Preps: Roaring Fork soccer advances; AHS regional volleyball times set

The stakes were high, the rivalry was fierce and neither team was willing to back down on Tuesday in Carbondale. But when the final whistle blew, it was the No. 3 seed Roaring Fork High School boys soccer team charging past No. 19 Coal Ridge in a 3-1 victory to advance to the Class 3A state quarterfinals.

From the first whistle, it was clear the Western Slope League rivals were prepared to give everything they had out on the field. Roaring Fork coach Nick Forbes said high-stakes local matchups bring an added level of intensity.

“Playing them is always a much harder and much more testy, much more physical game,” Forbes said. 

Just eight minutes into the first half, the Rams struck first. Roaring Fork senior Oliver Shook broke through the Titans’ back line and found the back of the net. 

The early goal reinvigorated the Titans, who ramped up the pressure on Roaring Fork. Despite its lower seeding, Coal Ridge showed it could compete with one of the top-ranked teams in the tournament.

“Coal Ridge is a very good team. I think they were probably underrated, considering we watched them play in the beginning of the year at their tournament,” Forbes said. “Credit to Dave (Romero), their coach, for building that program up and fixing the things that they needed to.”

Roaring Fork senior Cristian Turcios struck early in the second half, bringing the score to 2-0. But as the clock ticked down, Coal Ridge began to take back control of the game.

Under the Titans’ fast breaks and relentless pressure, the Rams methodical passing and control broke down. 

“We kind of lost our heads a little bit right after we scored. The message was: keep calm, keep playing the game we want to play. Don’t let them get into their game, which is a little bit faster,” Forbes said. 

A penalty inside the 18-yard box with 17 minutes left in the game gave the Titans a chance. Christian Crosthwaite neatly placed the ball, bringing the score to 2-1.

With the Titans back in the contest, the stands were rumbling with fans and parents.

Just three minutes later, the Rams struck back. A drawn-out “goal” blared over the public address system as Shook’s second goal of the night brought the final score to 3-1.

The No. 3 Rams will continue their playoff run in a Class 3A quarterfinal matchup against No. 6 Eagle Ridge Academy at 1 p.m. Saturday in Carbondale. The winner will play either No. 7 Lamar or No. 2 DSST: Conservatory Green in the Nov. 11 semifinals.

The other quarterfinal games on Saturday are No. 1 Jefferson Academy vs. No. 9 Colorado Academy, and No. 21 Denver Christian vs. No. 13 Mitchell.

AHS volleyball regionals set

Aspen High School volleyball will host Class 3A regional play for the second straight season on Saturday inside the AHS gymnasium. The No. 11 seed, AHS (20-2) will welcome No. 14 Jefferson Academy (19-4) and No. 26 Weld Central (10-13) to the valley for a triangular.

Game 1 between Aspen and Weld Central will begin at 1:30 p.m., followed by Weld Central vs. Jefferson Academy at 3:30 p.m. The finale between Aspen and Jefferson Academy is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

Only one of the three teams will advance to next week’s 12-team state tournament, as AHS did a year ago when it also hosted regional play, going 2-0 that day.

Neither Basalt (8-14) nor Roaring Fork (4-18) made the 36-team regional field.

Basalt football takes on La Junta

Basalt football will hit the road to play No. 6 La Junta (8-1) on Saturday in the second round of the Class 2A state playoffs. Game time is set for 1 p.m.

The No. 11 seed, BHS (7-3) is coming off a 42-0 rout of No. 22 Florence in the first round last weekend. Should the Longhorns advance again, awaiting in the quarterfinals would be either No. 3 Wellington or No. 19 Pagosa Springs.

No. 17 Aspen’s season ended in the first round with a 6-3 loss at No. 16 Weld Central.

— The Aspen Times contributed to this report.