It was a dark and stormy night, as a massive shift in weather plunged Colorado into sub-60 degree weather with heavy rain and speedy winds.

However the show continued on, as Fossil Ridge defeated the Brighton Bulldogs 15-8 during the annual Homecoming game.

The Sabercats punched in their first score on their first possession, as sophomore halfback Colton Pawlak ran the ball in for his third touchdown of the season. A blocked extra point kept the game at 6-0.

The celebration wouldn’t last long, as Fossil quarterback Tyler Kubat was knocked out of the game after suffering what was diagnosed as a broken collarbone, according to head coach Jeff Fulton. As their offense stalled, the Sabercats’ defense was unable to stem the tide of the Bulldogs, allowing a touchdown and two point conversion. 

Now trailing by two points, the Sabercats began to feel some urgency and pressure to respond. Led by junior quarterback Weston Stefanski, Fossil marched down the field and scored their second touchdown of the night, on a pass from Stefanski to the returning Domenic Leone. 

Leone was a big part of the Sabercats’ offense last year, totaling over 700 yards and 8 touchdowns, completing the receiving trifecta alongside Mac Busteed and Trek Keyworth.

After missing the first two games, Leone slipped back into the lineup, looking like he hadn’t skipped a beat.

“Just so glad to be back and have my teammates rally behind me, glad I was able to make some plays tonight and help the team win…I’m looking forward to practice and hanging out with these guys, that’s honestly the best part,” Leone said.

After a failed two-point conversion, Fossil Ridge held a 12-8 lead heading into halftime. 

Despite the lead, the Sabercats still made several changes during the second half, specifically switching to the Wildcat. In order to adjust to the weather and injury situation, Fossil abandoned the pass game altogether, moving Pawlak to the quarterback position, in the backfield alongside fellow sophomore running back Jake Toshcoff. This unfamiliarity took some time to adjust to, but this allowed the Sabercats to minimize risk and turnovers while still pushing the ball downfield.

“We’ve never practiced [the Wildcat] actually, it kind of got thrown in after [Kubat] got hurt. We didn’t execute it super well originally, but we got it down eventually, and it worked out for us in the end,” Pawlak said.

“We just had to. The conditions were what the conditions were, we had to get someone in there that was a bit of a run threat, and that’s what the sophomore tailbacks [Pawlak and Toshcoff] can do…and we can be highly successful in that scheme,” said head coach Jeff Fulton.

As Fossil’s offense continued to adjust to their new look, the defense stepped up and held the Bulldogs away from the goal line. This stonewall approach was put on full display in the Sabercats’ ability to create takeaways. Fossil stole the ball away from Brighton three times, highlighted by a leaping interception from senior Julian Smith. 

“I feel like we played our game the best we can. It’s hard with this rain as we can’t really do what we wanted to, but I feel like we did the best we could. Obviously this was the defense’s night, I’m proud of my boys,” said Smith.

Smith’s only disappointment on the night came not on any shortcomings, but instead slipping after his game changing pick. 

“I can’t believe I fell. Like I swear that I got tackled. I’m getting up and everyone’s asking why I didn’t run with it…but yeah I watched so much film on the other team this week, I knew it was coming. Then it came and I was in position to make the play, and I made it,” Smith said.

Fossil added another three points to their lead after a risky 40-yard field goal from kicker Bryce Olson, his second 40+ yard make in consecutive weeks. 

After one final stop in their own territory, the Sabercats were able to enjoy their seven point victory, improving to 2-1 on the season.

However, with the injury to Kubat, this game leaves Fossil Ridge with more questions than answers.

“My first takeaway is my sad emotion for Tyler Kubat. Second of all, there’s no pity parties in this 5A stuff…but I’ll take that we grew tonight. We had every reason to not be intense at the end of the game, but we got some good kids. We got good underclassmen, but our seniors really performed defensively, and that was a thrill for me,” Fulton said.

The Sabercats will test their new look offense and refined defense in their first road game of the season against the 2-1 Windsor Wizards on Friday, September 16 at 7 PM.

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