Colorado hosts the Rocky Mountain Challenge but the home team often finds itself just a little short.

For Head Coach Allan Wilson, who was coaching the JVs but now handles both the JVs and Varsity, winning the HS all-star tournament is important.

He has had the players in a four-week camp, logging about 25 hours of work as a unit. It's a lot for select side, especially one in the West, but it's needed.

"After that kind of time you've got a good feel for who you've got," said Wilson. "We feel strong and I think the key thing is how we play as a team. We have a lot of players from the stronger teams, but we do have players from teams that haven't won much. The issue is, sometimes those players are used to doing everything, and they have to re-learn to trust their teammates.

"What we've been doing is working on the mix of players and helping all of the players work together; that's the key."

Players to watch include Alex Wormer, of PAC, the DII player of the year and, said Wilson, "a class flyhalf." Matt Williams is a scrumhalf out of Aspen who has had an excellent season. The son of former Eagle Mark Williams, Matt will battle with East HS standout Jackson Bock. 

Colorado also has some outstanding JV/U17 talent, including East HS center Adam Leonard.

Being the host team doesn't mean you get any breaks in the schedule.

Colorado is pooled with Nebraska and Utah in the Varsity bracket, and Heart of America and Minnesota in the JV bracket.