Preps: Basalt football heads to Sterling for second-round game
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
Basalt football’s undefeated season continues with a trip to Sterling for the second round of the Class 2A state playoffs. That game is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday in northeast Colorado.
The 10-0 Longhorns, seeded No. 2, had no problems at home in a 42-14 rout of No. 15 The Academy in the first round on Saturday. The 9-1 Tigers, seeded No. 10, upset No. 7 Woodland Park in the first round on Sunday, 33-31.
The winner of Saturday’s quarterfinal will advance to the semifinals against either No. 6 Berthoud or No. 3 The Classical Academy. Should Basalt make the semifinals, it would host that game regardless of who the opponent is.
The Longhorns were in a similar position in 2022, sitting at 10-0 heading into the state quarterfinals. That season ended there with a 41-7 loss to eventual state champion Eaton, although BHS was only the No. 7 seed that fall, and Eaton was No. 2.
Per MaxPreps, Sterling and Basalt have not played in recent years (the MaxPreps archives only go back to about 2005).
Roaring Fork soccer in semifinals
The Class 3A boys soccer season is down to only four teams, and Roaring Fork happens to be one of them. The No. 5 seed Rams are scheduled to play No. 1 Holy Family (14-2-2) at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the North Area Athletics Complex (NAAC) in Arvada.
The second semifinal game will be No. 3 Peak to Peak (11-2-4) against No. 2 Jefferson Academy (14-3-1), beginning around 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The 3A state championship game will be played at 11 a.m. Saturday at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park, home of the Colorado Rapids.
Roaring Fork (13-3-2) is chasing its second state championship, the first having come as recently as 2021 when a group of 10 seniors beat Jefferson Academy in the final, 2-1. The Rams are coming off a 3-2 upset of No. 4 seed Rifle in the quarterfinals last weekend.
Holy Family’s only losses came in back-to-back games in October, falling to Centaurus (3-1) and Silver Creek (5-2). Both teams are in Class 4A, with Silver Creek having beaten Centaurus in the state quarterfinals and will play No. 1 Mullen in the 4A semis on Wednesday.
Aspen volleyball hangs tough at regionals
The Aspen volleyball season came to an end on Saturday after finishing second among three teams in their Class 3A Region 9 tournament, hosted by No. 9 seed Peak to Peak. The Skiers went 1-1, with only the regional champion advancing to this week’s state tournament.
Aspen, seeded No. 28, played host Peak to Peak in the first game, losing 3-1. After losing the first set, 25-19, AHS answered with a 25-23 upset in the second set. The Pumas rolled in the final two sets, winning 25-11 and 25-16.
In the second game, Aspen upset league foe Cedaredge, seeded No. 16, 3-0. Set scores were 25-23, 25-17, 25-17, the win avenging a 3-1 loss to the Bruins in the regular season.
Peak to Peak beat Cedaredge in the final game, 3-1. Set scores were 25-13, 21-25, 25-11 and 25-20. The Bruins finish the season 16-8 overall, while Peak to Peak (20-5) will be the No. 9 seed in the 12-team state tourney when it gets underway Thursday.
Aspen finishes the fall 13-11 overall, the first season under head coach David Chadbourne. The Skiers are set to return most of their roster in 2025 after losing only one senior this season.
Honors for cross country
The all-state teams for cross country were announced via CHSAANow.com last week, those lists based off the results of the state meet.
Basalt junior Towler Scott was among many named honorable mention all-state in Class 3A. Earning honorable mention recognition for 3A girls were Basalt’s Isabella Moon, and both Aspen’s Julia Diaz and Annabelle Case.
Towler, who won his regional race, was 20th in the 3A boys final at state (17:08.7). In the girls race, Diaz was 28th (20:22.7), Case was 46th (20:57.3), and Moon was 47th (20:58).
Skiers name new swim coach
Aspen High School recently announced that Connor Capes has been named head coach for the girls swim and dive team. A language arts teacher at Aspen Middle School, Capes comes from Florida, where he has a background in coaching swimmers of all skill levels.
“From helping beginners learn every stroke to coaching individuals and relays to regional competition, Connor has consistently fostered a culture of growth and success,” AHS wrote on its Instagram page when announcing the hire. “His proudest accomplishments include leading a swimmer to the state championship and seeing his athletes achieve both personal milestones and team goals.”
Capes joins hockey’s Jay Miller and Nordic skiing’s Greg Bodkins as new Skier coaches this winter season. The girls swim season begins this coming Monday with the start of most official winter sports practices. Hockey practice got underway this past Monday.
Four men arrested for Aspen jewelry burglary
The Aspen Police Department arrested four men Tuesday for allegedly burglarizing Avi & Co. jewelry between late Sunday night and early Monday morning.
Basalt football handles the snow and the Wildcats in easy playoff win
The game was delayed by 30 minutes after a winter storm left a few inches of snow on the field prior to the original 1 p.m. kickoff. A lot of shoveling later and some afternoon sunshine provided quite the canvas for the win-or-done contest.
