The No. 7 Coal Ridge Titans varsity soccer team have cruised through the first two rounds of the 3A CHSAA state playoffs and are now preparing to take on the No. 2 Jefferson Academy Jaguars on Saturday. 

The Titans are looking to make it back into the Final Four for the first time since they pushed into the state championship during the 2023-24 season. The Titans will take on the Jaguars on Saturday afternoon in Broomfield with a chance to battle against 3A Western Slope League rival Steamboat Sailors to reach the state championship. 

“I’m very confident. I think that when our team comes together, they can beat anyone in the state,” Titans head coach Dave Romero said. “They’re a very talented group of individuals and I think they should feel very confident as well. 

“It’s the dream right?” he continued. “Seeing two Western Slope teams come back together in a game like that are some of the special things that sports offer. Nothing is given, and we will have to come out to prove it, but I know that if they come out and click together, we are going to take home the win.”

The 13-3-1 Titans finished 6-1 in league play, taking their only loss to theSailors, who took the league title. Coal Ridge stumbled a tad out of the gate, starting their season 2-2-1 through their first five games, though turned on the jets down the stretch by taking nine of their last 10 games — a win streak rewarded with the No. 2 spot in 3A WSL and the No. 7 rank overall for the playoffs.

“I’m really proud of everything that they’ve accomplished,” Romero said. “They’ve worked so hard and are deserving of all of these outcomes. It’s a special group of guys and I’m very grateful to be a part of this journey.”

After catching fire in mid-September, the Titans have cruised through every opponent they’ve matched up against. Coal Ridge hasn’t lost a game since Oct. 9, and have made light work of their first two matchups during the playoffs. Their first playoff matchup was hosted on Oct. 29 when the No. 26 Holy Family Tigers visited and eventually lost 3-1, then on Nov. 4 when the No. 10 Atlas Prep School Gryphons met the end of their season falling 1-0 to the Titans. 

Romero has been working with the Titans varsity soccer program for a number of years, but the 2025-26 fall season was the first in which he held the reins as head coach. 

In a year in which playoff success returned to Coal Ridge High School, their first year head coach pointed to members of the previous regime for their mentorship and seniors for their steady maturity in leadership. 

“It’s been an amazing experience,” he said. I’ve had a lot of support from everybody in the previous reign and I have to give a lot of credit to those who have supported me.”

He continued to point towards senior leadership like midfielder Peter Ortiz, who finished the season ranked second in 3A WSL in assists (12), and senior goalkeeper Colbran Inglehart — the No. 1 ranked 3A WSL ranked keeper in goals allowed average (.690). 

“There were some questions on our defensive line at the beginning of the season. We had some previous, strong, defenders leave us. Some young guys have really stepped up this year in amazing ways, so for us to finish ranked so high in goals against, with those questions at the beginning of the year just shows how much Colbran has been leading. It really shows through his actions and maturity.”

According to Romero, if the Titans are able to play as a team and believe they are better than the intimidating No. 2 Jefferson Academy Jaguars, they will surely be facing the winner of the No. 3 Sailors v.s. No. 11 Eagle Ridge Academy Warriors on Nov. 12. The state championship is slated to take place Nov. 15 at 

Other Garfield County scores

The No. 16 Roaring Fork Rams’ season came to an end on Tuesday when they faced off against the No. 1 Colorado Academy Mustangs. The Rams battled the Mustangs hard, pushing the game through overtime into a shootout with the score knotted at one-a-piece. The Rams eventually fell 5-4 in the shootout to the Mustangs, the same team who took down the No. 32 Rifle Bears on Oct. 29 in the first round.