With Thanksgiving lurking around the corner and Western Slope locals begging the snow gods to bless the area, winter high school preps teams are itching to get back on their individual playing surfaces to dominate the 2025-26 winter season. 

After incredible 2024 winter seasons from so many different prep programs throughout Garfield County, teams from Rifle, Coal Ridge, Glenwood,  Roaring Fork and Grand Valley high schools are all ready to make deep runs in their respective leagues. 

Hockey

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The Glenwood Springs Demons 2024-25 hockey season will be remembered for generations. 

After an astonishing 18-2-1, 13-1 for first in 4A Mountain League play, the Demons pushed all the way into the 4A Colorado High School Activities Association state championship. They faced the Steamboat Sailors for a chance to bring home the first state championship banner in program history, but fell 4-2 in a heartbreaking and tense matchup against their 4A Western Slope rival. 

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Head coach Tim Cota said the graduation of a large senior class brings both uncertainty and opportunity.

“This group is a little underestimated, and I’m fine with that,” he said. “Having to climb the ranks is fine with me and this group definitely has the potential to do it. We want to win and we want to get back but also know it’s not going to be easy.”

This season, the Demons will be playing a noticeably smaller roster than last season. a roster that is “grittier; a little more blue-collar” according to Cota. 

Senior offensive leader Brady Luetkey agreed with his coach’s sentiment, explaining that the younger players will have a big role to play this season and is excited to help them achieve their potential. 

“I’ve been waiting since March for my senior year to start,” he said. “I’m excited to build chemistry with the new players, and because our team looks a lot different this year, we need some of the younger players to fill the roles of last year’s seniors. That’s why this season’s motto is ‘Buy in.'”

The Demons will travel to Summit to take on the Tigers on Friday night, beginning the long march toward the playoffs in the hostile environment of a league rival.

“They’re a well coached team and we will be in their building, and some of these kids are going to be playing in front of a student section and a full rink for the first time. It’ll be a pressure cooker, sort of a trial by fire to start the season,” Cota said.

Boys basketball

5A —  Glenwood Springs

The Glenwood Springs Demons slow start to the 2024-25 season ended up biting them during playoff seeding later down the road, despite their impressive league title showing future promise. The Demons dominated local matchups last season, finishing 5-1 in league play to capture the title. 

The Demons finished the 2024-’25 season 12-12 and snuck into the 5A playoffs, falling to the Pueblo Central Wildcats in the state playoffs.

The Demons will look to sophomore Aiden Parrington, who finished his rookie campaign ranked second on the team in points per game (9.1) and field goal percentage (48%). 

Glenwood will open their season on the road against the Pueblo County Hornets on Dec. 4. 

4A — Coal Ridge and Rifle

The Coal Ridge Titans varsity basketball team had a similarly dominant season that ended in heartbreak during the 2024-25 season. 

After cruising to a 20-7 regular season record, second in Western Slope League with a 10-2 record, the Titans were ranked No. 6 in the state, waltzing into the Final Four to match up against the No. 10 Colorado Academy Mustangs. 

After falling down nearly 20 points after the first half, the Titans came storming back, but eventually fell just short of a miraculous comeback and lost 67-62. 

The 2025-26 team will be led by 2025 CHSAA All-State honorable mention senior Alex Cornejo, who finished the ’24-’25 season first on the team with 4.7 assists per game, and senior Diego Gamez, who finished last season ranked second on the team with 8.2 points per game. 

The Titans will open their season during the Kent Denver Tournament on Dec. 4. 

The Rifle Bears are looking to improve upon a disappointing 2024-25 season that saw them finish 4-19, 1-11 in 4A WSL play and finishing seventh. 

They will hope incoming senior Alex Gonzalez can improve upon his promising junior season in which he finished first on the team in points per game (14.0) and assists per game (3.2). 

The Bears will travel to face the  Cedaredge Bruins on Dec. 2.

3A — Roaring Fork and Grand Valley

The Roaring Fork Rams varsity basketball team are looking to improve upon a season that ended far too short earlier this year. The Rams had a .780 winning percentage during the 2024-25 season, finishing with an 18-7 record and winning 3A WSL with a perfect 12-0 record. 

The No. 15 Rams took down the No. 18 Denver Christian Thunder in the first round before taking on the No. 2 Windsor Charter Academy Firebirds, falling 70-40 in the second round of the playoffs. 

The senior tandem pair of Lucas Carballeria — first on the team in points per game (16.2) a season ago — and Kiko Pena — first on the team in rebounds per game (12.9) — will look to lead the Rams to a state tournament appearance.

Although the Grand Valley Cardinals barely missed out on the 3A playoffs, their impressive season didn’t go unnoticed. Led by junior Daniel Gronewoller, the Cardinals finished 12-11 — 9-3 in 3A WSL and finished second. 

The Cardinals will look for their now senior leading big man — Gronewoller — who finished last season averaging a double-double. He ranked first on the team in points per game (12.0), field goal percentage (50%) and rebounds per game (10.2). 

Both the Rams and the Cardinals will kick off their season during the Brenda Patch Tournament at Roaring Fork High School on Dec. 4, 5, and 6. 

Girls basketball

5A — Glenwood Springs

After a slow start to the season, the Glenwood Springs Demons varsity girls basketball team caught fire in January and rattled off five straight wins during the 2024-25 season. 

The Demons finished 13-12 — finishing third in 5A WSL with a 3-3 record — snuck into the playoffs as the No. 27 seed. They rolled over the No. 33 Cheyenne Mountain Red Tailed Hawks during the play-in round before falling to the No. 6 powerhouse Mullen Mustangs in the first round. 

Head coach Jordan DeCrow enters the season with a young roster but sees plenty of potential.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what the young kids can bring to the table,” she said. “We may be young, but they are hungry, competitive, focused, and have their sights set on competing for the league title this year. Our upperclassmen have done a nice job at setting the tone in practice and I’m excited to see how this team grows together and improves as the season goes.”

They will open their season on the road against the Widefield Gladiators on Dec. 4. 

4A — Coal Ridge and Rifle

The Coal Ridge Titans varsity girls basketball team had a dominant stretch during the meat of the 2024-25 season, though faltered late and suffered a similarly heartbreaking fate of a first-round exit to a powerhouse Front Range team. 

The Titans finished 10-14 on the season, but were 6-4 in 4A WSL and finished No. 3 in league play. They faced off against the No. 4 Holy Family Tigers in the first round of the playoffs, falling 70-34. 

The Titans will have a tough time replacing their top two scorers from a season ago. Graduated seniors Brilee Jensen and Jocelyn Silva combined to score 320 points for the Titans a season ago. 

The Coal Ridge team will open their season against the Eagle Valley Demons during a tournament on Dec. 4. 

The Rifle Bears varsity team will look to improve upon a forgettable 3-20 2024-25 season. After finishing No.5 in 4A WSL at 2-8, the Bears will have their work cut out for them. Incoming senior guard Jayden Hills showed promise during her junior campaign, scoring 121 points and tallying 51 steals. 

They will host the Grand Junction Tigers on Dec. 2.

3A — Roaring Fork and Grand Valley

The only improvements that could have been made to the 2024-25 Roaring Fork Rams girls basketball season would have been a deeper push in the playoffs.

The Rams finished the 2024-25 season 22-3 and outscored opponents by over 600 points. They finished runners up in 3A WSL with a 12-2 record, and entered the postseason tournament ranked No. 9.

They doubled the score of the Lyons Lions in the first round of the playoffs before losing in heartbreaking fashion to the No. 8 Strasburg Indians 59-57. 

Although the Rams will be taking the court without the twin leadership of the Crownhart twins, Carley led the team in points per game and Erica in assists per game, they will be returning a similarly strong core of players. 

Incoming junior Riley Bevington scored a whopping 396 points — just three behind Carley Crownhart — and was tailed by incoming senior Nikki Tardif who scored 261 points last season. 

They will look to kick off a similarly dominant season during the Brenda Patch Tournament on Dec. 4 against the Steamboat Springs Sailors at Roaring Fork High School. 

The Grand Valley Cardinals girls basketball team is looking to forget about last season and start anew after finishing the 2024-25 season 7-15, and sixth in 3A WSL at 3-11.

Led by incoming senior Taylor Pittman, who finished leading the team in points per game (7.9), field goal percentage (29%), rebounds per game (9.2), and assists per game (1.9), the Cardinals will hope to flip the script on the 2025-26 season. 

They will open the season at the Brenda Patch Tournament against the Palisade Bulldogs on Dec. 4. 

Wrestling

Grand Valley nearly set a school record last winter after sending nine wrestlers to the state tournament — accounting for roughly 20% of all Garfield County state qualifiers. The Cardinals finished 15th in 3A, while Rifle and Coal Ridge placed 28th and 44th.

Grand Valley returns strong numbers and will join Coal Ridge, Glenwood Springs and Rifle at the 2025 Western Slope Showdown on Dec. 12-13 in Montrose.