Once again it was the Beau show for the Aspen High School football team.
In front of a capacity crowd, Aspen senior running back/linebacker Beau Seguin scored three touchdowns and recorded a team-high five tackles as the Skiers pounded a visiting Rangely team 48-6 in their home opener.
Seguin, who rushed for 72 yards on five carries, did most of his damage early on — scoring on runs of three and 37 yards and returning a punt for a touchdown, all within the first five and one-half minutes of the game.
“We took them out of the game early,” said Aspen coach Mike Sirko. “The guys were well prepared, fired up and played inspired ball. We ran like a machine and moved the ball at will.”
In the first two games of the season, Seguin has seemed to score at will — recording eight touchdowns on only 19 attempts.
“I give all the props to my O-line,” Seguin said. “They opened the holes and set the tone.”
Adding to the Aspen offensive excitement was sophomore utility back Nick Ufkes, who finished the night with a pair of rushing touchdowns and handled kick return duties.
Skiers’ signal caller Anderson Cole had a solid performance, completing seven of eight passes for 108 yards and one touchdown. His favorite target was tight end Tommy Mines, who snagged three catches for 49 yards and a score to go along with his blocked punt.
Aspen teammates Joseph O’Callaghan and Travis VanDomelen each added first-half rushing touchdowns, as Aspen cruised to a comfortable 41-0 halftime lead.
“Rangely was a little undermanned and undersized,” Sirko said. “But take nothing away from our kids. We played up to our level, not down to theirs.”
The Skiers’ defense proved to be up to the challenge as they held Rangely’s offense to negative yards in the first half.
Aspen’s Trevor Watson, Mines and VanDomelen paced the defense with four tackles each, while teammates Tyler Bloom, Taylor Mines and Walker Moriarty each added interceptions.
The Panthers did not reach the end zone until 5 minutes, 34 seconds remained in the fourth quarter. By then, a majority of Aspen’s starters were on the bench.
With the win, Aspen improves to 2-0 and has outscored their opponents by a combined sum of 113-12.
Despite the impressive start, Sirko says the real test comes next week when Aspen plays an undefeated Hotchkiss team. “None of these games were nail biters,” Sirko said. “We’ve got a lot to prove next week and the kids know it.”
Seguin agreed that Aspen still has a lot to prove, but said he and his teammates are fully primed for the increased level of competition.
“This is why we work so hard,” he said. “This is what we dream about.”
Seguin added that the source of the team’s success is the infectious winning attitude of his coach.
“It’s so much fun to be on the field with Sirko,” he said. “Sometimes I think he loves the game more than us.”
Find out whether Aspen can pass its next test when Hotchkiss visits on Friday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m.
kai@aspendailynews.com
