The boys soccer postseason brackets dropped Monday, crowning Legacy (5A), Northfield (4A), Colorado Academy (3A) and Vail Mountain (2A) as top seeds in their respective classifications.
Today, let’s focus on some favorites and sleepers in 5A and 3A classifications, as those first-round games begin Wednesday.
Tomorrow, we’ll touch on 4A and 2A, with those opening-round matchups going Thursday and Friday.
Class 5A
Favorites: Could this finally be the year for Legacy?
The Lightning (12-1-2) are the top seed for a second straight season as they continue their search for a first finals appearance in program history.
Lucas Montera recorded his 37th point of the season on an assist in Legacy’s 1-1 draw against No. 10 Fossil Ridge in the Front Range League championship game Thursday.
Of course, with Montera and a widespread attack around him, the Lightning are very strong offensively, having scored in every game this season and at least twice 10 different times.
How their relatively new backline will fare in the postseason will probably be among the biggest questions surrounding them as the No. 1. Keeper Charlie Powell, however, has allowed only three goals over his last five games in net.
Ralston Valley (13-0-2) seems destined for another long postseason ride at the No. 2 seed. The Mustangs won the 5A Jefferson County League and have yet to lose this season, tagged only in draws against No. 7 Broomfield and No. 19 Valor Christian.
Evan Bierman may again be the best goalie in the field after he dazzled during the team’s run to the semifinals a year ago. He’s allowed more than one goal in a game just once this season — a 5-3 win over Chaparral back in August.
Denver East (11-4) is the returning champ at No. 4, and its resumé includes a 1-0 loss to Ralston Valley in September and a 2-1 win over No. 1 Legacy earlier in the month.
No. 6 Pine Creek (10-3-2) won the 5A Colorado Springs Metro League but sits behind unbeaten No. 3 Rampart (11-0-4), which it tied 0-0 in September.
No. 5 Arapahoe (10-1-4) hasn’t lost since opening night and won the Centennial League.
Sleepers: Can Fairview make another run as a double-digit seed?
The Knights (8-3-4) are the 12 seed for a second straight season. Last year, they took it all the way to the finals before bowing out to then-No. 2 Denver East.
Over the last month, Fairview has wins over No. 7 Broomfield and No. 10 Fossil Ridge, and losses to No. 1 Legacy and Brighton, the first team out of the 32-team field.
In order to make the bracket’s Final 4 for a third time in four seasons, the Knights will need to tap into what’s been a winning formula in the postseason these past few years. They’ll also likely need that regular-season production from senior forwards Oliver Harmon and Oscar Graycar to translate into the playoffs.
Regis Jesuit (10-2-3), at No. 9, won the Continental League, led by junior Charles Sharp, who has caught fire in October with nine goals and five assists.
No. 10 Fossil Ridge (9-2-4) won a split of the Front Range League with No. 1 Legacy.
No. 13 Aurora Central (12-2-1) has the longest winning streak in the class heading into the tournament at seven games, and touts 5A’s No. 1 goal scorer in Cesar Romero, who has already scored 21 times this fall.
No. 17 Rock Canyon (7-5-3) is 4-0-1 this month, capping the regular season off with a 5-0 win over No. 11 Legend.
Class 3A
Favorites: Who has the edge among the Metro League powers?
No. 1 Colorado Academy (12-1-2) is the defending champ and beat No. 2 Kent Denver (11-2-2) for the 3A/2A Metro League title Saturday. No. 3 Peak to Peak (11-1-3) beat both those teams in the regular season before finishing league play with a loss at No. 4 Forge Christian (9-3-2) and a draw against No. 23 The Academy (8-5-2).
Simeon Woldeyohannes is the reigning 3A player of the year and has 44 points (16 goals, 12 assists) coming into this postseason. He had three goals in the final two games last year in leading the Mustangs to their sixth boys soccer title.
Jacob Lahlou had 16 goals and eight helpers for the Sun Devils coming into the finale against the Mustangs and will be front and center as they look to win their first title since 2019, and sixth overall.
Peak to Peak surpassed both teams in the league race before its struggles across the last two games. The Pumas brought back a lot from their runner-up finish in 2022, including senior goal leaders Jorden Gyaltsen and Ethan Wang. Their one and only title came in 2005.
Forge Christian beat Peak to Peak 3-1 Oct. 12 behind Caleb Cassell’s goal and assist. The Fury are currently on a five-game winning streak and Cassell leads the team in points with 28.
Sleepers: Who can break up the dominance of the Metro League?
The top four teams in the bracket hail from the 3A/2A Metro League — No. 1 Colorado Academy, No. 2 Kent Denver, No. 3 Peak to Peak and No. 4 Forge Christian. But there are strong teams behind them.
No. 5 Arrupe Jesuit (11-1-3) hasn’t lost since Aug. 29, a 4-1 result against the Mustangs. The Generals tied No. 11 Fort Lupton 2-2 on Wednesday to split the 3A/2A Frontier League. In it, Diego De La Fuente scored his class-leading 30th goal of the season for the Bluedevils (10-1-4) and leads the classification with 68 points.
No. 6 Rifle (13-2) comes in with the longest winning streak in the class at nine games. Though, it still finished behind 2A No. 1 Vail Mountain and No. 8 Roaring Fork in the 3A/2A Western Slope League.
Eduardo Espino had 51 points and Yahir Marquez 46 for the Bears, who tied Fort Lupton and Liberty Common with 68 goals atop 3A. Rifle has also allowed the fewest goals on the season in 3A at eight.
Roaring Fork (10-3-2) is a serious threat, too. Its title in 2021 was the first outside the Metro League since Liberty Common won in 2017.
The Eagles (9-3-3), meanwhile, are at No. 9 this year after finishing atop the 3A/2A Patriot League alongside No. 7 Frontier Academy. The Wolverines (10-1-4) have allowed one or no goals in every game except their season-opening, 4-3 loss to Windsor Aug. 17.
