Bulldogs open atop Pueblo Power Five soccer rankings

For possibly the first time ever, Centennial rose to the top of the CHSAANow.com 4A boys soccer rankings, so it’s no surprise that the ‘Dogs are at the top of our rankings, too.

After splitting the South-Central League title with Pueblo West in 2018, Centennial needed to prove that it still had one up on the Cyclones. With its 1-0 Aug. 23 win over Pueblo West, the Bulldogs have provided enough early proof to lift it to the top spot in the opening Pueblo Preps Power Five soccer rankings.

The Bulldogs are 2-0 to start the season, adding a 6-0 beating to South Aug. 29 to keep its early 2019 record unblemished. With the S-CL’s top keeper in senior Jesse Chavez, boasting two straight shutouts, Centennial’s defense will be daunting.

Pueblo West takes up the No. 2 spot, bouncing back from its opening loss to Centennial to a 4-2 win over Mesa Ridge last week, four second-half goals lifting the Cyclones to its first win.

The rest of the South-Central League is trying to make up ground on the Bulldogs and Cyclones.

Pueblo County comes in at No. 3 as the last season’s only other above-.500 team in the S-CL. The Hornets began with a 3-0 loss to Roosevelt, though.

East sits in 4th in the rankings on the power of a 2-1 start, gaining wins over Pueblo Central and Mitchell. South, with a 1-1 start, rounds out the rankings at No. 5.

Note on rankings: Power rankings rank local teams across all classifications. As such, 4A teams are generally considered stronger than 3A teams, 3A stronger than 2A, etc.