Denver Prep eager to prove its state mettle in Colorado boys soccer playoffs

It has been six years since a Denver Prep League team brought home a state championship in boys soccer, but 2017 could shape up to be the league's year.

Headed into the first round of state-tournament play this week, the DPL captured the top two seeds in Class 5A and the No. 2 overall seed in 4A. Denver East and Far Northeast (Denver) will represent the Denver Prep in 5A, while Kennedy (Denver), Denver North and Thomas Jefferson (Denver) made the 4A field.

While this isn't a new situation for East – the Angels, who won 5A titles in 2009 and 2011, were the top overall seed last fall and made the state semifinals – the fact that Far Northeast and Kennedy claimed No. 2 seeds shows the depth and talent of the DPL.

Kennedy (13-1-1) actually won the league title with a 6-0-1 mark, defeating East and tying Far Northeast in a four-day span. The Commanders' only loss came back on Sept. 12 to Sand Creek (Colorado Springs). Junior Aymaro Vargas led the team with 12 goals and 10 assists.

Denver East (14-1) outscored its final five opponents in the Denver Prep by a 25-1 margin after its loss to Kennedy. Senior Sam Carson finished the regular season with 20 goals, and goalkeeper Victor Yague Izquierdo notched nine shutouts overall.

Far Northeast was the 28th overall seed last fall. The Warriors (11-2-2) dropped games to East and No. 5 overall seed Grandview (Aurora), and received a team-high 17 goals from sophomore Alex Ortiz.

North (11-4) finds itself with the same No. 6 seed that fellow DPL squad Denver West had in 2016. West reached the quarterfinals before falling to eventual state champion The Classical Academy (Colorado Springs). North will have a tough road in a quadrant that includes No. 3 Niwot, No. 11 Sand Creek and 2016 state runner-up Battle Mountain (Edwards), but the Vikings bring a balanced offense to the table with plenty of underclassmen contributing.

Thomas Jefferson (8-7) struggled in league play, but four of its losses were by only one goal and the Spartans took three teams to overtime.

With 4A kicking off first-round play Wednesday and 5A and 3A following Thursday, here is a look at the brackets in each of the three classifications:

Class 5A
Defending champion: Boulder
Top 4 seeds: Denver East, Far Northeast, Fort Collins, Boulder
Overview: If the Denver Prep hopes to make a run at a state championship, odds are it will involve overcoming the Front Range League at some point. Eight teams from the FRL are in the field, with two in every quadrant … Quadrant 2 may be the toughest of all four. A pair of 13-win teams lead the way in defending state champion Boulder and Centennial power Grandview; an 11-win Regis Jesuit (Aurora) team out of the Continental League that lost only one in-state game is the No. 12 seed, and 10-5 Fairview (Boulder) is always a threat. … Hinkley (Aurora) won only five games a year ago, but stormed to 13 victories this fall and the No. 6 overall seed. The Thunderbirds' only loss came to Grandview in early September, but Hinkley may have to get past an EMAC foe in No. 11 Rangeview (Aurora) in the second round. The two teams played to a 1-1 tie on Sept. 26. … Broomfield, the state runner-up in 2016, dropped a pair of 1-0 games to Boulder and Fairview, but the Eagles also handed No. 3 seed Fort Collins its only loss this season.
Upset special: A tough schedule caught up to 15th-seeded Legacy (Broomfield) late in the season as the Lightning dropped games to Fossil Ridge (Fort Collins) and Fort Collins. But the Lightning is also the only team to hand Boulder a loss this season, and the team played Broomfield to a scoreless tie two weeks ago. In its four losses, Legacy allowed only five combined goals but struggled to find the back of the net. Should the team get past Aurora Central in the first round, a Far Northeast squad that allowed 26 goals could be vulnerable.
MaxPreps Colorado 5A state bracket

Class 4A
Defending champion: The Classical Academy
Top 4 seeds: Air Academy, Kennedy, Niwot, Montrose
Overview: Air Academy was one of only two perfect teams in the state during the regular season (3A Liberty Common (Fort Collins) was the other), going 15-0 behind three players who scored 14 goals: senior Kristian Hooker, junior Luke Louthan and sophomore Thaddaeus Dewing. The Kadets opened the season with an overtime victory over defending state champion The Classical Academy and never looked back. … Speaking of TCA, the Titans overcame a slow start and allowed only three goals over their final 12 games. Senior Jake Slater's 23 goals and 11 assists set the tone for an offense that scored 74 goals. … No. 9 Durango endured a stretch midway where the team went 1-2-2, but the Demons took a 2-1 victory over No. 4 Montrose late in the year. … No. 11 Sand Creek went 13-1-1, with the only loss coming to Air Academy. The Scorpions also handed No. 2 Kennedy its only loss. Senior Garrett Kramer (29 goals) and sophomore Alan Bautista (23 goals) paced an offense that scored 104 times. … No. 7 Centaurus (Lafayette) won the Northern League and handed third-seeded Niwot its only loss. … Skyline (Longmont), the No. 8 seed, lost only one game this fall. Senior Austin Gillies scored 29 goals.
Upset special: Some programs thrive as the underdog, and 22nd-seeded D'Evelyn (Denver) has pulled off big upsets before. The Jaguars upended No. 1 Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs) last fall, and the team knows a thing or two about playing in close games – four times D'Evelyn went into two overtimes this season, going 3-1 in those contests. If the Jaguars can slow down Sand Creek's offense and stay with the Scorpions in the first round, another potential run isn't out of the question.
MaxPreps Colorado 4A state bracket

Class 3A
Defending champion: Kent Denver (Englewood)
Top 4 seeds: Jefferson Academy (Broomfield), Kent Denver, Colorado Academy (Denver), Colorado Springs Christian
Overview: After falling to Kent Denver in a shootout in the state title game last fall, Jefferson Academy stormed to the top seed in 3A while playing a brutal schedule. The Jaguars played each of the other top four seeds, going 2-1 in those games (the team tied Kent Denver 1-1). Junior Ian Coen scored 16 goals, and a defense led by senior goalkeeper Eric Strauss allowed only five goals in 15 games. … Kent Denver allowed only four goals, and its only loss came late in the season to No. 3 Colorado Academy. Sophomore keeper Joey Waldbaum allowed only two scores in 997 minutes of play. … Liberty Common ran the table in the regular season, and a balanced offense saw 18 different players score a goal. … Atlas Preparatory School (Colorado Springs) is only in its second varsity season, but the Gryphons won 11 games this fall and are the No. 14 seed. Sophomore Lamario Nisbeth led 3A with 28 goals.
Upset special: Roaring Fork (Carbondale) entered the postseason last fall as the No. 30 seed before taking No. 3 Colorado Academy to the limit in a 1-0 loss. The Rams are the 23rd seed this season, facing Aurora West College Prep (Aurora) in the first round. Roaring Fork ended the regular season with a big overtime victory over Delta, and scored three goals on Coal Ridge (New Castle) the previous game before falling 4-3. Senior Aidan Sloan leads the team with 16 goals and eight assists, and the Rams won five of their final six games.
MaxPreps Colorado 3A state bracket