Coal Ridge, Rifle, Roaring Fork to host first-round games as 3A state soccer playoff pairings announced
Chelsea Self/Post Independent
Three area high school boys soccer teams will have home field advantage to open the Colorado Class 3A state soccer championships on Wednesday.
Coal Ridge enters the state tournament as the highest West Slope seed, earning the No. 3 spot in the 32-team field after winning the competitive 3A Western Slope League with a 7-0-1 league mark and going 12-1-2 on the season.
The Titans are set to host No. 30 Sierra (9-6), second-place finishers in the 4A/3A CSML North League behind 4A, The Classical Academy, which was given the No. 12 seed in the 4A state tournament brackets announced Monday. Game time Wednesday is 3:30 p.m. at Coal Ridge’s Peach Valley field.
Earning the No. 5 seed in the 3A tournament are the defending 3A state champion Roaring Fork Rams of Carbondale, who finished the regular season at 13-2 overall and 7-1 in the WSL. The Rams’ only losses came to Coal Ridge and Liberty Common, seeded No. 4 in the tournament.
Roaring Fork hosts No. 28 Bayfield at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Rams’ field, located next to Carbondale Middle School on Snowmass Drive. The Bayfield Wolverines finished the season at 9-3-2 overall, second in the 3A Southwest League behind No. 15 seed Pagosa Springs.
Also earning the right to host a first-round game were the Rifle Bears, seeded No. 13. The Bears (10-4 overall and the third-place finishers in the 3A WSL at 5-3) host No. 20 Aurora West College Prep Academy (9-4) at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at the RHS field.
A first-round tournament win for Coal Ridge and Roaring Fork would secure a second-round home game on Nov. 1, as they’d still hold the higher seeds. Also making it in but playing on the road in the first round is No. 21 Basalt. The Longhorns (6-7-1) finished fourth in the WSL. They travel to play No. 12 James Irwin (11-3-1) on Wednesday (game time to be announced).
An upset win Wednesday for Basalt and a win by Roaring Fork would pair the two league and Roaring Fork School District rivals in Carbondale on Nov. 1 in the second round.
Glenwood Springs did not make the field of 32 teams in the 4A state soccer tournament. The Demons concluded their season last week at 4-8-3 overall and 4-4-2 in the 4A WSL, finishing fifth in the league. The Demons graduate six seniors, Luis Alvarez, Jonathan Francia, Erick Cordero, Jose Chacon, Jacob Wilsky and Ryan Henrickson.
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