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Huskies draw 16th, er, 10th seed

Chris Freud
Daily file photoBattle Mountain's Allison O'Neill and the Huskies drew the 10th seed in the 4A state playoffs Sunday. Battle Mountain is tentatively scheduled to host Thomas Jefferson Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Freedom Park in Edwards in Round 1.
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EAGLE-VAIL – Battle Mountain girls soccer is not – we repeat, not – seeded 16th in the 4A state bracket.And, no, CHSAA didn’t seed the Huskies 22nd and send them to face the Chinese National Team on Mars.We don’t want you spitting out your Wheaties while reading this, but CHSAA actually got it right this time when it posted the bracket Sunday. The Huskies are the 10th seed and are tentatively scheduled to host No. 23 Thomas Jefferson Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Freedom Park.”The conclave got together and they burned the ballots and the smoke came out of the chimney in the shape of a No. 10,” Huskies coach David Cope said.While he was joking, that’s about as rational an explanation as you can get, given Battle Mountain’s woes with the seeding committee. Last fall, the boys team went 13-2 – the same record as the girls had this spring – and landed in that not-so-sweet 16 hole for the third straight year, drawing No. 1 Liberty in Round 2, a 3-0 loss.”It’s kind of recognition for the last couple of teams that have done well in that 16th spot, that maybe we deserve to do a little better,” Cope said. “Having said that, you haven’t achieved anything by being named No. 10. Now, you have to live up to it.”

‘I was screaming’Nevertheless, there was a pause for some celebration Sunday. Since Cope is not allowed to speak to his players on Sunday by CHSAA rule, the word started filtering by phone.”I was actually in Denver, visiting my grandma,” senior Allison O’Neill said. “We were (having) Mother’s Day lunch and Liz (Gladitsch) called me. I’m happy. We were all hoping for a home game. Cope said that we would be 16-19. I guessed 12-15, so it was shocking.”Morgan Wallace was quite excited.”I was screaming when I found out. I was so excited,” she said. “I was in my living room and Erika (Ghent) called me after she found it posted on the Internet. I just wasn’t expecting to be No. 10 and having a home game. Twelve or 13 would have been good, but 10th? That’s just amazing.”Not only is the 10 spot honestly where the Huskies belong, but with it comes home field.”You strive all year to try to be one of those 16 to play at home, play in front of your community, all the youth coaches you’ve had and your parents and everybody else and the school,” Cope said.Cope did not mention one vital portion of the Battle Mountain fan base.

“It wouldn’t be a home game if the grill boys weren’t out,” O’Neill said. “They better be out.”No pressure, Kyle Moore and Brad Myers.The SpartansThomas Jefferson finished fourth in the Denver Prep School League, a conference for the city’s big public schools. The Spartans were 6-3 in the D.P.S. and 7-8 overall, however, that mark is a bit deceiving.The three schools which finished ahead of Thomas Jefferson are all 5A schools. League champion, George Washington, is No. 16 in the 5A tourney; Denver East is 24th and Kennedy is 29th.The Spartans also played a stiff nonconference schedule. They played four 5A schools – Fairview, Chaparral, Overland and Loveland, all losses which put the Spartans under .500.When looking at the Spartans the first thing which jumps out is Jen Maston who had 24 goals and seven assists. She’s complemented by Auria Burdick (10-7). The Huskies have faced prolific goal scorers in the 4A Slope including Steamboat Springs’ Kelly Labor and Delta’s Stephanie Spohrer.



The Huskies shut down Spohrer in both of their meetings against the Panthers. Labor went off in the first game against Battle Mountain on March 17, scoring twice. But the Huskies contained her well in the rematch last week. Labor scored only on a penalty kick.Battle Mountain’s defense has been stingy all season with Wallace, Gladitsch, Christina Harrison and goalies Alexis Guinn and Killion Hunn holding the opposition to seven goals in 15 games.”Of course we’ll be watching out for her,” Wallace said. “It’s good to have somebody who scores that many goals, but they have no way to prepare for our team. We’re going to go into it with no fear, just the way we always play. We have a strong defense and I have a lot of faith in our team and what we can accomplish.”Just for kicksLooking around the 4A bracket. Broomfield (13-1-1) drew the No. 1 seed. Steamboat Springs nabbed the fifth seed, but the Sailors, the only undefeated team in the field, have a pretty tough road, according to Cope. “I think it was a little harsh on them,” he said. “They got put in a similar position that the Montrose boys did in the fall, where they’re 15-0 and Cheyenne Mountain snuck into the four spot. If you both hold serve and advance through the bracket, you have to travel to Cheyenne Mountain, instead of the reverse. The other thing is that Steamboat is in the same side of the bracket as Broomfield and Broomfield is hosting the semifinals (and finals), the supposed neutral site.” … Rifle (8-5-2, No. 29) is at Cheyenne (11-2-2). Glenwood (7-6-2, No. 31) has the unenviable task of taking on Greeley West (13-1-1) on the road. Montezuma-Cortez (7-7-1), the Slope’s fifth entry, is No. 25 and has a long trip to Pueblo West (12-1-2). … If Battle Mountain gets beaten by Thomas Jefferson, the Huskies face the winner of Golden (12-3) and Canon City (8-7). … In 3A soccer, Basalt drew No. 4 and hosts Machebeuf. Denver Christian, which eliminated Vail Mountain Friday in the regional playoffs, drew a mysteriously low 12th seed.Sports Editor Chris Freud can be reached at 949-0555, ext. 614, or cfreud@vaildaily.com.Vail, Colorado


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