Final: Ducks 3, Sharks 2, Ot

In the season opener, Fossil Ridge was teetering on the brink of defeat. Then Marcus Mozer took the game into his own hands. The Sabercats were down to Loveland with three minutes left in the fourth quarter, but Mozer dominated the decisive drive. As Fossil Ridge repeatedly lined him up as the solo boundary-side receiver out of trips formation, the San Diego State-bound wideout reeled in four catches, including the game-winning 36-yard TD. “We kept calling his number, over and over,” Fossil Ridge head coach Chris Tedford said.

SAN JOSE — As Mackenzie Blackwood was peeling the tape away from his teal-infused goalie gear inside the very burgundy-and-blue home locker room at Ball Arena, a voice called out from across the room. It was his new partner, Scott Wedgewood, who just days before was doing the same with navy blue and gold-laced pads. “Don’t answer his questions,” Wedgewood warned. It was in jest, of course.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Malcolm Roach is in many ways the beating heart of the Broncos defense. It’s not just that he plays squarely in the middle at nose tackle. It’s not just that he plays with an energy that those around him say is infectious. It’s that he exists with that energy all the time.

FORT COLLINS — Last December, Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi’s mind was on his money. A year later, just as he’s about to hang with Snoop Dogg, the money isn’t on his mind. “I’m a Ram for life,” Fowler-Nicolosi, CSU’s affable and strong-armed sophomore quarterback, told me earlier this month during preparations for a showdown with Miami of Ohio in Saturday’s Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl.

Two years ago, Jamie Steele was ready to hang up his whistle. A longtime assistant around Larimer County, including a 17-year run as Loveland’s freshman head coach and stints with Resurrection Christian and Mountain View, Steele was Thompson Valley’s running backs coach in 2022. But when then-Eagles head coach Chris Tedford left for Fossil Ridge ahead of the 2023 season, Steele wasn’t sure of his football future.

Fossil Ridge wide receiver Marcus Mozer is the winner of the 2024 Denver Post Gold Helmet Award, edging out six other worthy senior finalists. Here’s a look at each of them: Rhett Armstrong Palmer Ridge kicker Rhett Armstrong attempts a kick in a game during the 2024 prep football season. (Provided by Hayden Everhart, Palmer Ridge athletic department) School: Palmer Ridge On the field: Rated one of the top 15 kickers in the nation by 247Sports, Armstrong is Baylor-bound after breaking the CHSAA record for total career points by a kicker (279).