The Roaring Fork Rams varsity soccer team hosted their Colorado Highway 82 rivals on Wednesday night, sending the Basalt Longhorns home seething after an 80 minute physical battle. 

The Rams and Longhorns locked horns early in the first half by trading goals then matched strides through most of the second half. 

The Rams broke away late thanks to their relentless offensive attack — scoring twice with less than 10 minutes remaining as they broke into the win column for the first time of the 2025-26 season. 

The game was knotted at 1-1 until the 70th minute when Roaring Fork junior Wesley Serrano finished a beautiful freekick from junior teammate Cal Stone, beating the Longhorns goalie and then rushing to celebrate with the ecstatic crowd. 

The Rams have a full week of rest and recovery following the matchup against their familiar foes. They will host the Rifle Bears varsity soccer team on Thursday Sept. 11 as they look to get above .500. 

Soccer

The Rifle Bears varsity soccer team are back to square zero after their hot start to the season. The Bears jumped out to a 2-0 record through their first two matchups, beating the Vail Mountain Rangers 5-1 and the Grand Valley Cardinals 10-0, though they have faltered since then. Rifle dropped their next two matchups against the Montrose Red-Tailed Hawks 2-1 and the Palisade Bulldogs 3-1. 

The Bears will have revenge on their minds when they welcome the Summit Tigers on Friday afternoon. 

The Coal Ridge Titans hosted three teams in a single-elimination tournament over the weekend, and cruised to the title. The Titans are looking to build upon their impressive 2-0 start after taking home the trophy of the makeshift Coal Ridge start-of-season tournament. The Titans trounced the Frontier Academy Wolverines and the Glenwood Springs Demons in pursuit of their flawless record. 

Coal Ridge will try their luck in another early season tournament over the weekend as they travel to Kent Denver to take on Front Range teams. They will face off against the DSST: Conservatory Green Hornets on Friday afternoon. Their Saturday morning opponent will be decided after teams conclude play on Friday. 

The Glenwood Springs Demons varsity soccer team haven’t been able to jump out to the start they hoped for. After finding the win column for the first time against the Telluride Miners on Aug. 29, the Demons dropped their next two matchups; 3-0 against the Coal Ridge Titans and then 8-1 during their home opener against the Battle Mountain Huskies on Sept. 2. 

The Demons look to shake off the bad start and get rolling as a team when they host the Palisade Bulldogs on Tuesday. 

The Grand Valley Cardinals will still be searching for their first victory of the 2025-26 season when the whistle blows on their home field on Saturday morning. After falling 10-0 to the Rifle Bears and 4-1 to the Delta Panthers, the Cardinals will be fighting hard against the Gunnison Cowboys on their home turf Saturday morning. 

Football

The Glenwood Springs Demons dropped their first matchup of the season to the Elizabeth Cardinals, but bounced back proudly with a road victory against the Summit Tigers on Sept. 1. 

The Demons, who had two different running backs break 100 rushing yards in the matchup with the Tigers, will look to improve upon their impressive ground game when they travel to Greeley to face the 0-1 Northridge Grizzlies on Saturday afternoon. 

The Rifle Bears varsity football team is still searching for their first win of the 2025-26 season. After falling in their first two matchups of the season to two 4A teams, the Bears will take on their first mountain-town team on Friday in Rifle — though they will still have their work cut out for themselves, facing off against the Basalt Longhorns.

The Longhorns will travel to Rifle High School to take on the Bears in a battle of the valleys on Friday night. Pushing their way into 2024-25 2A CHSAA state semifinals, the Longhorns are off to a 1-1 start through a funky start to the season, which included a forfeit victory over Arvada to start the season.

After dropping their first game of the season to the Steamboat Sailors, the Coal Ridge Titans will seek their first 2025-26 victory against the Cedaredge Bruins on Friday night in New Castle. The Titans, who gained nearly 300 yards through the air against the Sailors, will look to increase ball security in their second matchup and cut their turnover rate — four fumbles during their opening game — down significantly. 

The Grand Valley Cardinals are searching for the win column after a sub-par showing on opening night of their 2025-26 season. The Cardinals, who hosted the Aspen Skiers on Aug. 29, fell 40-0 to kick off their season. Grand Valley will welcome the Ellicott Thunderhawks on Saturday afternoon in pursuit of their first 2025-26 win. 

Volleyball

Editor’s note: The Roaring Fork Rams vs. Basalt Longhorns and Coal Ridge Titans vs. Cedaredge Bruins games final scores were not available by Post Independent print deadline. 

The 1-6 Roaring Fork Rams varsity girls volleyball team are looking to build upon their first win of the 2025-26 season, coming against the Vail Mountain Rangers on Sept. 2. 

The Rams won’t have far to travel Thursday as they face the 0-1 Basalt Longhorns in a rivalry game. They’ll then have a week before heading to Grand Junction to play the Tigers on Sept. 11.

The Glenwood Springs Demons varsity girls volleyball team are reaching the end of their extended break after jumping out to a hot start to the 2025-26 season. The 4-1 Demons haven’t played a game since they beat the Basalt Longhorns 3-0 on Aug. 28. They travel to Cherry Hills to face off against the 3-1 St Marys Academy Wildcats on Saturday before turning around to host the Aspen Skiers on Tuesday afternoon. 

The Coal Ridge Titans are looking to get back above .500 for the first time since Aug. 26. The 3-3 Titans are set to host the 3-2 Cedaredge Bruins on Thursday afternoon before traveling to Delta to face the Panthers on Tuesday. 

The 1-4 Rifle Bears volleyball team are off until Sept. 16 when they host their I-70 rival Glenwood Springs Demons. 

Softball

The Rifle Bears varsity softball team are out to another hot start and are looking to stay strong through the long season. 

After jumping out to an incredible 3-0 start, the Bears have dropped three of their last four games. Rifle, who are still outscoring opponents by over 30 runs through their first seven games, aren’t pushing the panic button yet. 

After taking down the Montrose Red-Tailed Hawks 6-0 in the first game of a doubleheader, the Bears have fallen in two hard-fought battles to the 3-2 to the Hawks and the 7-6 to the Palisade Bulldogs. 

The 4-3 girls will travel to Loveland over the weekend for an exciting weekend of tournament ball against impressive Front Range talent. After facing teams from Longmont, Roosevelt, Prairie View, and Poudre, the Bears will come back to the mountains to host the Eagle Valley Devils on Tuesday.