NoCo Nine: 8 regional race wins, local football rivalries and city volleyball sweep lead week's best
NoCo Nine is off to the races this week!
It was a big regional week for local cross country runners, who tallied up eight team or individual titles ahead of state.
Local football battles and a final city volleyball rivalry also highlighted the action, while softball wrapped up its postseason as boys soccer heads into the playoffs.
Here are the best things we saw in Fort Collins-area high school sports this past week:
Note: If you have nominations for future NoCo Nine editions, please send them via email to ChrisAbshire@coloradoan.com for consideration.
Fossil Ridge, Fort Collins race to regional titles
City teams dominated Class 5A's Region 4 cross country meet in Loveland last week.
The Fossil Ridge girls crushed the field with a low score of 29 points, finishing 45 points ahead of second while placing eight runners in the top 16. Tatum Berg (2nd), Delaney Voronin (3rd), Maya DiGiallonardo (5th) and Mia Williams (7th) all finished in under 20 minutes to lead the SaberCats.
Rocky Mountain's Lindsey Kaines (8th) and Fort Collins' Delaney Johns (10th) also had top-10 finishes.
Fort Collins took the boys team title with 49 points, edging out runner-up Fossil Ridge (57). The Lambkins had three top-10 finishers in Cadel Ruthven (5th), Grant Koontz (7th) and Joseph Rich (10th).
Fossil's Carter Brazelton was best among city runners in third, while Rocky's Tyson Bhalla took fourth.
With performances like this, there will be plenty of local contenders at the state cross country championships this Saturday, Oct. 28.
Windsor, Poudre score local rivalry wins
It was a big weekend for local battles on the gridiron with some inspired results.
Windsor romped past Loveland 28-10 in a battle for Northern Conference supremacy, and Mikey Munn had himself an incredible game.
He did it all for the Wizards, running for 132 yards and three scores, returning a kickoff 80 yards for another touchdown, making five tackles and grabbing an interception.
More: Windsor and Poudre beat local rivals, Wellington clinches league title
In a city rivalry matchup, Poudre toughed out a 17-10 win over Fort Collins on Senior Night. Quarterback Brayden Bay threw a pair of touchdowns, including a 70-yard clincher to Jackson Thole in the fourth quarter.
Ryan Vandever and Brady Brown also pulled down interceptions for an Impalas defense that forced five turnovers and held Fort Collins to fewer than 260 total yards.
— PSD Athletics Official (@PSD_ATHLETICS) October 21, 2023
Allori and Timnath lead more regional XC wins
Class 5A didn't have the only local cross country champs.
Timnath took the girls team title in Class 3A Region 4 with 67 points, beating out runner-up Liberty Common and individual champion Isabel Allori, the defending 3A state champ who extended her unbeaten prep winning streak to 12 races.
Izzy Schimmelpfennig (3rd) and Addison Geraets (4th) led the Cubs, who will be a serious 3A threat at state.
In 4A Region 4, the Windsor girls eked out the title with 80 points, just two ahead of second. Kendal Bach was the Wizard's only top-10 finisher, but Windsor placed five runners in the top 22 spots.
Fossil softball's remarkable run reaches semifinals
The softball season wrapped up last weekend with the state tournament at Aurora Sports Park.
Fossil Ridge was once again the top local team, capping a remarkable midseason turnaround to reach the state semifinals.
No. 2 Chatfield knocked the SaberCats in a 3-2 game, which came after No. 14 Fossil had upset No. 3 Horizon (2-1) and No. 11 Cherokee Trail (4-3) in tense Friday games.
Windsor's season ended in quarterfinal heartbreak, as the No. 7 Wizards fell to No. 2 Riverdale Ridge 4-3 on a walk-off single after beating No. 10 Elizabeth 10-0.
Rocky Mountain's first trip to the state tournament was short-lived, as top-seeded Columbine beat the Lobos 10-0 in the opening round.
Three boys soccer team hosting playoff games
It's playoff time for boys soccer this week!
We've got seven local teams in the field across four classifications, with three hosting first-round games.
Here are this week's first-round matchups for each local team in the single-elimination bracket:
CLASS 5A (First-round games Wednesday, Oct. 25)
No. 10 Fossil Ridge hosting No. 23 Adams City
No. 20 Fort Collins at No. 13 Aurora Central
No. 22 Rocky Mountain at No. 11 Legend
CLASS 4A (First-round game Thursday, Oct. 26)
No. 13 Windsor hosting No. 20 Grand Junction
CLASS 3A (First-round games Wednesday, Oct. 25)
No. 9 Liberty Common hosting No. 24 Salida
No. 25 Timnath at No. 8 Roaring Fork
CLASS 2A (First-round games Friday, Oct. 27)
No. 14 Heritage Christian at No. 3 Fountain Valley
Heritage Christian dominates 2A regional
Heritage Christian dominated 2A Region 1 cross country action across the board in Lyons last week.
The boys and girls each won team titles, with the girls team scoring an incredible 10 points to win by 42.
The Eagles swept the top four girls finishers. Mikaela Kendall won the individual title, Ainsley Stanton took runner-up and Lilly and Emma Lukens placed third and fourth, respectively.
Congrats to today's cross country regional champions!
Heritage Christian, Aspen, The Classical Academy, Timnath, Cheyenne Mountain, Conifer, Niwot, Windsor, Air Academy, Cherry Creek, Fossil Ridge, Mountain Vista
See you at the state championships!https://t.co/xybweWjAUw— CHSAA (@CHSAA) October 20, 2023
The boys side was closer, as HCA won a tiebreaker over Lyons with each having 45 points. Ian Molgaard (5th) and Kaden Schohl (9th) led the way with top-10 finishes.
Wellington football clinches playoff spot
What a season it's been up in Wellington!
The Eagles clinched the Patriot League Central title and a playoff berth with a 26-7 win at Platte Valley on Friday.
Tanner Gray had three more touchdowns and Cash Altschwager added another as Wellington will play postseason ball in the program's second season.
The Eagles (8-0) can wrap up an unbeaten regular season this Friday at home vs. Bennett.
SaberCats, Lamkins sweep city rivalry matches
City rivalry season wrapped up last week on the volleyball court, and Fossil Ridge took the unofficial city crown with a 3-0 sweep of Rocky Mountain.
Four SaberCats had at least seven kills, while Kaylee Piepho led the team with 21 assists, nine digs and four aces.
Kaylee Piepho / Player of the Game / Fossil Ridge @PSD_ATHLETICS #buttonpushermedia pic.twitter.com/vCPgisQqNv
— FanVū Sports (@FanVuSports) October 20, 2023
Fossil Ridge is on a roll with the postseason just a week away. The SaberCats haven't lost a set vs. league competition while rolling to an 11-0 Front Range League record.
Fort Collins also swept a road match at Poudre, rolling to a 25-19, 25-16, 25-12 win and snapping a two-game losing skid.
Games of the Week
State cross country meet (Saturday, 8 a.m.): It's (hopefully) title time for local runners! Isabel Allori looks to defend her 3A state championship, while Fossil Ridge (5A), Timnath (3A) and Heritage Christian (2A) should all be prime contenders in the girls team races.
Broomfield at Fossil Ridge volleyball (Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.): The SaberCats get a tough challenge with a FRL crossover match against the Eagles. A win could cement Fossil's regional hosting odds.
Poudre at Fossil Ridge football (Friday, 7 p.m.): It's Senior Night for the SaberCats, who need a win to stay in playoff contention and clinch the unofficial city title. The Impalas are fresh off that big win over Fort Collins and could end the year on a three-game win streak.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: NoCo Nine: Best of Fort Collins-area sports for week of October 15-21
