Preps: Basalt soccer in, Aspen out of playoff bracket; state XC rosters
Longhorns head to Woodland Park on Thursday
Roaring Fork is very in, Basalt is barely in, and Aspen is just out of the Class 3A boys soccer state tournament, with the bracket being unveiled Monday via CHSAANow.com.
Basalt (5-9-1 overall) sneaks in as the No. 26 seed in the 32-team field and will play in the first round at No. 7 Woodland Park (11-1-3).
UPDATE: Basalt-Woodland Park is now scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday in Woodland Park, near Colorado Springs.
The winner advances to face either No. 10 Timnath or No. 23 Prospect Ridge Academy in the second round.
This is Basalt’s third straight year playing in the state tournament. As the No. 19 seed in 2023, BHS beat No. 14 DSST: College View in the first round, 5-3, before losing to No. 3 Peak to Peak in the second round, 3-2. The Longhorns were one-and-done in 2022, losing as the No. 21 seed to No. 12 James Irwin in the first round, 3-1.
Back to 2024, league champion Roaring Fork (10-3-2) is in as the No. 5 seed and will host No. 28 Rocky Mountain Prep (5-7-3) in the first round. The game will be played at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in Carbondale.
The winner advances to face either No. 12 The Academy or No. 21 Fort Lupton in the second round.
The Rams are a perennial state qualifier, including in 2021 when, as the No. 11 seed, Roaring Fork beat No. 1 Jefferson Academy in the 3A championship game.
Aspen finishes the 2024 season with a 6-8-1 overall record. AHS hasn’t made the postseason since 2021, a first-round loss to DSST: Green Valley Ranch.
The Skiers were presumably the first team left out of this fall’s playoff bracket after finishing No. 32 in the final seeding index. However, No. 32 seed Weld Central took that spot due to being an automatic qualifier through their tiny Patriot league; the Rebels were No. 40 in the final seeding index.
Weld Central plays No. 1 seed Holy Family in the first round. Jefferson Academy is the No. 2 seed, followed by No. 3 Peak to Peak, and No. 4 Rifle. The Bears (12-2-1) play in the first round on Wednesday against No. 29 DSST: Conservatory Green (4-8-3).
Other notable seedings out of the Western Slope include No. 25 Delta (vs. No. 8 Kent Denver); No. 9 Coal Ridge (vs. No. 24 Bayfield); and No. 15 Steamboat Springs (vs. No. 18 Denver West).
Colorado Academy is the defending 3A state champion, having beaten then-No. 15 Coal Ridge in last year’s final, 3-1, as the No. 1 seed. Colorado Academy is seeded No. 6 this year.
Runners head to state
On Monday, CHSAANow.com also released the official list of state qualifiers for cross country, following the regional races last week.
For winning regionals, the Aspen girls are sending a full seven members. That list includes Fiona Benvenuto, Annabelle Case, Julia Diaz, Kate Goldfarb, Darienne Kenny, Niamh Nelson, and Ela Stevenson.
The Basalt girls also have a roster of seven, including: Ana Cabrera, Caroline Cole, Morgan Fink, Isabella Moon, Addison Raymond, Kinley Richmond, and Sadie Silcox.
The Aspen boys are sending a full roster, which for them is only five runners. They are Jack Diaz, Dominic Dimaria, William Goldfarb, Vlad Loboda, and Lochlan Marsh.
Basalt’s lone state qualifier on the boys’ side is junior Towler Scott, who won the regional race.
The state meet is Saturday, Nov. 2, in Colorado Springs.
Final week for volleyball
Aspen volleyball’s postseason hopes took a slight hit on Saturday after a 3-2 loss to Forge Christian. Now 11-10 overall, the Skiers only regular-season game remaining is this coming Saturday, Nov. 2, against Moffat County. Game time is 2 p.m. in Aspen.
Basalt, now 3-11, lost to Soroco on Saturday, 3-0. BHS plays on Tuesday at Grand Junction.
Roaring Fork, now 9-12, lost at Cedaredge on Friday, 3-1. The Rams play Tuesday against North Fork in their regular-season finale in Carbondale. Game time is 6:30 p.m.
As of Monday evening, Aspen was No. 30, Roaring Fork No. 41, and Basalt No. 52 in the latest seeding index through CHSAANow.com. The regional field, to be announced after the weekend, includes 36 teams in Class 3A.
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.