What a Week 1 Friday night it was for Fort Collins-area football!
Fossil Ridge won a dramatic thriller over Loveland, while Timnath made a road statement in a local battle vs. Poudre.
On Thursday, Fort Collins also got a dominant season-opening win, while Windsor fell at home.
This is the Coloradoan's weekly high school football live updates blog, where we share all the latest scores, highlights, updates, and more for Fort Collins-area football teams.
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Send in all the videos, tweets/posts, scores, Instagram reels, TikToks and more from your favorite team's games to sports reporter Chris Abshire (X: @ChrisAbshire , email: ChrisAbshire@coloradoan.com). We'd love to share them here.
Here's how the local games went down Friday night in Week 1.
These two teams only seem to play classics. For the third time in three seasons, Fossil Ridge vs. Loveland came down to the wire.
And who else delivered but SaberCats' star Marcus Mozer? The wide receiver and San Diego State commit came up clutch, housing a game-winning touchdown from 36 yards out while trailing by one with 24 seconds left.
He had both of Fossil's touchdowns in the game, caught a 2-point conversion and had several pass break-ups on defense.
The Red Wolves gave the SaberCats a scare, but Fossil Ridge pulled out a season-opening thriller.
-- Chris Abshire
Read/watch: Marcus Mozer's game-winning TD leads Fossil Ridge's late comeback win over Loveland
What a statement for the Cubs. Timnath goes across I-25 and gets a big road win over 4A Poudre at French Field
Mitchell DeAngelis had two rushing touchdowns, Vince Hochhalter added another and the Cubs defense forced four turnovers.
Look out for a grown-up Timnath in Class 3A after two tough seasons in 2A.
-- Chris Abshire
Story: Timnath football makes statement with dominant season-opening win at Poudre
Fossil Ridge put together a gutsy final drive and their senior star finished it off. Loveland played prevent defense on Mozer and the wideout took a quick curl 36 yards for a go-ahead touchdown with 24 seconds left.
QB Nick Kubat hit him on three passes in the drive, covering nearly 60 yards of the 72-yard drive. For good measure, Mozer also caught the 2-point conversion. Kubat had a crucial 4th-and-6 scramble up the middle, gaining exactly six yards to extend the drive.
It's Fossil Ridge 24, Loveland 17 with second remaining.
-- Chris Abshire
The Red Wolves got a couple big plays from receiver Cache Villeneuve, getting all the way inside the Fossil Ridge 5 before settling for a 26-yard field goal.
It did the job, though, as Loveland retook the lead at 17-16 with 3 minutes left in the game .
-- Chris Abshire
Fossil Ridge is locked in a dogfight with Loveland out at PSD Stadium. The SaberCats have the ball and lead 16-14 with nine minutes left.
Meanwhile, Timnath is in total control, leading Poudre 22-6 as the Impalas try to mount a scoring drive and comeback entering the fourth.
-- Chris Abshire
The Cubs turned another Poudre turnover into points, as Alex Kolczak made an impressive 39-yard field goal to extend the lead.
Timnath got another chance at the drive after a Poudre roughing the punter penalty that followed an Impalas fumble.
It's Timnath 22, Poudre 6 late third quarter.
-- Chris Abshire
Fossil's offense has been unstoppable until the red zone, but the SaberCats stalled deep in Loveland territory again.
Brayden Higgins booted his third field goal of the game, this one from 26 yards out to put the home team back on top.
It's Fossil Ridge 16, Loveland 14 late in the third quarter.
-- Chris Abshire
The Red Wolves emerged from the halftime locker room and put together an impressive drive to take the lead.
Loveland drove nearly 80 yards, capped by Zayne DeSouza's 10-yard touchdown catch on 4th down from QB Ryder Eastin.
It's Loveland 14, Fossil Ridge 13 midway through the 3rd quarter.
-- Chris Abshire
The Cubs are here to play. They've jumped all over several Poudre errors and piled up rushing yards in the opening half.
Mitchell DeAngelis has two scored on the ground, with Vince Hochhalter adding another. Impalas get the ball to start the second half and desperately need a scoring drive to get back in this game.
-- Chris Abshire
Interesting first half out at PSD Stadium. Fossil largely controlled the action, getting in the Red Zone on four of five drives.
The SaberCats capped it off with a great 40-second drill, setting up Brayden Higgins for a 35-yard field goal as the half expired. Marcus Mozer is near 100 receiving yards already, while Nick Kubat has spread the ball out to four different receivers.
Red Wolves very much still in it and will receive the ball to start the second half.
-- Chris Abshire
The Cubs are really having success in the running game, as Vince Hochhalter strolled into the endzone from two yards out for a third Timnath rushing TD of the night.
Timnath leads Poudre 19-6 with 5:27 left in the 2nd quarter.
-- Chris Abshire
Loveland and Poudre forced key turnovers almost simultaneously, as the Red Wolves picked off a pass and Timnath took advantage of a bad Impalas snap on a fumble recovery.
The Cubs are in plus field position, while Loveland has a ways to go before halftime.
-- Chris Abshire
The SaberCats couldn't punch it into the endzone after a long drive (led by QB Nick Kubat's long run) but did get points on the board.
Brayden Higgins hit a 21-yard kick to reclaim the lead.
It's Fossil Ridge 10, Loveland 7 with 5 minutes left in the 2nd quarter.
-- Chris Abshire
The Impalas stop the early bleeding and get on the board with Praise Oluniyi's 16-yard touchdown scamper. Solid response for Poudre after some early miscues.
The Cubs did block Bradon Meyer's extra-point attempt.
Timnath leads Poudre, 12-6, with 9 minutes left in the 2nd quarter.
-- Chris Abshire
The Red Wolves put together an 80+ yard drive to put this game back on even footing.
On a key 4th and goal from the 2, Loveland fullback Cody Moore barely (and maybe controversially) crossed the goal line. One official signaled him short but the other said touchdown.
It's 7-7 between Loveland and Fossil Ridge with 7 minutes left in the 2nd quarter.
-- Chris Abshire
The Cubs only won two games combined in their first two seasons, but they look much improved early this season.
They're dominating Poudre right now, as Mitchell DeAngelis ran in another touchdown inside the 10-yard line for his second tonight. Timnath's 2-point try was no good.
It's Timnath 12, Poudre 0 early 2nd quarter.
-- Chris Abshire
Fossil Ridge had a chance to build on an early lead but Loveland got a big 4th down sack in the red zone to halt early momentum.
The Red Wolves are driving deep into SaberCats' territory to start the second quarter, with Fossil leading 7-0 .
Meanwhile, Timnath is driving again to start the second quarter and leads Poudre 6-0 .
-- Chris Abshire
We have a big man doing it all out at French Field, as Cubs' defensive lineman Gunnar Juarez stripped the ball from Poudre's Praise Oluniyi and rumbled 10+ yards with the fumble recovery.
Timnath in business in the red zone.
It's Cubs 6, Poudre 0 after the first quarter.
-- Chris Abshire
The Cubs make a big early statement, driving nearly 60 yards while converting some key third downs. Mitchell DeAngelis capped it off with an eight-yard touchdown run right up the middle.
Alex Kolczak's extra point attempt was blocked by Poudre's Pierce Decker.
It's Timnath 6, Poudre 0 with 2:47 left in the opening quarter.
-- Chris Abshire
Fossil Ridge wasted no time showing off its prolific offense, driving over 60 yards in five plays for a touchdown.
Star wide receiver Marcus Mozer took a screen pass 26 yards for the score from QB Nick Kubat. Likely the first of many this year.
It's 7-0 Fossil Ridge with 10:06 left in the first quarter.
-- Chris Abshire
Timnath and Fossil Ridge will receive the ball first in their respective games, with both having the first offensive drive of the season.
We'll see if the defenses (who had Week Zero games) will have any early advantage.
-- Chris Abshire
For the first time, all home games for Poudre School District teams at French Field in Fort Collins and PSD Stadium in Timnath will be streamed live (for free) on PSD Athletics' YouTube channel.
That includes both of these local matchups tonight. Click below to see more about your streaming options.
Fort Collins football: How to watch, stream local high school games for 2024 season
-- Chris Abshire
It's a choppy start to the season locally, with Rocky Mountain and Wellington off this week after Week Zero blowout wins.
Windsor and Fort Collins also played on Thursday (more on that below), leaving just three Fort Collins-area teams in action tonight.
The Lambkins didn’t waste any time piling up points this season, opening up a 41-6 halftime lead on Northglenn and cruising to a 48-18 win.
The best sign for FCHS? They ran for 239 yards at 14.1 yards per carry, with Jack McKeon and quarterback Justin Cranford both going over 100 yards on the ground. Cranford also threw for 130 yards and a TD to Levi Hermsen.
Given Rocky’s shutout win over Northglenn last Friday, the two Fort Collins city schools combined to outscore the Norsemen 79-18.
Fort Collins steps up in competition next week, travelling to Eaglecrest on Friday.
-- Chris Abshire
Missed the early action in Week Zero last week? Wellington and Rocky Mountain got blowout road wins, while Poudre fell at home.
Click the link below for last Friday's live coverage.
Friday Night Live recap: Rocky Mountain football wins in shutout, Poudre drops opener
-- Chris Abshire
After Windsor made the 4A quarterfinals last fall but dropped down to Class 3A this year, expectations were high with a No. 2 ranking entering the season.
No dreams are dashed, but Thursday night was a reality check, as a strong Green Mountain squad won a hard-fought 19-13 battle on the Wizards’ home turf.
The No. 5 Rams got two touchdown passes from QB Simon Lunsford after a 98-yard kickoff return TD by Dax Gomez on the first play of the game.
Windsor visits Longmont next week, with the Trojans also 0-1 following a season-opening loss to Monarch.
-- Chris Abshire
This live blog will be our weekly spot to cover all the games in the Fort Collins area, from live scores, updates and fan highlights to quick postgame analysis.
Friday Night Live: How the Coloradoan will cover 2024 Fort Collins high school football
-- Chris Abshire
Timnath-Poudre would have been a 2A vs. 5A battle last year. Now? They’re separated by just one classification.
Here are the new league and class alignments for NoCo teams this season.
More: High school football class shifts: Poudre, Timnath among big Fort Collins-area movers
More: See which teams are in every Colorado high school football conference for the 2024-25 seasons
-- Chris Abshire
Three of the state's top Class of 2025 players in the college football recruiting rankings come from Northern Colorado football teams, including a Fossil Ridge wideout.
As the season begins in full, here are the top players in Colorado.
More: Colorado's top-20 high school football players based on recruiting rankings
-- Chris Abshire
Who will be the best QB in the Fort Collins area? Can Fossil Ridge survive a brutal non-conference schedule? How will the new leagues for every NoCo team play out?
Here’s several dozen key questions for local football teams this fall.
Read more: 30 burning questions for Fort Collins-area high school football teams for the 2024 season
-- Chris Abshire
Two Fort Collins-area teams entered Week 1 ranked in Colorado Preps' media poll:
- Windsor: No. 2 in Class 3A
- Wellington: No. 9 in 2A
Nearly a dozen more Northern Colorado schools currently sport top-10 rankings, including four in Wellington's 2A Northern League alone.
More: Colorado high school football rankings: Week 1
-- Chris Abshire
We’ll share the latest scores, standings and schedules at the link below for every NoCo high school football team throughout the season.
More: Northern Colorado high school football scores, schedule, standings for the 2024 season
-- Chris Abshire
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Friday Night football recap: Fossil Ridge wins thriller, Timnath handles Poudre in Week 1
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