Basalt football hosts Battle Mountain on Friday in final non-league game
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times |
It’s much too early in the season for any team to get a big head after one big victory. For the Basalt High School football team, that victory came in last week’s 35-7 rout of Delta, then No. 6 in Class 2A.
This week has been about moving forward as usual.
“They really stayed dialed in. They know it’s one game,” BHS coach Carl Frerichs said. “I’m really proud of the kids and the way they are playing right now. They are really dialed in and focused on what their goals are.”
Basalt (2-1) broke into the CHSAANow.com rankings this week, coming in at No. 10 in Class 2A. BHS is ranked No. 11 in 2A in the first RPI standings of the season, two spots behind No. 9 Aspen (3-0).
Now, the Longhorns host Class 3A Battle Mountain (2-1, RPI No. 28) at 7 p.m. Friday in their final non-league game. The Huskies started 2-0 with wins over Steamboat Springs (34-9) and Roaring Fork (47-0) before losing 31-14 to Coal Ridge last week.
When the two teams met last season, Basalt won 20-8 in Edwards. Battle Mountain went 3-7 in 2016.
“It’s so different this year because they have a new head coach,” Frerichs said of the Huskies. “They are running that double-wing offense, so it is smash-mouth football. We better be ready to come forward and be aggressive or we are not stopping that offense.”
Frerichs is certainly feeling confident about his team’s ability to handle the physical nature of a team like Battle Mountain. The Longhorns have been dominant on its line the past two games, which includes a 44-0 win over Grand Valley on Sept. 8.
Led by senior Thomas Wirth, the defensive line really stood out in last week’s stunner over Delta.
“Thomas Wirth was just incredible on the nose tackle Friday night against Delta,” Frerichs said. “We’ve really dominated up front. I think that’s been the most impressive thing. We thought going into the season that was our strength and I think they’ve really shown that the last two weeks. That really is our strength for the season.”
