This Friday will be the Canvas Community Classic’s fourth year, and so far it has been nothing short of amazing.
The Canvas Community Classic is an annual double header football game that takes place between two high schools in the district at Canvas Stadium. The tradition began in 2021 when former Fossil Ridge High School Athletic Director Brandon Carlucci approached Colorado State University about the idea.
“I asked them if there was any chance we could get a doubleheader football game on a Friday night and their immediate response was ‘that’s why we built this,’” Carlucci said.
The reception has been “overwhelmingly positive,” he added.
This Friday, Fossil takes on Fort Collins High School at 4:30 p.m. and Wellington High School takes on Timnath High School at 7:30 p.m.
“Many of those kids, their most memorable moment of their high school football career was playing in Canvas stadium against a crosstown rival,” Carlucci said.
The Canvas Community Classic has many other events that take place during the double header as well.
“The colors are presented by the junior ROTC [Reserve Officers’ Training Corps], one tradition is the mini dance and cheer performance by the elementary school students, and we have the unified showcase at halftime,” Carlucci said. “We try to add as much entertainment, beyond just football itself.”
Though the format has stayed the same since the first Canvas Classic was played in 2022, starting next season things will look a little different.
“It’s going to move from Friday to Saturday, it’s going to move from a doubleheader to a tripleheader, it’s going to move from crosstown games to one PSD team versus another team from Northern Colorado,” Carlucci said. “Many students will get an opportunity as a football player to play in Canvas Stadium either your junior or senior year.”
Whatever changes may come, for football players and fans, it will remain memorable.
“It’s a memory whether they were on the field or in the stands,” Carlucci said. “Only one team’s gonna win, but hopefully it’s a positive experience and a memorable night for everybody, win or lose.”
