Basalt senior Henry Hendrix tackles Arvada quarterback Junior Aragon as he makes a throw in Saturday’s game. The Longhorns did not allow a point until late in the fourth quarter, after the junior varsity team came in.
Basalt football is off and running after a week zero 40-8 win over Arvada, anchored by a strong game on the ground.
Senior William Daniel ran for 242 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the way for the Longhorns behind a strong group of linemen that ultimately proved to be too much to handle for a smaller Bulldogs squad. The varsity defense held a fairly creative offense to no points and were only threatened with scoring a couple of times.
Like Aspen did on Friday night, Basalt left some points on the board due to untimely penalties and a couple unforced errors, but it’s a strong jumping off point ahead of a big rivalry game at Rifle in a couple of weeks.
“I was pleased with our kids’ attitude and effort,” head coach Carl Frerichs said. “It’s always with game one, it’s zero week, there’s a lot we want to clean up. I thought a lot of kids stepped up and shined.”
Daniel appeared to open the scoring with a long run in the first quarter, but his 30-plus-yard dash was called back due to a holding penalty. The Horns wouldn’t have to wait long to get on the board though, as junior QB Karson Schneider found senior Taylor Hays wide open just a few plays later for a 31-yard touchdown pass.
Daniel would get his first score later in the quarter, punching a run in over the middle from a few yards out.
Early in the second quarter, Basalt turned defense into offense as junior Parker Sims took an interception to the house from about 60 yards out.
Basalt senior William Daniel ran for 242 yards and two touchdowns against Arvada to start the season with a win on Saturday.
As Basalt looked poised to set up another scoring drive in the second, Daniel went for a long run from the defensive end but fumbled after contact around the offensive 30. After Arvada turned the ball over on downs, Basalt ran a reverse with Hays on the first play of the drive for a 60-yard TD run, making the score 27-0 heading into the half.
Daniel went for two long touchdown runs in the third quarter: one for 60 yards on the first offensive snap of the half, and another for 82 yards on the first play of a subsequent drive.
The second score of the quarter made the score 40-0 and kicked off the mercy-rule running clock, and queued Frerichs to bring in the junior varsity players. Arvada completed a drive down the field to score for the first time in the game, and the JV squad looked to be setting up a successful drive of their own before the game ended.
Basalt controlled the game and executed as they needed to, but still took some unnecessary penalties and made some week zero mistakes, like letting a punt bounce off the jammer and giving Arvada a fresh set of downs.
But the team now gets ready to watch film and move onto the next one.
“Our goal was just to push through them and go on to the next week and just keep working hard,” senior lineman Owen Lindt said. “We did good holding them to zero points with the varsity and we stayed home, did our jobs. Everyone executed on their jobs.”
Basalt is off next weekend before traveling down to Rifle on Sept. 6. It’s a significant game in the rivalry after the Bears took last year’s matchup, snapping a streak of three straight wins by the Longhorns.
“We want it bad,” Lindt said. “We need to get it back.”
Elsewhere on the gridiron, Aspen won 28-8 over Grand Valley on Friday night and Glenwood Springs fell 14-0 at Elizabeth.
Basalt senior Taylor Hays catches a wide-open pass for a touchdown in the first quarter for Basalt’s first touchdown of the season. Hays also scored a rushing touchdown in the win.
Cross-country
The victory on the gridiron was far from Basalt’s first win on the day, as junior Towler Scott took first overall in the Longhorns’ home cross-country invitational at Crown Mountain Park on the boys side.
The girls team took first as senior Isabella Moon finished sixth, junior Caroline Cole took seventh, junior Addison Raymond took 10th, senior Ana Cabrera took 11th and senior Morgan Fink took 14th.
Glenwood Springs finished second on the boys side and fourth on the girls.
Aspen did not score as a team, but sophomore Jack Diaz took ninth and junior Stella Lodge took 23rd to lead the representatives of each team.
Volleyball
Glenwood Springs got off to a hot start in its home tournament on Friday and Saturday, going 3-1 and settling for a second place in the Demon Invitational home tournament.
The Demons beat Pagosa Springs, Meeker and Roaring Fork each without losing a set before falling to Mullen in the finals.
“This group of girls is really motivated and they support each other and back each other up,” head coach Brittani Chilson said.
Roaring Fork went 1-3 in the tournament, beating Rifle.
Glenwood Springs junior libero Alyson Fuentes Perez makes a dig in the Demons’ win over Roaring Fork in the Demon Invitational on Saturday. GSHS went 3-1 in their home tournament to kick off the season.
Boys soccer
Roaring Fork fell to last year’s 2A state champion Crested Butte 1-0 to start the season at home on Friday night. The next day, Crested Butte went up the road to Basalt and beat the Longhorns 3-1.
Softball
Basalt slipped to 0-4 early on the season via a doubleheader sweep at the hands of Cedaredge, 20-10 and 17-4, on Saturday.
Boys tennis
Aspen topped Basalt 6-1 on Tuesday to kick off both teams’ seasons officially. Both competed in the Vail 8150 Clay Tournament the previous week.
Boys golf
Basalt finished second and Aspen finished third in the GJ Tiger Invitational on Aug. 19, trailing only 4A host Grand Junction, who shot seven strokes under par as a team.
For Basalt, sophomore Griffin Didier shot an even 71 to place fourth — behind a trio of Tigers. Senior Jackson Stewart shot a 73 to place fifth.
Junior Houston Benvenuto finished sixth overall with a score of 75. Leo Roennau placed eighth with a 77.
