Fossil athletics are killing it this season

Haley Rockwell • September 22, 2016

Fossil Ridge High School is grabbing the attention of all of Fort Collins, Colorado. The success of the 2016 fall sports teams are creating a lot of hype for Fossil.

Fossil football seniors. Photo Credit: Ryan Cronin

The Fossil football team has made school history this year, beginning the season with a record of 2-0. Defeating the Fort Collins High School lambkins in their season opener 33-7 allowed them to become the Harmony Cup champions. The following week, the Sabercats took down Rocky Mountain High School 21-17, powerfully doing something that has never been done in Fossil football history. “It’s a dream come true starting off senior year with making school history, the senior class has been waiting 4 years for something awesome like this to happen and it’s happening now,” states senior quarterback, Griffin Roberts. The winning streak did not stop there, however, on Friday, September 16 Fossil faced their last crosstown rival, Poudre High School. The game went into overtime and the Sabercats pulled out a 35-28 win, improving their record to 3-0 and sweeping the city. With an undefeated start to the season, the team is ranked in the top 10 for 5A football. “It feels amazing being ranked so high in 5A, it shows how hard work pays off for us from off season workouts in December all the way to July, it’s an amazing feeling,” responds Roberts. The Sabercats look to continue their undefeated season on Friday, September 23 against Bear Creek High School at Jeffco Stadium. “We need you guys down in Littleton Friday night! This is the stadium I grew up playing high school football in, and this game means a lot to me. It’s going to be a tough game against a very physical opponent and we need our entire Fossil Family.” (Head coach, Zak Bigelow).

Fossil varsity volleyball. Photo Credit: Haley Rockwell

The volleyball team has spiked up multiple wins with a record of 8-1. The Sabercats are ranking No. 2 in 5A and also ranked No. 3 in the state of Colorado. Senior captain and libero, Lauren Rice has led the team to a successful beginning of their season. “The past three years I don’t think we had quite a strong connection within our team but this year being a senior we are really the driving force to keep the team working smoothly together on our road to state!” The Sabercats are stacking up the stats as they get closer to the state tournament. Fossil has 96 aces, 79 blocks, and 499 digs. Catie Semadeni and Riley Zuhn lead the team with the most amount of aces, Semadeni with 90 and Zuhn with 89. Mataya Megson prevents their opponents from going over the most, with a total of 29 blocks. Digging has saved the Sabercats from having aces scored against them. Rice has truly stood out in this area of the statistics, she has a total of 117 digs, many of them have won games for Fossil. The team is looking forward to continuing their success on their road to state in their next game on Thursday, September 22 against crosstown rivals, Rocky Mountain High School.

Fossil varsity softball team. Photo Credit: Rheanna Will

The softball team has struck out 10 teams resulting in a 10-2 record. Going into their season the Sabercats went 4-0 in a tournament where they played Widefield High School, Standley Lake High School, Air Academy High School, and Fort Collins High School. The the four victories of the tournament weren’t just a few wins for the team, it also meant head coach, Dave Philop won his 100th win in his coaching career. Further into the season the Sabercats annihilated Monarch High School 17-0 and mercy ruled Poudre High School 10-0. Their record isn’t the only showing of their success this season, they have several successful statistics. Fossil has hit 7 total homeruns; 3 from Rheanna Will, 2 from Kristen Reed, 1 from Megan Jamison, and 1 from Landyn Bruce. Pitching has been one of the key factors in their 10 wins, with 62 strikeouts. Jamison leads the number of strikeouts with 29, Bruce closely follows with 27, Jordan Ellis with 5, and Grace Philop with 1. The strong effort by the Sabercats has earned them a spot in the top 10 of 5A, they are No.2 behind No. 1 Broomfield. Fossil plans to hold their high ranking by winning their next games of the season, they play Greeley West High School on Thursday, September 22 away.

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Fossil boys varsity soccer. Photo Credit: Haley Rockwell

The boys soccer team is on a winning streak. The past two weeks have been nothing but success for the team as they have won 4 consecutive games. Beginning their streak with a 1-0 win over Monarch High School, then following with another 1-0 win over Loveland High School, then a 4-1 win over Poudre High School, and finally with a 4-1 win over Rocky Mountain High School. Head coach, Zach Speed was asked what teams he thinks will jeopardize the team’s winning streak. He responded with, “Every team jeopardizes our winning streak. We need to play good everyday because any team can beat us on any given day. If I had to choose it would definitely be Collins, Boulder, Broomfield, and Fairview.” The Sabercats have scored a total of 12 goals this season with senior captain, Jaime Chavarria leading the team with the most goals. Chavarria has scored 4 goals in the 6 games that they have played. Fossil plays Horizon High School on Thursday, September 22 on their home turf. The game will be tough but the team is confident that they will be able to handle them and continue their winning streak.

The boys tennis team have aced the competition so far this year with a record of 6-1. The team has placed first out of 8 teams in the 2 tournaments that they have participated in. Fossil tennis doesn’t only excel as a team but also as individuals and doubles. Freshman, Akhil Grupta has showed the tennis team just what he is capable, going undefeated 11-0. The two senior doubles teams are setting examples of success. Charlie Johnson and Tim Sunset have a record of 13-2 and Aaron Hargis and Cameron Salz have a record of 10-1. These three teams are leading Fossil tennis into a successful season. The Sabercats take on Fort Collins High School on Thursday, September 22 and have 4 more matches until the regional tournament.

Fossil boys golf team. Photo Credit: Mr. Menefee

The most recent accomplishment for Fossil comes from the boys golf team. On Monday, September 19 the team competed in Class 5A Northern Regional at Saddle Rock Golf Course. All 4 players that competed placed in the top 7 individually. Josh Caridi finished third, Dillion Stewart and Cam Lampe tied for fourth, and Jack Hastings finished seventh. Caridi has qualified for the state tournament all three years of his high school career and plans to bring home the title of the individual state champion. “For state, I am shooting for number one but I know the competition is stiff and I will have to work for the number one spot.” Not only did the team win a regional title, but they also were named league champions. The team is going into the state tournament on Monday, September 26 and Tuesday, September 27 at Bookcliff Golf Course.

The Fossil athletics are showing Fort Collins as well as the state of Colorado what they have to offer. The success that the teams are showing will hopefully follow in their upcoming games as they make their way to regional and state tournaments. Wish the fall sports luck in their games that follow and come out to support their successes.

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About the Contributor

Haley Rockwell, Sports Editor

Senior Haley Rockwell is a dynamic character in the Fossil Ridge setting, bringing many dimensions to Etched in Stone as well as everything else she is involved in. Her in-depth athletic background enables her to contribute accurate stories on the many sports teams that compete for Fossil, making her leadership of sporting event coverage on the Etched in Stone publication crew. “I’m an athlete, so I’m involved in a lot of sports, and I think that gives me an advantage writing about it since I’m so passionate about it”, she said. As an ambitious soccer player, talented photographer, and member of the journalism program for the past three (now four) years , dedication is definitely a quality that Haley never fails to bring to the table. In fact, her hard work and dedication has earned her commitment to the University of Northern Colorado for soccer, where she is thinking about majoring in business with a minor in journalism. “Journalism has been a big part of my life for the past four years, so I want to continue to pursue it if I can!” she exclaimed.

Apart from being involved in journalism, athletics, and demanding academics, Haley is very interested in the arts. Alongside photography, she also finds peace in the relaxing qualities that drawing offers. “If I need something to escape from the stress of school and soccer, I’ll go draw instead”, she explained. The subject that she most frequently captures in her artwork are wolves, which she considers to be her personal spirit animal. A lover of animals, Haley also has a black cat at home named Shay. She is the oldest of two sisters, and knows very well the responsibilities of taking the lead and making crucial decisions. Haley’s talents are bound to pave a pathway that will take her far, no matter where she chooses to travel. Her strong sense of individuality, hard work, and passion are essential tools that will lead her to a bright and prosperous future.