Official playoff standings and post-season brackets are set for release by CHSAA on Sunday but Colorado Preps as always takes a shot at projecting the brackets. Below is our look at Classes 5A, 4A & 3A. We project the pairing based on the playoff standings released last Tuesday and results from over the weekend.
Each division starts with projected seeds followed by a breakdown of why we place in that order and then a list of projected first round pairings.
Only eight teams qualify for the postseason in each bracket this year and those selections are based on combined vote totals from RPI, Packard, MaxPreps and the coaches’ poll. All will be updated and presented before official brackets are released by the football committee.
CLASS 5A
- Cherry Creek
- Valor Christian
- Pomona
- Legend
- Fairview
- Eaglecrest
- Regis
- Columbine
NOTES: The top six teams on the list had likely clinched playoff berths before the final weekend started but Regis probably didn’t clinch their berth until beating defending 4A state champion Pine Creek on Saturday night. The eighth spot was difficult to choose between Columbine and Cherokee Trail but the Rebels have the better overall record and will probably remain higher in many polls despite the last week loss to Pomona. But the spot could easily be awarded to Cherokee Trail based on their late season push where they won four straight games.
Projected First Round
#1 Cherry Creek vs #8 Columbine
#4 Legend vs #5 Fairview
#3 Pomona vs #6 Eaglecrest
#2 Valor Christian vs #7 Pomona
CLASS 4A
- Palmer Ridge
- Dakota Ridge
- Ponderosa
- Broomfield
- Loveland
- Fountain Fort Carson
- Brighton
- Skyline
NOTES: By far the most difficult division to select qualifying teams and then seeding them in the bracket. Our projections may be a reach somewhat as they do not include defending state champion Pine Creek. The Eagles finished the regular season at 2-2 so we leave them out in favor of Skyline. But that choice could easily go the other way as Pine Creek is the defending state champion and the standard bearer of the division over the past decade. Plus their two losses are against projected 5A playoff qualifiers Legend and Regis. Skyline was 5-0 going into the final weekend but suffered a costly loss to Loveland in overtime by just one point (27-26). Brighton also gets into our bracket following their win over Windsor. The Bulldogs, along with Skyline, benefitted by losses from Rampart and Vista Ridge and by Pueblo West ending their season due to COVID. The wildcard is Montrose. The Indians are 4-2 against a very strong schedule and actually led Brighton by four spots in the official playoff standings last week so an argument can be made for them to get in as well.
Projected First Round
#1 Palmer Ridge vs #8 Skyline
#4 Broomfield vs #5 Loveland
#3 Ponderosa vs #6 Fountain Fort Carson
#2 Dakota Ridge vs #7 Brighton
CLASS 3A
- Roosevelt
- Holy Family
- Durango
- Pueblo South
- Mead
- Lutheran
- Fort Morgan
- Evergreen
NOTES: The top six teams seem solid playoff qualifiers but their questions and lots of possibilities in the seventh and eight spots. At the start of the weekend, we believed the winner of the Mountain Bowl would get a playoff berth so Evergreen is on our list. Also entering the final round of games, Fort Morgan had a slight lead on Palisade for a bid and since both teams won, we keep them in the same order allowing the Mustangs to get into the bracket. Despite the loss to Evergreen, Conifer may also get consideration as they were ranked very high in the RPI before games on Saturday. Canon City was another team in contention going into the weekend but the road loss to Durango likely took the Tigers out of the discussion. The top three seeds could be in any order and we also moved Pueblo South ahead of Mead and Lutheran since the Colts are unbeaten while the Mavericks and Lions each have one loss.
Projected First Round
#1 Roosevelt vs #8 Evergreen
#4 Pueblo South vs #5 Mead
#3 Durango vs #6 Lutheran
#2 Holy Family vs #7 Fort Morgan
