A conference-by-conference breakdown in Class 3A:
METRO CONFERENCE
The two-division alignment will make things interesting, especially in Week 10, during the league playoff game.
… Centaurus and Conifer are considered the overwhelming favorites, with Englewood also right up there. The rest of the league will be fighting for the fourth playoff spot and possibly a wild-card berth.
… Summit is considered an underdog among league coaches, while Valor Christian is a wild card.
… Elizabeth, as usual, is likely to be the team that could give Centaurus its toughest challenge in the West.
… While Centaurus and Elizabeth are expected to battle in the West, the East could be a free-for-all, at least for the second spot. And Skyview could be one of those teams eyeing the second playoff spot, alongside Englewood.
TRI-VALLEY CONFERENCE
Berthoud, the defending state champion, and Fort Morgan, the defending league champion, just might be the two best teams in the state. That should make for an interesting midseason showdown Oct. 3 at Fort Morgan.
… Don’t count out Sterling, which brings back 14 starters from last year’s team that reached the state quarterfinals.
… The unknown in this conference is what the new faces bring to the table. Mountain View and Northridge are down from 4A, while Roosevelt is up from 2A.
… One team that seems to be flying under the radar, though it’s not totally forgotten, is Silver Creek. The ability is there, but experience isn’t for the Raptors. If they can get on a roll and compete with the perennial favorites, they might make some noise.
… Their chances aren’t great, but Windsor, in the aftermath of May’s tornado that ripped through the town, may be the sentimental favorite.
… Probably the most exciting player in the conference, and possibly the state, is Berthoud QB Jordan Major. As he goes, so goes the Spartans offense.
SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
If the Tri-Valley isn’t the best 3A has to offer, then the Southern Conference just might be. That said, it doesn’t look the same as it used to. Gone is Florence, but in comes 4A transplants Cañon City, Pueblo Centennial, Pueblo East and Pueblo Central. All of that and you’ve still got state runner-up Falcon and Pueblo County to deal with.
… Pueblo County and Falcon came oh-so-close to winning a state title last year, but both teams — Pueblo County in the semifinals and Falcon in the finals — were denied by Berthoud of the Tri-Valley.
… Woodland Park figures to be in the chase for one of the conference’s playoff spots, at least that’s what many think. The Panthers’ late-season improvements last year haven’t gone unnoticed among league coaches.
… Another team coaches aren’t losing sight of is Canon City.
WESTERN SLOPE
If last year is any indication, and it seems to be the case among coaches in the league, Palisade and Glenwood Springs are the cream of the crop. Glenwood Springs ran the regular season unbeaten before a first-round playoff upset. Palisade reached the state semifinals.
… While those two teams are getting a lot of publicity, one school teams aren’t forgetting about by a long shot is Steamboat Springs. The Sailors are ranked high on everybody’s radar because of junior QB Austin Hinder. Steamboat Springs has 28 juniors, a sure sign that this team could be in contention not only this year, but next year as well.
… Eagle Valley’s physical presence has teams eyeing them in the upper echelon of the conference, possibly as the fourth team out of the conference as a possible wild-card contender.
… Moffat County knows that it is building for the future; thus, the team is lining up 21 different starters — an unusual occurrence in 3A. Those players will get a taste of what success is like right off the bat, facing defending state champion Berthoud in the opener.
