Football: Preseason Pikes Peak Top 10

Note: As with all our polls this season, the rankings reflect a team’s chance to contend against others in its own classification. It is not necessarily a prediction of which team might win a head-to-head competition.

1. Pine Creek: Program has stood head and shoulders above in past two seasons

2. Fountain-Fort Carson: Strength in numbers as 116 players went out for football

3. Falcon: Joey Caron might be area’s best quarterback and all key players return

4. Liberty: Team speed is up after breakout playoff season

5. Sierra: Program adds size, experience without sacrificing speedy athletes

6. Lewis-Palmer: Solid program should benefit from drop in classification

7. Vista Ridge: New kids on the block are already stocked with talent

8. Mesa Ridge: Phillip Rhodes is a beast of a running back

9. Doherty: New coach injecting new life to school that could be sleeping giant

10. Palmer: Team should reap benefits of playing youngsters in recent years

Best of the rest: Cañon City, Florence