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John Vandelinder

John Vandelinder's columns appear Tuesdays and Fridays in the Craig Daily Press. E-mail him at jvandelinder@craigdailypress.com

This week in the Beat, I'm taking a look at the upcoming fall sports schedule and circling a few dates that Moffat County sports fans will not want to miss.

Let's take a look:

Sept. 5 - MCHS football at Rifle

Let's be honest here, folks. Friday's contest at defending 3A state champion Berthoud is a mismatch. What they do the next week, though, is what's important. From talking to other reporters across the slope, the Bears are hurting from the top down. They return only a handful of players, and their coach is injured. Moffat County needs a strong showing here, because the Bulldogs' confidence probably won't be too high after the long bus ride home from Berthoud. Rifle is the perfect follow-up game for them. If the Bulldogs can win their conference opener, who knows, maybe a few more wins will follow.

Sept. 9 - MCHS golf at Aspen

The Bulldog ball strikers get a preview of the golf course that will determine who advances to the state championships. Forget about the team's home meet Sept. 4 at Yampa Valley Golf Course; they know their home course's layout inside and out. Aspen hosts the state regional tournament Sept. 23, so getting familiar with the links of Aspen Golf Club on the ninth will be essential for the team. If they can soak up the course's nuances, and learn from it, it could be the deciding factor on who will play at YVGC when it matters - Oct. 6 and 7 at the state championships.

Sept. 12 - MCHS volleyball at Montrose

The Bulldogs' surprising win streak - and subsequent season - ended on this floor, to this team, last year. MCHS led two games to one, before eventually falling. Coach Brianna Montgomery downplayed this year's match-up, but I'm taking it personal. The 2007 volleyball team was my favorite fall team, and I traveled to the districts in Montrose fully expecting the Bulldogs to advance to state. So say what you will, Coach, I want to see Moffat County kick the Indians' butts. I'm all about the revenge thing.

Oct. 16 - MCHS soccer vs. Steamboat Springs

The Sailors blanked the Bulldogs, 6-0, in Steamboat last year. The article that followed in the Craig Daily Press was written by one of the guys at our sister paper, the Steamboat Pilot & Today, and it was embarrassing. They made MCHS sound bad, calling the game a "sleeper." Sleep on this, Steamboat boys, the Bulldogs are a different team, with a different coach. I hope MCHS wins, and wins big, so when my story goes there, I can repay the favor.

Oct. 18 - MCHS cross country at state regionals

I know, a regional meet is an obvious choice, but when considering the cross country team trains all season for this meet, it dwarfs all the others. Alicia Nelson won this event last year as a junior, and I hate to put pressure on her, but anything less than a victory this year would be a disappointment. It will be difficult for the boys team to match last year's second-place finish, but after watching them run Saturday morning, I believe it is more than possible. The girls team is a lock to better last season's fourth-place finish, as long as the No. 4 and 5 runners can close the gap between them and the top three.

John Vandelinder can be reached at 875-1793 or jvandelinder@craigdailypress.com