Aspen boys lacrosse to host Durango
The Aspen Times
Aspen, CO, Colorado
ASPEN – The Aspen Skiers are ready to cross sticks with someone else.
Two weeks of hammering on one another in preseason practice will do that to a lacrosse team.
The Aspen High School boys lacrosse team is scheduled to open the regular season at 4 p.m. Friday against Durango on home turf in Aspen – weather permitting, of course.
“We want to get back in rhythm with each other. We’ll try to get back in sync,” Aspen head coach Mike Goerne said on the eve of the season opener.
“We want to get out there and recognize where our shooters are,” he said of the contest against Durango, a team that will be playing its first official game.
Goerne said the Skiers will try to focus on defensive fundamentals against Durango.
“We want to work on our positioning, work on the slide (defensively),” Goerne said. “We’d like to see the defense frustrate Durango’s offense.”
Goerne said the Skiers return a solid core from the team that went 9-4 in Colorado prep lacrosse last season.
“We have five returning seniors. And we have a handful of juniors,” Goerne said. Plus, he added, the Skiers have a strong group of sophomores and freshmen.
There are 60 players out for boys lacrosse this year, he said.
“Our youth program begins its ninth year,” Goerne said. “A lot of our current high school players played in the youth program. They even played in a Denver league in middle school.”
He said the Aspen youth program involves more than 400 children, from second grade on up.
“These kids have dedicated themselves to getting better, improving,” the Aspen head coach said.
“We will be young, but we have a good talent level,” Goerne said, adding that Arthur Kelso, a sophomore, will start in goal for Aspen on Friday. Jordy Cottrell also will see time in the pipes this year for the Skiers.
“Both of them are very good goalies. They can quarterback the defense back there,” Goerne said.
On the attack, he said Harry Ferguson, Tyler Tick and Ryan Fitzgerald will lead the offense.
“They are all three comfortable playing together,” Goerne said.
In the midfield, the Skiers will count on Eric Abrahamovich, Colter Robinson, Casey Hornburg, Bo Cameron, among others.
The Skiers traveled to Denver last weekend for scrimmages against Ponderosa, ThunderRidge and Douglas County.
That action helped the Skiers get ready for today’s home opener, Goerne said.
“Weather permitting, we’re ready to play,” he said.
The junior varsity game at 5:30 p.m. will follow Friday’s varsity game.
State golf results: Aspen High School boys finish ninth overall at RainDance
The prep golf season came to a close on Tuesday with Aspen High School finishing ninth as a team in the Class 3A state tournament, held over two days at RainDance National Resort in Windsor.
