{"id":2454667,"date":"2020-02-18T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-18T07:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=321077"},"modified":"2020-02-18T00:01:00","modified_gmt":"2020-02-18T07:01:00","slug":"colberts-prep-playbook-chatting-with-coach-keel-about-ahs-swim-at-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/colberts-prep-playbook-chatting-with-coach-keel-about-ahs-swim-at-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Colbert\u2019s Prep Playbook: Chatting with coach Keel about AHS swim at state"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.6486486486486\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-321077-882\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/preps-atd-021620-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/preps-atd-021620-1-1024x633.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Cliff Grassmick\/Daily Camera | Staff Photographer DAILY CAMERA | Aspen's Laila Khan-Farooqi competes in the 200-yard freestyle at the Class 3A state swim championships on Saturday in Thornton. (Cliff Grassmick\/Boulder Daily Camera)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Aspen&#8217;s Laila Khan-Farooqi competes in the 200-yard freestyle at the Class 3A state swim championships on Saturday in Thornton. (Cliff Grassmick\/Boulder Daily Camera)<\/strong><br \/>Cliff Grassmick\/Daily Camera | Staff Photographer DAILY CAMERA<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/preps-atd-021620-1-1024x633.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Aspen's Laila Khan-Farooqi competes in the 200-yard freestyle at the Class 3A state swim championships on Saturday in Thornton. (Cliff Grassmick\/Boulder Daily Camera)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/preps-atd-021620-1-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/preps-atd-021620-1-1-1-1024x727.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Cliff Grassmick\/Daily Camera | Aspen freshman Lilly Huggard waits after the 100-yard backstroke at the Class 3A state swim championships on Saturday in Thornton. (Cliff Grassmick\/Boulder Daily Camera)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Aspen freshman Lilly Huggard waits after the 100-yard backstroke at the Class 3A state swim championships on Saturday in Thornton. (Cliff Grassmick\/Boulder Daily Camera)<\/strong><br \/>Cliff Grassmick\/Daily Camera<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/preps-atd-021620-1-1-1-1024x727.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Aspen freshman Lilly Huggard waits after the 100-yard backstroke at the Class 3A state swim championships on Saturday in Thornton. (Cliff Grassmick\/Boulder Daily Camera)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/preps-atd-021620-1-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/preps-atd-021620-1-2-681x1024.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Photo by Anna Stonehouse | Aspen Times sports editor Austin Colbert\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-2\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"7\">\n<p><strong>Aspen Times sports editor Austin Colbert<\/strong><br \/>Photo by Anna Stonehouse<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/preps-atd-021620-1-2-681x1024.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Aspen Times sports editor Austin Colbert\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/colberts-prep-playbook-chatting-with-coach-keel-about-ahs-swimmings-runner-up-finish-at-state\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/colberts-prep-playbook-chatting-with-coach-keel-about-ahs-swimmings-runner-up-finish-at-state\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">The Aspen High School girls swim team had a rookie head coach and only six athletes in the pool. Those swimmers were certainly talented, but the general lack of depth and experience led to a lot of unknowns for the Skiers entering the season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The end result? A runner-up finish at the Class 3A state swim meet Saturday in Thornton.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt was definitely a fight to the finish,\u201d AHS coach Katherine Keel said Monday. \u201cI hesitate to say I didn\u2019t have expectations for our team, because I did, but I was focusing more this year on individual goals and making sure we were improving definitely our team culture, but also our individual times. I was hopeful we could shoot for the moon, but I didn\u2019t really know what was reasonable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Evergreen, which had quite the numbers advantage on the Skiers, won its second straight state championship with 372.5 points. Aspen was second with 214 points, narrowly holding off third-place Salida (209), fourth-place Kent Denver (208) and fifth-place Durango (204). Glenwood Springs was sixth with 190 points.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">It\u2019s fair to say the runner-up finish establishes AHS swimming as a 3A powerhouse. The classification only made its debut in 2017, the year Aspen won its lone state championship. After dropping down to eighth in 2018, the Skiers finished fourth in 2019 before taking second this year. Not a bad four-year stretch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe result was better than all of us could expect,\u201d Keel said. \u201cRight now we are all riding high from two days ago, but I think as soon as it settles and we have a second to digest, I\u2019m sure everyone is going to turn their attention toward next year and start setting bigger goals.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">It\u2019s a run that\u2019s likely far from done. Thanks to the Aspen Swim Club, which had done a great job bringing up swimmers from the youth level over the years, AHS should be able to find plenty of talent in the middle school ranks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Not to mention, of the six varsity swimmers AHS had this season, only junior Emily Kinney was an upperclassman. The rest of Aspen\u2019s state swimmers this past weekend included sophomores Kayla Tehrani, Laila Khan-Farooqi, Ava Cherry and freshman Lilly Huggard.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Even if it doesn\u2019t add a single swimmer to the 2021 roster, AHS could have its entire 2020 team back in the pool next year, which certainly makes it a state title contender yet again.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI\u2019m just so thankful for all the parents and the coaches in my life who stuck by me in swimming, because it takes a lot of people to make a season like this happen,\u201d Keel said. \u201cIf anything, it was just shedding light on how many moving parts there are and how great it is when it all works. It really makes me appreciate the support I\u2019ve had.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">WRESTLING UP NEXT<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The Basalt High School wrestling team will be the next to compete at state when it sends a pair to the Pepsi Center in Denver this week. The Longhorns had two qualify out of regionals this past weekend in 170-pound junior Ruben Samuelson and senior heavyweight Ernesto Lopez.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Samuelson lost in the regional final for his first loss of the season. Still, at 37-1 overall, he\u2019s very well a contender at state. Samuelson will face Jefferson senior Randy Duran (31-8) in the first round. Samuelson is a first-time state qualifier.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Lopez is returning to state for the second year in a row. He\u2019s 29-3 overall and coming off a regional championship and will face La Junta senior Ryan Metzger (8-15) in the first round.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Prelims start Thursday afternoon, with quarterfinals and semifinals slated for Friday. All championship matches take place Saturday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">SKIING, HOCKEY, BASKETBALL EYE POSTSEASON<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The rest of the winter sports seasons are quickly coming to an end, as well.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText ListBullet\">The AHS skiing teams, both alpine and nordic, are off this week before heading to the state championships Feb. 27 and 28, where they\u2019ll contend for another state title.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText ListBullet\">AHS hockey has one more game to go, a Saturday trip to Glenwood Springs, before finding out if it makes the state playoffs. It\u2019ll be close.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText ListBullet\">The basketball season is down to one regular-season game, which will be Thursday night when Aspen hosts Basalt. At this point, it looks like all four teams will end up competing in a district play-in game Saturday, with Thursday\u2019s results determining the matchups.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Regardless of who wins Thursday (game times are 5:30 and 7 p.m.), it looks like both the AHS and BHS boys basketball teams will host their play-in game against either Cedaredge or Olathe. The AHS girls are certainly going on the road, while the BHS girls should also host, regardless of Thursday\u2019s outcome.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The Aspen girls had previously been scheduled to play at Summit this week as well in a non-league game, but that game is officially scratched off the books.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">TIME FOR A HOOTENANNY<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">This Saturday, the Basalt High School athletic department is hosting its fourth annual Wild West Night at the Homestead Bar and Grill at River Valley Ranch in Carbondale. It\u2019s a fundraiser that supports the BHS athletes, notably the tennis teams.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">It\u2019s a 21-and-over event that will include plenty of dancing and poker (with complimentary game chips) all set to a Wild West theme. The event goes from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, with single tickets starting at $35 (or $60 for a couple).<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">For more information or to buy tickets, visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.longhornstennis.org\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/www.longhornstennis.org<\/a> or call coach Diana Elliott at 970-927-4693.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:acolbert@aspentimes.com\">acolbert@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/colberts-prep-playbook-chatting-with-coach-keel-about-ahs-swimmings-runner-up-finish-at-state\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Aspen&#8217;s Laila Khan-Farooqi competes in the 200-yard freestyle at the Class 3A state swim championships on Saturday in Thornton. (Cliff Grassmick\/Boulder Daily Camera)Cliff Grassmick\/Daily Camera | Staff Photographer DAILY CAMERA Aspen freshman Lilly Huggard waits after the 100-yard backstroke at the Class 3A state swim championships on Saturday in Thornton. (Cliff Grassmick\/Boulder Daily Camera)Cliff Grassmick\/Daily [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2454667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 15:01:41","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2454667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2454667"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2454667\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2454667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2454667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2454667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}