The April Legislative Council meeting is the next time the talk of football expansion to an eighth class will be discussed by CHSAA. If the proposal is approved there, then Class 6A will begin with the 2022-24 cycle. Next steps would then involve the creation of new leagues and the development of playoff qualifying and structure for each division.
Along with the addition of a sixth class could be the expansion of playoffs to 24 teams in each division. In recent years, only Class 5A has qualified that many clubs with the remaining division limited to 16. If the playoffs expand, then league setup won’t be nearly as important because there will be eight more at-large bids to hand out even if league champions continue receiving an automatic bid.
Regardless of how the playoff structure is set up, Colorado Preps has gone through all teams to develop new leagues in the recommended eight class layout. These are projections only and far from official. This suggested redesign won’t be needed if the additional class is not approved by the legislative council.
SIX MAN PROJECTIONS
Let’s start in six man and work our way up to the larger divisions. We went with bigger leagues based on geography because many teams located in the same region of the state will likely play each other, so why not make them league contests.
CHSAA includes Pawnee on their list of six-man programs but since the Coyotes have not been able to field a team in recent years, we’ve not placed them in the bracket. If they do re-establish their program, then our layout will change on several fronts. But going with the idea that Pawnee will not resurface, we have moved Otis to the North Central and that follows the same thought we presented in basketball.
We also moved Genoa Hugo to the East and then placed Cripple Creek in the Central to balance out the conferences. If Pawnee does field a team, then Otis could easily move back to the East, Genoa Hugo would return to the Central and Cripple Creek could go to the Southern.
Aguilar is another program listed that has struggled with numbers and the ability to put a team on the field. If they are unable, there’s a good chance Cripple Creek would be placed there to give that league a sixth member.
| SOUTHERN | EAST | CENTRAL |
| Aguilar | Arickaree/Woodlin | Deer Trail |
| La Veta | Bethune | Edison |
| Manzanola | Flagler | Cripple Creek |
| Mountain Valley | Genoa Hugo | Kiowa |
| Primero | Hi Plains | Miami Yoder |
| Sierra Grande | Stratton/Liberty | Colorado D&B |
| Idalia | Hanover |
| SOUTHEAST | NORTH CENTRAL |
| Kim/Branson | Briggsdale |
| Cheraw | Fleming |
| Cheyenne Wells | North Park |
| Eads | Otis |
| Granada | Peetz |
| Kit Carson | Prairie |
| Walsh | Weldon Valley |
EIGHT MAN PROJECTIONS
We may have struggled with this division the most and because of that, we provide two potential layouts. The first, and the one I feel CHSAA will lean to, involves bigger conferences with between five and seven teams apiece. The second splits the teams into eight division with five or six members each. With eight conferences and an expanded playoff structure, the top two from each league could earn a playoff berth with eight more at-large berths awarded.
Our first option keeps traditional leagues alive where possible. There are seven conferences. If reduced to six leagues, then a program or two will have to join the rugged North division and there will be no volunteers for that.
| NORTH | CENTRAL | WEST |
| Akron | Belleview Christian | Gilpin County |
| Caliche | Front Range Christian | Hayden |
| Dayspring Christian | Justice | Plateau Valley |
| Haxtun | Lyons | Rangely |
| Merino | Byers | Soroco |
| Sedgwick County | Elbert | Vail Christian |
| SOUTH | SANTA FE | SOUTHWEST |
| Cotopaxi | Crowley County | Dolores |
| Custer County | Las Animas | Dove Creek |
| Dolores Huerta | Fowler | Mancos |
| Pikes Peak Christian | Swink | Norwood |
| Simla | John Mall | Sanford |
| South Park | Sangre De Cristo | |
| Sargent |
| SOUTHEAST |
| Holly |
| McClave |
| Springfield |
| Wiley |
| Hoehne |
Option two again stretches out to eight conferences with geography playing a major role. Plateau Valley is the tough call here. We place them in the Southwest and that will create a 3-4 hour one-way trip for a conference game but the Cowboys would also have that in the Western Slope against the likes of Soroco and Hayden. So, we moved them south to balance out the divisions in this format. South Park could also move over to the Black Forest but we kept them in the Southern Peaks since they’re also in the same league with many of those schools in basketball.
- SOUTHWEST: (5) Dolores, Dove Creek, Mancos, Norwood, Plateau Valley
- SOUTHERN PEAKS: (6) Cotopaxi, Custer County, Sanford, Sangre De Cristo, Sargent, South Park
- NORTHEAST: (5) Akron, Caliche, Haxtun, Merino, Sedgwick County
- NORTH/METRO: (5) Dayspring Christian, Lyons, Justice, Front Range Christian, Belleview Christian
- SOUTHEAST: (5) Holly, McClave, Springfield, Wiley, Hoehne
- SANTA FE: (5) Crowley County, Las Animas, Fowler, Swink, John Mall
- BLACK FOREST: (5) Byers, Elbert, Simla, Pikes Peak Christian, Dolores Huerta
- WEST: (5) Hayden, Gilpin County, Rangely, Soroco, Vail Christian
CLASS 1A PROJECTIONS
Under the expanded class proposal, there are only 32 teams left for Class 1A so we went with five leagues and again the goal was to place teams with traditional rivals with geography as a major focus. Our West Slope division includes a combined school between Hotchkiss/Paonia but if they remain apart, then of course that becomes a seven-team conference because of geography. The Central division has eight members but to us, that’s a better option than having two seven team conferences. Plus, travel would be increased greatly for the one team forced to move.
One note on moving to a 24-team playoff bracket. If that happens, only eight teams in Class 1A will be left out of the postseason.
| NORTH CENTRAL | WEST | CENTRAL |
| Burlington | Cedaredge | Clear Creek |
| Holyoke | Gunnison | Denver Christian |
| Limon | Hotchkiss/Paonia | Estes Park |
| Wiggins | Meeker | Flatirons Academy |
| Wray | Olathe | Jefferson |
| Yuma | West Grand | Pinnacle |
| Platte Canyon | ||
| Ridgeview Academy |
| SOUTH | SOUTHERN PEAKS |
| Calhan | Center |
| Colorado Springs Christian | Del Norte |
| Ellicott | Ignacio |
| Peyton | Monte Vista |
| St Mary’s | Rye |
| Rocky Ford | Trinidad |
CLASS 2A PROJECTIONS
This division lays out nicely, both geographically and competitively. We placed Kent Denver and Faith Christian together with traditional Metro league rivals Manual and Prospect Ridge. Bennett and Strasburg were also kept together due to location and the great rivalry between the Indians and Tigers. Valley and Fort Lupton were shifted from the Patriot based on geography since they are the two most “Southern” schools from that conference. Moving them to the Metro East allows room for new schools Wellington and Timnath to join the Patriot.
Would be great for two more members in this division; one apiece to join the South and West but not likely with the expanded eight-class format. That will cause some concern in scheduling for those two leagues since one member will always be the odd team out when league play gets started.
| METRO | SOUTH | WEST |
| Alameda | Banning Lewis | Basalt |
| Manual | La Junta | Coal Ridge |
| Middle Park | Lamar | Grand Valley |
| Prospect Ridge | Manitou Springs | Moffat County |
| Faith Christian | Florence | Roaring Fork |
| Kent Denver |
| METRO EAST | PATRIOT | SOUTHWEST |
| Bennett | Brush | Bayfield |
| Strasburg | Highland | Buena Vista |
| Fort Lupton | Platte Valley | Centauri |
| Valley | Sterling | Montezuma Cortez |
| Sheridan | Timnath | Pagosa Springs |
| Academy | Wellington | Salida |
CLASS 3A PROJECTIONS
Alamosa is the wildcard here as they really don’t fit into the division geographically. Balance wise, it would be perfect to place the Moose into the West division as each league would then have six members. But the road trips would be awful as there’s not many direct routes from Alamosa to Steamboat Springs for example.
So, we kept the Moose in the South to make road trips “shorter” for them. There might be a chance that Alamosa plays in the 2A Southwest division as a league member during the regular season before bumping up to 3A for the playoffs. They will most likely try to schedule those teams for non-conference games anyway.
Otherwise, we tried to keep traditional rivals and league structures together. Classical Academy is the exception there as for balance, one team from the South needs to be moved into another league. The Titans have been in leagues with Englewood and Elizabeth in the past so we picked them out of the South lineup. But it could any of those teams, especially one on the north side of Colorado Springs to reduce travel.
| JEFFCO | SOUTH | WEST |
| Arvada | Harrison | Aspen |
| Conifer | Mitchell | Delta |
| D’Evelyn | Sand Creek | Rifle |
| Englewood | Sierra | Steamboat Springs |
| Elizabeth | Woodland Park | Summit |
| Classical Academy | Pueblo Central | |
| Alamosa |
| METRO | TRI VALLEY | PATRIOT |
| Lincoln | Fort Morgan | Eaton |
| Denver North | Niwot | Northridge |
| Denver West | Riverdale Ridge | Resurrection Christian |
| George Washington | Skyview | Severance |
| Kennedy | Weld Central | Thompson Valley |
| Northfield | Berthoud | University |
CLASS 4A PROJECTIONS
An odd number of teams overall is about the only thing preventing this division from laying out very well. That could also be a concern with scheduling come the second half of the season. There will be one team each week from our proposed Springs conference needing a game since there are seven teams in that conference. The other six will be involved in conference contests.
Elsewhere across the division, again our goal is geography and traditional rivalries. Lutheran and Holy Family were moved to the Jeffco to give that conference six teams. The same for Canon City and Widefield. They were pulled rom the Springs area to join the Pueblo area schools. Canon City has been in leagues with Pueblo programs often in the past and Widefield was selected since they’re on the southern edge of the Springs. But any of the Springs schools could be moved to the South.
| EAST METRO | SPRINGS | WEST |
| Adams City | Cheyenne Mountain | Battle Mountain |
| Aurora Central | Coronado | Eagle Valley |
| Gateway | Discovery Canyon | Glenwood Springs |
| Montbello | Falcon | Palisade |
| Thomas Jefferson | Lewis Palmer | Durango |
| Thornton | Liberty | Grand Junction Central |
| Palmer |
| JEFFCO | NORTH | SOUTH |
| Evergreen | Frederick | Pueblo Centennial |
| Green Mountain | Greeley Central | Pueblo County |
| Littleton | Longmont | Pueblo East |
| Wheat Ridge | Mead | Pueblo South |
| Lutheran | Mountain View | Canon City |
| Holy Family | Roosevelt | Widefield |
CLASS 5A PROJECTIONS
Having just three teams from the Western Slope in the division makes this difficult to lay out. CHSAA in the past, has gone two different routes with the West schools; sometimes they’re grouped together while at other times they’re spread out across the conferences. In our plan, we go with the first option and keep them together.
Now the issue is how to decide which three teams will join them for a six-member conference. Again, we go a bit with history. Palmer Ridge, Standley Lake and Denver South have all spent some league time with West Slope teams so that’s we came up with them. But there are many options especially from our proposed Southeast league. With Boulder as a member, there’s nothing Southeast about it but it’s a list of teams that don’t fit inside other conferences when you consider traditional rivalries. Ponderosa for instance, plays inside the Continental in almost every sport but all those league rivals, other than Heritage, have been bumped to Class 6A. The same with Overland inside the Centennial. Hinkley though could flip with any team in the East Metro since they face many of those same clubs in other sports.
| SOUTH | JEFFCO | WEST |
| Air Academy | Bear Creek | Fruita Monument |
| Doherty | Dakota Ridge | Grand Junction |
| Fountain Fort Carson | Golden | Montrose |
| Mesa Ridge | Broomfield | Palmer Ridge |
| Pueblo West | Centaurus | Standley Lake |
| Rampart | Monarch | Denver South |
| EAST METRO | NORTH | SOUTHEAST |
| Mountain Range | Greeley West | Heritage |
| Northglenn | Loveland | Ponderosa |
| Prairie View | Silver Creek | Boulder |
| Rangeview | Skyline | Hinkley |
| Vista Peak | Windsor | Overland |
| Westminster | Erie | Vista Ridge |
CLASS 6A PROJECTIONS
Again, there is an odd number of programs in this division (33) so we end up with three six-team leagues and three with just five programs. Will cause some concerns schedule wise as teams may have to dip into the 5A ranks to find opponents each week of the season.
Traditional rivals are easy to divide here. The Centennial, Jeffco and Front Range conferences are basically the same as in the past. We divided the Continental conference into two leagues and included Valor Christian and Pine into that mix and then to be honest, the sixth league is basically teams that don’t fit elsewhere (for the most part).
Fairview could easily be moved to the Front Range as they’ve been a league member there for years. But travel wise, it’s easier for Legacy and Horizon to reach Fort Collins than the Knights. Mullen has been in the Jeffco and Centennial in the past but if we limit leagues to six teams, that conference is already loaded with traditional rivalries. Regis is a longtime Continental league member so they could replace either Pine Creek or Valor Christian in the South to maintain those opponents. Brighton is a possible member of the Front Range but many of their traditional rivals from the EMAC are down in Class 5A. Denver East is the lone DPL school in Class 6A so they don’t have a traditional home either. As a result, we bunched those schools together for our final conference.
Another option would be to eliminate that league all together and stay with five conferences. If that’s the case, then Brighton and Fairview could move to the Front Range, Mullen could go over to the Jeffco or Centennial with Regis moved to the Continental or South. Denver East would then go opposite Regis in either the Continental or South.
| CENTENNIAL | JEFFCO | FRONT RANGE |
| Arapahoe | Arvada West | Fort Collins |
| Cherokee Trail | Chatfield | Fossil Ridge |
| Cherry Creek | Columbine | Legacy |
| Eaglecrest | Lakewood | Poudre |
| Grandview | Pomona | Rocky Mountain |
| Smoky Hill | Ralston Valley | Horizon |
| CONTINENTAL | MIXED BAG | SOUTH |
| Chaparral | Fairview | Pine Creek |
| Highlands Ranch | Denver East | Castle View |
| Mountain Vista | Brighton | Douglas County |
| Rock Canyon | Regis | Legend |
| ThunderRidge | Mullen | Valor Christian |
