Following volleyball’s rivalry win over Fort Collins High School and an explosive annual bonfire, no one thought that the Fossil Ridge High School football team would live up to the homecoming week hype. However, as the Friday night lights shone down on the Sabercats they defeated Overland High School 17-7 on Friday, September, 14. Fossil dominated for the entire game, but the game started off a bit slower on the field than in the stands. From the moment the seniors ran onto the bleachers for their final homecoming game they were wild, cheering and screaming for everything that the football players and cheerleaders were doing.  Unfortunately, no points scored until there were five minutes left in the first quarter when the Trailblazers scored following an interception, putting seven points on the board. The Sabercats immediately responded with an overpowering drive, and Casey Knutsen ran the ball into the end zone with three minutes left in the quarter. With the score now tied, Fossil started to look more confident.

The second quarter also began with a lull, however, and neither team began stronger than the other. Fossil continued to dominate defensively, with a huge sack for negative yards and an interception. With only 29 seconds left in the second quarter, Niles Tilley scored another touchdown. The half ended with a score of 14-7, and the Sabercats felt confident heading into the locker room to let band and dance take the field for the half.

Following slower starts, in the first half, the second half began and stayed intense until the end.  Long times of possession for both teams made the Sabercats fans go wild as they watched their team play on to victory. As the game clock continued to wind down, Fossil never gave the Trailblazers a chance. Four minutes left in the game, and the Sabercats scored another field goal. It was an epic homecoming week at the Ridge that the football team ended with a winning score 17-7.