A brackets for both the Northeast and Southeast are starting to take shape. In the Northeast, Peetz and Heritage Christian play for the District 4 crown and regardless of outcome, they should end up 1-2 in the regional bracket. The winner between Longmont Christian/Fleming may end up third in the regional bracket despite finishing third in the district event. Otis, Genoa Hugo and Arickaree/Woodlin appear in line for spots 4-6 with the Stratton/Liberty – Flagler/Hi Plains winner in District 5 later today grabbing the seventh seed. Elbert and the winner between Kiowa/Deer Trail should end up in spots eight and nine. We’ll take first round pairings and possible moves to avoid district pairings in the first round a bit later today. In the Southeast, the key game appears to be Cheraw-Cheyenne Wells for third in District 2. If Cheyenne Wells wins that game, they could end up with the fourth overall seed but a loss eliminates them for the regional tournament. Cheraw right now sits in the eight or ninth seed but again the Wolverines must win to advance. Another key game finds Sangre De Cristo vs Primero for third in District 6. Again it’s an elimination game as only the winner moves on. Sangre De Cristo could end up with the fifth seed if they advance while Primero most likely won’t climb higher than sixth. Holly, Creede and Sierra Grande currently hold down the top three positions in regionals and all three will advance regardless of outcomes today. Sierra Grande and Creede battle for the District 6 title while Holly claimed the top prize in District 3 on Friday. Other teams that have clinched berths are Kit Carson, South Baca and Walsh.
