Steamboat Pilot & Today

When it comes to rivalries, the one between Craig and Steamboat Springs isn't limited to high school or junior high sports.

Just ask Steamboat Pacific men's soccer captain Danny Tebbenkamp.

Tebbenkamp, whose team will play Craig Deportivo for the championship of the Yampa Valley Soccer League at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Christian Heritage School fields, already had a player suffer a broken leg on a controversial play by the rivals to the west.

"They're going to be coming hard at us," Tebbenkamp said. "They want to beat the Steamboat guys. A lot of these guys we see in the co-ed league and the men's indoor and outdoor (leagues). So there's a good rivalry. Some of it's good and some of it's bad."

Steamboat comes into the championship game as the No. 1 seed with a 10-0-1 record. Craig comes in as the No. 3 seed with a 6-3-2 record. Craig upset No. 2 seed El Mexico in the semifinals.

Steamboat previously defeated Craig, 2-1 and 3-1.

"We'll be down a few good players," Tebbenkamp said. "We're not really expecting to blow them out, but we're feeling confident about it."

The game concludes a successful season for Steamboat Pacific.

Along with finishing in the top spot in the league, Steamboat also had a good showing at the Vail Tournament.

Steamboat finished 2-1 at the Vail Tournament - a tournament that draws some of the top club teams in the state - and came within one point of advancing to the next round.

"We got caught a little off our game," Tebbenkamp said. "But it's definitely something we'll keep doing."

Clark resident Clyde Nelson started the league in mid-May with two teams from Steamboat, three from Craig and two from Vernal, Utah.

"It's pretty much the motivated players from the recreation league who just wanted to play more competitive soccer on strictly a men's team," Nelson said.

While the league had seven teams this year, Nelson hopes to add five more before next season.

For more information on the league, visit www.yampavalleysoccerleague.com.