Briefs: Aspen tennis plays strong in GJ, soccer falls short to Monarch
ASPEN HIGH TENNIS HAS STRONG SHOWING AT WESTERN SLOPE MEET
The Aspen High School boys tennis team represented the mountain schools well by taking fourth in the 16-team Western Slope Tennis Open on Friday and Saturday in Grand Junction. The Skiers finished with 143 points to lead all Western Slope teams. The only schools to finish ahead of them were larger Front Range teams in Mountain Vista (164), Denver East (179) and winner Regis Jesuit (188).
Aspen’s No. 1 singles player Alex Ilic, No. 2 singles player Christian Kelly and No. 1 doubles team of George Ghali and Liam Sunkel all had third-place finishes to lead the Skiers. Alex Mosher finished fourth at No. 3 singles.
AHS now has a few days off before traveling to Fruita on Thursday.
ASPEN HIGH BOYS SOCCER FALLS IN CLOSE CONTEST WITH 5A MONARCH
The Aspen High School boys soccer team fell 1-0 to Monarch on Saturday in its home opener. Monarch, a Class 5A school that is now 3-1, scored its lone goal in the second half against its Class 3A opponent.
Aspen, now 2-1 overall after wins over Grand Valley and Basalt, is off until Thursday when it plays at Delta.
ASPEN SOFTBALL FALLS TWICE AT DURANGO
The Aspen High School softball team dropped to 0-3 on the season with a pair of losses Saturday against Durango in Grand Junction. Scores were 18-8 and 26-4. AHS is next scheduled to play Tuesday at Cedaredge.
BASALT SOFTBALL REMAINS PERFECT
The Basalt High School softball team went 3-0 over the weekend at a tournament in Denver. The Longhorns beat Skyview 17-4 on Friday before wins over Denver South (8-7) and Monarch (14-5) on Saturday. BHS is now 6-0 and scheduled to host Meeker on Tuesday, the team’s first home game.
BASALT TENNIS EDGES FRUITA AT HOME
The Basalt High School boys tennis team beat Fruita 4-3 on Saturday at Crown Mountain Park. Senior David Zalinski had the only win for the Longhorns in singles play, winning at No. 1 by scores of 6-2, 6-1. Basalt also had wins at No. 1, 3 and 4 doubles.
BASALT VOLLEYBALL LOSES BATTLE AT OLATHE
The Basalt High School volleyball team fell 3-0 at Olathe on Saturday. Set scores were 28-26, 25-19, 25-17. Olathe improved to 2-5 overall while Basalt fell to 2-4. The Longhorns are scheduled to play Tuesday at Grand Valley before traveling to Aspen on Thursday.
BASALT XC GIRLS SHINE IN DENVER
The Basalt High School cross country team competed Saturday at the Liberty Bell Invitational in Denver. The BHS girls had a strong showing, taking fourth out of 18 teams in Division 3. The Moffat County girls won.
Basalt sophomore Sierra Bower led the Longhorns by finishing seventh in 20 minutes, 30.7 seconds. Colorado Springs Christian’s Rachel Ingram won in 18:43.40. BHS senior Natasha Kotz also had a strong outing, taking 10th out of nearly 200 runners.
The Basalt boys finished 13th as a team. Junior Tucker Bruce led the way by finishing 27th.
Coal Ridge’s Ben Simons pitches no-hitter in baseball season opener
Ben Simons, the reigning Western Slope League Player of the Year, is setting the stage for another dominant season.