Preps: Updating the playoff brackets as Aspen girls lacrosse takes field

The Aspen High School girls lacrosse team will get the postseason festivities underway on Thursday when they host Durango in the second round of the Class 4A state tournament. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m. on the AHS turf.

Seeded No. 8 in the 24-team bracket, the Skiers (10-5 overall) had a first-round bye. No. 9 Durango (11-3) beat No. 24 St. Mary’s Academy in the first round on Tuesday, winning 20-4. The last time Aspen and Durango played was early in the 2024 season, a 9-8 home win for the Skiers.

The winner of Thursday’s game will advance to the state quarterfinals on Saturday to face either No. 1 Evergreen or No. 17 Horizon. Those two play at 4 p.m. on Thursday in Evergreen.

Aspen’s 2024 season ended in the second round with a 20-9 loss to No. 7 Green Mountain. As the No. 10 seed a year ago, AHS beat No. 23 Telluride in the first round, 11-9.

No. 7 seed Roaring Fork (11-4), who also had a first-round bye, will host No. 10 Mullen (10-5) at 3 p.m. on Thursday in Carbondale in their second-round game. The teams played as recently as April 5, the Rams winning, 19-12. Mullen beat No. 23 Liberty in the first round, 16-7.

Other second-round games Thursday include No. 5 Golden vs. No. 12 Cheyenne Mountain; No. 4 Mead vs. No. 13 Telluride; No. 3 Battle Mountain vs. No. 19 Air Academy; No. 6 Steamboat Springs vs. No. 11 Dakota Ridge; and No. 2 Green Mountain vs. No. 15 Fruita Monument.

Evergreen is the reigning 4A state champion, having beaten Mead in the final last spring, 11-10.

Boys lacrosse

Aspen boys lacrosse, the No. 1 overall seed in 4A, will host No. 16 Green Mountain at 6 p.m. on Friday in their second-round game. The Skiers went a perfect 14-0 in the regular season and had a first-round bye.

Green Mountain (8-8) beat No. 17 Glenwood Springs in the first round on Tuesday, winning 14-10 in Lakewood. The Demons finish the season 7-8 overall.

The Aspen-Green Mountain winner will play either No. 8 Grand Junction or No. 9 Steamboat Springs in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

Other second-round boys lacrosse games on Friday include No. 5 Resurrection Christian vs. No. 12 Middle Park; No. 4 Air Academy vs. No. 13 Cheyenne Mountain; No. 3 Evergreen vs. No. 14 Vail Mountain; No. 6 Golden vs. No. 11 Battle Mountain; No. 7 Telluride vs. No. 10 Fruita Monument; and No. 2 Dakota Ridge vs. No. 18 Lutheran.

Aspen went 9-8 in 2024, losing as the No. 15 seed to No. 2 Cheyenne Mountain in the second round, 16-4. Erie is the defending 4A champion, although the Tigers moved up to 5A this season and lost in the first round on Wednesday.

Girls soccer

Roaring Fork girls soccer’s first-round 3A playoff game is scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday at No. 14 Montezuma-Cortez (9-1-3). The Rams (7-5-3) are the No. 19 seed. The winner faces either No. 3 Delta or No. 30 Elizabeth in the second round.

Neither Aspen nor Basalt girls soccer made the postseason.

Girls tennis

The girls Class 3A state tennis tournament gets underway Thursday and runs through Saturday in Colorado Springs. Aspen has five girls competing at state, led by No. 3 singles player, freshman Olivia Mandelblatt, who will face D’Evelyn senior Nicole Reeb in the first round.

Aspen’s No. 3 doubles team of Anna Dangler and Quintessa Frisch, as well as the No. 4 doubles team of Grace Gallagher and Luna Murray will also compete beginning Thursday.

Baseball

Aspen baseball earned a key win on Wednesday that keeps its postseason hopes alive, beating host Roaring Fork, 16-7. Now 8-12 overall, AHS will turn around and host the Rams (6-16) on Saturday in what is the final scheduled game for RFHS. Aspen will play Battle Mountain twice on Tuesday to conclude its regular season.

Basalt (9-10) played Wednesday vs. Glenwood Springs, losing 12-9 in eight innings. The Longhorns play at Resurrection Christian on Friday, at Eaton on Saturday, and host Meeker on Monday to close out the regular season.

In 3A, 32 teams will qualify for regional play, with those brackets to be announced Wednesday. Regional games will be played May 16-17.

Girls golf

Aspen senior Lenna Persson saved the best for last, posting one of her best high school rounds of golf on Tuesday at Tiara Rado in Grand Junction, the final regular-season tournament this spring for the Skiers.

Persson, who previously signed to continue her golf career at South Dakota State, shot 3-under-par 68 on Tuesday to win the tournament by eight strokes. She’ll be among the contenders for the individual state title in Class 2A.

But first, AHS will head to RainDance in Windsor for the regional tournament on Monday.

acolbert@aspentimes.com