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No. 10 Coal Ridge set for matinee in Gunnison

Jeff Caspersen
Post Independent Staff
Glenwood Springs, CO Colorado

Coal Ridge, one of only two remaining unbeaten teams in the 2A Western Slope League, puts its unblemished record on the line at Gunnison this afternoon.

The 4-0 Titans are no doubt riding high after breaking into the top 10 of the latest Denver Post 2A poll, which has a very Western Slope flair.

Off to its best start in school history, Coal Ridge jumped into the 10th spot. Fellow Slope squad Aspen is Class 2A’s new No. 1 after Faith Christian tumbled out of the top spot.



The top-ranked Skiers blitzed Gunnison, 42-0, last week. The Cowboys enter this afternoon’s 1:30 p.m. meeting with the Titans with a 2-2 record.

Scoring in virtually every way imaginable, Coal Ridge enters Week 5 after a 45-19 homecoming win over Roaring Fork last weekend.



The Titans finished with a couple of rushing scores, a passing score, a field goal, a safety, a punt return for a touchdown and two interception returns for scores as Coal Ridge won a homecoming football game for the first time in its five-year varsity history.

Glenwood Springs’ 21-20 road win against Palisade last week didn’t rattle the Denver Post’s Class 3A top 10 all that much.

With the defeat, the Bulldogs dropped from the third spot all the way down to … No. 3.

Glenwood Springs did move up to No. 10, though, cracking the rankings for the first time since Week 2.

The Demons’ last-minute win over Palisade, which was fueled by its defense and late TD runs by Luke Jacob and Drew Halsch, gave them the upper hand in the 3A Western Slope League race. Both teams were playing their first league game.

Making the race even murkier was last week’s 26-7 Moffat County win over Delta. Delta and Palisade were popular picks to win the league this year. While last week’s proceedings don’t preclude that from happening, it’s Glenwood currently occupying the driver’s seat.

The 3-1 Demons resume 3A WSL play tonight at Battle Mountain, a team that saw a 19-6 halftime lead disappear in a 27-19 loss to visiting Rifle last Friday.

Led by four rushing scores from quarterback Keaton Deere, Rifle opened 3A WSL play with a 27-19 win at Battle Mountain last week.

The 3-1 Bears look to go 4-1 with a trip to Eagle Valley tonight. The 2-1 Devils won their league opener at Steamboat Springs, 21-12.

It’s homecoming night for Roaring Fork, which will be paid a visit by Basalt tonight.

With starting running back Zach Browning sitting with an injured ankle, the Rams were assaulted from all angles by Coal Ridge in a 45-19 loss last weekend.

Roaring Fork, now 1-3, faces a 2-2 Basalt squad that endured a similar fate against Olathe last week. The Longhorns had no luck against the Pirates in a 28-7 loss.

Aspen, Class 2A’s new top dog, travels to Parachute to face Grand Valley tonight.

The 4-0 Skiers jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 this week and have outscored opponents, 139-54, so far this season.

Grand Valley (2-2) has endured an up-and-down season to date, with wins against Hayden and Paonia and losses to Rifle and Cedaredge.

Last week, Cedaredge hung a 20-13 defeat on the Cardinals.

jcaspersen@postindependent.com


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