Our first playoff projections for Classes 3A, 4A and 5A came after week three and with two mores of games in the books, we update our listings for all three divisions. It’s a bit easier in Classes 4A and 5A as those divisions send 24 teams to the postseason; Class 3A remains a bit more difficult as conference play doesn’t get started until week seven as they play a ten-game regular season.
PHOTO PROVIDED LANCE WENDT
CLASS 3A
- CENTRAL WEST: Eagle Valley, Glenwood Springs, Palisade
- DENVER PREP: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson
- NORTH CENTRAL 1: Lutheran, Evergreen, Green Mountain
- NORTH CENTRAL 2: Mead, Frederick, Holy Family
- NORTH CENTRAL 3: Roosevelt, Fort Morgan, Northridge
- SOUTHERN 1: Durango, Discovery Canyon
- SOUTHERN 2: Pueblo South
NOTES: Even distribution of leagues across Class 3A when it comes to picking our 16 postseason qualifiers. The only place we don’t feel confident is the Southern 2 where Pueblo South is our lone choice. It’s highly likely that the second place team will earn a playoff bid, it’s just difficult to see who else comes off the board. Green Mountain and Northridge could be the two main targets but Green Mountain is boosted by a strong schedule and Northridge will only get stronger in RPI by playing the likes of Roosevelt and Fort Morgan in league play. A win over either would clinch a playoff berth in all probability. Another question from the Southern 2 is who the second place team behind Pueblo South might be. A lot of choices there as Pueblo County, Canon City and Pueblo Central all have two losses and East is 2-3 but has faced a schedule consisting of mainly 4A schools.
CLASS 4A
- CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN: Cheyenne Mountain
- METRO 1: Dakota Ridge, Golden, Bear Creek, Chatfield
- METRO 2: Aurora Central, Denver South, Vista Peak
- NORTHERN 1: Erie, Silver Creek, Windsor
- NORTHERN 2: Loveland, Skyline, Longmont
- SOUTHERN 1: Montrose, Palmer Ridge, Ponderosa, Vista Ridge
- SOUTHERN 2: Fountain Fort Carson, Coronado, Fruita Monument, Mesa Ridge, Pueblo West
- FROM 5A: Pine Creek
NOTES: With an expanded field of 24 playoff qualifiers in the division this year, the selections get a bit easy but there are still some question marks in what could be the deepest division in the state this year. As we’ve mentioned several times, there is not a lot of difference between the top 10 teams and the next 10 this year. Some of the notables not on our list are Standley Lake, Broomfield and Air Academy. All can make a playoff push with a strong conference showing. The best bet of those three is probably Standley Lake as the Gators will compete against four high quality teams in the Metro 1 and those games will boost their RPI for sure. That may be enough to get past the third place team in the Metro 2 with Aurora Central, Denver South and Vista Peak all battling for the top spot there. Longmont is on our list in the Northern 2 division but the Trojans have been up and down this year. Broomfield could eye that spot or one of the five berths in the Southern 2. We have five teams listed there and possibly only four can get in. Will be a fun race through the second half of the year and the playoffs could end up as the most exciting from start to finish. Seeds in our minds won’t matter as much in this division as a ton of teams can beat a ton of teams. Please note that Cheyenne Mountain is the lone entry from the I-25. That’s by CHSAA guideline which indicates only the league champion from that division can earn a spot in the bracket.
CLASS 5A
- CENTENNIAL: Arapahoe, Cherokee Trail, Cherry Creek, Grandview, Smoky Hill
- DOUGLAS COUNTY: Valor Christian, Castle View, ThunderRidge, Mountain Vista
- JEFFCO: Ralston Valley, Arvada West, Columbine, Lakewood, Mullen, Pomona
- METRO 1: Fort Collins
- METRO 2: Overland
- NORTH: Rocky Mountain, Fairview, Legacy
- SOUTH: Douglas County, Legend, Chaparral, Regis,
NOTES: With CHSAA guidelines allowing just the conference champion from the Metro 1 and 2 conferences to enter the playoffs, we have the ability to go very deep in other leagues concerning teams into the postseason. The Centennial and South conference both have five on our list while all six from the Jeffco are in the bracket according to our projections. Teams immediately on the outside are Horizon, Poudre and Rock Canyon and all three have a chance to get there with strong showings in league play. Rock Canyon has the more difficult road as they must battle the likes of Valor Christian (5-0), Castle View (4-1), ThunderRidge (4-1) and Mountain Vista (3-2) in the Douglas County chase. The North conference features a ton of parity as five of the six teams are either 3-2 or 2-3. Any of those five could be on the list of playoff qualifiers from the league as we believe three will get in.
