Aspen High School golfer Houston Benvenuto, right, hits his approach shot during the Skier Invitational on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, at the Aspen Golf Club.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
The Aspen and Basalt high school boys golf teams competed on Monday and Tuesday in the Class 3A state championships, hosted by Eagle Ranch Golf Club.
The Skiers finished fourth as a team with a two-day collective score of 454 (34-over-par), while the Longhorns finished sixth at 457 (37-over). Taking the team championship was Lutheran, which shot 436 (16-over) to win by 11 strokes over Timnath (447), with Mullen taking third (448). Resurrection Christian was fifth (456).
Individually, Lutheran senior Nicholas Brooks made easy work of the competition, shooting 134 (10-under) with rounds of 66 and 68 to beat runner-up Jack Brayman, a Peak to Peak senior, by seven strokes (141). Eaton’s Dayne Schmidke was third (142), and Timnath’s Greysen Kilburn was fourth (144).
The top area golfer was Aspen senior Houston Benvenuto, who tied for ninth overall with 149 (5-over). He had rounds of 75 and 74. Basalt junior Hudson Arnold tied for 13th (151), with Aspen junior Oliver Pullis and Basalt sophomore Parker Strelecki each finishing at 152 and tied for 16th overall.
Also competing for Aspen were senior Leo Roennau (T31, 156) and junior Colton Jones (T36, 159). Basalt’s roster included seniors Elijah Kelley (T25, 154) and Brady Luetke (59th, 166). The Longhorns are a district-wide team that includes players from Roaring Fork and Glenwood Springs high schools.
Tennis regionals underway
Aspen and Basalt boys tennis teams are competing at regionals this week in Grand Junction. Originally scheduled for Thursday and Friday, the start was moved up to Wednesday due to forecast rain later in the week.
Both local teams are competing in Class 4A, Region 8, with updated results being posted at CHSAANow.com. State qualifiers will be known by Thursday evening, with the 4A individual state championships scheduled for Oct. 16-18 in Pueblo.
BHS football on road
Basalt football returned to the train tracks last week with a 14-0 homecoming win over Delta on Oct. 3. It was the Class 2A West league opener for the Longhorns, the win snapping a two-game losing streak.
Now 3-3 overall (1-0 league), BHS will play on Thursday this week at Coal Ridge. Game time is 7 p.m. in New Castle. The Titans have been impressive and surprising this season with a 5-1 overall record, including last week’s 49-8 rout of Moffat County to open league play. Their only loss came in the season opener against Steamboat Springs, 39-16.
Aspen (1-3 overall) is coming off a bye week and will open league play on Friday night with its homecoming game against Moffat. Kickoff is 7 p.m. on the AHS turf.
The Skiers began 1-0 with a win at Grand Valley but have since lost three straight, most recently a 49-19 loss to Kent Denver on Sept. 26. The Bulldogs are 1-5 overall and 0-1 in league play.
Players prepare for the snap as the Aspen High School football team hosts Kent Denver on Sept. 26.Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
Delta (4-2, 0-1) has a bye this week. Class 3A Glenwood Springs (3-3 overall) opens league play on Friday night at undefeated Eagle Valley (7-0 overall). Kickoff is 7 p.m.
In regard to the CHSAA seeding index, which largely determines postseason seeding, as of Wednesday evening The Classical Academy was No. 1, Coal Ridge No. 14, Delta No. 19, Basalt No. 23, Aspen No. 29, and Moffat County No. 34 out of 41 teams in 2A. Only 16 teams will make the playoffs, with the WSL champion earning an automatic spot.
Soccer hits key stretch
Basalt soccer’s two-game high that included back-to-back wins over Aspen and Roaring Fork ended Oct. 2 with a 6-0 loss at Vail Mountain. Now 3-6-1 overall and 1-2 in 3A Western Slope League play, the season continues on Thursday with a 4 p.m. game at Rifle (4-6-1, 1-3).
Aspen fell short in another nail-biter on Tuesday, losing 2-1 to Roaring Fork. The Skiers are 2-4-4 overall and 0-3-1 in league play. They are off until traveling to Basalt on Tuesday.
Roaring Fork (7-2-1, 4-1) will host 4A Glenwood Springs (2-6, 0-4) at 6 p.m. Thursday in a non-league game.
The CHSAA seeding index, as of Wednesday afternoon, has Roaring Fork at No. 11, Basalt at No. 35, and Aspen at No. 37 in Class 3A. Only 32 teams will make the state tournament.
AHS volleyball sitting cozy
Aspen volleyball fell 3-0 at Battle Mountain in a non-league game on Tuesday. Set scores were 25-20, 25-9, 25-20. The Huskies are now 10-0 and one of the best teams in 4A. The 3A Skiers, 13-3 overall and 4-0 in WSL play, will return to league play with a game on Thursday at Gunnison.
Basalt (4-5, 3-2) last played Oct. 2, a 3-1 league win over Moffat County. The Longhorns play at Coal Ridge on Thursday.
Aspen High School volleyball junior Belle Sinclair serves against Cedaredge on Sept. 18 in the home opener.Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
Roaring Fork (5-11, 3-3) won 3-0 at Grand Valley on Tuesday. The Rams next play Thursday at Moffat County; they host Basalt this coming Tuesday.
The CHSAA 3A seeding index, as of Wednesday afternoon, has Aspen ranked No. 9, Basalt No. 37, and Roaring Fork No. 46.
Softball regionals on deck
Softball’s regular season is down to only a few more games this week before regional pairings are announced. Basalt (5-16, 3-7 league) will close out play with two games at Gunnison on Saturday.
Aspen (1-14, 0-12) has a single home game against Battle Mountain on Thursday remaining (3 p.m. first pitch). BHS remains right on the cutoff to make regional play, while AHS is likely too far on the outside to get the invite.
Aspen XC strong at home
Aspen hosted its annual Chris Severy Invitational on Saturday, with both the AHS boys and girls winning the team titles.
In the boys race, the Skiers took the top three spots. Junior Jack Diaz won in 19 minutes, 2.6 seconds, followed in second by sophomore Boston Jennings (20:07.7) and in third by junior Dominic DiMaria (20:19.2). AHS junior Vlad Loboda was fifth in 20:46.4, and freshman Yaroslav Loboda was eighth in 20:57.1.
In the girls race, Aspen junior Avila Jennings (running unattached) won in 21:57.7, while junior teammate Annabelle Case was fourth in 22:50.2. AHS freshman Molly McPhee was seventh (23:25.5) and junior Edyn Roy was eighth (23:56.1).
Basalt did not compete in Aspen but did send a few runners to Rifle on Tuesday. In the boys race, Glenwood’s Diego Ostorga Torres was fourth (18:48.9) and Basalt’s Kaden Werth was eighth (19:31.9). Basalt’s Scarlett Jones was third in the girls race (21:09) with Caroline Cole finishing fourth (21:48).
The regional race for both Aspen and Basalt is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 24 at Loudy-Simpson Park in Craig. The state championships are Nov. 1 in Colorado Springs.
acolbert@aspentimes.com
