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Steamboat Springs — There might not be a boys lacrosse conference in the state where games mean as much as they do in the Mountain Conference. Last season, Steam­boat Spring High School went undefeated in the conference and earned the division’s only state playoff bid.

So as Steamboat prepares to open up its conference schedule at 11 a.m. today against Durango at Gardner Field, that fact isn’t lost on the Sailors.

Steamboat, coming off a win against Arapahoe High School’s varsity 2 team, knows how important these games are.

“I think we have to do the same exact thing we did last year,” Steamboat attacker Andrew White said. “Then with our out-of-league games, we also have to do well.”

Durango comes into the game 0-3 overall, having been outscored, 41-9, in those contests. But it’s an athletic team with ability and scorers on the outside.

But judging from the win against Arapahoe, Steamboat should be the favorite. In that game, Steamboat jumped out to a big first-half lead.

“If we can keep control of the ball and play Steamboat’s game, we should do it,” Steamboat midfielder Tyler Samlowski said. “We can’t take stupid shots. It’s got to be high-percentage shots around the net. It’s the team ball movement. If we do that, we’ll be good.”

The key might be to clean up the mistakes the team made against Arapahoe. Despite the win, there were too many missed passes and ground balls — not uncommon in early season games.

“I feel like we’ve played well, but we can’t overlook Durango,” Samlowski said. “They’ll be a force with their athleticism and shooting. We want to prove to not only the league but ourselves that we can rise above and take our program to the next level.”

Other high school teams are set to hit the road

The Hayden High School track and field team opens its season at 9 a.m. today in Delta. The Steamboat track team will be at the same meet. The Steamboat baseball team will play a scrimmage in Rangely. The Steamboat girls soccer team originally was scheduled to play at 2 p.m. at Cheyenne Central High School. But that game has been postponed. A makeup date hasn’t been scheduled, but coach Rob Bohlmann said he anticipates it will be after spring break.