Fossil Ridge senior Alex Semadeni is one of three players scoring in double figures for the undefeated SaberCats. Fossil Ridge is taking aim at its first Class 5A Front Range League title behind a roster filled with nine seniors.
File photo by Mark Dalby
senior
Evan Smith admits he and his teammates play with a chip on their shoulders, but they come by it naturally.
The SaberCats are off to an 8-0 start and nabbed the No. 1 ranking in the first
Colorado AP Media Poll after the holiday break, but Smith said they aren't buying into the hype. Fossil Ridge also is ranked second in Class 5A in the
CHSAANow.com poll.
"We still believe we haven't proven anything yet and that's what's great about our team," said Smith, who is averaging 12.8 points and 4.3 assists per game. "We're looking to prove everything every day and we're working hard in practice. We feel like we haven't accomplished anything yet."
Part of that is because Fossil Ridge has never made a really deep run in the playoffs (they reached the Great 8 in 2011, bowed out in the round of 32 two years ago and were knocked off in the Sweet 16 last season), but an even bigger part is because, despite all of their past regular-season success, the SaberCats never have won the Front Range League crown.
"We don't really even want to think about the playoffs at this point," said Smith, who set a school record with nine three-pointers in a game earlier this season. "We have not won a conference championship yet as a school. We feel like we've been one game away from that the past couple of years. That's our No. 1 goal at this point: to win our first conference championship."
There's plenty of reason to believe this will be the year Fossil Ridge finally breaks through. It will be a big challenge, too, with league stalwarts Monarch (Louisville) and Fairview (Boulder) also ranked in the top 10.
Evan Smith, Fossil Ridge.
File photo by Mark Dalby
The SaberCats are loaded with veterans, with nine seniors on the roster. They've been outscoring their opponents on average 69-39.2, and have a balanced attack with three players averaging in double-figures –
Brandon Bodnar (13.4), Smith (12.8) and
Alex Semadeni (11.3).
"The chemistry is unbelievable," said coach Matt Johannsen, who is in his 10th year with the program. "Those three seniors, with a lot of varsity experience, have really set the tone for us."
Smith and Semadeni have been playing together year-round since before
their freshman year, and Bodnar joined them on varsity early in their
high school careers.
"We've been playing with each other since fifth or sixth grade," Smith said. "Our chemistry is just off the charts. We know where each other is going to be and we just love playing together. We know where we can get each other going to get on a hot streak."
Smith said another motivating factor is proving that a team from Fort Collins can play with teams from Denver and Aurora. It's been more than a decade since a Fort Collins school reached the final four, much less win a state title.
"That's a big factor for us because we know that teams up here in Fort Collins don't get the respect they deserve some times," Smith said. "So, we do play with a little chip on our shoulder and feel like we have something to prove because we know there haven't been that many good teams from the past and teams might overlook us because of that."
No one will be overlooking Fossil Ridge this year, though, especially after the victories the SaberCats have already compiled this season. They beat defending champion and seventh-ranked Eaglecrest (Aurora), No. 8 Grandview (Aurora) and Thompson Valley, the No. 1 team in 4A.
"We've played well, and we've played well against good opponents," Johannsen said. "I had an idea we could be 8-0, but the way we've done it has kind of surprised me, to be honest. I know we have a special group this year and the games are kind of showing that."
