The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Teams look to improve on 2010 results
Crested Butte Titans high school fall sports are bringing the preseason workouts to a close and all three squads are looking to improve upon their 2010 seasons.
While cross-country, volleyball and soccer saw some success, all three coaches are convinced this year could be even better.
Volleyball
Head coach Marla Covey and her assistant, Heather Perry, couldn’t wait until August to get their athletes in the gym, instead bringing 21 players together in July to participate in a team camp at Western State College.
“We took our biggest group ever,” says Covey. “I’ve never taken that many underclassmen. I think taking a big chunk of them helped overall.”
While fitness and skills are always a big part of Covey’s preseason regimen, this year she’s added a new mental and psychological element to the program.
“The goal is to work on leadership and mental fitness,” says Covey. “They’re really into it. We’ll see if it works.”
The team is getting a boost in the middle this season from the return of Skylar Kraatz, who will be joining Sara Sherman up front.
“We’re intimidating in the middle with Sara and Skylar,” says Covey.
Cassidy Dodds will be stepping into a more significant setter role and Covey has big plans for Natalie Bowen and Toni Brown.
Covey is also looking to Lindsey Kopf to make the jump from JV as a freshman last year to a strong varsity role this year.
And that’s just the tip of the talent iceberg, as Covey and Perry have 27 Titans out this season.
“Overall, it’s a good group of kids,” says Covey. “Our middle school program’s consistency is starting to pay off.”
They open the season with four varsity and four JV scrimmages on Saturday, August 27 in Montrose.
“That’s always a good test because it’s a lot of the teams from the Western Slope from programs as small as 1A and as big as 4A,” says Covey.
With all of that said, they still have a tough league battling in the Southern Peaks 2A.
“I’d like us to be competitive and finish top-four in the league,” says Covey.
Cross-country
Head coach Connie Hayden is entering her third year at the helm of the cross-country program and will be joined once again by coach Shari Sullivan Marshall.
The two coaches have a unique situation this year, with nine boys and nine girls on the roster.
“It’s the first time we’ve had equity in recent memory,” says Hayden. “We actually have a boys’ team.”
Last year the girls’ team finished third overall in the state with two runners, Amber Scott and Erin Kelly, making the podium.
Kelly graduated but Scott is back and is joined by a star-studded mix of underclassmen and seniors. Sophomore Mina Moscatelli and senior/captains Shelby Kopf, Natalie Barefield and Jessie D’Aquila make for a formidable five-some with Scott.
“We’re in for redemption this year,” says Hayden. “We missed second by two points last year.”
Ian Boucher and Forrest Smith were the top two freshmen in the state last year and are returning to lead the boys’ team to some solid team results this year. They are joined by a new runner from Indiana, senior Matt Galley, who is adding some additional talent to the team.
“If everyone stays healthy, the boys are in contention for some great team results,” says Hayden.
The trick right now for Hayden and Sullivan Marshall is to get everyone to the same fitness level.
“It will be a few weeks before we’re all on the same page,” says Hayden.
The Titans cross-country start their racing season on Saturday, September 2 in Delta.
Soccer
The Titans high school soccer team flirted with league supremacy last year before imploding and finishing the season fourth in the standings.
This year, they’re led by a strong core of senior leaders in Luis Aguirre, Ben Reaman and Nolan Blunck. Seniors Colin Dill and Blake Dodds are back in the fold as well and should be some key additions to the veteran core.
Twelve of the Titan soccer players made a trip to El Salvador over the summer for a 10-day Central American training trip and look to reap the rewards of the experience this season.
The team has a strong group of freshmen coming in and sophomore Ian Dethloff will be taking over in net to replace graduated senior Ben Frame.
Their pre-season has consisted of fitness and defense, thanks to the defensive acumen of assistant coach Mike Martin who proclaims, “Offense scores goals but defense wins games.”
Both coaches are looking for Prawit Durgan and Dylan Curtiss to make the difference in the midfield, adding additional punch and possession to the Titans soccer strategy.
The Titans will host Aspen for a preseason scrimmage on Saturday, August 27 at 1 p.m. at Rainbow Field and then will head to Colorado Springs over the Labor Day weekend for a tournament with some of the Front Range powerhouses.
