Finished Strong

There are many peaks and valleys that find their way into a football season. But as in life the joy and the value of the season IS IN THE JOURNEY. Congratulations on a tremendous victory over TJ to finish the season. It is always tough to end something that everyone has poured so much of themselves into. Almost everyday over the last seven months you have put your heart and soul in to SaberCat Football. Long Summer hours spent in the weight room and on the field turf, learning and growing. Everyone of you from Freshmen to Seniors were tested for the qualities that it takes to play this game. It is NOT an easy game to play. You HAVE to be TOUGH, INTELLIGENT, DISCIPLINED and HARD WORKING. Those are traits that this game DEMANDS. That is why it is an HONOR to be able to go out and represent your school and your family by WEARING THAT GREEN, SILVER AND BLACK UNIFORM. That is why there are a lot more people who start off the season than who are left when it is time to check in the gear. That fellas IS SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF! There were TREMENDOUS VICTORIES this year and there are TREMENDOUS VICTORIES to come in the future, BECAUSE of the sweat and blood you left on the field this fall. So the journey goes on.
If you are a Senior, THANK YOU. Know that you have built a solid foundation on which SaberCat Football will grow and thrive. Take the lessons that you have learned from here and use them as you navigate through life. Congratulations on a historic year. Remember, ONCE A SABERCAT ALWAYS A SABERCAT!
If you are an underclassman, know that the BALL has now been PASSED on to you. You are part of a tradition of SaberCat Football. There have been many outstanding players and coaches who have paved the way to give you the OPPORTUNITY that you now have. The future is LITERALLY in YOUR HANDS. Capture the MOMENTUM and TAKE SABERCAT FOOTBALL TO NEW HEIGHTS IN THE FUTURE!

It is my honor and I am blessed to be able to work with you,

Coach Lefort

UPON FURTHER REVIEW

THANK YOU!! TO ALL THE PARENTS WHO HAVE TAKEN PICTURES, HELPED WITH MEALS AND BEEN A TREMENDOUS SUPPORT TO THESE YOUNG MEN

Finish Strong

This weeks contest will go a long ways in determining how this season will be remembered. Either it will be remembered as an enthusiastic celebration of the hard work that was put in this season, by giving it your greatest effort or WILL it be remembered with a lackluster pack it up game. I know that you WILL GIVE IT YOUR ALL. I KNOW that you will want to play your last game, some of you for nine months and some of you for the rest of your lives, with an unbridled passion and love for the game. Football is the most intense and consuming sport you can play, so CELEBRATE IT! Give EVERYTHING YOU HAVE on the field.
The game of football has a distinct sound, smell and visual effects that you can only experience when you are lined up in competition. It cannot be explained, but only experienced between the whistles. You are lucky, most people will NEVER KNOW THAT FEELING. You have had a chance to FEEL THAT this season. Finish this season strong by HONORING your brothers on the team with your greatest performance ever this weekend.

HAVE A TREMENDOUS GAME!

Coach Lefort

Strides taken

Thursday nights game versus Fort Collins made it apparent to everyone in attendance that Fossil Ridge Football was here to stay in 5A. You battled the Lambkins on every front. Throughout the first half you were able to over come the mistakes and match Fort Collins play for play, but in the second half Fort Collins was able to take advantage of our mistakes and take home the victory. But know this, Fort Collins knows they were in a game. They are a good team and will do well in the playoffs, but you can play with them, and did. The exciting play in the intercity games has been a great testimony to the hard work put in by both the coaches and players this season. You stepped in to rivalries where everyone wanted to say you didn't belong and proved them wrong.

Coach Lefort

UPON FURTHER REVIEW

Congratulations Seniors

Ravin DeFonseka

CJ Leonard

Alex Leonard

Hayden Etter

Tony DeMario

DeVonte Anderson

Brian Heckman

Cody Dinkel

Caleb Kroening

Luke Biedscheid

Jake Schneeberger

Barney Schmidtke

Sean Maley

David Hough

Alex Marshall

Austin Roe

Travon Askew

LAMBKINS AWAIT

This is the game I know that many of you have been waiting for. Fort Collins is an excellent team, ranked in the top 5 in the state. They are undefeated in the conference. They are preparing to make a run deep into the state playoffs. You must be ready to give everything you have on the gridiron to walk off the field with the victory. You know the joy of winning an intercity game and the pain of losing one. It is your chance to once again prove you belong. The Lambkins have no respect for you, UNTIL YOU EARN IT! Remember RESPECT IS ONLY EARNED BETWEEN THE WHISTLE. GO OUT AND EARN IT!!

Coach Lefort

Playing to Win

Friday nights battle with Poudre had all the makings of a classic football high school football game. Two intercity rivals, a steady autumn rain and a rugged running game versus a high octane passing attack. It was only fitting that it would end up in overtime with one play to decide the outcome.
It was not a perfectly played game by any means. Defensively we were handled at the point of attack and Poudre could run the football at will. Offensively we didn't execute well and sputtered through the majority of the first three quarters. But NEVER underestimate the HEART OF THE SABERCATS!
You have had plenty of opportunities to stay down and quit this year. But you have battled back and the Poudre game was no exception. Regardless of the outcome Poudre now knows who the SABERCATS are. They know that whenever they see Fossil Ridge on their schedule they are going to be in for a fight, for 48 minutes (or more). In NO OTHER SPORT do you have to PICK YOURSELF UP AND WALK IT OFF, like you have to in FOOTBALL! You need to know that not everyone has that in them in to do that, BUT YOU DO!


Coach Lefort

UPON FURTHER REVIEW

- # 8 from Poudre is a workhorse

- Defensive players must know their assignments on every down, every block

- Every point during a game is HUGE

- CJ's TRUCKSTICK on the goal line was AWESOME

- Once again the RIDGE NATION was there, rain or shine

- The SaberCats play to WIN

City Championship, Conference Championship and another 20 Minutue Halftime

DO NOT underestimate the IMPORTANCE of THIS game! It has everything you could ever want riding on it. You are in the hunt for a city championship, a conference championship and the State Playoffs. There are big games and then there are BIG GAMES. It is time to DIAL IN. From here on out your focus should be on one thing: BEATING Poudre! The Impalas are a well coached football team that are historically rugged and fundamentally sound. It will take a tremendous effort from all three phases of the game to win ANOTHER homecoming game. It is the time to play your best, nothing else will do! A game of this magnitude requires it.

Prepare to Win!

Coach Lefort

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

In the sport of football there are a handful of critical plays that will determine the outcome of a particular game. On Saturday the Horizon Hawks made more of those critical plays to escape with a victory. To the casual fan it may have appeared that Horizon was just "getting all the breaks." Funky bounces on balls that ended up as completions or interceptions, onsides kicks that rolled just perfectly 10 yards or fumbles that kicked between two of our players and ended up in their hands. But in reality those "FREAK PLAYS" were a result of bad SaberCat execution. Sure sometimes the ball takes a funny bounce, but some of those bounces were results of not doing your jobs. Easy interceptions and receptions that bounce from your hands to a Hawk's, not covering the ball on kickoffs, missed and broken tackles and not scrambling to get to EVERY FREE BALL that was left on the turf. Horizon made their own breaks and because of that they took a victory away from French Field. Remember EXECUTION AND HUSTLE are the biggest friends of the LUCKY BOUNCE.

Coach Lefort

UPON FURTHER REVIEW

- #5 is A PLAYMAKER SUPREME

- The more games I coach the more I value what goes on with the SPECIAL TEAMS

- You must GANG TACKLE to be a good defense

- There are game winning plays all over - you just have to hustle to find them

Hawks on the Horizon

I have said this before but WHEN YOU WIN, THE NEXT GAME always becomes the most important game. This week it is the Horizon Hawks. They come in to the game with a lot of motivation to get back in the win column and make a push for the playoffs. This is CRUNCH TIME! Every game from here on out is huge. All the lifting, running and head banging is ALL DONE just to have a chance to play in the kind of game you will play in on Saturday morning. DO NOT sell yourselves short by not giving your best this week on the practice field and in the classroom.

Have a great week of practice,

Coach Lefort

MUSTANG ROUNDUP

The game of football is AWESOME, because it provides so many life lessons that will help you long after you have played in your last game. Friday night's game was a classic in the "OVERCOMING ADVERSITY" lesson plan. In almost every game you are guaranteed that there will be some form of unexpected obstacles that will arise. That is where this game mirrors life SO WELL. Friday night's game saw the first half filled with fumbles, interceptions, missed assignments, bad snaps and questionable official's calls. All of which lead to a 12-0 Mustang lead at halftime. This is where it gets interesting! That is life fellas. So many times you will be cruising along feeling pretty good about yourselves and then life throws out an obstacle in your way. It may be death, divorce, a bad decision, an accident, an addiction. Those things happen and you have to respond. You can either let it beat you down and quit or YOU CAN PICK YOURSELF UP AND WALK IT OFF! That is the BEAUTY OF THIS GAME! Friday night you came out in the second half and took care of business. You decided that this game and your teammates were more important to you than it was to Mountain Range. Congratulations on the victory!

Coach Lefort

UPON FURTHER REVIEW

- Must eliminate the mistakes of the first half

- You must start FASTER

- Ball security is paramount

- That is one AWESOME stadium

- The RIDGE NATION WAS THERE and made their presence felt

- That was the BEST HALFTIME FIREWORKS SHOW I have ever seen

- The defense played GREAT in sudden change situations

- THE TEAM THAT WANTS IT THE MOST USUALLY WINS

Another 20 minute halftime

It will take a tremendous week of preparation to be able to go in and beat a talented Mustang team on their homecoming night. The Mustangs have the exact same record as you do. The winner of this game will go along way in achieving their seasons goals. When you win games the NEXT one always becomes the most IMPORTANT. This is that game.
We cannot afford to come out flat and spot the Mustangs a couple of touchdowns. We have to play LIGHTS OUT from the opening whistle. ONE PLAY AT A TIME. Win each play and good things will happen. Practice must be CRISP and your attention must be DIALED in. ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE GREAT BY GIVING IT EVERYTHING YOU HAVE!!

Have a great week of practice,

Coach Lefort

R E S P E C T IN FRONT OF 5000

Throughout the whole week of practice one word was emphasized: RESPECT. You knew going into the game Friday Night that NO ONE from Rocky Mountain was going to give Fossil Ridge Football any respect just because we were going head to head for the first time. The ONLY way was to EARN it by your play on the field. It took ALL 48 minutes and every ounce of heart, sweat and talent that you could produce, but when that ball sailed over the crossbar as the clock expired, a new chapter in the history of high school football in the city of Fort Collins was written. The Fossil Ridge SaberCats have ARRIVED! From that point on there is NO turning back! You NOW know that your best effort must be demanded on EVERY PLAY. You know NOW that you CAN COMPETE AND WIN against the other schools in this city. It is up to YOU, from here on out. Everything you want from this season is AHEAD of you. But it MUST be proven ON THE FIELD each and every game!! CELEBRATE your accomplishment because Friday Night's win was HISTORIC!

CONGRATULATIONS!

Coach Lefort

UPON FURTHER REVIEW

- The passing game was EXPLOSIVE, from PASS PRO to CJ to all the receivers

- The RIDGE NATION was once again the X-FACTOR in the game

- Rocky Mountain's # 5 and # 9 are a couple of outstanding players

- There is NO greater sight than a SEA OF SABERCATS storming the field

- Kick Coverage HAS to TACKLE better

- THE FIELD GOAL TEAM was HUGE ( Tony's dance was especially nice!)

- Cody to CJ to Tony was MONEY

- We are blessed to call French Field our home

- Big Schnee was a Wrecking Machine

- YOU ARE CAPABLE OF GREAT THINGS WITH HARD WORK

- The team that WANTS it the most USUALLY WINS

- Welcome to a CROSS TOWN RIVALRY

A long time coming

For those of us who have been around the SaberCat football program for awhile, (this is my sixth year) Friday night's game is an opportunity that has been a long time in coming. This will be the first time a varsity SaberCat football team has ever lined up against a city opponent. Many former players who have laid the foundations for SaberCat football NEVER had the opportunity that you WILL have when you walk on to that field. Do not underestimate the significance of this. It is a personal battle no doubt, but you will also be representing all of the Fossil Ridge family. Band, cheer leaders, parents and future varsity players who will all be looking to the gridiron, doing all that they can do to support you. But only YOU will be able to determine the outcome. That is the great thing about being in the position that you are. The team who runs out on to French Field with the most determination to win will come away with the victory.
Like it or not, you will be judged by your peers in the city by the RESULTS of these games. They don't respect you just because you have moved to 5A. Respect in football, IS EARNED ON THE FIELD. EARN their respect. Lets have a tremendous week of preparation.

Coach Lefort

Congratulations Coach Vecchio

Friday Night was special also because it was the FIRST (with many more to come) VICTORY for Coach Vecchio as a Varsity Head Coach. Thanks Coach for pouring your HEART AND SOUL into the the BLACK AND GREEN. I don't think anyone enjoyed the VICTORY more than Coach.

Congratulations Coach!

Coach Lefort

A Homecoming to Remember

Friday was blessed with all the perfect ingredients for a Homecoming Football game: a picture postcard Autumn evening, a HUGE CROWD, the BEST band in the State, and most importantly a convincing VICTORY on the gridiron. You transferred the work from the practice field to the game and the results were obvious to everyone in attendance. The offense was executing from the opening PLAY, and the defense was SWARMING to the ball. You took the field with a sense of urgency and took the Eagles out of the game quickly. That is the way to TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS.
Although it was a great win, there is PLENTY of room for improvement. On defense you must take care of your responsibilities, BE ONE OF ELEVEN. No gaps in the wall. There were missed assignments on both sides of the ball that must be eliminated if we are to have success in the future.
Congratulations on a memorable Homecoming Victory.

Coach Lefort

UPON FURTHER REVIEW

- How TREMENDOUS was THE RIDGE NATION

- the ALL-BLACKS were AWESOME

- Micheal " the Milkman" Harrison is becoming a BEAST

- The specials were SOLID ( kicker, snapper, punter and coverage)

- Nothing beats a RUNNING CLOCK

- Congratulations to THE KING #13

Homecoming 2010

The Thompson Valley Eagles will be the opponent when you take the field on Friday night. Thompson Valley will be playing their hardest and looking for a victory. It will take your BEST EFFORT to come home victorious. You have put in the work this week on the practice field. Be ready to focus your attention to the on one thing: WINNING!!

Coach Lefort

Arapahoe Ambush

Every time you take the field against an opponent you must come with your very best effort. Each team that you will face this year has the talent to make it a very long night for you if you don't. The Arapahoe Warriors brought their best, played with emotion and desire, and sent their fans home with a homecoming victory.
Football is a game loaded with life lessons and Friday night's game was no different. You WILL face adversity, your confidence WILL be tested, and you WILL have the opportunity to quit. But you must dig down and pick yourself up and get back in the fight. There are HUGE games awaiting you in the coming weeks. Everything you could want from this season is still ahead of you. It is your choice; let your work on the practice field and your play on Friday night answer that question.

Coach Lefort

UPON FURTHER REVIEW

-Whatever team BLOCKS and TACKLES better almost always WINS the game

- Ravin and Cody Dinkle have done a nice job kicking the football

- Alex Leonard's catch and run for a touchdown was tremendous

- The Warriors kicker was as good as I have seen

Arapahoe Awaits

A homecoming crowd will be waiting for you when you get off the bus to face the Arapahoe Warriors on Friday night. The Warriors are coming off a 30-8 victory and will have tremendous momentum heading into the game. They are going to hit the field and punch you in the mouth, with the hope you will decide to pack it up and go home. That is when you must FIGHT YOUR HARDEST!! FLYING to the football on defense, EXECUTING on offense and being EXPLOSIVE on the special teams. Four quarters of that kind of football, play after play is what it is going to take to steal a homecoming night victory from the Warriors. Use every available minute (on the practice field, on the bus, in film study) to prepare yourself to do one thing. WIN!!

Coach Lefort

Physical Falcons

The Highlands Ranch Falcons were not afraid to be physical and in turn came away with the victory on Saturday morning. Special Teams were improved, but must continue to get stronger and stronger with each game you play. The offense is seeing glimpse of the kind of production that it is going to take to win ball games. The defense must BE STRONGER. There is no replacing the PHYSICALNESS of football. It is a COLLISION sport, not a contact sport. The team that wins that aspect of the game is HARD to beat. The Falcons are a solid, tough hard running football team that will win a lot of ball games this year. The mistakes from this game are fixable, if you are willing to do what it takes to get them fixed. Here's to a GREAT WEEK of PRACTICE!

Coach Lefort


UPON FURTHER REVIEW

-It could not have been any more beautiful morning for a football game

- Alex Leonard's touchdown grab was one of the best I have seen

- Big Jake rumbling down the sidelines with the football quite a sight

- You MUST stop the run

- It was good to see my old car pool buddy, Blake Olsen (host of Football Colorado and the Denver Nuggets wrap up show) at our game to film it for Football Colorado

- Hearing the National Anthem played by the band on 9/11 is HONOR

- We have to play SMART, AGGRESSIVE, TOUGH FOOTBALL

SaberCats to host The Ranch in home opener

Saturday morning will provide another quality opponent when the Highlands Ranch Falcons fly into French Field. The Falcons victorious in their season opener, possess a strong running game and a stingy defense. They are a member of the Continental Conference, which includes some of the Colorado's best high school football programs.
Many things were learned from last Friday night. The effort and attention to the special teams MUST be translated to the field on game day. The defense MUST complete their assignments and keep the Falcons out of the end zone. Offensively, EXECUTION is the key to any successful game plan. Come READY TO WORK everyday this week in practice. Make sure that come Saturday morning you WILL PLAY YOUR BEST!!
It is here, the time is now!

Coach Lefort

Top Ten Trojans Tough

Friday night the Fountain Fort Carson Trojans proved to be worthy of their pre-season ranking. The margin of error at the varsity level against an opponent of this caliber is slim, and we made too many mistakes to bring back a victory.
There were bright spots on both sides of the football, and the effort was evident. The defense played well in the second half, but allowed FFC too many big plays in the first. Offensively we were close to putting together a series or two, but couldn't find the solid consistancy needed to complete a drive with a touchdown.
It is very hard to duplicate the speed of game situations in practice; that's why it is so important to take every practice rep with an attitude of improvement. Every game is important, but once they are done they are gone. Use the lessons learned from your time under the Friday night lights to prepare you for the most important game on our schedule, THE NEXT ONE.

Coach Lefort

UPON FURTHER REVIEW

-Playing in the shadow of Fort Carson and the reverence they showed in displaying the flag made me proud to be an American, and VERY GRATEFUL for the men and women who serve our country in the Armed Forces

-Those new uniforms were TIGHT; I overheard a couple of Trojans give their approval when you walked by

-FFC has as nice as an on campus facility as I have ever seen

- Special Teams are HUGE - you have to be a play maker every time you take the field on a Special Team

- Execution is VITAL

- The goal line stand on the last play was about one thing : HEART

- The injury to the Trojan quarterback in the forth quarter was scary. I know he felt your prayers and wish him a speedy recovery

- The game day Dress Blacks looked sharp all the way from the freshmen getting on the bus to leave for the game to the varsity loading back up for the ride home

-Thank You to the worlds greatest Boosters who were there all day taking care of any need

SaberCats travel to #10 Fountain Fort Carson for Season Opener

It doesn't get any more exciting than this!! Opening up the season against the a ranked opponent on the road. The Trojans will provide an explosive team with speed to burn. It will take a tremendous effort in the classroom and on the field to bring back the victory. But you are CAPABLE, more than capable of doing just that. Mistakes that were made in the scrimmage must be corrected this week in practice. Every assignment needs to be completed. It will take a total team commitment to detail, play your responsibility, be one of eleven. But the prize is out there. Who wants to claim it? The TEAM that commits to victory and has the determination to carry out that commitment (on the practice field and Friday night) will reap the reward.
There is no doubt that 2010 is a HISTORICAL season, new Head Coach, 5A competition and the opportunity to play our inner city rivals. But there is HISTORY to make in Week 1. No Fossil Ridge team has ever WON a season opener. That needs to end THIS YEAR!
MAKE HISTORY!

Have a great week of practice,
Coach Lefort

Another Step in the Right Direction

Friday the Greeley West Spartans brought the 2nd ranked 4A team in the state to SaberCat Field for what was a very encouraging scrimmage. The Spartans provided a strong field test for the hard work that has been put in over the Summer. On all levels the play on the field was toe to toe and a battle on every front. Make no mistake West is an well coached team and usually finds it self in the mix for a State Championship come November. It was a good chance to hit someone else and put your efforts on film. The opportunity to compete in game conditions always brings new players to the forefront who PROVE their metal against an opponent. The films from the scrimmages is one of the HUGE evaluation tools that the coaching staff has to use. There were OUTSTANDING moments for sure, but many corrections MUST be made this week before the season opener. We must OUTWORK our opponents this week on the practice field.

Coach Lefort

SaberCats help with Kids Carnival

I arrived at City Park just in time to see the SaberCats in action helping out the volunteers from The Learning House with their Annual Kids Carnival. The Learning House is a not for profit early childhood school for children of all abilities. The volunteer coordinator (Mori Macklin) was very thankful for the work the young men did with the Carnival. She said they saved them hours with the cleanup alone, and were perfect gentlemen the whole afternoon. I think it is safe to say SaberCat Football has some new friends.
It is very important that you represent SaberCat Football with the upmost respect, because it is not only a reflection of you, but of everyone one involed with the program. (your school, your teammates and your parents.) Nice job fellas!!

Coach Lefort

Big Saturday for SaberCat Football

Saturday morning provided both coaches and players the chance to put all the hard work that has been done on both the field and the weight room this Summer to the test with the Green and Silver scrimmage. There were flashes of the kind of team that we need to be when we take the field at Fountain -Fort Carson, but the the scrimmage also revealed that there is PLENTY of room for improvement. Thankfully, we have two weeks of practice and a big scrimmage with the Spartans before the season opener. Every practice between now and then is VITAL for our success. When you are on the field be attentive and ready to give it your all. In meetings pay attention to the game plans and your assignments. Improve everyday, every rep.

Coach Lefort

SaberCats set for historic 2010 season

The 2010 football season promises to be one of monumental moments for the Fossil Ridge SaberCats. Led by "The Original SaberCat" new Head Coach Steve Vecchio the SaberCats will make the jump into Colorado's largest classification, 5A. A new conference the "Front Range" will provide the opportunity to compete against the some outstanding competition, namely the three other high schools in Fort Collins. The commitment to becoming better everyday was evident by the hard work put in during the Summer months. Now it is time to increase the intensity, effort and attitudes. Every moment of practice must be put to good use to be ready for the season opener in a little over two weeks. Let's focus on WINNING this week of practice.

Coach Lefort