With the playoffs set to begin this week, it’s evaluation time for Colorado Preps. We have spent the season making weekly projections on which teams would end up in the playoffs. This project began in the pre-season before games actually started and now, we compare the actual teams in the bracket to our picks.
Overall, we projected 73 percent of the playoff clubs (41 of 56). Class 2A was our best division where we correctly picked seven of the eight teams in the bracket. We struggled the most in six and eight man where only five of the teams in each were correctly projected.
The breakdown by classification:
CLASS 5A (6 of 8 correctly projected)
| PREDICTED | ACTUAL | |
| Cherry Creek | Cherry Creek | |
| Valor Christian | Valor Christian | |
| Pomona | Pomona | |
| Fairview | Fairview | |
| Legend | Legend | |
| Cherokee Trail | Cherokee Trail | |
| Ralston Valley | Eaglecrest | |
| Grandview | Regis |
CLASS 4A (6 of 8 correctly projected)
| PREDICTED | ACTUAL | |
| Dakota Ridge | Dakota Ridge | |
| Loveland | Loveland | |
| Palmer Ridge | Palmer Ridge | |
| Pine Creek | Pine Creek | |
| Ponderosa | Ponderosa | |
| Fountain Fort Carson | Fountain Fort Carson | |
| Skyline | Broomfield | |
| Windsor | Montrose |
CLASS 3A (6 of 8 correctly projected)
| PREDICTED | ACTUAL | |
| Durango | Durango | |
| Pueblo South | Pueblo South | |
| Evergreen | Evergreen | |
| Fort Morgan | Fort Morgan | |
| Holy Family | Holy Family | |
| Roosevelt | Roosevelt | |
| Discovery Canyon | Lutheran | |
| Palisade | Mead |
CLASS 2A (7 of 8 correctly projected)
| PREDICTED | ACTUAL | |
| Delta | Delta | |
| Eaton | Eaton | |
| Lamar | Lamar | |
| Pagosa Springs | Pagosa Springs | |
| Platte Valley | Platte Valley | |
| Resurrection Christian | Resurrection Christian | |
| Sterling | Sterling | |
| Woodland Park | Moffat County |
CLASS 1A (6 of 8 correctly projected)
| PREDICTED | ACTUAL | |
| Centauri | Centauri | |
| Florence | Florence | |
| Holyoke | Holyoke | |
| Limon | Limon | |
| Meeker | Meeker | |
| Strasburg | Strasburg | |
| Bennett | Wray | |
| CS Christian | Hotchkiss |
EIGHT MAN (5 of 8 correctly projected)
| PREDICTED | ACTUAL | |
| Dove Creek | Dove Creek | |
| Fowler | Fowler | |
| Rangely | Rangely | |
| Sanford | Sanford | |
| Sedgwick County | Sedgwick County | |
| Dayspring Christian | Merino | |
| Holly | Mancos | |
| Pikes Peak Christian | Crowley County |
SIX MAN (5 of 8 correctly projected)
| PREDICTED | ACTUAL | |
| Eads | Eads | |
| Fleming | Fleming | |
| Granada | Granada | |
| Prairie | Prairie | |
| Stratton/Liberty | Stratton/Liberty | |
| Cotopaxi | Kit Carson | |
| Idalia | Cheyenne Wells | |
| North Park | Briggsdale |
Based on playoff seed, the biggest misses came with Cheyenne Wells and Wray. Neither was picked to make our bracket but the Tigers ended up as the third seed in six man and Wray number four in Class 1A. Eaglecrest (5A), Broomfield (4A), Mead (3A), Hotchkiss (1A) all earned the fifth seed in their respective bracket; Merino (8man) and Lutheran (3A) were nabbed as six seeds while others either received the seventh or eighth seed in their respective bracket.
The job of predicting playoff teams was much easier once all regular season games concluded last Saturday. After those games, we made another round of playoff projections and correctly picked all but four teams.
- 5A: 7 of 8 (missed Cherokee Trail)
- 4A: 6 of 8 (missed Pine Creek & Montrose)
- 3A: 8 of 8
- 2A: 8 of 8
- 1A: 8 of 8
- 8man: 7 of 8 (missed Crowley County)
- 6man: 8 of 8
