On Friday, March 3, the Roaring Fork Rams boys varsity team defeated the Woodland Park Panthers in a tense 53-48 game in Arvada. Despite a relative height differential in the Panthers’ favor, senior River Byrne led the Rams with 21 points in the program’s first playoff victory since 2019.
The victory earned the Rams a chance to face up against Faith Christian Academy Eagles the following day. The Eagles, with a 21-1 record and ranked #1 in the 3A bracket, are a heavy favorite to take home the state title this month, but the Rams came out in the first quarter and showed that it would not be a straightforward win. “We did get good looks at the rim and could get into the paint,” said Coach Krieling, “but the presence of a six foot, seven inch center definitely had an effect on finishing shots that are usually easy for us.”
Though not for lack of effort, the Rams could not stop the Eagles, and their season came to an end with a 70-37 loss. When asked to reflect on a season in which the Rams went 17-7 and 11-1 in the 3A Western Slope League, Coach Krieling could not hold back his pride. “We have great leaders in our seniors in how much they care about this team and the example that they make for the younger players. Some of these guys have not had a winning record in four years of Roaring Fork basketball. They came together as a team right after Christmas and it continued through the end of our season.”
Coach Krieling will lose six seniors to graduation, but he remains upbeat about his team’s chances next season. “We’ll be young, but I do expect us to be competitive in our league.”
The Faith Christian Eagles will play Yuma later today for a spot in the state semifinals.