Steamboat Springs boys lacrosse is just three games away from securing the top spot of the 4A Western league. 

The Sailors hosted Vail Mountain on Thursday, April 27, for a game they had marked on their schedules since losing to Vail Mountain earlier in the month. 

This one ended differently, with Steamboat taking an early lead and never letting up on the gas to secure a 9-6 victory and earn the No. 1 rank in the league. 

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“Coming into today we knew it was going to be a hard game,” senior goalie Baden Park said. “They beat us last time but we were confident that we would come out and take that win from them. We wanted it back and we got it back.”

Park was a major component in the Sailors’ win. After giving up 10 goals in the previous matchup, he held the Gore Rangers to just three goals in the first three quarters.

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Park knew he was locked in Thursday night during warmups. His eyes were following the ball well and he said it translated into the game perfectly. 

“Baden Park really stepped up, I think he had this game marked on his calendar just as much as I did,” head coach Brian Rodgers said. “I know he was not happy with how he played last time we played Vail Mountain School and he came out and made a big showing for him.”

On the offensive side of the ball, senior Andrew Kempers and freshman Lyle Henninger continued to be scoring machines. Kempers earned a hat trick in the first half with Henninger scoring a team-leading four goals in the game. 

“We just beat the No. 2 seed in our league,” Kempers said. “Moving forward, this will boost our confidence and hopefully boost the way we play.”

With three games remaining on the schedule, Steamboat is in prime position for a strong playoff seed. The Sailors play their last away game of the season against Aspen on Saturday, April 29, before closing the regular season with two games at home. 

Rodgers thinks the team has been performing well in all phases of the game but wants to focus on one game at a time moving forward. 

“One of the nice things about having a great season is we just made Saturday’s game critically important,” Rodgers said. “The boys earned that and kudos to our guys. So we have to go focus on Aspen.”

Steamboat Springs 9, Vail Mountain 6
SS: 3 3 1 2
VM: 1 1 1 3