Cody Jones / Post Independent
It’s been 27 years since Garfield County has had a Colorado state track and field title to call its own. On Saturday, that drought came to an end with the Coal Ridge girls track team hoisting the 3A state championship trophy high above their heads for everyone to see as they were crowned state champions.
Head coach Ben Kirk said the possibility of the girls winning the title occurred to the coaches about a month ago.
“We met as an entire girls team and told them if we are going to win the state title then Peyton Garrison and Mikayla Cheney need to run their individual events,” he said. “The rest of the responsibility fell on everyone else stepping up, and the girls took ownership of this responsibility and had great races.”
The small but mighty Basalt track and field team ready to play superhero at state aspentimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from aspentimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Photo by Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
For two schools separated by only 20 miles, there isn’t much in the way of recent history between them on the football field.
But Friday night, Basalt High School will host Glenwood Springs on the gridiron in a critical league contest that has been a decade in the making. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on the BHS field.
“I’m sure my kids know who is under the helmet a lot better than I do. So I think it’s super fun for the valley,” Basalt coach Carl Frerichs said. “It’s two great football teams and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun for those kids to play. We haven’t played a game under the lights this season yet either, so I think that Friday night football, with a huge game on the line and two teams from the same valley, all those things add up to a really, really fun night for the kids.”