Vail Mountain School boys basketball team ready for rivalry clash against Vail Christian
Ryan Sederquist/Vail Daily
The Vail Mountain School and Vail Christian boys basketball teams will contest the first rivalry game of the winter prep sports season in Edwards on Friday night. The visiting Gore Rangers enter the game with a 3-2 record while the Saints sit at 2-3.
“The season has started off well, with some good wins and a couple of tough losses against good teams that helped give us a glimpse of where we can go as a program,” said new head coach Andrew Behrendt. Behrendt, who is taking the reigns from Caleb Florence, has been a junior varsity and varsity assistant the last 12 years. Joining him on the sidelines this year is Andrew Saad.
“(He) brings a gym-rat mentality and love of the game,” Behrendt stated of his new assistant coach. “And we are looking forward to the busy schedule coming up with a host of home games.”
The Gore Rangers kicked off the 2024-25 campaign with a pair of weekend tournaments. After falling to Highland 61-44 in the season opener on Dec. 6, Behrendt’s squad defeated Cedaredge 55-39 the following day. At the three-day La Junta tournament Dec. 12-14, the Gore Rangers defeated the hosts 67-48 behind stellar play from their seniors. Charlie Vidal scored 18 points while Hunter Iverson added nine more and grabbed 10 rebounds. Drew Johnson totaled four steals and Brodie Provencher led the team in assists with four.
“We have four tight-knit seniors that are helping to set our gym culture,” Behrendt stated before adding that he’s also been blessed with “some high-level contributors from the junior and sophomore classes” as well. Cole Lewis scored 17 points, had five rebounds and six steals in the win over La Junta and had 10 points and seven assists in the closely contested 7-point loss to Fowler the following day.
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“I feel it is one of the deepest rosters we have had in a long time,” Behrendt continued.
Vail Mountain School went 14-9 last year, but fans only have to go back to 2022 to remember the 18-4 squad that won the district title after defeating the Saints 61-53 in the championship game. Friday’s game will pit the Gore Rangers’ veteran leadership with the youth of Vail Christian. While VMS will lean into its interior size and strength from all-around athletes like Vidal — who can mow through entire defenses on the lacrosse pitch — Vail Christian will likely fight back from beyond the arc.
In five games, the Saints have hoisted up 109 3-pointers — draining 33 — while the Gore Rangers’ have gone just 14-of-61. Going into Friday’s game, Vail Christian (2-3) is ranked 22nd in the latest CHSAA Selection & Seeding Index, while the Gore Rangers sit at No. 13. Later this month, Behrendt’s crew will test itself against No. 8 Plateau Valley (6-1).
“We have put no limits on what we can achieve at the 2A level,” the coach said. “And (we) feel like we can compete with anybody out there.”
