YOUR AD HERE »

Sailor all-stars to take on best in state

John F. Russell

— The spotlight will shine down on two Steamboat Springs soccer players during the All-State Game being played in Denver Aug. 4.

Hobey Early and Mike Rinn will both get to play in the high school all-star game, which features Colorado’s best prep players.

It will be the final high school game for Early, who just graduated.



Rinn will be a junior this season and will have a few more shots at making it to the honorary game.

“It’s going to be a great experience,” Rinn said. “I can’t wait to get down there and play.”



Early was named to the first team at the end of last season. The Steamboat Springs mid-fielder missed three weeks during that season with a fractured jaw, but managed to collect enough respect around the conference and state to get the nod.

“It should be a lot of fun,” Early said. “It will be a chance to play with some very good players.”

Rinn was selected to the all-state team as an honorable mention member. He didn’t expect to play in the actual game, which is normally reserved for first- and second-team members, until got a call from a coach in May.

“He said he needed some more players from the Western Slope, and since a few players were not going to show, I got the chance to play.”

While Rinn’s will be going back to Steamboat Springs High School in the fall, Early will be moving onto college and hopes to make the most out of a chance to play with Lindsey Wilson in Kentucky.

“They started a program there in 1990,” Early said. “It’s a quality program and they’ve won national championships the last four out of five years.”

The Lindsey Wilson school has two soccer teams. Early will receive some money to go to the school, but said he still has to try out to see if he will be named to the school’s first or second squad.

“I’m really looking forward to going,” Early said. “It’s a great opportunity for me to keep playing soccer at a high level.”

Early will report to the school on Aug. 12.

Lindsey Wilson built a new 1,500-seat soccer stadium that opened in 1999. In 1998 the school, which has an enrollment in the neighborhood of 1,500 students, finished a perfect 25-0-0 season behind top soccer coach Ray Wells.

To reach John F. Russell call 871-4209 or e-mail jrussell@amigo.net


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Steamboat and Routt County make the Steamboat Pilot & Today’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.