Battle Mountain celebrates 15 seniors, eyes another deep playoff run after 12-3 win over Glenwood Springs

When the Huskies’ current senior class was moving through the Vail Valley Lacrosse and 10th Mountain club ranks, Pat Doherty could already tell those young pups had special pedigree.

“A big reason I came back was for this group of seniors,” said the Battle Mountain boys lacrosse head coach, who returned to the sidelines in 2023. “I knew they were going to be a special group and they’ve proven that.”

After a slow start in Thursday’s penultimate regular-season game, the Huskies celebrated senior night by scoring nine unanswered goals en route to a 12-3 win over Glenwood Springs.

“I knew it was going to take a minute for the boys to get used to being on the field at 4,” Doherty stated in reference to the early start. “But give all the credit to Glenwood. They had a really good zone defense and we just had to figure out how to beat it.”

Brody Ast made it 2-0 at the end of the first, but the Demons clawed back, tying things up 3-3 in the second. With 4:13 left in the quarter, Carter Shonk rocketed the go-ahead goal from the wing off a swing pass around the perimeter. Fellow senior Asher Leonard followed up with his own score a minute later and completed his hat trick with 15.4 seconds left in the third to make it 9-3.

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“In the beginning, I feel like we were rushing things, forcing turnovers, playing down to them,” Ast stated. “And then, you know, we flipped the switch second half. We got together (and) talked about not being complacent.”

Ast was a sophomore when his older brother, Garrett, and a similarly strong senior class steered the ship all the way to the state semifinals. Getting back to the big dance is the primary vision for these 15 seniors, too, Ast said.

“That whole environment down there — there’s nothing like it,” he explained. “So, trying to replicate that season — all of our minds are there and even going further than that.”

Battle Mountain improved to 10-4 on the year with the win. Throughout the spring, the Huskies have demonstrated they can run with anyone. Battle Mountain upset Telluride 12-11 — ranked No. 1 in 4A at the time — in overtime on March 31. Two weeks ago, the Huskies also amended an early-season loss to No. 8 Steamboat Springs by taking down the Sailors 8-7 on the road. If those data points weren’t enough evidence the 4A title is up for grabs, the Huskies’ 5-4 loss to Aspen on Tuesday — their second one-goal defeat at the hands of the No. 5-ranked Skiers — probably is.

“It’s tough. The boys battled and we just couldn’t put the ball in the cage on Tuesday. We had a lot of emphasis yesterday in practice on burying the ball and being able to score,” Doherty said before adding that his team knows they might see the Skiers again. “You got to shake those losses off and know we still have a lot of lacrosse to be played if we want. And I think these guys want it. There’s 15 of them who all want to keep playing and make it to DU. That’s the goal.”

When asked about juxtaposing a couple close losses with those big wins against ranked teams, Ast said the general vibe in the locker room is a belief in the group’s ability to hang with anyone. He and Doherty both reiterated the importance of confidence — in oneself and each other — as being key to unlocking the group’s full potential come tournament time.

“I think they all think they can play with anybody,” Doherty said. “When we come out and play with confidence, this is a very good team. We just need to make sure we keep the ball rolling right now.”

“When everyone is playing confident, I feel like we’re a different team,” Ast added. “So, it’s all about staying up, never getting down if we go down a goal, because we can come back no matter what.”

Battle Mountain returns to the pitch in Edwards on Saturday for the final regular-season game against No. 11 Holy Family (11-2). The 4A playoff pairings are released Sunday. As of this writing, the Huskies are ninth in the CHSAA Selection & Seeding Index. Air Academy (14-0) is No. 1 and Grand Junction (13-1) is second.

After the 15 seniors gathered at midfield for a photo on Thursday, Ast was asked what makes this group unique.

“Chemistry,” he said before pointing back to those fourth-grade club tournaments. “We’ve been playing with each other since — forever.”