True statement!

Elie, I’m grateful for the time I was able to spend with you and the impact you made on our program. You bought in, worked hard and showed what it means to take accountability for your teammates and your squad. That’s what leadership looks like, and that’s the kind of young man you were becoming. I’m going to miss you, but I’m thankful I got the opportunity to coach you and be part of your journey. You will always be a part of our family and your impact will never be forgotten. Rest easy, Elie!

Congratulations to Coach Troy Phillips on earning his 200th career win with a 16-7 victory over Gunnison in Game 1 today! This is an incredible milestone and a reflection of the time, commitment and passion Coach Phillips has poured into this program over the years. We appreciate everything you do for Rifle Softball and thankful to have you leading these ladies! Congratulations on #200, Coach Phillips! #BEWAREOFTHE🐻 #DEFENDTHEDEN🐾

The Rifle Boys Basketball Record Board has officially been updated! These names and numbers represent years of hard work, big moments and players who left their mark on Rifle Basketball. Congrats to John Langstaff on adding his name to the record books! You know how I much I love defense. 😁 Now the question for the next generation of Bears… WHO’S NEXT? Who is going to be the next player to etch their name into Rifle Boys Basketball history? Records are made to be chased and legacies are built to last. #BEARTHEGRIND🐻🏀 #DEFENDTHEDEN🐾

Rifle High School Athletics is proud to recognize Blake Shaffer and Isabella Harden as our August Student-Athletes of the Month! Blake Shaffer | Football Blake has made an immediate impact on both sides of the ball. Through two games, he has rushed for 340+ yards and 3 touchdowns, including a huge 200+ yard performance against rival Coal Ridge. Blake has also been a force defensively and has helped lead the Bears to a 1-1 start. Isabella Harden | Volleyball A team captain and leader on and off the court, Isabella is the type of teammate every program wants. She brings encouragement in tough moments, welcomes and supports underclassmen, and has become someone her teammates look to for leadership. Through the early season, she has recorded 15 aces, 23 kills and 51 digs, helping the Bears to a 3-3 start. Congratulations to Blake and Isabella on earning this recognition! Your leadership, hard work and commitment to your teammates represent what it means to be a Rifle Bear! #BEWAREOFTHE🐻

THE GRIND STARTS NOW! Open Gyms officially begin September 9th and it’s time to get to work. Monday & Wednesday 5:30–7:00 AM
 Friday 6:00–8:00 AM The season may not start in September, but the work that defines us does. WHO’S HUNGRY?! RISE & GRIND!!!! #BEARTHEGRIND🐻🏀

The Softball team is back at home tonight as they host Montrose for a doubleheader! Game times are 4:00 & 6:00 pm. Come out and support these ladies as they look to keep the momentum rolling and extend their winning streak! GO BEARS! #BEWAREOFTHE🐻 #DEFENDTHEDEN🐾 *Photo taken by former RHS Alum Jared Henderson, class of 2019.

The Bears open the 2026 season at home today as we host the Western Slope Softball Crossover Tournament! A full day of softball kicks off the new season for the Bears: 🆚 Middle Park at 12:00 PM
🆚 Moffat County at 5:00 PM Come out, enjoy a great day at the ballpark and help us start the season off with some ENERGY! GO BEARS!! #BEWAREOFTHE🐻 #DEFENDTHEDEN🐾

Boys Golf heads to Devils Thumb Golf Course in Delta this morning. Play begins at 9 am. Go Bears! #BEWAREOFTHE🐻

BIG UPGRADES IN THE DEN! We are excited to officially welcome our new scorer’s table to Rifle High School! This is a HUGE upgrade for our student-athletes, coaches, fans and the entire Rifle community. We are committed to continuing to improve our facilities and the experience we provide our Bears and this new scorer’s table will bring another level of energy and professionalism to game nights in the Den! From showcasing Rifle Bears branding and promoting concessions to highlighting our amazing sponsors, this new scorer’s table will be a centerpiece of the action in Jack Smith Gymnasium. And we aren’t stopping there! 👀 We have also purchased a new Hudl camera for Bear Stadium and added another portable Hudl camera for our soccer field, giving our programs even more resources to capture, analyze and showcase our student-athletes. What’s next? 👀 We want to give our weight room a facelift, purchase a mat hoist and work towards a video board for Bear Stadium. 
 If you or your business is interested in partnering with Rifle Athletics and joining our Corporate Sponsorship Program, please reach out to me. Every partnership helps us raise the funds needed to continue improving our facilities, supporting our programs, and providing our student-athletes with the best experience possible. We have big goals and we are just getting started! One improvement at a time. #BEWAREOFTHE🐻 #DEFENDTHEDEN🐾

😂😂 Coach has me dying over here.

WEEK AHEAD | August 3-8 The 2026-27 athletic season gets underway as our football and boys golf teams begin practice this week. Reminder for all other fall sports athletes: Please make sure all athletic paperwork is turned in and approved before the start of your season. Athletes must have all required forms completed in order to get their cleared to practice form. Good luck to all of our coaches and athletes as we begin another exciting year! #BEWAREOFTHE🐻 #DEFENDTHEDEN🐾

Getting the field ready for @RifleFootball youth camp! I can’t wait to have our coaches working with the next generation of Bear student-athletes. #BEWAREOFTHE🐻

🔥🔥

Congrats @5TooCold It was only a matter of time. Pumped to see what you do in the Southland. Elite hire by Nichols State.

The varsity boys finished 1-3 today at the CMU team camp. We won our opening game against a tough and scrappy Rangely team but lost to Eagle Valley, Alamo Navajo and Pagosa Springs. We battled in every game and had our chances but we need to finish better and clean up some things on defense. The boys are ready to compete on day 2 against Grand County from Utah, Lake City from Idaho and Central. Another tough day of basketball but I know the boys will be ready. Congrats to our Varsity camper of the day: Rylan Donohoue The JV finished the day 1-1. They got a good win against Alamo Navajo and lost to Grand County. Boys played tough and are learning and growing with each rep. Congrats to our JV camper of the day: Grayson Billington The C-Team finished the day 0-2 against some very tough and bigger teams. Union JV was able to control the glass and utilize their size against our smaller team. I’m proud of the boys because they never gave up and kept battling. In the second game they battled hard but couldn’t pull out the win against Eagle Valley. Turnovers cost us the game. They worked hard all day and they are playing tougher competition here which is great. Congrats to our C-Team camper of the day: Treycen Smith I’m excited for day 2! #BEWAREOFTHE🐻

UNC Camp is complete! What a great weekend of growth, competition and team building. Our final game ended in a tough 52-50 loss, but our guys showed incredible fight, battling back after being down 17 points and cutting it to two with 4 seconds left. We had a chance at the end, but couldn't quite finish it off. We were led by Haven Hills with 18 points, shooting 5-for-6 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free throw line while adding 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Andon Robinson added 16 points and knocked down shots at a 50% clip from three-point range. Brokk contributed 7 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists while providing a strong presence on both ends of the floor. A huge shoutout to our Camper of the Day, Haven Hills. Haven competed with confidence all game and continued to make big plays when our team needed them most. Our Camper of the Week is Andon Robinson. Andon not only performed at a high level on the court, but he was an elite leader throughout the entire camp. It takes a special player to step into varsity competition with a roster made up of 5 freshmen and 4 sophomores with no varsity experience and keep everyone believing. He led with purpose, encouraged his teammates and made sure nobody hung their head when things got tough. Thank you Andon for your commitment to the program and for helping raise the standard of Rifle Basketball. I'm incredibly proud of how much these boys grew individually and as a team throughout the weekend. Competing against older, more experienced teams only accelerated our growth, and the future is bright for this group. A special thank you to @UNCoTeamCamp @Coach_Cloep @CoachHReed @DorianGreen22 @GauseColin for their hospitality and for putting on a first class camp. #BEWAREOFTHE🐻

Day 2 of the UNC Camp is done! The varsity squad finished the day 1-2 with a win over Widefield and tough losses to Skyview and Northridge. Our guys battled all day long and never backed down from the challenge of competing against bigger, more experienced teams. The effort, toughness and willingness to compete continue to stand out. Varsity Camper of the Day: Haven Hills 
Haven played nearly every minute of all three games and embraced every big moment. As a young point guard, he continues to grow into his role as a leader and floor general for our team. His toughness and confidence were on full display throughout the day. JV Camper of the Day: Yoan Suarez 
The JV squad finished 1-1 with a loss to Greeley West and a win over Fossil Ridge. Yoan stepped up in a big way, scoring 25 points in the second game of the day. He continues to develop his game and carve out an important role within our program. One more day left! #BEWAREOFTHE🐻

Day 1 at UNC Team Camp is in the books. Our guys competed their tails off today! Game 1 ended in a tough 38-37 loss to Union Colony on a buzzer-beating three. While the result wasn't what we wanted, I couldn't be more proud of the way our team battled from start to finish. In Game 2, we faced Resurrection Christian, one of the top teams in the state. Their size, physicality and ability to knock down shots showed why they are consistently among the best. It was a great opportunity for our young group to compete against elite competition. What makes today even more impressive is that we have one senior, zero juniors, four sophomores and five freshmen playing up at camp this weekend. Our future is gaining valuable experience every possession. Camper of the Day: Eli Poindexter Eli's motor never stopped. He competed on every play, embraced his role and did all the little things. Proud of the way he approached the day. Looking forward to getting back after it tomorrow. #BEWAREOFTHE🐻