Prep Football: Five Storylines to Follow in the Front Range Conference
The 2019 Front Range conference is full of talent, ripe for parity and most obviously VERY different from previous seasons. Since the 2016 season, CHSAA realigns the conferences based on talent and location. This seasons Front Range conference features some fierce competition and will certainly make for some entertaining football. Checkout my top five stories to follow in the conference this season.
New conference alignment
Poudre High School is back! After two seasons at the 4A level, Poudre High School will be rejoining the 5A classification, as well as the Front Range conference. For the first time since 2015, Poudre High School, Rocky Mountain High School and Fossil Ridge find themselves in the same conference, with a chance to reignite the crosstown rivalries.
New Fossil Ridge coach looks to shake things up
After 20 years at Northridge High School in Greely, Jeff Fulton was hired as the new Fossil Ridge head coach in February. With Fulton, comes a new passing oriented offense that has produced 27 points or more in each of their first three games. Following wins against Fort Collins High School and a strong Arvada West team, the Sabrecats will look to improve to 3–1 against Overland on Thursday.
Rocky Mountain youth gaining traction
Junior QB Giles Pooler will be looking to make a larger impact this season after starting every game last season, throwing just shy of a 1000 yards. He will be joined in the backfield by junior RB Sean Kidd who averaged 5.1 yards per carry in sophomore campaign. Rocky Mountain is off to a 2–1 start following a tough loss to a very strong Eaglecrest team last week.
Top recruit in Front Range Conference
Aidan Atkinson, Quarterback for the Fairview Knights, looks to be the most exciting player in the conference. Atkinson is a proficient pocket-passing quarterback with elite playmaking ability. Standing at 6’3 and topping out at 207 lbs, he’s no munchkin. Last season Atkinson threw for 55 touchdown passes and just under 4000 yards… in just 10 games. Atkinson garnered attention from Ole Miss, Boise State and University of South Carolina, but signed with Northwestern University in Illinois after his stellar Junior season. Big things are expected out of Atkinson’s senior season, especially considering he’s thrown 11 touchdown passes in the teams first three games. He expects a lot of himself too, calling that the Knights will make a deep playoff run.
Matchup of the year
Fossil Ridge @ Poudre High School
Despite slow starts from key players Brandt Bachelet and Triston Burkett, this matchup still seems to be the hottest in the Front Range conference. This will be each teams final game and Poudre’s homecoming game. Future Colorado State OT, Brian Crespo should continue to open holes in the line of scrimmage for Poudre running back Tate Satterfield. Fossil Ridge recently edged another cross-town rival in Fort Collins High School, a game highlighted by two rushing touchdowns by RB Chris Bowerfind. With both of these teams gearing up for potential playoff runs, this game will not be one to miss.
