Week 29: Fossil Ridge Playoff Game

I have to say, my husband has been so great about this blogging business. When I tell him I must participate in Activity X, he does what he can to make it happen. When I tell him I’d like for the family to join me in Activity Y, he never questions. So when he mentioned that he wanted to watch the Fossil Ridge High School boys basketball team's state playoff game, I had an ‘aha’ moment—as in “Aha! I can accompany my husband to an activity of his choosing. Maybe this is not all about me, after all!” (Okay, it wasn’t nearly as heartwarming as the epiphany the Grinch has on the top of Mount Crumpet with a sleighful of stolen Christmas booty, but I like to think I wasn’t as disagreeable as the Grinch to begin with. I can promise I’ve never, ever tied antlers to my dog.)


My husband's love of basketball began when he was about three minutes old, and I’ve been watching it with him since the days when Dennis Rodman singlehandedly accounted for 81% of the sport’s tattoos. (I made that stat up, but it might be true.) But I’d never been to a game at Fossil Ridge High School. In fact, I’d never been inside Fossil for any reason. As a child of northwest Fort Collins and a current resident of…maybe it’s considered west midtown?…I don’t frequent the far southeast too often. Unless I’m headed to I-25, I get itchy as soon as I cross Timberline. But the promise of an exciting state basketball playoff game gave me the perfect reason to accompany my family to the Choice City’s newest public high school, the home of the SaberCats.

From what I saw of the school—the exterior, the gym, the concessions stand—it is an attractive, clean, and modern building. Poudre High School is my alma mater, but Fossil's is the only local varsity team still in contention, so I didn’t feel too much like a traitor while cheering them on against the ThunderRidge Grizzlies of Highlands Ranch.






















The attendance did not appear to be a sell-out, but the crowd was big and enthusiastic. The ‘Cats jumped out to an early lead, the Grizzlies came back strong, and at halftime, the score was a nail-biting 27-29 in favor of ThunderRidge. The second half, things got hotter. The game was physical, and tempers flared on the court and in the stands. It was very exciting to watch the ‘Cats crank it up a notch and send the Grizzlies home with a loss. Final score: SaberCats 65, Grizzlies 57. (Great photo gallery of the game at the Coloradoan.)



As a mother of two pre-teen boys, I sometimes (often) get sentimental about how fast they’re growing and how soon they’ll be making their way through high school and on toward the threshold of their adulthood. But as I left the gym on Saturday, my prevailing thought was, “Holy cow, how much must a six-and-a-half foot tall teenage basketball player eat?”

The SaberCats play Montbello tonight at FRHS. I won’t be there to cheer them on this time, but I wish them luck.