The fall sports season has officially kicked into full gear across Garfield County, with local high school teams taking to the fields, courts and trails last week to begin their seasons.

Football

The Glenwood Springs Demons faced a tough start to their season, falling to the Elizabeth Cardinals 14-0 on Friday. The Demons struggled offensively, managing only 78 all-purpose yards, with senior running back Mason Markovich accounting for 72 of those on the ground. Glenwood Springs will look to bounce back when they take on Summit High School at Stubler Memorial Field on Friday.

The Coal Ridge Titans had a narrow 28-21 loss against the Steamboat Springs Sailors on Saturday. After jumping to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, the Titans held a 21-14 advantage at halftime but were unable to score in the second half. They will try to regroup as they prepare to travel to Cedaredge on Sept. 6.

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The Grand Valley Cardinals fell 28-8 to the Aspen Skiers on Friday. Senior Andrew Horner led the Cardinals with 44 passing yards and a touchdown pass to Jayson Skeen, along with 80 rushing yards.

The Roaring Fork Rams are set to return to varsity competition as they travel to Ellicott High School on Friday. Last year’s state runner-up Rifle Bears will revisit the town of their 2023 title game when they face Grand Junction on Friday.

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Girls Volleyball

The Demon Invitational at Glenwood Springs High School saw the host Demons post a 3-1 record, finishing second overall. They secured wins against Roaring Fork, Meeker, and Pagosa Springs before falling to Mullen High School in the championship match. Glenwood Springs will host Basalt on Thursday.

Rifle had a tough weekend, losing all four matches against Roaring Fork, Steamboat Springs, Coal Ridge, and Mullen. The Bears now have a break until they host Glenwood Springs on Sept. 17.

Coal Ridge picked up their only win of the tournament against Rifle during the weekend tournament. They Titans host Grand Junction on Tuesday, dropping the first set by a score of 25-16. The game was still ongoing at the time of print deadline.

Roaring Fork also secured their lone victory over Rifle and will face Vail Mountain in an away game on Wednesday.

Grand Valley ended the weekend with a 2-2 record, defeating De Beque and Hayden but falling to Rangely and West Grand. The Cardinals traveled to face off against Soroco on Tuesday, which was also still in progress at the time of print deadline.

Softball

Rifle’s softball team had a strong start, boasting a 3-0 record following their 2023 state playoff appearance before falling to Grand Junction by a score of 16-6 on Tuesday. Sophomore Ella Jackson has led the team, maintaining a .900 batting average through the first three games. Brynn Axelson has also been a key contributor, leading the team with 10 stolen bases and a .769 batting average. the Bears next look towards their home matchup against Montrose on Friday.

Cross Country

14 teams gathered to compete in the Basalt Longhorn Cross Country Invitational over the weekend. In the women’s 5-kilometer race, Coal Ridge’s Effie Fletcher finished second with a time of 20:05.95. Rifle’s Ana Robinson followed in third at 20:42.83, and Glenwood Springs’ Quinn Waaler came in fourth at 20:48.16. Basalt took first place as a team, while Coal Ridge finished second and Glenwood Springs fourth.

In the men’s 5-kilometer race, Basalt’s Towler Scott took first place, followed by Soroco’s Nick Clark. Coal Ridge runners took the next four spots, led by Jake Curt in third place with a time of 17:41.24. Trailing Curt were teammates Brody Evans, Kevin Parker, and Owen Evans, who secured fourth, fifth, and sixth place, respectively. Glenwood Springs finished second as a team behind Coal Ridge.

Boys Soccer

The Roaring Fork Rams began their season with a narrow 1-0 loss to last year’s 2A state champion Crested Butte on Friday night. They will next face Basalt on Sept. 5.

The Rifle Bears opened their season with a commanding 8-0 win over their down the road rival Grand Valley Cardinals on Saturday. The Bears continued their dominance on Tuesday, beating the Palisade Bulldogs by a score of 4-1.

Glenwood Springs kicked off their season Tuesday at home against Eagle Valley, where they split the game 1-1. The Demons will next host Coal Ridge at home on Friday.