Our weekly Friday Five report was a bit of struggle in the largest three classes as many of the top games for the week have already been played or are set for Saturday. While we stretch to five games in both 3A and 4A, we only managed to find three games of note in Class 5A league races. Several games of note in both the 1A and 2A ranks as league leaders face off on some fronts and second place is up for grabs in others.
CLASS 1A
Sierra Grande at Cotopaxi
Arickaree/Woodlin at Otis
Dove Creek at Ouray
Holyoke at Merino
Paonia at North Park
NOTES: Sierra Grande needs a win over Cotopaxi to remain tied with Sangre De Cristo atop the Southern Peaks. Cotopaxi sits one game back of the two leaders and a win puts the Pirates in position for a top two league finish. Arickaree/Woodlin and Otis are both unbeaten in the YWKC so the winner becomes a favorite to land the league crown. Dove Creek and Ouray both have one league loss in the San Juan conference and the winner should end up with the top spot for 1A teams in the race. Both clubs trail unbeaten Ignacio (2A). The winner between Holyoke-Merino should finish no worse than fourth in the rugged Lower Platte. Both teams also want a win to gain some momentum for the post-season chase. North Park needs a win over Paonia to remain solid for a top four finish in the Western Slope. They’re currently tied with DeBeque for that spot.
CLASS 2A
Swink at Holly
Rye at Fowler
Dawson at Highland
Hotchkiss at Soroco
Simla at Peyton
NOTES: Division leaders inside the Santa Fe look to expand the gap with wins over second place teams tonight. Swink leads Holly by two games in the East and Rye has a two-game edge on Fowler in the West. Wins by the Lions and Thunderbolts basically give each a division championship. Dawson and Highland collide for second place behind Heritage Christian in the Mile High. Both teams are 6-1 in league play. It’s the same scenario between Hotchkiss and Soroco in the Western Slope. Both teams are 5-1 in the conference and sit one game back of first place Meeker. Simla and Peyton battle for the Black Forest championship. Each enter the game without a league loss so the winner is alone in first.
CLASS 3A
Delta at Moffat County
Centauri at Pagosa Springs
University at Platte Valley
Lamar at St Mary’s
Eagle Ridge Academy at DSST-College View
NOTES: The Delta — Moffat County winner takes over sole possession of the Western Slope league. Delta moved to 5-0 with their win over Cedaredge on Tuesday while Moffat County, also 5-0, sees their first action of the week. They also face Aspen on the road Saturday. Pagosa Springs looks for the season sweep over long-time rival Centauri. The Pirates won the first game in La Jara 58-40 and hosts tonight’s game. They open the game one game up on Alamosa in the league race. Centauri is third but still has games with both Pagosa Springs and Alamosa. Platte Valley (5-1) is second in the Patriot but University (5-2) is one game back and tied with Resurrection Christian in third. Eaton (7-0) is alone in first and has beaten all three challengers. St Mary’s (7-1) is second in the Tri Peaks and must get a win over Lamar to stay there. The Savages are 3-2 in league play and tied with Manitou Springs in third. Eagle Ridge Academy is tied with Strive Prep atop the Confluence.  DSST-College is third but two games back.
CLASS 4A
Glenwood Springs at Rifle
Skyview at Riverdale Ridge
Weld Central at Fort Lupton
Canon City at Sierra
Discovery Canyon at Air Academy
NOTES: The Western Slope features three teams within one game of the conference lead and two of them battle tonight in Rifle. The Bears (4-2) are in third place while Glenwood Springs (6-1) is tied with Battle Mountain (5-1) in first place. The Huskies are favored against Summit. Some separation could occur atop the Colorado 8 race. Skyview (5-0) is alone in first with Riverdale Ridge and Weld Central (both 3-1) tied for second. Fort Lupton (2-2) is still hoping for a top two league finish. Mesa Ridge (11-0) has virtually clinched the CS Metro race as the lead Sierra by three games. Canon City (6-5) is fighting for a top three league finish. Sierra is 12th in RPI and safely in the state tournament bracket but Canon City is only 27th. Air Academy (9-0) has a nice three-game cushion in the Pikes Peak but Discovery Canyon (6-3) is battling Palmer Ridge (6-3) for the runner-up spot.
CLASS 5A
Cherokee Trail at Mullen
Horizon at Mountain Range
Dakota Ridge at Chatfield
NOTES: Mullen (6-3) likely can’t catch Cherry Creek (8-1) for second place in the Centennial but a win over Cherokee Trail solidifies their hold on third place. The Cougars (5-4) are in fourth. Game one was close with Mullen squeezing out a 60-54 win. Horizon (6-1) is part of a three-way tie for second with Legacy and Broomfield in the Front Range. Fossil Ridge (7-0) is the conference leader. Mountain Range (5-3) is battling Monarch and Rocky Mountain for fifth place. The Mustangs (18th) are also in contention for a top 16 spot in the RPI. Valor Christian (4-0) seems to be the favorite in the Jeffco but many teams are challenging for spots two and three. Dakota Ridge (2-1) is tied for second with Ralston Valley and Bear Creek but Chatfield is 2-2 and one game away from the spot.
