It’s watch, wait and win time for the Roaring Fork High School boys soccer team, which took another step toward securing the 3A Western Slope League title on Tuesday with a scoreless draw at Coal Ridge.
Now with a record of 8 wins, 2 losses and 2 ties overall and 5-0-1 in league play, and ranked third among 3A teams in the state, the Rams are sitting pretty going into the final three games of the regular season.
One of those games is a Thursday, Oct. 24 home stand against Vail Mountain, the only team that could spoil the party for Roaring Fork.
If the Gore Rangers beat Aspen this Thursday and Rifle on Friday, they could claim the league title with a win at Rams Field in Carbondale next week.
Roaring Fork head coach Nick Forbes and the Rams players hope it won’t come to that, but if it does, what a game to play in front of the Rams’ faithful, huh?
“Vail has to win all their remaining games, otherwise we’ve got it,” Forbes said on Wednesday. “So, we could be playing for league when we host Vail. But if they drop any points, we win the less-exciting way.”
The Tuesday match against 12th-ranked Coal Ridge proved a good strategic test for the Rams as they gear up for the 3A playoffs.
“It was just a cagey game,” Forbes said. “We had more chances to win, but couldn’t put them away.”
The Titans’ goalkeeper, junior Colbran Ingelhart, had a nice save off a back post run from Rams senior Sam Brennan with less than 5 minutes to play in the game, and Roaring Fork junior keeper Keven Cisneros recorded five saves to keep things level.
On Friday, Oct. 11, the Rams earned a 3-1 statement win over 4A Glenwood Springs, in Glenwood. Senior Fernando Rodrigues-Condela scored two goals and junior Delano Crooks had one. Sophomore Cal Stone had two assists, and Cisneros had five saves.
The Rams center it again at Montrose on Tuesday, Oct. 22, host Vail Mountain at 6pm Oct. 24, and close out the regular season at Rams Field with a cross-town friendly against Colorado Rocky Mountain School at 6pm Friday, Oct. 25.
CRMS also saw a fair amount of action this past week.
Playing at the 2A level, the Oysters dropped a Western Slope North League match 2-1 at Caprock Academy in Grand Junction on Tuesday; fell 6-1 to Moffat County on Oct. 10 (goal by senior Alvaro Ruiz Maza Guajardo, assisted by senior Sebastian Case; 12 saves by senior keeper Leonard Jiang); and tied Grand Valley 1-1 on Oct. 8 (goal by sophomore Michah Hopkins; Jiang 12 saves).
CRMS is 1-6-1 overall and 1-3-1 in league, with the lone win coming at the beginning of the season when the Oysters beat Caprock 4-0.
Volleyball
Roaring Fork’s girls volleyball team improved to 6-9 overall and 3-4 in the 3A WSL with a 3-2 win (25-23, 25-23, 20-25, 19-25, 15-10) Tuesday at Basalt.
It was the Rams’ third win in a row, coming on the heels of a 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-23) home win against Moffat County on Oct. 10.
“Even though we got off to a slow start this season, what I love about this team is that they continue to come to practice eager to learn and show up without worrying about where we end up,” head coach Karen Crownhart said.
“Last night was a great example of how much they are learning each and every time they get on the court,” she said of the Basalt win.
Crownhart acknowledged the ever-improving play of junior outside hitter Yaki Hernandez.
“She’s becoming more consistent as an outside go-to for us, but each game’s different,” Crownhart said. “Sometimes it’s (junior Nikki Tardif), sometimes it’s (freshman Clover Hansen).”
Games stats were not immediately available. Against Moffat County last week, it was Hernandez with 14 kills, and Tardif and Hansen with nine each. Seniors Erica Crownhart and Elizabeth Fullerton served up six and four aces, respectively, and senior setter Carley Crownhart recorded 36 assists.
Roaring Fork is at Olathe on Thursday, ahead of a weekend tournament at Battle Mountain High School, then back home on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 6:30pm versus Aspen
Football
The Rams fell to 2-4 overall and 0-2 in the 1A WSL with a 40-0 loss at home to Meeker on Oct. 11.
Playing without senior wide receiver and safety Hunter Noll due to injury, the Rams struggled on both sides of the ball against the 11th-ranked 1A team in the state.
Roaring Fork travels to play Olathe this Friday, Oct. 18, and is at Cedaredge on Oct. 25, before concluding the season at home against North Fork on Nov. 1 (7pm kickoff).
Cross country
The combined Basalt-Roaring Fork cross country runners were at the Rifle XC Invitational on Oct. 8, as they tuned up for the 3A Region 1 Championships slated for Oct. 24 in Fraser.
At Rifle Creek Golf Course, Basalt junior Towler Scott took fifth place with a 5-kilometer time of 16 minutes, 42.1 seconds.
Basalt’s girls were led by senior Izzy Moon, who placed 13th in 20:51.3. Also scoring top-25 finishes were juniors Addison Raymond, 14th (20:51.4), and Caroline Cole, 18th (21:26.2).
CRMS freshman Kayla Steele was 23rd in 21:43.5.