The weather is hot and so is the pace of activity in Wheat Ridge Athletics. As of this edition seasons have already started for Boys Golf, Girls Flag Football, Boys Tennis, Girls Volleyball, Boys Soccer, Softball and Football. I was able to attend a recent scrimmage game for the Boys Soccer L3 and Junior Varsity teams on Saturday August 16th at the High School turf fields and was impressed by the speed and tenacity showBy our young Farmers.
Wheat Ridge has a sizable squad for boys’ soccer with a full roster for Varsity, Junior Varsity and Level three teams. The program looks to be competitive this year as many players have a long history with various high level club teams apart from the high school program. The scrimmages on Saturday started with the Freshman and new player squad, called Level Three, or L3, and based on the skills presented, namely solid play and strong leadership from the goalie position along with excellent speed and passing at both ends, the future looks bright. The squad showed promise as there was real hustle and power in shots on goal that should pay dividends with further practice on accuracy and strategic positioning.
The Junior Varsity squad looks to be a force as well, with talent all over the pitch in players like Kyle Miller (a true force and talent), Garrett Aukema (outstanding ball control in traffic), Eli Johnson (an emerging leader on field), Jacob Sloan (long and limber in goal) and Indy Eschenbach (looking good in the lavender cleats). Many have been playing the game seriously since the days of little kickers at the Wheat Ridge Recreation Center. The squad showed finesse and higher-level skill with ball handling and passing. This will be a team to watch as time allows them to gel and work on the finer points of positioning and increasing their defensive acumen. Overall, the group looks well situated to make their mark as they move closer to the playing at the varsity level.
There are a lot of great sporting events taking place this fall season, I encourage everyone reading this to go out and support our student athletes at games and matches of your sport of choice, and maybe try a new sport you don’t know that much about. I will try and provide updates on various team efforts and outcomes, however I cannot be everywhere, so if you see something of note, please let us know, we want to highlight and celebrate our amazing Farmers in all they do, win or lose.
Go Farmers!
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