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Several top-10 matchups have helped certain boys soccer teams earn their spot of the top of their respective classifications.

Here is a look at the recent development of the boys soccer landscape and a preview of what’s ahead.

Class 3A

Jefferson Academy is back in the place where it was for most of last season: Sitting above everyone else.

Meanwhile, way out in the yonder, defending state champ Roaring Fork remained in standstill this fall, slipping down the rankings, still without a game played.

In other words: It’s early, early season. Any chatter of who belongs in what tier, what teams are great and what teams we only thought would be, is merely clay waiting outside the furnace at this point. But this is where we are for now.

Jefferson Academy, the 2021 fall runner-up to Roaring Fork, opened the season last week with wins over Aurora West College Prep Academy and No. 10 Arrupe Jesuit to grab the top spot in CHSAA’s latest coaches poll. In the latter, the Jaguars beat the Generals by five goals.

Roaring Fork, a program from Carbondale that glided unexpectedly into last year’s finals and beat the previously-undefeated Jags, is still a mystery in 2022. The Rams won’t play their first game until Sept. 6 on the road at Colorado Rocky Mountain. After starting the season with the classification’s second-best ranking, they now sit fifth.

Elsewhere, No. 2 Atlas Preparatory is off and running with two shutout victories. Sophomore Ricky Yanez had five goals in a 7-0 win over St. Mary’s last Thursday. It gets No. 9 Faith Christian Tuesday and 4A No. 5 Cheyenne Mountain Thursday.

No. 3 Colorado Academy beat Vail Mountain Saturday behind two goals from Simeon Woldeyohannes. The junior had seven goals all of last season and was named to 3A’s second team.

Class 5A

No keeper has probably been better in the state than Fairview netminder Shane Williams through the opening couple weeks of the season. Certainly, no team has been as surprising to the voters as the streaking Knights.

They are front and center as the shuffle atop 5A continues heading into the season’s third week.

A week after the No. 1 team ranking belonged to its crosstown rival Boulder, Fairview has emerged from an unranked team in the preseason to the top team in the state on CHSAA’s latest coaches poll.

Williams has been the star. His 37 saves have led the way as the Knights have skipped past preseason No. 1 and 2021 champ Grandview, preseason No. 2 Castle View, and preseason No. 10 and spring 2021 runner-up Cherry Creek.

He denied 13 shots against the Bruins Saturday as Sid Anderson’s overtime winner lifted them to 3-0 on the season.

Three of the next four teams in the rankings are fellow Front Range League teams in No. 3 Broomfield, No. 4 Boulder and No. 5 Legacy.

Yosef Nunez has three goals in two games for the Eagles. University of Maryland commit Cameron Gerber has a goal and an assist in three games for the Panthers. All-state forward Cooper Stephens, who had 50 points last year, assisted Ace Bolom’s goal in Legacy’s 1-0 opening win over Rock Canyon.

No. 2 Valor Christian, in the meantime, beat Boulder in its opener last week, then tacked on a win over 3A No. 7 Liberty Common Saturday.

This week, Broomfield travels to No. 8 Castle View Thursday. The Sabercats lost to Boulder and Fairview to open the season before beating Pine Creek Saturday.

Class 4A

Reigning Southwestern League player of the year Cedar Newman added another goal in a win against Glenwood Springs Saturday. He’s on his game, and so are the Demons.

Coming off a postseason run that ended in the quarterfinals last fall, Durango has outscored its first four opponents 22-3. In each win, the Demons have scored at least three times.

Because of it, they moved up a spot to third in the classification this week, behind No. 1 Northfield and No. 2 Mullen, and just ahead of No. 4 Air Academy.

For the defending champs, Zander Kosmas recorded his second straight shutout of the year in a 2-0 win over Holy Family last week. Mullen beat No. 7 Denver North by three goals in its opener, and four-sport athlete Rider Grow had a goal in wins over Doherty and Ponderosa for the Kadets.

This next week, look out for what No. 6 Silver Creek does. The Raptors, who fared well in 5A the previous two seasons, face 5A No. 1 Fairview Tuesday and No. 4 Boulder Thursday.

Class 2A

Thomas MacLaren unseated defending champ Crested Butte in the latest rankings. Credit senior Matthew Zimmer.

Zimmer notched three goals in two days, scoring twice in a 3-1 win over Loveland Classical Friday before lifting the Highlanders past No. 3 Denver Christian with the game’s lone goal Saturday.

The fourth-year varsity player now has 22 goals in his career.

Crested Butte, now No. 2, didn’t play a game last week after beginning its 2022 campaign with a stunning loss to Basalt followed by a mercy-rule win over Alamosa. It faces 3A Salida Tuesday.

Along with Thomas MacLaren, No. 5 Lotus School for Excellence and No. 7 Bishop Machebeuf are the only other top-10 teams (that have played a game) without a blemish, both sitting 1-0.

Lotus School, which got 10 saves from Fernando Alcantar-Barajas in a win over James Irwin Saturday, faces No. 4 Vail Mountain Friday. Bishop Machebeuf hosts 3A Kent Denver Thursday.