Varsity football is officially back at Roaring Fork High School, and the gridiron is where the 2026-27 prep sports season begins as the Rams take on Gunnison this Friday, Aug. 21, 7pm at Rams Field in Carbondale.
“We’ve really been hyping it up and are trying to get a big crowd out there for our first home game,” said Head Coach John Nielsen, a former Roaring Fork football player himself who remembers the Rams’ glory days back at the start of the 21st century.
The varsity program took a hiatus last season so the coaches could develop a core group of younger players who’ll be looking to show their stuff at the varsity level this fall.
The Rams went 3-6 overall and 1-4 during their 2024 varsity campaign at the Class 1A level, and had a successful junior varsity season last year.
“We’re still growing as a family and seem to be gaining a kid every couple of days, so it’s looking good so far,” Nielsen said. “As a coaching staff, we have to prove ourselves and gain the trust of the players and the parents that we’re providing them a good, safe practice environment to get them prepared for the games.”
Roaring Fork will field two seniors this season, lineman Gianluca Liuzzi and wide receiver/defensive back Emilliano Medina. Junior quarterback Emmit Nieslanik leads a strong contingent of younger players.
“A lot of these guys have been with us every step of the way as we’ve built this program back up, so it’s good to see that kind of leadership,” Nielsen said.
The roster numbers may or may not support a junior varsity team, he said. That won’t be known until a couple of weeks into the season.
Besides Roaring Fork, the 1A Western Slope League this year features Cedaredge, Grand Valley, Meeker, Moffat County, North Fork and Olathe.
After this week’s game, the Rams will regroup before hosting Battle Mountain on Sept. 2 (6pm kickoff), and this year’s homecoming matchup brings Meeker to Carbondale on Sept. 25.
Boys soccer
The reliably tough Roaring Fork boys soccer team has one of its biggest rosters in several years at more than 50 players. That includes a solid returning squad of varsity starters from last year’s 10-5-2 team, which took the top seed in the 3A state tournament, Colorado Academy, to penalty kicks before bowing out in the second round.
“We’re only replacing two senior starters from last season, so this year’s team is already pretty well formed,” veteran Head Coach Nick Forbes said.
Rams soccer opens the season on the road at Forge Christian on Saturday, Aug. 22, with the home opener on tap for Friday, Aug. 28 against Telluride (3pm) at Rams Field.
“They’re pretty solid in how they play and what they do and what their identity is. Our goal is just trying to get them to mature as soccer players,” Forbes said of this year’s Roaring Fork team, adding later, “The teams I’ve done the best with weren’t always the most talented soccer-wise, but they always had that extra drive, and that extra maturity around how they approach the game. We’ll see if this group can rise to that occasion.”
This year’s roster numbers could also support a developmental C team, in addition to the varsity and junior varsity teams. Several of the 3A Western Slope League (WSL) schools are seeing that same growth, Forbes said.
“It’s a World Cup season, so everyone’s kind of stoked on it right now, and that only helps these programs,” he said.
The league will see some changes this season, as Steamboat Springs and Rifle move into the 4A ranks, and Granby’s Middle Park High School, which had been in the Denver-area Frontier League, comes into the WSL.
Volleyball
Greta Gohring takes the helm as the new head coach for the Roaring Fork girls volleyball team.
A Colorado native, Gohring grew up in Conifer as a five-sport varsity athlete. She moved to the Roaring Fork Valley in 2021 to work for the Steadman Phillipon Orthopaedic Sports Research Institute.
“Sports have been my life, and they taught me so many valuable lessons about being an athlete,” she said. “I’ve always had an interest in coaching, and so I reached out and got involved last year.”
Gohring was the C Team volleyball coach last year at Roaring Fork, and an assistant varsity girls basketball coach.
“I really found a passion and a love for working with the girls and helping them out and pushing them to their highest potential,” she said. “I think volleyball is a sport that doesn’t just teach you how to be an athlete, but has those skills of coachability, being able to have perseverance, tenacity, and that’s something that I really try to instill in all the girls and everything we do at practice.”
Gohring held tryouts last week and is limiting the varsity roster this season to nine players.
“That is with intention, so that we can have more swing players who can get those higher-level reps and touches, so that they’re prepared to move up next season,” Gohring said.
“I’m excited to get them into positions that are all around the court and not just in a set position in the front row or the back row, and I’m really looking forward to building a scrappy team that’s going to go after every single ball, be supportive and chase the dreams that we all want as a team and a program,” she said.
The Lady Rams open the season at the Glenwood Springs tournament this weekend, taking the court against Mullen and Rifle at 5pm and 7pm Friday night, and then Steamboat Springs at 11am on Saturday. Their home opener is Tuesday, Aug. 25 (6pm).
Also beginning their fall seasons are the combined Basalt-Roaring Fork girls softball, boys golf and coed cross country running teams. The Longhorn Invitational cross country meet takes place at Crown Mountain Park this Saturday, Aug. 22, with both middle school and high school races starting at 9:30am.