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Basalt soccer heading to playoffs

Dale Strode
The Aspen Times
Basalt goalie Adrian Lujan makes a sliding save against Coal Ridge in a match earlier this season. The Longhorns will open the Class 3A state playoffs at Denver Christian on Friday.
Jim Ryan/Special to The Aspen Times |

The Basalt Longhorns will open the Class 3A boys soccer state playoffs the same way they opened the regular season — on the road against a familiar parochial foe.

The Basalt boys soccer team, seeded No. 14 in the 32-team Class 3A state field, will take on No. 19-seed Denver Christian (9-6-0) in a first-round playoff match set for 3 p.m. Friday at The Classical Academy in Colorado Springs.

No. 3 seed Classical Academy earned the host designation for the first and second rounds as one of the top eight 3A seeds in the state. Classical (14-1-0) will play No. 30 Vanguard Charter School (10-4-1), another Colorado Springs high school, in a first-round game at 5:30 p.m. Friday.



The two first-round winners will play at 1 p.m. Saturday at The Classical Academy to advance to the quarterfinals of Class 3A soccer Nov. 1.

Defending state champion Colorado Academy (Denver) is the No. 1 overall seed at 14-0-1.




Salida, the only team to beat The Classical Academy this year, is the No. 2 seed at 15-0-0.

Classical is No. 3 with Frontier Academy (Greeley) seeded No. 4.

Kent Denver (11-2-2) is the No. 5 seed.

Coal Ridge High School (New Castle) earned a host bid for the first and second rounds as the No. 6 overall seed. The Titans are 12-2-1.

Roaring Fork High School (Carbondale) also earned a 3A host site designation as the No. 8 seed (11-2-2).

No. 7 is Bruce Randolph (Denver), with an 11-1-2 record.

Coal Ridge will take on No. 27 Alexander Dawson (Lafayette) at 1 p.m. Friday at New Castle.

The Coal Ridge-Alexander Dawson winner will take on the winner of No. 11 Manitou Springs (12-3-0) vs. No. 22 Sheridan (8-5-2) in the second round.

Manitou and Sheridan will play at 3:30 p.m. Friday at Coal Ridge High School.

Saturday’s winners game is set for 1 p.m.

No. 8 Roaring Fork will take on No. 25 Fountain Valley (8-6-1) at 6 p.m. Friday in Carbondale.

No. 9 Faith Christian (8-6-1)will take on No. 24 Telluride (11-2-0) in the other first-round game in Carbondale (4 p.m. Friday).

Basalt (9-5-10), back in the playoffs again this season under head coach Brent Hayes, will take on a Denver Christian team that was the opener on the schedule two months ago.

The Longhorns beat Denver Christian in a 2-1 contest on Aug. 30.

Denver Christian enters Friday’s game with a five-game winning steak.

Basalt heads into the state playoffs off a 2-0 loss to Class 4A defending state champion Battle Mountain in a nonconference regular-season finale.

Prior, the Longhorns scored back-to-back wins over playoff teams Coal Ridge and Vail Mountain.

The Longhorns widespread offense produced 13 different goal-scorers this season, led by Juan Abrego and Darwin Orellana, who have five goals each.

Omar Contreras has four goals in only six games since rejoining the team.

dstrode@aspentimes.com