High school boys soccer postseason set to begin in Colorado

No matter. The regular-season slate was completed April 19, and the state playoff brackets were released a day later. There are great matchups on the horizon in each classification, and the road to Weidner Field in Colorado Springs should be a fun one.

Below is a breakdown of a few of the favorites in each classification:

Class 5A // Bracket

Grandview (Aurora): After starting the season with a loss to Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village), not a lot of 5A teams are playing better than the Wolves. They've now won nine straight games and have given up just three goals in that span. Jose Soto leads the team with six goals, but there is balance beyond him as seven other players have scored at least two. Noah Tsehaye has averaged 2.7 saves per game while in net for Grandview.

Liberty (Colorado Springs): The Lancers advanced to the 5A second round last year before losing to Regis Jesuit. It looks like they have high ambitions this year after completing an undefeated regular season. Milas Norwood has been crucial to their success as he has a team-high nine goals. Freshman Caden Hickox has been a welcome addition to the team as he's scored four times this season. Keeper Theo Koch has three shutouts and should give Liberty a chance to win each game as long as he stands in front of the net.

Regis Jesuit (Aurora): A heartbreaking loss to Broomfield in the state championship game appears to have fueled the Raiders' hunger for gold this season. Regis has yet to surrender a goal all season, a stat that makes it a clear favorite to advance through the bracket. Alejandro Herrera leads the team with three goals and six other players have scored two. Tanner Scarth is the main assist man as he has six on the year.

Class 4A // Bracket

Battle Mountain (Edwards): Like last year, the Huskies enter the postseason as the No. 1 team on the bracket. Unlike last year, they hope this results in a state championship opportunity. Lewis-Palmer (Monument) upset Battle Mountain in last year's quarterfinals and the Huskies have responded by dominating the pitch every time they've stepped on it. Kevin Chavez has been the heart of the offense, as he shares the team lead in goals with 14 and also has 14 assists. Bryant Ramirez has also scored 14 goals this season.

Niwot: The Cougars got tripped up early in a loss to Skyview but they rebounded to put together an impressive regular-season run. They even held their opponents scoreless in their last five games of the season. Azael Marrufo and Aidan Martin shared the team lead with 10 goals. Keegan Stobbe had a team-high eight assists. Javier Amaya saw light work in the net as he had to make only 20 saves while allowing just five goals.

Skyview (Thornton): The defending 4A champion has put together a solid resumé this year and it includes a win over No. 3 Niwot. Brayan Aguirre leads the team with eight goals, but overall 12 players have found the net for the Wolverines this season. Obed Hinojos has been nearly impossible to get by as he's given up just three goals and recorded four shutouts in 2021. Skyview's bid for a perfect season fell short by one game as it lost to Aurora Central on April 19.

Windsor: The Wizards didn't have a run of regular season blowouts like a lot of other 4A favorites had, but that might not be a bad thing. They finished 10-0 on the season, but four of those wins were one-goal games, meaning they will be battle-tested when games begin this week. John Burnett led Windsor with 13 goals, and keeper Daniel Bouma made 41 saves during the year.

Class 3A // Bracket

Colorado Academy (Denver): The Mustangs have been on a mission to show they're the top team in 3A this year. They won their first three games by a combined score of 21-2 and finished with a 10-0 record. Nick Maffei led the team with 11 goals, while Luke Wharton and Thomas de Leeuw added at least five each. Charlie Westfall recorded five shutouts and allowed just five goals all season in net.

Coal Ridge (New Castle): The Titans weren't afraid of any opponent as evidenced with the likes of Fruita Monument and Grand Junction Central on the schedule this year. Coal Ridge outscored their opponents 40-6 and finished the regular season at 9-0. Jack Price scored 13 goals while Samuel Fulk had 10. Cody Connor was outstanding in the net as he averaged 8.7 saves per game and recorded five shutouts during the season.

Liberty Common (Fort Collins): Another undefeated team heading into the postseason, the Eagles have been dominant in their time on the field. Of their nine wins, only three were by a margin of two or fewer goals. Noah Boehner led the team with 11 goals, while Caleb Zielke , Justin Kleen, Brady Poore and Tyler Higgins all scored at least eight. Matt Stalcup had to make only 12 saves all season and allowed just one goal in that span.

Manitou Springs: The Mustangs are an intriguing team in this year's postseason because of their depth. No one player has an overwhelming majority of their goals as Isaiah Thomas leads with six, but Anton Akse and Andrew Rhodes each have five, while Sean Lowe and Evan Yount have four. The back line for Manitou has been solid all year as keeper Spencer McCumber gave up just seven goals while making 44 saves.

Class 2A // Bracket

Crested Butte: There wasn't a 2A team that could get the better of the Titans this year. Crested Butte outscored their opponents 29-3 en route to going 7-1-2 on the season. The lone loss came against Alamosa and the two ties were against 3A's Salida and last year's state champion Ridgway. Jacob Bernholtz lead the Titans with 12 goals, and Alex Eldridge has been strong in the net, allowing just those three goals all season.

Dawson School (Lafayette): A tough three-game stretch saw the Mustangs go scoreless and come away with an 0-2-1 record in that span. Since then, they've looked solid with three straight wins, one of which was against No. 1 seed Denver Christian. Sam Freedman and Nick Knobel combined to score 15 goals for Dawson. The Mustangs had four different players get time as keeper during the regular season, but Skyler Heinrichs will be the go-to guy in the playoffs. He made 31 saves and allowed six goals during the regular season.

Denver Christian: The Thunder fell just short of the state championship game a year ago and are hoping they can make a run at a state title this go around. They played just six regular season games, winning all but one of them. Mark Detrick scored half of Denver Christian's goals with nine. Derrin Quinn added four, giving the team a solid combination of scorers going into the playoffs.

Loveland Classical: The Lions' quest for an undefeated regular season was halted by a 2-1 loss against Estes Park in the regular-season finale, but that won't deter them playing at a high level in the postseason. They have 1-0 wins over Dawson School and Heritage Christian, both of which are 2A playoff teams this year. Joe Neville led the team with 13 goals.