The Continental League has represented half of 6A’s Great 8 field in each of the past two seasons but has been shut out of a state championship over the last three.

On Friday, league play tips off in what has been the deepest conference in the state’s largest classification, with three teams currently ranked in the top six of 6A.

Chaparral sits at No. 2 after finishing atop the 2024-25 league standings alongside No. 6 Mountain Vista and No. 12 ThunderRidge. The Wolverines, led by Luke Howery’s 22 points and 11 rebounds per game, open league play on the road at ThunderRidge later Friday night. The Golden Eagles, the league’s lone Final Four team a season ago, host No. 30 Heritage.

Rock Canyon, meanwhile, sits at No. 5 on the strength of an eight-game winning streak that includes victories this week over top-15 teams, No. 14 Fruita Monument and No. 15 Cherry Creek.

Regis Jesuit is ranked No. 23, which may be a mirage given the fact the Raiders are led by the state’s leading scorer, Eric Fielder (34 points per game) and four of their six losses have been by single digits. For his part, Fielder has scored 30 or more points in nine of 12 games this winter, including a 32-point effort on 11-of-21 shooting in Tuesday’s 67-51 win over Cherry Creek.

Here’s a look at a few key games this week across the 6A–4A leagues

6A/5A Continental League

No. 2 Chaparral at No. 12 ThunderRidge, Friday at 7 p.m.

Chaparral (10-2) suffered its lone in-state loss earlier this month, falling by two points to No. 1 Ralston Valley. Junior standouts Howery and Christian Williams (21 PPG) combined for 49 points in that 68-66 loss, which saw the Wolverines surrender a seven-point fourth-quarter lead.

ThunderRidge enters Friday on a three-game win streak that saw the Grizzlies beat No. 4 George Washington 63-56 on Saturday. Their three-game homestand is a doozy with Regis Jesuit (Tuesday) and Ralston Valley (Jan. 24) looming behind Friday’s game.

6A Jefferson County League

No. 16 Columbine at No. 1 Ralston Valley, Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

An early Jeffco League showdown features two of the state’s premier scorers in Columbine’s Cash Boykin (26 PPG) and Ralston Valley’s Caiden Braketa (19 PPG).

Boykin broke his father’s 30-year-old school record with 48 points in a double-overtime win over Fruita Monument earlier this month. He followed it up with 41 points in a win over Heritage days later.

Braketa has been the state’s best 3-point shooting, hitting 7 of 11 from beyond the arc in Tuesday’s 76-49 win over No. 9 Chatfield. He leads the state with 46 made 3-pointers.

6A/5A Southwestern League

Fruita Monument at Grand Junction, Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Grand Junction climbed to No. 3 in 5A after handing No. 1 Palisade its first loss of the season on Monday, 52-47. The Tigers (11-2) have lost only once in Colorado, by two points to unbeaten 4A No. 3 Montezuma-Cortez (9-0), which is off to its best start since 2018-19.

Fruita Monument has had a rough-go so far in 2026. After a one-point win over Heritage, the Wildcats lost in double OT to Columbine, then fell to No. 5 Rock Canyon and No. 2 Chaparral.

6A/5A/4A Granite Peaks League

Holy Family at Silver Creek, Friday at 7 p.m.

Holy Family (4A No. 2) enters the night unbeaten at 10-0, while Silver Creek (5A No. 5) is 9-1.

Andrew Ward scored a career-high 22 points in the Tigers’ 69-62 win over Mullen on Thursday. Silver Creek’s Luke Schmeeckle recorded his eighth 20-point game of the season in Monday’s 64-52 loss to 6A No. 18 Horizon. Last month, Schmeeckle set a school record with 45 points in a win over Littleton.

4A/3A City League

DSST: Montview at Denver West, Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

DSST: Montview (6-4) sits 28th in the current 4A rankings but leads the City League at 4-0.

Denver West remains unbeaten on the season at 10-0 and has won its first three league games. On Tuesday, the Cowboys beat Manual 59-19, outscoring the Thunderbolts 49-10 over the final three quarters.