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Players await the start of the Basalt High School football practice on Wednesday, June 5, 2019, on the BHS field.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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The Basalt defense, led by Ernesto Lopez, celebrates after forcing an early fumble in the 2018 season opener against Olathe.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Basalt’s Jackson Rapaport hauls in a pass in a 2018 football game against D’Evelyn in Basalt. (Photo by Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times).
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
Eight practices and one scrimmage may not sound like much, but spring camp is hardly about fine-tuning things. For the Basalt High School football team, it’s about laying the foundation for the upcoming fall season.
“Everyone here is fully committed to this team, which feels great. We’ve always had that committed team, and I feel that same brotherhood here,” BHS senior-to-be Ernesto Lopez said. “It just comes down to who wants to play and who doesn’t. I know everyone here is ready to step up.”
The Longhorns held their eighth and final practice of the spring on Wednesday. They will close out spring ball Thursday with a 4 p.m. scrimmage against Glenwood Springs and Coal Ridge, played at Glenwood Springs High School. It’s a rare chance for BHS to play in full pads against the Class 3A Demons while also allowing them to size up a 2A Western Slope League foe in the Titans.
“It’s a great time for kids to step up and show their leadership and their commitment to the program, which we’ve been really excited about this spring,” said BHS coach Carl Frerichs, who is entering his 12th season at the helm. “I know a lot of these kids are super excited to step up and have their opportunity.”
The Basalt football program hovered either just above or just below the .500 mark in most of Frerichs’ first nine seasons, the worst being a 2-7 campaign in 2013 while reaching seven wins on two occasions (2010 and 2016).
But the Longhorns reached another level over the past two seasons, going 9-2 each time. BHS hosted a second-round playoff game for the first time in school history last fall, losing 46-9 to Platte Valley.
In what has without question been the best three-year stretch in Longhorn history, the current senior class now is tasked with continuing this relatively new tradition of dominance.
“I’m excited to show everyone else what it’s like to be a leader and hopefully make them step up into the seniors’ shoes that we lost,” BHS senior-to-be Jackson Rapaport said. “Just keep the same mindset we’ve always had and hard work will beat the amount of talent as long as we follow what the coaches need us to do and are able to work as hard as we need to.”
Basalt said goodbye to many good seniors last fall, notably quarterback Trevor Reuss and running back Jake Reardon. Frerichs said sophomore Wish Moore and junior Matty Gillis are competing to be the next QB, while sophomore Cole Dombrowski seems to have a solid hold on the running back position, critical in Basalt’s run-heavy offense.
“They are both doing a great job,” Frerichs said of the quarterbacks. “In the backfield we got Cole Dombrowski. He’s only going to be a sophomore, but he’s a heck of a talent. There’s a handful of running backs. That is probably our strongest position in terms of depth.”
Rapaport is back as one of the Western Slope’s best wideouts, and Lopez is a dominant force on the defensive line. After that, it’s mostly a lot of new names.
Thursday’s scrimmage will be a chance for the younger players to leave a lasting impression on the coaching staff before the long summer break.
“The biggest thing with the scrimmage is we’ll see who actually wants to play or not,” Lopez reiterated. “My biggest thing would just be getting back into the playoffs and going a step further than last year. I know we have the ability.”
Fall practice officially begins Aug. 12. The Longhorns open the 2019 season on Sept. 6 at Olathe.