The winter sports season may still be in its second act, particularly in basketball, however it is never too early to look at the potential of some heated league races as the final month of regular-season play is now upon us.
By no means are these the only league races destined to have drama, and Colorado Preps will do another deep dive next week. For now, here are a few of the tightest battles across the state in each classification as February arrives.
Class 3A
Patriot: Strasburg stands at 4-0 in league having defeated Resurrection Christian (3-1 Patriot) by a 67-63 score in overtime this past weekend. But the Cougars aren’t going to go away quietly and have a favorable schedule down the stretch. Also included in the race are Highland (3-0) and Brush (3-1); the Huskies and Beetdiggers face each other and the other two top contenders yet — with Brush and Strasburg facing off Tuesday night.
Tri-Peaks: Two 4A teams, Lamar and Manitou Springs, and two 3A teams, Colorado Springs Christian and St. Mary’s are going to duke it out until the very end. Manitou is the only one of those squads with a league loss so far, and it was St. Mary’s who beat the Mustangs back on Jan. 10. The two current 5-0 teams, Lamar and CSCS, do not meet until Feb. 25. Meanwhile, SMHS and CSCS will match up Saturday night.
Class 2A
Western Slope: Rangely and West Grand have been exceptional in running their respective records to 14-0 and 14-2, and neither has a league blemish in the 1A/2A Western Slope league (both are 5-0). The Mustangs have wins over the other two league frontrunners, 1A De Beque and 2A Plateau Valley, over the past week and a half; meanwhile, Rangely still has all three of those teams left on its schedule (1/31 vs. PVHS, 2/14 vs. DHS, 2/15 at West Grand).
Southern Peaks: While Crested Butte has struggled of late, the league overall is extremely strong with five of the six teams having .500 or better overall records — and none of those five programs have more than five losses. Sanford’s 12-2 record will be challenged when the Mustangs play Sargent (8-2, 1-0) on Saturday and then Center (11-4, 3-1) on Feb. 13. Del Norte (8-2, 1-0) also has Sargent and Center in upcoming road games.
Class 1A
Arkansas Valley: Based on overall records so far, this league appears to be a real toss-up. Wiley’s 3-9 record includes two league wins, while all six teams have only played between nine and 12 games and have been competitive across the board. South Baca (6-3) and Springfield (7-3) meet next Tuesday in Springfield, and the Patriots have been on fire since the break.
Hi-Plains: Every team in the league is currently above .500 and in fact the majority are well above .500. Cheyenne Wells, Kit Carson, Eads, Cheraw and Granada are bound to do all they can to contest McClave (11-0, 1-0) over the next few weeks. The only league team that has played McClave so far is Eads, the the Eagles and Cardinals were tied at halftime before Eads eventually fell by five points, 41-36, back on Jan. 10. Cheyenne Wells has conquered Granada and Cheraw so far — the only team with multiple league wins.
