The Fossil Ridge High School football season ended in the Colorado Class 5A playoffs for a fifth time in six seasons.
No. 12 Regis Jesuit routed No. 21 Fossil 49-21 in the 5A first round Nov. 6 at Kellogg Stadium in Aurora.
Advertisement
The Raiders scored on their first five possessions and led 35-0 before Fossil got on the board late in the first half.
Heralded junior quarterback Luke Rubley threw five touchdowns, two to Colt Jones. That sparked a Regis offense which had faced tough sledding against top teams like Grandview and Valor Christians to close the regular season.
Regis moves on for a rematch against No. 5 Grandview in the 5A second round Nov. 13. The Raiders are now 4-0 all-time against the SaberCats, with all four wins coming since 2022.
Fossil Ridge couldn’t get anything going until it was too late against a Denver-area power.
Advertisement
Fossil quarterback Colton Jantz capped off another strong campaign, throwing TD passes to Caleb Camping and fellow junior Gavin Zanotelli . Zanotelli caught another touchdown from running back Will Hough off a trick play to open the second half.
Even after Fossil forced an ensuing fumble, the momentum was short-lived. Regis Jesuit’s Andrew Mihm intercepted Jantz and returned it for a pick-six score.
It was a disappointing exit for Fossil after showcasing major improvement in October.
Fossil Ridge won four of its last five regular season games following a 1-4 start, beating rival Rocky Mountain, upsetting Legacy and pushing unbeaten Fort Collins to the wire before defeating Erie and Rock Canyon to return to .500.
Advertisement
This was still a bounce back season for the SaberCats, who went 2-8 last year while missing the 5A playoffs for the first time since 2020.
With Jantz and top target Zanotelli headlining the likely returners next season, Fossil could make some more noise in 2027.
Windsor bows out after blown lead
The reigning 3A runner-up is out of the playoffs after No. 15 Windsor couldn’t hold a fourth-quarter in the 3A football first round Nov. 7.
No. 18 Silver Creek scored two touchdowns in the final six minutes, including the go-ahead touchdown pass with nine seconds left to leave with a 17-13 win.
The Wizards held a 13-3 lead in a defensive battle heading to the fourth quarter behind Robert Trotter Jr. TD tosses to Bekum Helm and Devonte Fontana.
Advertisement
But the Raptors clawed back, first with a rushing score to trim the lead.
After a stop, they drove down the field (with a fourth-down conversion) and sat inside the Windsor 10-yard line in the final moments. Braeden Macchia rolled right and found a wide-open Wyatt Mills for the winner.
Silver Creek (5-6 overall) will face No. 2 Holy Family in the 3A second round next week.
Windsor (5-6) had surged down the stretch, winning four of the last five regular season games after a 1-4 start and finishing 5-1 in league play.
But the Wizards couldn’t keep it rolling, failing to win a playoff game in a season for the first time since 2021.
Chris Abshire covers high school and community sports for the Coloradoan.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Fossil Ridge football season ends with playoff road loss
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
