Preps: Aspen volleyball to host regional play on Saturday; BHS football hits the road

The stage has been set for the Aspen High School volleyball team to host regional play on Saturday afternoon inside the AHS gymnasium. The Skiers earned the No. 11 seed in the 36-team Class 3A regional tournament and will entertain No. 14 The Vanguard School and No. 26 KIPP Denver Collegiate in Region 11.

The action gets underway at 1 p.m. Saturday when Aspen plays KIPP Denver Collegiate. Immediately following that game will be The Vanguard School vs. KIPP, with the final game being between Aspen and Vanguard. Expect the finale to start around 3 p.m.

Regionals are a three-team affair, with each team playing the other two in a round-robin tournament. Only one of the three teams will advance to next week’s 12-team state tournament.

Aspen is able to host after going 18-5 overall, including a 3-0 sweep of Moffat last weekend in the regular-season finale. AHS finished second to Gunnison in the 3A Western Slope League. The 18 wins are the most since the 2018 team coached by Bailey Holmes that finished 18-7 and lost as the No. 19 seed in the regional final at No. 6 Valley.

With the MaxPreps archives only going back as far as the 2007 season, it’s not immediately clear when the last time AHS volleyball hosted a playoff game, but it’s not believed to have been in the past couple of decades, at the least.

The Vanguard School, out of Colorado Springs, also went 18-5, finishing second in the 3A/2A Tri-Peaks league to Lamar, a No. 17 seed in regional play. KIPP Denver Collegiate went 13-6 overall, finishing third in the 3A City league behind DSST: Conservatory Green and DSST: College View.

Other regional hosts include No. 1 Alamosa, No. 2 Resurrection Christian, No. 3 Eaton, No. 4 Forge Christian, No. 5 Stargate School, No. 6 Bayfield, No. 7 The Classical Academy, No. 8 Sterling, No. 9 Gunnison, No. 10 Centauri, and No. 12 Prospect Ridge Academy.

Coal Ridge is seeded No. 15 and will play at Centauri in regionals, alongside No. 27 Brush.

Neither Basalt (6-14) nor Roaring Fork (9-13) made regional play, bringing an end to their seasons.

Longhorns head to Strasburg

The Class 2A football playoffs begin on Saturday for Basalt, with the No. 16-seeded Longhorns playing at No. 1 Strasburg in the first round. Game time is scheduled for 2 p.m. on the Front Range; Strasburg is located about 40 miles east of downtown Denver.

Basalt finished the regular season 6-3 overall after a 49-21 win at Aspen in the finale. BHS earned an automatic spot in the postseason for being the 2A West champions, going 4-0 in league play. After a 2-3 start, the Longhorns enter the playoffs having won four straight games.

Strasburg earned the top seed with a perfect 9-0 mark in the regular season. The Indians’ best win is arguably a 33-31 victory at Elizabeth on Oct. 3; the 7-2 Cardinals are the No. 4 seed and will host No. 13 Pagosa Springs in the first round.

Basalt and Strasburg haven’t played since at least 2004, which is as far back as the MaxPreps archives currently go. The winner of Saturday’s game will play either No. 8 La Junta or No. 9 Eaton in the quarterfinals.

The only other 2A West team to make the postseason is No. 12 Delta. The Panthers (7-2) will play at No. 5 Brush (9-0) in the first round on Saturday.

Aspen, which did not make the playoffs, finished the fall 2-6 overall under first-year head coach Bryce Sandoval.

Winter is coming

Football, volleyball, and boys soccer are the only fall sports still playing.

Representing the 3A Western Slope League in the state soccer quarterfinals on Saturday are No. 3 Steamboat Springs (hosting No. 11 Eagle Ridge Academy) and No. 7 Coal Ridge (playing at No. 2 Jefferson Academy).

The fall seasons have concluded for boys golf, boys tennis, cross country, and softball.

Hockey practice officially gets underway this coming Monday, Nov. 10, while basketball, girls swimming, and wrestling begin practice on Nov. 17.

acolbert@aspentimes.com