The Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — Steamboat Springs High School girls soccer coach Rob Bohlmann doesn’t know much about his team’s first-round opponent in the Class 4A playoffs. So the Sailors simply can focus on themselves, something Bohlmann says can help his girls.

The Sailors, the No. 21 seed in the 32-team tournament, will travel to play No. 12 seed Cherokee Trail on Tuesday in Aurora.

“We don’t know much about them. I don’t recall that we’ve ever played any of the other teams in their division,” Bohlmann said. “I’m quite confident they are in the same boat.”

Cherokee Trail hails from the Skyline League near Denver and finished the regular season with a 12-2-1 record, only slightly better than Steamboat’s 11-3-1 mark. The school, which first opened for the 2003-04 school year, boasts an enrollment nearly three times that of Steamboat Springs High School.

There is no effective way to scout the Cougars, Bohlmann said, so he’s left to try what he can and simply focus on his own team.

“We are making a few calls just to get a little bit of information, but the way we have to approach this is it has to be about us,” he said.

That means not only going into the game ready with their own plan but also ready to adapt, however necessary.

“If we are worried about doing things well within our group and we step on the field, it’s going to be a competitive game,” Bohlmann said. “The key will be, once the game starts, are we reading the game? What are their tendencies, and how quickly can we attack those?”

At least Steamboat is entering the game on the right foot, Bohlmann said, as the attitude in the Steamboat camp is as upbeat as it has been all season. The Sailors are fresh off a three-win week, capping the run with a 3-0 shellacking of Thomas Jefferson on Friday night.

“We came back and had a tremendous week last week after spring break,” Bohlmann said. “We were able to get in a lot of quality time together on a road trip to Denver, and the spirit is really good within our camp.”

Tuesday’s game time will be announced today.