Prep Notebook: Lacrosse, baseball and soccer teams get wins
Vail Mountain lacrosse takes on Battle Mountain this weekend
The high-powered Green Mountain (3-0) offense proved to be too much for Eagle Valley last Saturday in a 14-3 loss. Eric Hasley led the way for the Devils with two goals and three points.
The Devils bounced back with an important 11-8 conference win over Steamboat Springs on Tuesday. Erich Petersen led the way with six goals, while younger brother Julius added three. Eric Hasley chipped in four points, with two assists and a pair of goals himself.
The Devils travel to Lutheran on Saturday.
A big game from P.J. Kessenich helped Battle Mountain improve to 2-0 on the year with a 12-2 victory over Summit amid Tuesday’s nasty wintry mix. The senior scored seven points, including five assists. Balance was key, as Jack Pryor and Nate Bishop each achieved hat tricks in the win and Hunter Roach added two goals of his own.
“We spread the wealth,” said head coach Connor Compton. “We have a lot of contributors. We truly are, compared to years past, a team.”
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At the helm since 2019, Compton has watched this current crop of starters mature as they clock more varsity time. “We were really young last year,” he said. The added experience has the whole team excited for the upcoming dense slate of tough games, starting with Vail Mountain on Saturday.
“They’re a really good team,” Compton said of the team they’ll face twice in a 10-day span. In-between Gore Ranger matches, they’ll host Eagle Valley, the team with perhaps the best local resume after a trip to the state semi-finals last year. Compton said his team is eager to demonstrate that they belong.
“Our boys are really fired up to show them how we’ve improved,” Compton said.
After a 20-5 win over Summit High School to open the season, the Battle Mountain girls ran away with a big 15-2 victory over Steamboat Springs at home Wednesday.
Their rival game against Eagle Valley (1-1) is Friday in Gypsum at 4 p.m.
Baseball notes: Huskies pick up first win of season
An eight-run fourth inning catapulted Battle Mountain to a 16-2 victory against Elizabeth on Tuesday, the first win of the season for the Huskies.
“We battled at the plate, and put pressure on the defense,” Coach Harrison Stevens stated. “Our focus on Tuesday was playing the game with a passion, and our guys answered the call. They brought focus and competed every pitch.”
Tanner Roberts picked up the win on the mound, striking out 13 of the 18 batters he faced in five innings of work, allowing just two runs.
“Tanner had an exceptional game,” Stevens said. Roberts also went 2-for-3 with two RBIs at the plate. Junior Cooper Irwin and Franco Moreno drove in two runs as well.
I am proud of our program, and am excited to continue watching our players develop,” remarked Stevens afterward.
Battle Mountain (1-3) hosts Moffat County on Friday at 5 p.m.
Eagle Valley (2-2) fell to Elizabeth 11-1 on Wednesday in Gypsum.
Soccer Notes: Vail Mountain continues to cruise
Kjersti Moritz had a hat trick and Stella Stone had four assists to guide the Gore Rangers girls soccer team to a 6-0 win over Vail Christian on Monday. Alison McCalley, Tegan Sharfstein and Stone each added goals as well. Coming off the heels of a season-opening shutout win over Battle Mountain last Saturday, VMS finally got a chance to face someone from out of the valley on Wednesday against Middle Park.
A quick goal by Gabby Gish at the 25:16 mark got things going. The Gore Rangers had two fantastic opportunities just minutes later, including a near goal from Stella Stone that went just left of the post.
With 18:14 remaining in the first half, Tegan Sharfstein broke free and finished the deal, putting her team up 2-0. The Gore Rangers controlled the pace of the game and continued to dominate offensively en route to a 7-1 victory.
