The offense is pretty, but the grit keeps winning.
Fort Collins High School football went on the road and pulled away from Riverdale Ridge for a 44-27 win to clinch the Front Range League title Oct. 23 at Ravens Stadium in Thornton.
How does this sound, Lambkins? Fort Collins is now 9-0, just one game away from its first unbeaten regular season in 20 years.
This one showcased all facets of a Fort Collins team that ever-increasingly looks like a bona fide Class 5A contender.
Start with junior quarterback Jace Garcia, who returned to star form after accounting for no scores and multiple turnovers against city rival Fossil Ridge last week.
Garcia spread the ball around against the Ravens, going over 300 passing yards for the sixth time this season and tossing five touchdowns.
Three of those went to Bode Hammerschmidt, the junior wideout who has been a major boon since returning from injury two games ago.
Donovan Dumas had a touchdown grab and Preston Mozer added a TD to go along with an interception.
That was one of three picks the Fort Collins defense had against Riverdale Ridge quarterback Ricky Weeks Jr. while limiting the home team to just 20 offensive points.
It did not exactly look like a Fort Collins statement win for nearly three quarters.
Riverdale Ridge (5-4, 4-1 FRL) took a 20-14 lead in the second quarter and tied it up at 27-all after halftime on a Weeks Jr. touchdown pass.
Here's where the Fort Collins fortitude showed up.
The Lambkins were taking a quality team's best shot in a spotlight game. Instead of wilting or playing through nerves, the visitors rolled the rest of the way.
Fort Collins (9-0, 5-0) scored the game's final 17 points, getting a fantastic 42-yard field goal from Graeme Cumbers Wenzel sandwiched between a Garcia TD pass and Vicente Romero's clinching rushing score.
In a game that had real hype behind it, the Lambkins answered the bell yet again, winning a fourth game decided by 10 points or less.
With one game to go and the tiebreaker secured, Fort Collins is the conference champion, just the Lambkins' second full-season 5A league title in the last 15 years.
Fort Collins entered as the No. 5 team in Colorado Class 5A and a three-score road win should do nothing to hurt that standing.
Now comes the finishing touch.
The Lambkins face rival Rocky Mountain next week (Oct. 30) with a chance to wrap up a 5A first-round bye.
Fort Collins has already absorbed the best shot from one city rival. Can the Lambkins close the deal on a truly special 10-0 regular season?
It's not just a dream season anymore. The big goals are realistic now for a Lambkins team that is well-rounded and will be tough for any team to knock off now.
Chris Abshire covers high school and community sports for the Coloradoan.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Fort Collins football seals league title, is 1 win from perfect season