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Gentleman flatten Defiance – again

Nate Peterson
Paul Conrad/The Aspen Times
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Glenwood Springs picked the wrong weekend to schedule a rematch against Aspen. A week after their first loss of the summer, the Gentleman of Aspen hit the pitch Saturday afternoon at Wagner Park ready to tackle anything that moved – just to get the bad taste out of their mouths.The Defiance, meanwhile, hit the pitch with only 14 players available. Aspen had to lend the visitors a player just so they could fill out a full side and the match could commence.It was a nice gesture, especially considering what happened next.

Three weeks after Aspen decked the Defiance 95-0 in Glenwood Springs, the Gents humbled their downvalley rivals by an even larger margin, 125-5.The only positive Glenwood could seemingly take away from the game was its only try, which came after Aspen had taken a 7-0 lead.Otherwise, it was all Aspen for all 80 minutes. Aspen had a host of players score, but the crowd directed its biggest cheers toward Steve Blair, the Gents’ 44-year-old player coach. Blair rumbled for a try in the first half, then added another in the second. Later in the game, Blair got caught in an awkward position while being tackled and partially tore his ACL

Blair was in good spirits, however, icing his swollen knee after the game.”It felt great to be out there,” he said. “I felt fit and it was nice to get involved. … It’s just partially torn, so I’ll have to take care of it and see what happens. I never thought I’d be out there with the boys at my age, but I played pretty well today.”The win was the medicine the Gents were looking for after a disappointing 17-14 defeat July 9 in the final of the Cowpie Tournament in Steamboat Springs.The Gents lost to a talented alumni team from the University of Wyoming the day after beating the same team, 12-10.



Blair took the loss in stride during an interview at Tuesday’s practice, noting that the Gents should have won if it hadn’t been for a few costly mistakes.”We were unable to finish the match,” Blair said. “They were a tough team and that’s what happens when you don’t finish.”Up next for the Gents is another home match at Wagner against Boulder. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Saturday.Nate Peterson’s e-mail address is npeterson@aspentimes.com