Championship dreams stay alive as Aspen boys lacrosse handles Steamboat in quarterfinal win
The state semifinals are Saturday in Denver
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
A decade after winning the program’s first and only state championship, the Aspen High School boys lacrosse team is again on the doorstep of eternal glory.
Facing Western Slope rival Steamboat Springs in the Class 4A state quarterfinals on Tuesday, the top-seeded Skiers battled past the No. 9 Sailors to win, 9-4, and move within one victory of again playing for the title.
“It keeps the journey alive, and I think the biggest thing I’ve seen from the success of this team is the re-engagement of the community,” AHS coach Tommy Cox said. “This has to be the largest crowd Aspen lacrosse has ever played in front of, and that’s just indicative of how much this team means to this community and I could not be more excited.”
AHS will next head to the University of Denver, which will host both 4A semifinal games on Saturday. The Skiers will play at 12:30 p.m. against No. 4 Air Academy, who was a 15-9 winner over No. 5 Resurrection Christian in their quarterfinal game Tuesday.
The other semifinal game will feature No. 2 Dakota Ridge (9-6 over No. 7 Telluride in QFs) against No. 3 Evergreen (16-6 over No. 6 Golden). That contest is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday.
This was Aspen’s third win over Steamboat this season. AHS won the first way back on March 20, winning 8-5 in Aspen, before the teams played again on May 1, AHS winning in overtime 8-7 in Steamboat to cap off an undefeated regular season.
“Steamboat came out and fought. They are a very talented team,” Cox said. “But we know what to prepare for. We knew a lot about them, as they did us. We knew how to work against their schemes and how to counter theirs. It was a blessing and a curse all at once.”
The Skiers controlled much of the second half. It was close early, but an offensive rush late in the second quarter put AHS up 6-3 at halftime. It was an 8-4 advantage after three quarters, when the game got pretty chippy, the Skiers holding on for the 9-4 victory.
Aspen’s state championship came in 2015 under former coach Michael Goerne, who died in a 2019 avalanche.
“This is what we set out for. This group of seniors has been talking about this since second grade,” Cox said. “To see this come to fruition 10 years after Goerne did it is just an unbelievable turn of events and a blessing.”
The 2025 Class 4A state championship game is scheduled for 5 p.m. Monday, May 19, on the DU campus.
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Players battle for possession as the Aspen High School boys lacrosse team hosts Steamboat Springs on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game on the AHS turf.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Aspen High School boys lacrosse player Bobby Lizotte controls the ball against Steamboat Springs on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game on the AHS turf.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Players battle for possession as the Aspen High School boys lacrosse team hosts Steamboat Springs on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game on the AHS turf.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Aspen High School boys lacrosse player Andrew Palmaz, left, passes against Steamboat Springs defender Henry Jamison on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game on the AHS turf.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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A packed house gathers to watch the Aspen High School boys lacrosse team play Steamboat Springs on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game on the AHS turf. The Skiers won, 9-4.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Aspen High School boys lacrosse player Henry Denis passes the ball against Steamboat Springs on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game on the AHS turf.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Aspen High School boys lacrosse player Henry Denis, right, controls the ball against Steamboat Springs on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game on the AHS turf.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Aspen High School boys lacrosse player Tucker Devlin looks to score against Steamboat Springs on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game on the AHS turf.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Aspen High School boys lacrosse player Tucker Devlin looks to pass against Steamboat Springs on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game on the AHS turf.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Aspen High School boys lacrosse player Landon Thurber, right, gets knocked over while chasing a loose ball against Steamboat Springs on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game on the AHS turf. The Skiers won, 9-4.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Steamboat Springs lacrosse players George Redfern, right, and Ethan DiBiaso walk off the field after losing to Aspen on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game on the AHS turf.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Players shake hands after the Aspen High School boys lacrosse team beat Steamboat Springs on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game on the AHS turf. The Skiers won, 9-4.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Aspen High School boys lacrosse player Gavin Terry, left, controls the ball against Steamboat Springs on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game on the AHS turf.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Steamboat Springs lacrosse players break the huddle during a timeout against Aspen on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game on the AHS turf.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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The Steamboat Springs boys lacrosse team huddles after losing to Aspen on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game on the AHS turf. The Skiers won, 9-4.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Aspen High School boys lacrosse player Nate Moatz controls the ball against Steamboat Springs on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game on the AHS turf.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Aspen High School boys lacrosse player Bobby Lizotte, center, winds up to pass against Steamboat Springs on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game on the AHS turf.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Steamboat Springs lacrosse player George Redfern, right, controls the ball against Aspen on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game on the AHS turf.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Aspen High School boys lacrosse player Bobby Lizotte, right, controls the ball against Steamboat Springs defender Abbott Gautreaux on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game on the AHS turf.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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The Aspen High School boys lacrosse team, in white, hosts Steamboat Springs on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game on the AHS turf.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Steamboat Springs lacrosse player Abbott Gautreaux controls the ball against Aspen on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game on the AHS turf.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Members of Aspen Fire enjoy working the game as the Aspen High School boys lacrosse team hosts Steamboat Springs on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game on the AHS turf. The Skiers won, 9-4.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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