Courtesy
Last month I wrote one of my Prep Playbook columns about players or teams that could impress this fall, and I led that list with Aspen High School’s Jack Pevny. A senior on the AHS boys golf team, he’s the lone returner from last year’s 3A state championship team and should be on everyone’s short list to compete for the individual state championship next month.
While it’s been a somewhat slow start to the season for Pevny, it’s all starting to come together for him. On Monday, the Skiers sent a group to the Air Academy Kadet Invitational at Eisenhower Golf Course near Colorado Springs. This is significant, as Eisenhower will host the Oct. 7-8 state tournament.
Monday’s results will hardly matter come October, but how can you not get excited? Not only did Pevny win the Kadets’ tournament by shooting 2-under 70, Aspen won the team title by shooting 8-over 224, beating 4A powerhouse Montrose by eight strokes.
AHS coach Mary Woulfe said it was the “biggest win of the season for us” and it certainly was. Montrose’s Micah Stangebye was second, two shots behind Pevny, while AHS sophomore Nic Pevny tied for third at 2-over-par. Nic, Jack’s younger brother, has been more consistent as of late, which bodes well for the team as a whole.
I’m still not sure if Aspen can defend its state championship from a year ago, but with both Pevnys playing well they’ll just need a third to step up and that’s very much a possibility. They have plenty of guys who can shoot mid-70s — the tough part for the coaches is to pick the right two when it comes time for regionals.
Keep in mind that Aspen will host its regional tournament Sept. 25 at Aspen Golf Club. The Skiers have won the regional title every year for the past decade.
RANKINGS UPDATE
The Basalt High School softball team wasn’t ranked to start the season. After starting 4-0, the Longhorns came into the Sept. 2 CHSAANow.com poll at No. 6 in Class 3A, a substantial jump. In the latest poll released Monday, Basalt is now No. 5 and receiving two first-place votes (seriously). I’m not sure I’d put them that high, but the Longhorns are worth paying attention to. They are 6-0 and have outscored their opponents by a collective 69 to 15. They crushed a good Montezuma-Cortez team in a doubleheader this past weekend. All I’m saying is Basalt softball, you have the stage. What a start.
The only other rankings of note are football. Aspen dropped out after its 37-20 loss to Bayfield on Saturday, which jumped back into the rankings at No. 10. Basalt is effectively No. 11 this week after taking care of Olathe on Friday in its season opener. Aspen is essentially No. 13. The 2A Western Slope League is sitting good as a whole, however, with Rifle (2-0) jumping up to No. 2, including five first-place votes, and Delta (1-0) sitting at No. 3 with one first-place vote. No doubt the Rifle-Delta game on Oct. 11 will likely decide the league title, but Basalt and Aspen can certainly provide some chaos in an unbelievably tough league. Aspen hosts Meeker on Friday night while Basalt faces Battle Mountain on Saturday afternoon in its home opener.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST
More than a week into September and we’ll finally get to see the AHS volleyball team play. The Brittany Zanin-era begins Thursday when the Skiers host Roaring Fork at 6:30 p.m. The team lost a deep senior class from a year ago, so who knows what to expect this fall. Basalt volleyball (1-3) hosts Moffat County on Tuesday night in its home opener.