Doherty's Doug Fajardo has scored a team-best nine goals for the Spartans this season. No. 7 Doherty takes on fourth-ranked Pine Creek on Saturday in a game that should decide the Class 5A Colorado Springs Metro League title.
File photo by Matt Daniels
For many soccer teams, it will take just one more before the regular season ends Oct. 17.
While many of the state's league races have transformed from convoluted to clear, a handful of first-place teams still have one more key challenge to overcome before they can call themselves champs.
Take
Pine Creek (Colorado Springs), for instance.
The Class 5A
Colorado Springs Metro League very well could come down to Saturday's matchup between the Eagles, ranked No. 4 in the CHSAANow.com poll, and No. 7
Doherty (Colorado Springs) (6 p.m., Garry Berry Stadium). Pine Creek is 4-0 in league and Doherty 3-1.
Reigning state champ Pine Creek has gotten nine goals apiece from
Nick Bannister and
Yaya Cisse, while Doherty has gotten nine from
Doug Fajardo.
Top-ranked
Rock Canyon (Highlands Ranch) (11-1-1, 8-0-0) is in firm control of the
Continental League, but the league is so stocked with talent that it wouldn't be wise to crown the Jaguars quite yet. After big wins against ranked squads
Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) and
Ponderosa (Parker) in the past week, the Jags take on
Heritage (Littleton) on Monday before closing against second-place
Legend (Parker) (7-1-1).
It appears 5A's other two premier leagues are already decided with No. 2
Smoky Hill (Aurora) (
Centennial) and
Boulder (
Front Range) each having at least a two-game lead entering the final week.
Ralston Valley (Arvada) is
Jeffco's lone unbeaten team and has a win in hand against second-place
Arvada West.
A
Rangeview (Aurora) loss to
Westminster on Thursday turned the
East Metro Athletic Conference into a final-week race between the teams (one league loss apiece).
In Class 4A, the
Tri-Valley League appears destined for a stalemate, as
Windsor and
Skyline (Longmont) enter the final week with only one league loss apiece. Those losses are against one another, as the road team won each matchup. Of note from this league, upstart
Erie (9-5, 7-4) is trying to qualify for the postseason as a first-year squad.
The classification's best race, like 5A, will involve Colorado Springs-based teams in the
Pikes Peak League. Top-ranked
Air Academy (US Air Force Academy) (13-0, 5-0) and No. 5
Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs) (10-2, 5-0) are eagerly eyeing Tuesday's head-to-head tilt at District 20 Stadium.
Air Academy brings otherworldly scorer
Austin Dewing (25 goals, 16 assists) to the match, who will test his skills against talented Indians keeper
Keith Higginbotham.
The area's other premier team,
The Classical Academy (Colorado Springs) (11-0, 7-0), resides in the 4A version of the
CSML and is in firm control.
The
South Central also remains tight, as three teams –
Pueblo West,
Pueblo Centennial and
Pueblo South – enter the weekend with one league loss. Much is to be decided in the final week.
Niwot (
Northern),
Summit (Frisco) (
Western Slope) and
D'Evelyn (Denver) (
Jeffco) are in stellar shape to nail down titles, while
Alameda (Lakewood) remains on top of the
Colorado 7 League.
The hybrid
Southwestern League features 5A
Durango and 4A
Montrose with one league loss apiece, and the
Denver Prep League still includes a combined three teams with one loss each.
In Class 3A, top-ranked
Kent Denver (Englewood) (10-1, 5-0) will try to close out
Region 6. The Sun Devils, led by
Max Gottesfeld's 12 goals, already have beaten second-place
Colorado Academy (Denver) 4-0. The Mustangs are ranked No. 4, which gives an indication of just how powerful Kent Denver is.
Region 7 likely will be decided Tuesday, when No. 7
Denver Christian takes on
Dawson School (Lafayette). Denver Christian has boasted a 55-9 overall scoring advantage this season and has gotten standout goalkeeping from
Aric Aman.
Region 3 also is compelling, with No. 8
Roaring Fork (Carbondale) (5-0) just above No. 9
Vail Mountain and No. 3
Coal Ridge (New Castle) (6-1 apiece). Roaring Fork and Coal Ridge meet Tuesday.
In
Region 5,
Crested Butte (9-1) has a half-game lead on
Telluride (8-1), but that could quickly dissolve. Telluride upended the Titans in the head-to-head matchup.
Denver Science & Tech Stapleton is on the verge of closing out enormous
District 8, needing a win today at
Middle Park (Granby) to clinch.
