The boys soccer playoff brackets were released Monday for all four of the state’s classifications.
Northfield overcame Boulder for the top spot in Class 5A’s 32-team bracket. Mullen and Holy Family lead the 32-team fields in 4A and 3A, while Denver Christian is No. 1 among 2A’s 24 teams.
Opening-round games begin Wednesday with 5A and 3A. The 4A playoffs start Thursday and 2A begins Friday.
Below is a quick look at each classification.
Class 5A
Top four: Northfield, Boulder, Broomfield and Cherry Creek.
5A scoring leader coming into the postseason: Boulder’s Xander Sevian, a Clemson commit, has 57 points. He has 18 goals and 21 assists.
What to know: The Nighthawks (13-0-2) played to a draw and beat No. 5 Denver East over the final week of the season, vaulting them past Boulder (14-0-1), which had been 5A’s top-ranked team for most of the season.
The No. 2 Panthers had their way in the 5A/4A Rocky Mountain League, beating their six opponents a combined 43-0. The last goal they allowed came against crosstown-rival No. 9 Fairview (8-4-3) on Oct. 1. Their one tie this season was to defending champ Broomfield (12-2-1), which is ranked third.
The 2023 champ Eagles lost to the Knights in the final week of the season but held on to win the 5A Granite Peaks League.
No. 4 Cherry Creek (13-1-1) went a perfect 7-0 in the 5A/4A Centennial League, winning a league title for the first time since 2019.
First-round game to watch: No. 19 Valor Christian vs. No. 14 Vista PEAK Prep at Aurora Public Schools Stadium, Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Valor Christian (7-5-3) has had mixed results throughout the season, where after winning three in a row into early September, hasn’t put together consecutive wins since.
Vista PEAK Prep (9-2-4) struggled against top talent earlier in the month, losing to Northfield, 5-0, and Denver East, 4-0. Its 3-1 win over No. 21 Denver North late last week was good enough to seal a first-round home game.
Class 4A
Top four: Mullen, Battle Mountain, Air Academy and Centaurus.
4A scoring leader coming into the postseason: Behind Pueblo County’s Kade Fisher, who did not reach the playoffs after netting 62 points (26 goals, 10 assists), Greeley Central’s Daniel Martinez has 58 points (22, 14) and Canon City’s Hector Herrera has 51 (23, 5)
What to know: The Mustangs (11-2-2) won their last four games of the season, which included a 2-0 result over defending champion No. 2 Battle Mountain (10-4-1) on Saturday. Earlier in the season, they beat No. 4 Centaurus (9-3-3), 2-1.
The 2023 champ Huskies (10-4-1) have been strong in their repeat quest in 2024, with their only losses coming to 4A No. 1 Mullen, No. 4 Centaurus, 5A No. 1 Northfield and No. 5 Denver East.
Centaurus came out a tough 4A/3A Granite Peaks League, which includes four teams in 4A’s top 12. It drew with No. 5 Silver Creek and No. 12 Niwot. And it beat No. 6 Longmont and 3A No. 1 Holy Family.
Air Academy (11-1-2) is ranked third despite losing the 4A Pikes Peak League title to No. 7 Cheyenne Mountain last week. Ian Foss scored the winner in the Red-Tailed Hawks’ 1-0 win.
First-round game to watch: No. 19 Harrison vs. No. 14 Greeley Central at District 6 Stadium, Thursday at 5 p.m.
The Panthers (10-2-3) haven’t lost since the middle of September, going 5-0-2 down the stretch. Freshman Jose Pineda leads the way for them with 17 goals.
Greeley Central (12-2-1) won 10 straight before falling to 3A No. 10 Timnath in its regular-season finale. Senior Daniel Martinez is third in 4A with 22 goals.
Class 3A
Top four: Holy Family, Jefferson Academy, Peak to Peak and Rifle.
3A scoring leader coming into the postseason: Manitou Springs’ Alexander Steger has 57 points (27 goals and three assists).
What to know: Holy Family (11-2-2) is battle tested as it comes out of the 4A/3A Granite Peaks League, which put four teams inside the top 12 in 4A’s postseason field.
Jefferson Academy (11-3-1) won its last five games to clinch the 3A/2A Metro League title. During that span, the Jaguars beat 3A No. 8 Kent Denver (7-6-2) and 2A No. 1 Denver Christian (10-1-4).
Behind them, Peak to Peak (8-2-4) beat JA this month, while drawing with Denver Christian, Kent Denver and Eagle Ridge Academy. ERA won just three games and did not make the postseason.
Rifle (12-2-1) comes into the tournament on a six-game winning streak. Eight of Eduardo Espino’s team-leading 16 goals this fall have come in the Bears’ last five games.
First-round game to watch: No. 19 DSST: College View at No. 14 Manitou Springs, Wednesday at 6 p.m.
The Mustangs (10-3-2) are led by 3A goals leader Steger, who has 27. The senior has scored multiple goals in nine games this season.
DSST: College View (7-4-4) finished the season with wins over No. 11 Kipp Denver Collegiate and 2A No. 22 Manual. Sophomore Gael Olivas-Quiroz scored two of his team-leading 14 goals in the 8-3 win over Manual on Thursday.
Class 2A
Top four: Denver Christian, Forge Christian, Crested Butte and Salida.
2A scoring leader coming into the postseason: Dawson’s Charlie Martin leads the state with 45 goals and 102 points.
What to know: Unlike the other classifications, the top eight seeds in 2A get a first-round bye.
Denver Christian (10-1-4) and Forge Christian (10-2-3) come out of a rigid 3A/2A Metro League. In their meeting from Oct. 3, the Thunder got a goal from their leading scorer, Brady Kindig, who has 22 on the season, in a 3-2 victory.
Defending champ Crested Butte (12-1-2) is aiming for its fifth state title since 2018. Last year, it beat now-No. 6 Bishop Machebeuf (12-3) in the finals.
Salida (11-1-3) lost to Crested Butte on Sept. 9 and has since gone 9-0-2. It won the 2A Tri-Peaks League.
First-round game to watch: No. 22 Manual vs. No. 11 Middle Park at Bishop Machebeuf, Friday at TBD.
Manual’s Jonathan Vazquez is second in the state with 35 goals and 81 points.
The Thunderbolts (7-7-1) had a tough finish to the regular season, where they were outscored 15-4 in their final two games.
Middle Park (9-5-1) won the 3A/2A Frontier League before dropping its final two games of the season to 3A No. 9 Coal Ridge and No. 10 Vail Mountain.
