State run is cut short after loss in the semifinals

Haley Rockwell • November 10, 2016

No. 30 Fossil Ridge High School’s boys soccer team fell short of grabbing the first ever state title for Fossil on Wednesday, November 9 when they suffered a devastating 1-3 loss against No. 2 Boulder High School. The loss kicked the Sabercats out of the tournament but the team still made history, making it further than any other Fossil Ridge boys soccer teams.

Players and coaches talk about what needs to get done out on the field during the game. Photo Credit: Haley Rockwell

Going into the game, the Sabercats knew that they would have to compete because Boulder was a very strong team both defensively and offensively. At training leading up to the big semifinal game, they worked on the new formation that they would play as well as how to compensate for the two players that would be missing on the field; Jaime Chavarria and Taylor Trujillo.

Starting lineups for each team are called before the first whistle is blown. Photo Credit: Haley Rockwell

The whistle blew signaling the start to the second semifinal game of the night at Legacy Stadium. Both teams started out with physical play, demonstrating it was going to be a tough and close game. The Sabercats’ strategy was to play the ball over the top of Boulder’s defense and hope that Blair Durand’s speed would be enough to earn them points. However, Boulder’s defense was prepared and continually double and triple teamed Durand.

The competition was intense, each team creating dangerous opportunities but the score remained tied 0-0.

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With 1:44 left in the first half, Boulder scored the first goal of the night to put them in the lead 0-1. The score stayed at 0-1 with Fossil Ridge trailing Boulder going into halftime.

Martinez gets double teamed but still manages to come out of the tackle with the ball. Photo Credit: Haley Rockwell

The second half began and the Sabercats were still in it. 3 minutes into the second half, Grant Martinez got taken down in the box, resulting in a penalty kick for Fossil Ridge. Martinez stepped up to take the PK against the No. 1 keeper in state. The keeper taunted Martinez has they waited for the refs to set up. Martinez missed the PK after the keeper guessed the correct way, keeping the score at 0-1 and still in favor of Boulder.

15 minutes later, Fossil Ridge was given a corner. Martinez took the kick, finding Cameron Viola on the cross who headered it into the back of the net and tying the game 1-1.

With 13:28 left in the game, Boulder scores their second goal and took the lead once again. 6 minutes following their goal, they struck again and scored their final goal of the night. The Sabercats were down 1-3 with 7:28 left in the game.

Mandravilli jumps in front of Boulder player to block the long ball. Photo Credit: Haley Rockwell

Once the score was 1-3, the Sabercats knew that the last couple minutes were the last minutes of the high school season so they kept pushing ahead, not giving up. They created multiple dangerous opportunities but were unable to execute any of them.

Durand sprints down the sideline to create a scoring opportunity. Photo Credit: Haley Rockwell

The end of the game was signaled and Fossil Ridge dropped their heads in disappointment, knowing they were out of the state tournament. Even though they didn’t make it to the championship, they still made history. This year is the first year ever that a Fossil Ridge boys soccer team has made it to the semifinals for state.

“We set the standard this year. We showed that it doesn’t matter what seed you are, anything can happen. I couldn’t be more happy of our performance, not only tonight but this whole tournament. They showed up to play when I called on them the most and I couldn’t be more proud of them.” Zach Speed.

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About the Contributors

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.

Dylan Heinrich, Sports Editor, Director of Photography

Dylan Heinrich is a Senior at Fossil Ridge High School. This will be his second year writing for Etched in Stone. His primary passion is sports, which he writes about almost exclusively. He also currently writes sports articles for the Rocky Mountain Collegian at Colorado State University. A goal for him this year is to write in-depth coverage of the boys basketball team, as they have been having a great season. It is important to him that if people are curious about any of Fossil’s sports teams, there are multiple articles for them to read. Outside of journalism, Heinrich is a huge movie fan. Specifically films from 1980 to 2005 such as Forrest Gump, Fight Club, Shawshank Redemption, and Gladiator. His favorite school subject is English, specifically the journalism and sports broadcasting side. Heinrich’s favorite sport is basketball. As a Colorado native, his favorite team is the Denver Nuggets. In the future, Heinrich hopes to go into journalism and work in print writing. He would love to work at The New York Times or another print newspaper. His fallback would be live sports broadcasting like ESPN. He knows his goals are ambitious, but he is excited to try.