Let’s set the stage for a busy final week of regular season play for volleyball teams across Colorado.  A few teams have already clinched league titles and playoff berths but a large majority of conferences won’t determine their champions until the final few days.  Below is the scenario for each conference going into the final six days of the campaign.

Photo courtesy of Eagle Valley Athletics.

CLASS 1A

  • 5280: Flatirons Academy (5-0) and Belleview Christian (4-0) remain unbeaten in conference play and tied for the league lead.  They meet on Wednesday to determine the championship.  All other league teams have at least two losses.
  • Ark Valley: Wiley continues to lead Springfield by one game and won the first meeting with the Longhorns.  They meet for a second time to close the season on Saturday.  Wiley is the champion outright with a win there while Springfield creates a tie between the two if they avenge the earlier loss.  Springfield also has league matches with South Baca (Tuesday) and Kim/Branson (Friday) before challenging the first-place Panthers.
  • Black Forest: Simla enters the final week one game up on both Evangelical Christian and Elbert.  The Cubs have beaten both teams already so they can clinch the crown with one more league win.  That win most likely comes on Tuesday against Colorado D&B.  Evangelical Christian goes to Elbert on Tuesday to determine second.
  • Fishers Peak: La Veta is the league champion and clinched a playoff berth by beating Manzanola last week.  They have a nice non-league test at Cotopaxi on Tuesday and then finish up with Sierra Grande and Antonito on Thursday and Saturday.
  • High Plains: League play has concluded with Kit Carson clinching the championship and McClave earning second.  The Wildcats have two non-league matches on tap this week; against Genoa Hugo on Tuesday and Otis on Thursday.  McClave is off until Saturday when they finish the regular season at 2A Rocky Ford.
  • North Central: Fleming is the league champion with Briggsdale second and Weldon Valley third.  Fleming has a difficult final week against Merino on Tuesday and 3A Sterling on Friday.  They also visit Weldon Valley on Thursday.  Briggsdale will be favored against Caliche on Friday and then closes with unbeaten Stratton/Liberty on Saturday.
  • Southern Peaks: Sangre De Cristo has clinched the league championship and playoff berth.  They continue a final two week stretch against bigger schools with matches against 2A Mancos on Friday and 2A Monte Vista on Saturday.  The T-Birds scored a good win over Swink last Friday and also forced a fifth set against 3A Centauri the night before.
  • YWKC: Otis and Idalia meet on Wednesday to determine the championship.  Both enter the final week unbeaten in league play.  The match is one of four in a very busy final week for Otis as they also meet Bethune (Tuesday), Kit Carson (Thursday) and Hi Plains (Friday).  Idalia also has three other matches with Prairie on Tuesday and then Eads and Burlington on Friday.
  • NOTES: Dove Creek, Cotopaxi and Stratton/Liberty have clinched playoff berths by winning championships of mixed leagues that also include Class 2A clubs.  Those recaps are in the Class 2A breakdown.

CLASS 2A

  • Black Forest: Calhan and Colorado Springs School head to the final week without a league loss.  They square off on Tuesday to determine the championship and automatic berth to the 2A regional tournament.
  • Lower Platte: Wiggins beat Sedgwick County last Friday to create a three-way tie between the two with Merino.  Each team has one league loss.  Since all three clubs have wrapped up their league schedule, a tiebreaker will be needed to determine the official league champion.  Regardless of which team ends up with the title, all three should receive very high seeds and each will likely host a regional tournament next week.
  • Mile High: Denver Christian (6-0) has a one game edge on Dayspring Christian (8-1) and they meet on Monday to determine the likely league champion.  We say likely because the Thunder are favored in the matchup but will have four more matches after Monday’s contest.  They meet Front Range Christian on Tuesday; Gilpin County on Wednesday, Union Colony Prep on Thursday and Dawson on Saturday.
  • San Juan: Dove Creek (7-0) wrapped up the league championship by beating Telluride last week.  They will get an automatic bid into the Class 1A playoffs.  The Bulldogs have a very interesting challenge at 3A unbeaten Montezuma Cortez on Tuesday before wrapping up the league slate against Norwood and Nucla on Friday and Saturday.
  • Santa Fe: Fowler and Rye are both unbeaten on the season.  They play Friday in Rye and that winner should end up with the championship and the automatic playoff berth.  Fowler also gets in a very good non-league test against 3A Alamosa on the road Tuesday night.  Rye has a whopping seven matches on the final week schedule including league dates with Rocky Ford on Monday and both Swink and Crowley County on Saturday.
  • Southern Peaks: Del Norte stands alone in first by one game over Sargent.  Del Norte won the head-to-head matchup and since the Tigers have just one league match remaining with Crested Butte this Saturday, they’ve already clinched the championship.  Sargent must still beat Monte Vista on Thursday to win second place outright.  They also meet Centauri for non-league activity on Tuesday.
  • Union Pacific: Class 1A Stratton/Liberty has clinched the league championship.  Limon moved very close to second place with their win over Byers last week.  They secure the spot by beating Flagler on Thursday.  Sandwiched around that contest are non-league dates with Peyton on Tuesday and Yuma on Friday.  Byers has an important league match with Genoa Hugo on Wednesday as the winner should end up third.
  • West Central: 1A Cotopaxi has clinched the league championship and automatic playoff berth.  The Pirates meet another playoff qualifier (La Veta) on Tuesday and then finish up against Deer Trail and Evangelical Christian on Saturday.
  • Western Slope: Should be a great finishing week as the top three teams meet up.  Meeker (8-0) and Vail Christian (7-0) share first place with Soroco (9-1) one game back in second place.  Vail Christian and Meeker meet on Saturday but Vail Christian also faces Soroco on Wednesday and face a tough test with fourth place Vail Mountain on Thursday.  Meeker and Soroco also play on Friday.

CLASS 3A

  • Confluence: DSST-Byers and Addenbrooke Academy are both unbeaten in conference play.  They play on Monday night to determine the crown.  DSST-Byers gets a 3A playoff bid with a win while Addenbrooke will grab a spot in the 2A division if they end up with the title.
  • Frontier: DSST-Montview has clinched the league title.  The Knights have a one game edge and a win over second place Middle Park with just one league game remaining.  Montview closes up against KIPP Collegiate on Monday.
  • Intermountain: Montezuma Cortez has wrapped up the championship (8-0).  Alamosa and Bayfield both ended up 5-3 and will share second as they split two conference meetings.  Montezuma Cortez has just one match remaining as they host 1A San Juan champion Dove Creek on Tuesday.
  • Metro: Lutheran has wrapped up the league championship.   The Lions lead by one game and have a victory over second place Prospect Ridge so their conference finale with Faith Christian on Wednesday won’t factor into the championship picture.  Lutheran also meets University on Monday.  Prospect Ridge has clinched second place going into their league finale with Skyview Academy on Tuesday.
  • Patriot: Eaton remains unbeaten and picked up an important win over Liberty Common last Friday.  The Reds have a key league match remaining with Resurrection Christian on Wednesday and that outcome will help determine second.  Resurrection Christian shares that spot with Sterling and University.  If Rez Christian falls, then Sterling could end up second as they have a head-to-head win over University.  Sterling closes with Frontier Academy on Tuesday and Valley on Wednesday and will be favored in both.
  • Tri Peaks: Lamar (8-0) is alone atop the standings by one game over Vanguard (6-1) with Manitou Springs (5-2) in third.  Lamar still has three league matches remaining including a Thursday date at Vanguard.  Before facing the Coursers, the Savages meet James Irwin on Monday and Banning Lewis on Tuesday.  Vanguard also meets Manitou Springs on Saturday so it’s a difficult closing week for the Coursers.
  • Western Slope: Basalt and Delta sit atop the standings with one league loss apiece.  The Longhorns topped Delta in an earlier season match so they control the race.  Wins over Aspen on Tuesday and Rifle on Thursday give them the championship.  And they’re favored in both.  Delta meets Grand Valley on Tuesday, Roaring Fork on Thursday and Aspen on Saturday.  They must win all three and have Basalt slip up at least once to earn the crown.

CLASS 4A

  • Colorado: Skyview (4-0) is alone in first but the Wolverines have not clinched the championship just yet.  They lead Eagle Ridge Academy (6-1) and Weld Central (6-1) by one game.  They’ve beaten Eagle Ridge but must still get by Weld Central on Tuesday before claiming the championship.
  • CS Metro North: Classical Academy (7-0) leads Falcon (6-1) by one game in the race.  The Titans swept the Falcons 3-0 in the first meeting to gain the advantage.  They go for the season sweep and the championship on Tuesday when they host the Falcons for a second time.  TCA also meets 3A Manitou Springs on Monday in another nice cross Colorado Springs matchup.
  • CS Metro South: It’s the same scenario in this league as the top two teams meet for a second time.  Coronado (9-0) tops the division thanks to an early win over second place Woodland Park (7-1).  The Cougars host the Panthers on Thursday in the rematch.
  • Jeffco: Evergreen (6-1), Golden (5-1) and Littleton (2-1) all have one league loss and share the top spot.  Two matches in the final week will help determine the championship and Golden factors into both.  The Demons meet Littleton on Tuesday and Evergreen on Friday.
  • Longs Peak: The top three teams have concluded their league schedule so Thompson Valley is the league champion.  They finished the conference slate tied with Niwot at 8-1 but won the head-to-head matchup.  Niwot is second with Frederick (8-2) finishing third.  Thompson Valley has a very difficult final week with matches against Windsor (Tuesday), Mead (Thursday) and Longmont (Saturday).  Outcomes of those three matches will determine if the Eagles get to host a regional tournament next week.  Niwot has concluded their regular season and will now prep for the playoffs.  Frederick, which scored a huge 3-0 sweep of Mead on Saturday, closes with local rival Erie on Wednesday.
  • Northern: Windsor and Mead are the last two unbeatens in conference play and they break the first-place tie on Monday night when they collide in Windsor.  For the Wizards, it’s their final league match so a win gives them the championship.  Mead also has a date with third-place Longmont on Wednesday so they cannot clinch with a win on Monday night.  The Mavericks also challenge 3A #1 Eaton on Friday.
  • South Central: Pueblo West (8-0) has a two-game edge on Pueblo South (6-2) and the Cyclones clinch the title by beating the Colts on Tuesday.  West won the first meeting in three and will earn a berth in the 5A bracket if they pull off the season sweep.  Even with a loss on Tuesday, the Cyclones can still land the title by beating Pueblo Centennial on Thursday.
  • Southwestern: With Montrose beating Fruita Monument on Saturday, Durango can now clinch the league title by beating Grand Junction Central on Monday night.  The Demons are 6-0 in conference play and have a league match remaining with Fruita Monument on Friday but that match becomes meaningless if the Demons win on Monday.  Fruita and Montrose also play a second time on Tuesday and that winner should end up no worse than second.
  • Western Slope: It appears that Palisade and Eagle Valley will end up sharing the championship.  Both have one league loss and they split two conference meetings.  Palisade still has Glenwood Springs on Tuesday and Battle Mountain on Wednesday.  Eagle Valley hasn’t played since April 6h but the Devils have Glenwood Springs (Tuesday) and Summit (Wednesday) this week.

CLASS 5A

  • Centennial: Cherry Creek and Cherokee Trail (both 11-1) continue to share the conference lead.  Each has two matches remaining including a tough test for Creek against third place Grandview on Tuesday.  They then finish against Eaglecrest on Wednesday.  Cherokee Trail is favored in their final two matches against Mullen on Tuesday and Overland the next night.
  • Continental: Mountain Vista has wrapped up the championship.  They have a two-game edge and a win over second place Chaparral with just two league matches remaining.  The Golden Eagles close with Castle View and Rock Canyon on Wednesday and then prep to host a regional tournament next week.  Chaparral must beat both ThunderRidge on Monday or Highlands Ranch on Tuesday to secure second for themselves.
  • Denver Prep: The title comes down to the final week clash between Denver East and Thomas Jefferson.  They’re both 7-0 entering the week and will face off this Friday.  Denver East also deals with third place Denver South on Wednesday as the Ravens remain alive for a piece of title just one game back.  Their league loss came to Thomas Jefferson.
  • East Metro: Brighton and Vista Peak both sit at 4-0 in conference play and each has at least two game edge on every other conference member.  They meet on Tuesday to decide the championship.  They have another clash on Wednesday but that match is considered non-league.
  • Front Range: Fossil Ridge (7-0) has a one game edge on Fort Collins (6-1) atop the standings.  The Sabercats own a win over Fort Collins as well but they still have plenty of work remaining before winning the title.  They have four league matches in the final week; going against Mountain Range Tuesday, Rocky Mountain Wednesday, Loveland on Thursday and Poudre on Friday.  Fort Collins has three left against Rocky Mountain (Monday), Legacy (Tuesday) and Poudre (Wednesday).
  • Jeffco: Ralston Valley (5-0) and Columbine (4-0) top the standings with Chatfield (4-1) one game back in third.  Ralston and Columbine meet on Tuesday night so the winner is in the best shape to land the championship.  With a victory on Tuesday, Ralston Valley, which has a win over Chatfield, can then clinch by beating either Valor Christian on Wednesday or Bear Creek on Thursday.  Columbine cannot clinch with a win as they must also play Chatfield on Friday.
  • Pikes Peak: Rampart (6-1) took over the lead late last week as they beat 4A #1 Palmer Ridge while previously unbeaten Cheyenne Mountain was upset by both Pine Creek and Air Academy.  Those results leave the Rams one game up on Cheyenne Mountain and Discovery Canyon.  The Rams have two league matches remaining and must win both to secure the crown outright.  They meet Discovery Canyon on Monday and Lewis Palmer on Tuesday.