Friday night recap: Rocky Mountain wins, Wellington, Timnath fall in long-awaited debuts

It's Friday again, Timnath and Wellington!

For the first time in decades, high school football was played played in Larimer County outside of Fort Collins, Loveland and Estes Park. With slick new stadiums and schools filled with freshmen and sophomores, the return of the Friday night lights to these growing Northern Colorado towns was filled with excitement.

The Coloradoan sports staff were at both games, along with Rocky Mountain High School's season opener against Chaparral High at French Field. Read below for a recap of sights, sounds and scores from all the high school football action, and be sure to subscribe today for unlimited access to all our sports and Northern Colorado news coverage for as little as $22 for two years of digital access.

Thanks for your support of the Coloradoan and our high school athletes.

Estes Park football tops Wellington 34-14

Let's call it a Friday night. Wellington battled visiting Estes Park in the Eagles' home opener, but ultimately fell 34-14. Not unexpectedly, both new Poudre School District high school football teams fell in Friday's home openers, as neither team will field a senior class until 2024. But Wellington's Tanner Gray threw for one touchdown and ran for another. If he keeps this up, we'll be talking about him for years to come.

READ ABOUT THE RETURN: Wellington celebrates return of high school football after nearly six decades

Thanks for joining the Coloradoan for the start of this new era of Larimer County high school football.

Rocky Mountain football blanks visiting Chaparral

Abe Chatila's pair of first-half touchdowns powered Rocky Mountain High football past visiting Chaparral 20-0 in the Lobos' season opener.

READ ABOUT THE SHUTOUT: Rocky Mountain dominant to topple Chaparral

Eagles battling Estes Park late

Wellington quarterback Tanner Gray gets in on the Eagles' second touchdown, scampering for a rushing score to cut Estes Park's lead to 28-13 with a bit more than three minutes remaining in Wellington's home football opener.

Timnath drops football home opener 48-0

Strength and experience prevailed Friday night in Timnath, as Berthoud topped the young Timnath Cubs 48-0.

READ THE RETURN OF THE CUBS: Timnath football makes its new debut with a Friday Night Lights party

A history-making touchdown in Wellington

After trailing 8-0 at halftime, Wellington pulls to within two points with their first touchdown since 1963:

Halftime report: Rocky Mountain leads, Timnath, Wellington trail in home openers

It's halftime across Larimer County, and here are the scores:

• Rocky Mountain 20, Chaparral 0

• Estes Park 8, Wellington 0

• Berthoud 34, Timnath 0

Rocky Mountain football leads Chaparral after first quarter

The new kids on the block might be getting the attention tonight, but the Lobos are putting on an early show at French Field. Abe Chatila with two first-quarter TDs. STRONG!

Meanwhile, Estes Park strikes first in Wellington:

A new era of high school football in Larimer County begins

And we're underway in Timnath, Wellington and Fort Collins. Wellington Eagles even make a big fourth-down stand to start strong against Estes Park.

We see you, Wellington High School tailgaters!

Wellington's tailgate game is strong heading into tonight's game:

PSD football stadiums have clear bag policy

One programming note: If you're planning on attending today's games in Wellington, Timnath or Fort Collins, know that Poudre School District has adopted a clear bag policy for its stadiums. Here's the lowdown from the district:

Timnath, Wellington, Rocky Mountain football set to kick off at 7 p.m. Friday

The start of a new era of Northern Colorado high school football begins at 7 p.m. Friday, when both Timnath and Wellington will kick off their first seasons in decades after Poudre School District opened new combined middle-high schools in the towns this fall. Here's a look at Friday's games and the Coloradoan staff covering them:

• Berthoud at Timnath, 7 p.m., covered by content coach Chris Abshire and freelance photojournalist Cris Tiller

• Estes Park at Wellington, 7 p.m., covered by reporter Kelly Lyell and photojournalist Jon Austria

• Chaparral at Rocky Mountain, French Field, 7 p.m., covered by reporter Kevin Lytle

While you're counting down to kickoff, learn more about sports at the new schools with our preseason coverage:

Cubs and Eagles returnNew Timnath and Wellington high schools will field varsity teams, reclaim historic mascots

Meet the newcomers:Here are the new Wellington, Timnath high school sports coaches

Opinion:Why Poudre School District's 6 football teams should all play in 4A in the future

How about those SaberCats? Fossil Ridge football tops Loveland in season opener

Standout quarterback Tyler Kubat and the Fossil Ridge High School SaberCats started their promising season in style with a 36-35 win over perennial Class 4A power Loveland on Thursday night in Timnath.

Lyell and Austria were there to capture all the sights and sounds from a wild win:

SaberCats claw back:Fossil Ridge football opens new PSD Stadium in Timnath with last-minute win over Loveland

Poudre also kicked off its 2022 campaign Thursday night on the road, falling 40-8 at Rock Canyon.

The Impalas fell behind early but pulled within 16-8 in the 3rd quarter on Kabe Aberle's touchdown pass to Triston Burkett. The Jaguars, though, scored 24 unanswered to open Poudre's season with a loss.

Keep your eyes out for these Fort Collins-area high school football stars

While we don't yet know who will stand out among the underclassmen on the new Timnath and Wellington teams, there are a handful of area football standouts who are well known to fans and college scouts alike. Get to know some of the area's top players in this subscriber exclusive:

Baker's dozen:Meet 13 top high school football players to watch in the Fort Collins area

All rise: Byron 'Whizzer' White's success soared from Wellington to the NFL and the U.S. Supreme Court

All-American college football player. Rhodes Scholar. College Football Hall of Famer. Highest-paid player in the NFL. World War II hero. U.S. Supreme Court justice.

The accomplishments of graduates of Wellington High School are, indeed, impressive. The list above, though, are the achievements of just one person: Byron Raymond “Whizzer” White, Class of 1934. Read more about Wellington High's most famous graduate:

More:Looking back at Wellington High School's most famous graduate: Byron 'Whizzer' White

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Friday night recap: Rocky Mountain wins, Wellington, Timnath fall