Fossil Ridge football: Biggest questions facing the SaberCats for the 2023 season

There's more uncertainty around Fossil Ridge football than there was this time last year.

This August, there's no large, accomplished senior class in place. Many roles and position battles still have question marks.

And new head coach Chris Tedford takes over for Jeff Fulton after a successful tenure at Thompson Valley, with Fossil fresh off a 9-3 season in 2022.

He got a first glimpse at this year's SaberCats squad during a Friday scrimmage against Pine Creek, No. 3 in MaxPreps' Class 5A preseason rankings.

"We got a lot of work to do," he told The Coloradoan afterward. "They have a lot of seniors over there, looked like our guys last year.

"It was a good test and showed we’re not where we want to be yet."

Here are some questions (and possible answers) for the SaberCats heading into the 2023 season:

(Note: This is the sixth edition of a seven-part series previewing our local football teams at coloradoan.com/sports. Next up will be Wellington.)

What will Fossil Ridge get at QB?

As of Saturday, the SaberCats' quarterback competition had been whittled down from three to two, with no starter named yet.

Tedford said juniors Isaac Gilliland and Nick Kubat have made the decision tough for coaches.

"We’ll hopefully make a decision early in the week, because you'd ideally like to have a day one starter named," Tedford said. "Credit to the two guys, Nick and Isaac are making it hard on us."

Nick is the brother of Tyler Kubat, who started for Fossil Ridge at QB for the past three seasons before graduating. Nick has a smaller frame but is shiftier and has learned the position well.

Gilliland is a taller, perhaps more physical option at 6-foot-2. Tedford said both have had inconsistent dips mixed with standout moments.

"There are days where one guy is better than the other," Tedford said. "It’s mostly a high-quality problem."

How will the Fossil offense look different this year?

While quarterback always matters, it won't be the be-all, end-all here.

First, Fossil Ridge still returns Gage Ginther, the dominant offensive tackle who is Colorado's top-ranked 2024 recruit. That opens up a lot.

Fossil's quiet 'enforcer': Top-rated Colorado recruit Gage Ginther plays with 'mean streak'

Second, the offense will be more balanced after a pass-heavy recent approach with the elder Kubat and high-level wide receivers like Mac Busteed, Trek Keyworth and Dom Leone.

"We’re going to be more intentional running the football, getting in two-back or two tight-end sets and going between the tackles," Tedford said.

It doesn't hurt that Colton Pawlak is back after running for 1,272 yards and 16 touchdowns, not to mention seven touchdowns and nearly 500 yards through the air. Fellow junior Jake Toshcoff is his running mate, and he had over 660 yards himself last year.

"Jake is a really athletic, gifted runner," Tedford said. "He would be our feature back if we didn’t also have Colton."

Even with a loaded running game, there will still be opportunity for pass catchers like emerging juniors Marcus Mozer and Luke Garvin.

"We’re still going to throw the ball. My ideal offense is balanced in run and pass," Tedford said. "Fans will see the difference from the stands, though."

How big a concern is defensive inexperience?

It's no secret that a young defense will need to get up to speed quickly.

"It's very much a concern," Tedford said. "We are very inexperienced on defense and thin on a few positions in the front."

The SaberCats lost 10 of last season's top 11 tacklers, including standouts like Jake Decklever, Theo Frericks and Ryan Pollyea.

Tedford said some youth showed at times in the Pine Creek scrimmage, but acknowledged that the Eagles may be a legitimate 5A title contender.

He also said that Fossil's defensive ends, seniors Max Speight Haas and Connor Jacquot, have performed well and could be a good base for the defense as it gets up to speed.

"Overall, we’re going to be OK defensively but we still got a lot of growing up to do," Tedford said.

How does Fossil navigate through tough opening stretch?

That defensive inexperience will be tested right out of the gates.

Fossil Ridge opens with a road trip to Loveland (MaxPreps preseason 4A No. 3), a physical team that can run the ball. Then comes another road trip to Grandview (preseason 5A No. 6), who always has great size up front.

"We need to be solid in the trenches against teams like Loveland and Grandview early," Tedford said. "We'll find out a lot about us those couple games."

The remaining non-league schedule eases a bit with Brighton, Windsor and Arvada West before the rivalries of league action. Fossil Ridge is 8-2 against conference opponents the past two seasons.

"Our schedule has an ebb and a flow to it," Tedford said. "We want to be competitive early and then stay healthy, which would hopefully set us up to win a lot of games."

More preseason football coverage:

• Poudre football: Can Impalas sustain momentum after playoff berth?

• Rocky Mountain football: How will a new era of Lobos football look?

• Windsor football: How will Wizards replace Thomas boys in backfield?

• Fort Collins football: Can Lambkins bounce back from tough 2022 season?

• Timnath football: Will Cubs' gains translate to wins in 2023?

• Coloradoan Media Day: What we learned about local football teams

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Fossil Ridge football: Top questions for the SaberCats in 2023 season