Our panel of well over 24 coaches from all across the state has weighed in with their selections. Here is how the coaches see the various classifications shaping up.
Opening weekend will, of course, bring much reordering to the list. Teams that didn't get enough credit before the season will show what they have. Highly ranked teams will falter. And rankings will adjust. For now, though, this is how those most in the know read the situation.
Numbers in parentheses following a team's ranking are the number of first-place votes that team received. Note the there were no unanimous selections for first-place teams, although the Cheyenne Mountain boys came closest to capturing that honor.
5A Boys
1. Mountain Vista, 114 (9)
2. Fairview, 107 (3)
3. Cherry Creek, 85
4. Fort Collins, 83
5. Arapahoe, 76
6. Chaparral, 55
7. Monarch, 38
8. Rocky Mountain, 27
9. Heritage, 21
9. Dakota Ridge, 21
5A Girls
1. Fort Collins, 118 (10)
2. Monarch, 110 (2)
3. Mountain Vista, 92
4. Arapahoe, 75
5. Fairview, 56
6. Cherry Creek, 54
7. Pine Creek, 46
8. Fossil Ridge, 28
9. Boulder, 27
10. Palmer, 20
4A Boys
1. Cheyenne Mountain, 112 (11)
2. Thompson Valley, 89
3. Coronado, 78
4. TCA, 76
5. Broomfield, 51
6. Air Academy, 49
7. Palmer Ridge, 48 (1)
8. Evergreen, 32
9. Durango, 31
10. Centaurus, 28
10. Pueblo West, 28
4A Girls
1. TCA, 122 (7)
2. Thompson Valley, 118 (4)
3. Battle Mountain, 88 (1)
4. Cheyenne Mountain, 61
5. Mountain View, 57 (1)
6. Centaurus, 54
7. Broomfield, 53
8. Durango, 46
9. Air Academy, 34
10. Evergreen, 26
3A Boys
1. University, 103 (5)
2. Peak to Peak, 97 (5)
3. Estes Park 89 (1)
4. Alamosa, 84
5. Frontier Academy, 57
6. Brush, 45
7. Bayfield, 36
8. Faith Christian, 29
9. Buena Vista, 27
10. Holy Family, 18
3A Girls
1. Moffat County, 92 (7)
2. Estes Park, 80 (2)
3. Holy Family, 76 (1)
4. Frontier Academy, 63
5. Aspen, 58
6. Bayfield, 54 (1)
7. Gunnison, 45
8. Salida, 31
9. CSCS, 20
10. Brush, 18
2A Boys
1. Lyons, 88 (7)
2. Telluride, 76 (3)
3. Rangely, 69 (1)
4. Crested Butte, 61
5. Vanguard, 36
6. Hotchkiss, 33
7. Rocky Ford, 20
8. Wiggins, 12
8. Peyton, 12
2A Girls
1. Telluride, 88 (6)
2. Vanguard, 72 (1)
3. Hotchkiss, 70 (3)
4. Lyons, 66 (1)
5. Nederland, 38
6. Paonia, 29
7. Denver Christian, 28
8. Lutheran, 12
Notice: Local print media are welcome to reproduce all or parts of these rankings provided that credit is given to Colorado Track XC (https://co.milesplit.com)