A 1-0 halftime lead for the No. 23 Glenwood Springs Demons girls soccer team quickly disappeared and resulted in a 3-2 loss Saturday afternoon in the second round of the 4A state soccer playoffs to the No. 7 Sand Creek Scorpions in Colorado Springs.
The loss ends Glenwood’s bid at a second straight trip to the 4A state semifinals under fourth-year head coach Joe Calabrese.
Against the Scorpions, senior Sarah Helm scored on a terrific free kick from 25 yards out, while sophomore Tatum Lily added one goal Demons. Senior defender Ashley Weir assisted on a goal in the loss.
With the loss, Glenwood closes the season with an 11-5-1 record on the year, including a 9-2-1 mark in the 4A Western Slope League, which was good for second in the league standings. The loss sees a terrific season come to an end for Glenwood, which also forces them to say goodbye to a terrific senior class in Helm, Weir, Julie Mulhall, Sierra McKinney, Leigh Anne Johnson, Levyn Thomas, Brooke Hunter, and Malia Baltzer. The senior class won 44 games in four years at the varsity level under Calabrese.
GIRLS SOCCER
No. 3 Jefferson Academy 3, No. 19 Roaring Fork 2, OT
On the road Saturday afternoon for a second-round matchup in the 3A girls soccer state playoffs, the No. 19 Roaring Fork Rams came up short in a 3-2 decision in overtime to the No. 3 Jefferson Academy Jaguars, ending a strong season for the Carbondale program.
Against the Jaguars, the Rams received goals from sophomore Letey Crownhart and senior Lux Andrade, with junior Emily Broadhurst assisting on Crownhart’s goal.
Jefferson Academy won the game in overtime on a penalty shot.
“We played a really disciplined game,” said Nick Forbes, Roaring Fork’s head coach. “We played a very even game with the reigning state champs.”
The loss ends Roaring Fork’s season with a record of 9-8, including 5-2 in the tough 3A Western Slope League.
Roaring Fork says goodbye to six seniors: Andrade, Logan Erickson, Solana Teitler, Sandra Grijalva, Angie Morales, and Odalis Corcuera.
BASEBALL
Basalt 7, Roaring Fork 3, Game One
Roaring Fork 11, Basalt 4, Game Two
Hosting the rival Basalt Longhorns Saturday at Ron Patch Memorial Field in Carbondale for Senior Day, the Roaring Fork Rams baseball team split Saturday’s 3A Western Slope League doubleheader, dropping the first game by a score of 7-3, before roaring back in the second game for an 11-4 victory to close out the regular season.
In the first game, Basalt scored first, pushing a first-inning run across to take a 1-0 lead. That score held up until the sixth inning when the Longhorns made it 4-0 with three runs in the inning. Roaring Fork battled back with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to make it a 4-3 game as freshman David Good led off the inning with a walk before junior Eli Nickamin reached on an error to put runners on first and second with nobody out. Then, with one out two batters later, senior Dawson Kuhl drilled an RBI double to center to make it 4-1. Junior Frankie Harrington followed with an RBI on a fielder’s choice, and then senior Kelvin Requeno drove in the final run of the inning on a sacrifice fly.
Basalt then added three runs in the top of the seventh before retiring the Rams in order in the bottom of the inning to pick up the Game One win.
In the second game, Roaring Fork fell behind 1-0 after two innings, but poured in six runs in the bottom of the third inning to bust open the game.
In the third inning, Good tripled to center with one out and scored on an RBI single by Nickamin to tie the game. Then, senior Layne Crisp and Kuhl walked to load the bases, Harrington drove in a run with a single to left-center, Requeno was hit by a pitch to drive in a run, sophomore Graham Pietsch singled in a run, and junior Kyle Baird drove in a run on a sacrifice fly to give the Rams a big lead.
The Rams then added two runs each in the fourth and fifth innings, and one run in the sixth to cap off the win.
In the fifth, Good led off with a single and Nickamin followed with a single. Kuhl then drove in Good on a fielder’s choice before Nickamin raced home on a passed ball. In the sixth, Finn Leahy led off with a single, and Good walked. Nickamin then drove home Leahy on an RBI single before Good scored on a balk. In the seventh, Harrington singled and scored on an RBI single by Pietsch.
The split of the doubleheader sees the Rams finish the regular season with a 9-14 ecord, including 5-4 in the 3A Western Slope League.
Rifle 11, Middle Park 6
Making up an early-season rainout Saturday at Middle Park High School in Granby, the Rifle Bears baseball team picked up a thrilling 11-6 win over the visiting Middle Park Panthers, 11-6, in extra innings, thanks to a Grand Slam from senior Eddie Medina that forced extras.
Against the Panthers, Rifle took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning, thanks to an RBI single by Medina and an RBI double by freshman Charlie Hisel. Rifle added two runs in the third inning as Holden Stutsman walked and scored on an RBI double by junior Derek Wagler, before Wagler scored on an RBI single by Hisel to make it 4-0.
The Panthers stormed back with three runs in the bottom of the third inning to make it a 4-3 game. Middle Park then added three runs in the fourth inning to take a 6-4 lead before the Bears battled back with one run in the sixth inning as junior Levi Warfel singled, stole second and third, and scored on an RBI single by Broc Caldwell. The Bears then forced extra innings with a run in the seventh inning as Wagler hit a solo home run.
Heading into extra innings, the two teams struggled to get anything going until the 10th inning, when senior Randy Starks scored the go-ahead run for the Bears on a bases-loaded fielder’s choice before Medina stepped to the plate after an intentional walk to Wagler to reload the bases and hit a towering Grand Slam, leading the Bears to the win.
In the win, Wagler finished 4-for-4 with a single, two doubles and a home run, adding two intentional walks and three runs scored.
Rifle improves to 14-7 (6-5 in 4A WSL) on the year. The Bears wrap up the regular season Tuesday with a road game in Edwards against Battle Mountain.
Delta 10, Coal Ridge 3
Hosting the Delta Panthers Saturday morning in a 3A Western Slope League battle, the Coal Ridge Titans baseball team dropped a tough 10-3 decision.
Against the Panthers, Coal Ridge held a 2-0 lead after one inning of play before Delta battled back with three runs in the second inning, and one run each in the third and fourth innings, before then scoring two runs in the sixth and three runs in the seventh to pick up the win.
For the Titans, junior Lane Stecklien, sophomore Jackson Wade, and junior Colby Bilson drove in one run each, while Wade, Stecklien, and junior Ryan Kotz picked up hits for Coal Ridge .
The loss sees Coal Ridge finish the regular season with a 9-14 (3-7 in 3A WSL) record on the year.
Glenwood Springs 5, Steamboat Springs 2, Game One
Glenwood Springs 16, Steamboat Springs 0, Game Two
On the road Saturday for a 4A Western Slope League doubleheader against the Sailors of Steamboat Springs, the Glenwood Springs Demons baseball team cruised to a sweep by scores of 5-2 and 16-0.
In the first game, junior Cole Houston and sophomore Wheatley Nieslanik drove in two runs each, while junior Sam Fitzwilliams drove in one run for the Demons. On the mound in the first game, Nieslanik worked six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) while striking out 10 and walking three.
In the second game, Glenwood scored three runs each in the first and second innings, before adding five runs each in the fourth and fifth to close out the 16-0 win.
Fitzwilliams drove in a team-high four runs, while senior Kai Kanzer recorded three RBIs. Senior Chano Gonzalez, Nieslanik, and Houston added two RBIs each, while senior Tyler Dollahan, and sophomore Garrett Dollahan added one RBI each.
Gonzalez, Kanzer, and Fitzwilliams led the way with two doubles each, while Houston homered for the Demons.
On the mound, senior Dylan Lee worked three innings, allowing just one hit while striking out five.
The sweep sees Glenwood improve to 13-9 (8-3 in 4A WSL) on the year. The Demons host Eagle Valley Monday at Glenwood Springs Middle School in a makeup game.
Cardinal Invitational
The Rifle Bears boys track and field team, and the Grand Valley Cardinals girls track and field team won its respective team competitions Saturday at the Cardinal Invitational in Parachute.
Grand Valley’s girls team scored 95 points, holding off Paonia in second with 88.5 points, while the Rifle boys’ team scored 113 points, winning by 21 points over Paonia in second place.
Opening up the invitational in girls events, Grand Valley’s Jordyn Pittman and Shaya Chenoweth finished 1-2 in the 100m dash as Pittman clocked a time of 12.72 seconds, while Chenoweth finished in 12.80 seconds. Pittman later finished second in the 800m run with a time of 2:28.73, while Katherine Stark placed second in the 1600m with a time of 5:56.72. Stark also finished third in the 3200m with a time of 13:47.30.
Grand Valley’s Alex Mendoza and Ryley Sackett placed first and third in the 300m hurdles with times of 48.64 and 50.42 seconds, while the 4x100m relay team for Grand Valley made up of Sackett, Pittman, Mendoza and Pittman placed first with a time of 50.88 seconds. Rifle’s relay team of Halie Holmes, Maddy Valencia, Mackenzie Elizardo, and Hope Kehr placed third with a time of 51.99 seconds.
The Cardinals and Bears then finished 1-2 in the 4x200m , while Rifle’s 4x800m relay team of Karisa Coombs, Jamie Caron, Elizardo, and Ashley Manera won the event with a time of 10:26.41, which was a personal best for the group.
In the pole vault, Rifle’s Emilee Demann and Manera placed 2-3 with heights of 9-01.00 and 8-7.00, while Chenoweth placed second in the long jump for the Cardinals with a distance of 16-11.25.
Valencia then followed up with a win in the triple jump with a distance of 34-10.50, while Rifle’s Jahaira Luna placed third in the discus with a throw of 107-07.
In boys events, Rifle started fast as Tanner Vines and Dalton Pruett placed 2-3 in the 100m dash with times of 11.44 and 11.48 seconds. Pruett then won the 200m dash with a time of 22.54 seconds, while Vines and teammate Embrey Marantino placed 3-4 with times of 23.44 and 23.67 seconds.
Rifle’s Bryce Schanche then placed second in the 400m dash with a time of 52.04 seconds.
In the 4x100m relay, Rifle’s team of Pruett, Marantino, Schanche, and Vines placed second with a time of 44.66 seconds, while Grand Valley’s team of Hector Arzate, Hector Delacruz, Gabe Magana, and Caleb Frink placed fourth with a time of 46.55 seconds.
Rifle’s same relay team then won the 4x200m relay with a time of 1:32.36, before the Rifle relay team of Tanner Cotner, Max Rensberry, Tyler Church, and Schanche won the 4x400m with a time of 3:40.48.
Cotner later placed second in the long jump with a distance of 19-07.00, while Duke Brady won the shot put for the Bears with a distance of 46-05.50, edging Grand Valley’s duo of Justin Andrews (45-06.50) and Kellen Jensen (41-05.00) in second and third. Brady then won the discus with a throw of 137-02, while Andrews placed third for the Cardinals with a distance of 125-04.50, closing out the Cardinal Invitational.
ST. VRAIN INVITATIONAL
Traveling to the elite St. Vrain Invitational Saturday in Longmont, the Glenwood Springs Demons track and field team took a handful of athletes to the prestigious invitational and saw a number of athletes pick up wins.
Opening up the day, standout senior sprinter Gavin Olson claimed victory in the 400m dash with a time of 50.37 seconds, edging Skyline High School’s Jack Wathen in second, while senior Bryce Risner placed third in the 110m hurdles with a time of 15.00 seconds, finishing half a second behind the winner.
In the boys high jump, Glenwood junior AJ Adams placed sixth with a height of 6-1.50, while senior Wyatt Ewer placed fifth in the long jump with a distance of 20-11.50.
In girls events, senior Sequoia Kellogg placed seventh in the 100m hurdles with a time of 15.54 seconds, while adding a sixth-place finish in the triple jump with a distance of 34-09.25.
Senior Payten Spencer picked up an eighth-place finish in the discus with a throw of 113-11.00, rounding out the day for Glenwood athletes. The Demons now await the official announcement of state track meet qualifying times on Monday morning.
