Aspen Girls, Boys Lacrosse Host Playoff Home Games

The wind off the Elk Mountains doesn’t care about your seed number. It just howls through the valley, chilling the turf and testing the lungs of anyone brave enough to run it. But on Thursday and Friday, the only thing that matters is who’s holding the stick and who’s guarding the net.

Aspen’s lacrosse teams are set for home playoff action, a development that keeps the momentum in the Roaring Fork Valley rather than sending fans up the mountain or down to Carbondale. The logistics are simple: the games are at AHS turf, and the stakes are high.

Aspen girls lacrosse host No. 9 Telluride at 4 p.m. Thursday. It’s a rematch of sorts. The Skiers already beat the Miners 24-12 on March 21, but playoff lacrosse is a different animal. Telluride advanced via forfeit over Denver North, while Aspen had a bye. The winner moves on to face either No. 1 Battle Mountain or No. 17 Green Mountain in the quarterfinals.

Aspen boys lacrosse tip off at 5 p.m. Friday against No. 13 Ponderosa. The Skiers are the No. 4 seed, coming off a bye, while Ponderosa knocked off No. 20 Crested Butte 10-2. The winner will face either No. 5 Lutheran or No. 12 Golden in Tuesday’s quarterfinals.

The question is whether the home-field advantage on familiar turf outweighs the experience Telluride and Ponderosa have shown this spring. For locals, it’s a chance to see the team they’ve watched all season decide their fate without a long drive to I-70.

Roaring Fork girls lacrosse also stays local. They host No. 14 Fruita Monument at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in Carbondale. The Rams are the No. 3 seed and beat Horizon 13-11 in the first round. They played Fruita recently, winning 18-6 in Carbondale on April 21. A win here sends them to play either Cheyenne Mountain or Dakota Ridge in the quarterfinals.

It’s a busy few days for valley sports fans. The schedule is tight, but the location is convenient. You don’t have to drive to Glenwood or Aspen for every game. The community gets to support its teams in its own backyard.

Glenwood Springs boys lacrosse, meanwhile, saw their season end with a 10-2 loss to Crested Butte. They’ll look to bounce back next year.

The local angle here is clear: the valley is hosting its own destiny. No long bus rides for these playoff rounds. Just the turf, the lights, and the neighbors in the stands.