Poudre football's 5-game winning streak snapped in heartbreaking home loss to Fairview

The five-game winning streak came to an end Thursday night.

But the best Poudre High School football season in several years is far from over, and the Impalas were still feeling pretty good about what they can accomplish after a heartbreaking 33-31 loss to Fairview at French Field.

“That’s a team that’s notoriously at the top of the conference and that’s where we want to be, so we’ve just got to fix some stuff,” second-year Poudre coach Eric Tonkin said. “I think our best football is still ahead of us.”

Poudre fell to 5-2 overall and 1-1 in league play with its first loss since the season opener at Rock Canyon. Fairview improved to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in league play.

Here are a few takeaways from a great game at French Field:

Poudre quarterback keeps plays alive with his feet

Quentin Harms doesn’t go down easily.

Some of his best passes Thursday night came after he scrambled around in the backfield, running toward one sideline and then the other, keeping his eyes peeled downfield the whole time.

His 25-yard touchdown pass in the final minute of the first half, giving Poudre a 17-14 halftime lead, came on one of those plays.

Harms was forced out of the pocket to his left, and then ran back to his right. Just before reaching the line of scrimmage, he saw receiver Jones Thomas break toward the end zone. Although his pass was deflected by Fairview defender Wyatt Keegan before it reached Thomas, Poudre’s Logan Correll was there to haul it in with a diving catch for the touchdown.

“He’s super athletic, and that’s definitely one of his biggest strengths, his ability to extend plays and make some plays happen that normally wouldn’t be there," Tonkin said.

“That’s something that, at times, we really count on. It’s something that’s really helped us.”

“It’s great,” teammate Colton Mills-Younger said. “When I’m running across the field and I look back and Q’s on the other side of the field, and I’m like I’ve got to go over there now. And he makes a great throw to Jones out of nowhere.”

More:Top performances from Canvas Community Classic rivalry high school football doubleheader

Back-and-forth game goes down to the wire

Fairview and Poudre traded big plays and scores for most of the night, with two quick-hitting long passes from Knights quarterback Rowan Risner to Aiden Scott for third-quarter touchdowns of 52 and 32 yards putting the visitors on top to stay.

Fairview couldn’t put the game away, though, until its final drive, when the Knights kept the ball on the ground for gains of 3 to 5 yards a play while running the final 4 ½ minutes off the clock.

Poudre had cut the lead to 33-31 on back-to-back runs by Jordan Niesent, the first for a 25-yard gain and the second for a 5-yard TD.

“I think we learned that we need to be better, but we also learned that we’re a strong team,” Correll said.

Harms had similar scrambles on a deep ball to Thomas late in the third quarter that set up another scrambling touchdown pass, that one an 8-yarder to Mills-Younger four plays later.

Fairview scored first after converting a fourth-and-1 play on its opening drive , then using a 61-yard pass from Risner to Jordan Rechel to set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Zach Lewis.

Poudre responded quickly, using a 34-yard TD run from Saje Camirand to tie the score at 7-7.

A 22-yard field goal by Mills-Younger early in the second quarter put Poudre on top 10-7. Fairview then went up 14-10 on a 2-yard TD run by Rechel only to have the Impalas’ respond on the deflected pass Correll caught for a TD just before halftime.

NoCo Nine:Community, coaches, city rivalries lead week's best in Fort Collins-area high school sports

Playoffs still well within Poudre’s reach

Despite the loss, Poudre is in great position to secure a playoff berth for the first time since 2018 with four games remaining.

“I think this season has been magical for us; I think that’s the only way to describe it,” Correll said. “I don’t know; bounce back from last season (Poudre went 3-7 in 2021). As a senior, I’m very blessed to a part of this and thankful for all the guys around me.”

Poudre and Fairview swapped positions in the Colorado High School Activities Association’s Selection and Seeding Index. Poudre began the day at No. 13 and dropped to No. 18, while Fairview went into the game at No. 18 and moved up to No. 13. The teams in the teens are all tightly bunched, though, and Poudre could still feasibly host a first-round game.

Twenty-four teams, including the champions of all seven Class 5A leagues, will advance to the playoffs at the end of the 10-game regular season, with the top eight receiving first-round byes and the next eight hosting first-round action.

“I think this was a great look into the playoffs,” Mills-Younger said. “We’re 1-1 in conference and they’re 2-0, and I think we’re going to see them again in the playoffs, I really do.”

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Poudre football's winning streak ends in heartbreaking loss to Fairview