EARLY AND OFTEN
Fairview jumps on Boulder in crosstown matchup at Recht Field
Hook Dancy, an offensive highlight reel as wiggly as his name sounds, admitted there has already been a number of times the Knights’ freshmenfirst attack has been bested by senior Sam Millison and their seasoned defense during practice this spring.
“If he strips me and my stick goes flying, he’s always coming back to help me,” Dancy said. “He’s like ‘Hide your stick better, like this. Or don’t roll back too soon, roll back later. Do this move. Don’t do that move.’”
Any tips are welcome for a team that has struggled to put the ball in the net of late.
On Thursday night at Christian Recht Field, the offense Fairview coach Matthew Kelley hoped would arrive this season took an important step forward, he believed, in a 14-4 win over crosstown rival Boulder.
His new-look attack, led by four promising freshmen, scored nine times in the opening half and Fairview finished with double-digit goals in a game for just the second time since 2021.
“We have arguably one of the stronger defenses in the state and I think we’re able to put a lot of pressure on those guys,” Kelley said of his young guys. “They’re learning to play against arguably some of the best players in the state, and I think that’s really helped getting them to that varsity level.”
Drew Stinchcomb, a senior, and Kai Modica, a freshman, both had four goals in the win. Millison, a defender headed to the University of Tampa next season, had three. Dancy, two.
Coming into the night, the struggles of an offense averaging less than five goals per game last season had continued into the early weeks of the spring.
The Knights (2-3) averaged just four goals through their first four games and were coming off consecutive losses in which they combined for just five.
Five — is what they had after the first quarter against the Panthers.
Dancy scored his second goal of the opening frame just 6:54 in, falling forward as he ripped an underhand chance. Stinchcomb followed with his second in the final 70 seconds of the quarter, pulling up from six yards out.
The lead grew to 10-1 in the third before Henry Burhop led a
3-0 spurt from Boulder with his second and third goals of the game.
Millison eventually ended a scoring drought of 9:49 for the Knights in the fourth, and Kalen Carlyle, another freshman, followed it up a minute later to make it 12-4 with 5:50 remaining.
“I have so much confidence in these guys. They’re only freshmen, but if you watch them play, they’re so good,” Millison said. “And the fact that they are playing as freshmen, they’re going to develop so much in the next four years. And I’m so happy to be a part of that.”
Boulder was led by a freshman of its own in Henry Burhop, who scored the first three goals of his career in the loss. His senior brother, Max, who has led the team in scoring since 2021, was out with what is expected to be a seasonending injury, per Panthers coach Nicholas Voigt.
The Panthers dropped to 0-4.
“Kind of the message we’ve been telling the kids is we have to get better every day,” Voigt said. “Even though we’re young, that’s not going to be an excuse for how we compete and how we play.”
Boulder is at Grand Junction Wednesday. Fairview is at Arvada West April 10.