Greeley Central snapped an eight-year postseason drought last fall, reaching the Class 4A round of 16.
And it hasn’t looked back since.
Despite graduating the classification’s 2024 goals leader, Daniel Martinez, the 4A No. 4 Wildcats remain the only undefeated team (12-0-1, 5-0-1) in 4A with just two games left in their regular season.
They’ll travel to Wellington (1-12, 0-6) on Tuesday before hosting fellow-undefeated, 3A No. 13 Timnath (8-0-4, 4-0-1) on Thursday in a matchup that will likely decide the 4A/3A Longs Peaks League title.
A year ago, GC lost to the Cubs, 2-1, in its final game of the regular season, missing out on its first league title in at least more than two decades.
Last Thursday, the Wildcats won their fifth straight game, beating 3A No. 41 Roosevelt 3-0 behind two goals from Diego Guzman, who leads the team with 14 goals and 37 points. Allyson Izaguirre Almendarez added two assists in the win, giving him 13 and 33 on the year.
Greeley Central and Timnath are the only two non-5A undefeated teams left heading into the final week of the regular season. Class 2A No. 1 Bruce Randolph (9-1-1) was unbeaten until losing 1-0 to 3A No. 18 DSST: Conservatory Green (6-4-3) on Thursday.
Meanwhile, in the sport’s largest classification, 5A No. 1 Northfield (12-0-1), No. 2 Cherry Creek (14-0), No. 3 Ralston Valley, No. 4 Regis Jesuit (11-0-2), No. 5 Legacy (10-0-3) and No. 9 Grand Junction (10-0-2) are all still without a loss.
The Nighthawks moved ahead of the Bruins for the top spot after they beat 4A No. 8 Regis Groff, 10-0, on Friday. Cherry Creek hasn’t played a game in 10 days and can move to 15-0 with a win at home against 5A No. 30 Grandview on Tuesday.
Let’s take a look at a game with still a lot on the line this week from each classification.
Class 5A
No. 14 Broomfield at No. 7 Fairview; Tuesday at 7 p.m.
The Knights (7-3-3, 1-0-2) can turn the 5A Granite Peaks League on its head with a win against league-leading Broomfield (7-4-2, 2-1).
Fairview and No. 5 Legacy (10-0-3, 1-0-2) have a win and two draws (including one against each other) through their first three league games. They would jump to the top of the GPL with a Knights win here.
The Eagles lost to the Lightning, 3-1, last Tuesday before beating Erie, 1-0, on Thursday. They’re at Fairview, then travel to Monarch on Thursday.
Class 4A
No. 6 Centaurus at No. 2 Silver Creek; Thursday at 6 p.m.
The Raptors (10-1-1, 5-0) have yet to allow a goal in the 4A/3A Granite Peaks League, outscoring their first five league opponents 14-0.
The Warriors (8-5, 4-1) lost to No. 20 Longmont, 3-2, on Thursday. Meaning, they’ll likely need wins over both bubble-team, No. 33 Mead (5-7-1, 0-5) on Tuesday and Silver Creek Thursday.
Class 3A/2A
Class 3A No. 3 Steamboat Springs at 2A No. 1 Bruce Randolph; Saturday at 11 a.m.
The Sailors (9-3-1), out of the 3A Western Slope, are the only non-3A/2A Metro League team inside 3A’s top eight teams.
Steamboat Spring and the Grizzlies (9-1-1) can pick up a big result here to help them secure one of the top seeds in next week’s postseason.
No. 8 Lotus School For Excellence at No. 24 Fountain Valley; Thursday at 4 :15 p.m.
The Meteors (11-1) are trying to hold onto a top-eight seed in 2A, which will earn a first-round bye. They’ve won nine straight.
The Danes (3-6-1) are right on the bubble of the upcoming 24-team bracket. A win against LSFE in their regular-season finale could be enough to ensure their playoff spot. They’ve lost four in a row.