Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
Only once this season had the Aspen High School girls lacrosse team really been tested, so Saturday’s home game against Arapahoe was a good change of pace.
“We definitely have been at a slower pace with the teams we have been playing recently,” AHS senior Kate Citron said. “But this game was much tougher competition and I think you could tell we were ready for it and excited to play a challenging game.”
The Skiers held on for a 15-10 win in what was recognized as senior day, keeping their perfect record intact. The only other game Aspen had won by less than 10 points this season was a 14-10 road win over Air Academy on April 10.
And, like the Kadets, Arapahoe made AHS dig a little deeper for this win. Tied 5-5 at halftime and then again at 6-6 shortly into the second half, the Skiers had a little bit of a run midway through to build a 12-7 lead. The Warriors never got closer than three goals from there.
“It’s much more fun to play teams that are competitive and challenging to us,” Citron said. “It makes us better as a team overall, which is very fun.”
Arapahoe fell to 4-7 overall with the non-league loss. The Warriors are 3-2 in their Centennial league, which includes Cherry Creek, the state’s No. 2-ranked team and last year’s state runner-up.
The Warriors were only 33rd in RPI as of Saturday afternoon, well outside the playoff picture. They were a 10 seed in last year’s state tournament.
The win improved Aspen, ranked No. 8 in the state, to a perfect 12-0 on the season. AHS had an RPI of 6 as of Saturday afternoon, making it likely they’ll have a first-round bye in the 20-team tournament (only the bottom eight seeds have to play in the first round).
“We have a very good dynamic right now and I think our confidence is up,” Citron said. “But we still play classy and play lacrosse we know we can play well and just keep that in mind always.”
The Skiers still have three regular-season games remaining. They next play Tuesday at Roaring Fork (8-2) in what will be the first official varsity matchup between the schools, as this is the first the Rams have had a varsity program.
Thursday, AHS will travel to Fruita Monument. And while the Arapahoe game was considered senior day, the Skiers are expected to host Telluride for one final home game on Saturday to close out the regular season.
“It’s sad to say goodbye to everyone and they celebrated for us in the locker room,” Citron said of the senior-day festivities against Arapahoe, “but it definitely got us pumped up for the game.”
The AHS boys lacrosse team was off Saturday after playing on the road Thursday and Friday. The Skiers beat Telluride on Friday, 18-9, to improve to 7-5 overall. AHS had a top-10 RPI as of Saturday afternoon, putting them firmly in the playoff picture. Aspen plays at Fruita on Tuesday.
Basalt girls soccer rolls over Grand Valley, 9-2
The Basalt High School girls soccer team made relatively easy work of visiting Grand Valley on Saturday, winning 9-2 for its second win in as many games. The Longhorns also beat Roaring Fork on Wednesday, 2-1, for the season sweep of the Rams.
Basalt improved to 3-8-1 overall with three games remaining. With an RPI of 32, as of early Saturday, BHS still has an outside chance of making the postseason. The Longhorns next play at Moffat on Tuesday in their final league game before traveling to Aspen on Friday. They are scheduled to close out the regular season on Saturday against Grand Junction.
The Aspen girls soccer team did not play this weekend. The Skiers (11-2) are off until traveling to Middle Park on Thursday.
Basalt baseball splits DH, Aspen baseball loses on Saturday
The Basalt High School baseball team hosted Coal Ridge for a doubleheader on Saturday, losing the first game 9-7 before winning a wild second game, 18-16. The win improved the Longhorns record to 3-10 overall, the other two wins coming against Aspen. BHS next is scheduled to host Moffat County on Tuesday.
The Aspen High School baseball team hosted Delta on Saturday, losing 15-3 to fall to 0-14 overall and 0-5 in league play. The Skiers play at Cedaredge on Tuesday, weather permitting.
AHS, Basalt Tennis teams prepare for regionals
The Aspen High School girls tennis team closed out regular-season play on Friday with a 5-2 loss at Dawson School.
Both AHS and Basalt now turn their attention toward regionals, which get underway on Wednesday. Delta is the host school for the regional competition.
The Class 3A state tennis championships are scheduled for May 9-11 in Greeley.