Fort Collins High School football, you can exhale now.
Fossil Ridge gave the Lambkins everything they could handle, but Colorado Class 5A's last unbeaten team survived their city rival in a 21-12 home win Oct. 16 at French Field.
First and foremost, Fort Collins retains the Harmony Cup. It's the first time the winning squad has defended its bragging rights in this Harmony Cup matchup since Fossil in 2018-19.
Perhaps more importantly, the Lambkins' dream unbeaten season is still alive.
Fort Collins is now 8-0 (4-0 league) and it took everything in a sloppy rivalry affair.
Star quarterback Jace Garcia was uncharacteristically quiet through the air, throwing no touchdowns and two interceptions.
The Lambkins also lost a first-half fumble, committed double-digit penalties and could not pull away from their city rivals.
But the Romero twins made sure Fort Collins wasn't going down on their Senior Night.
Diego Romero scored the game's opening touchdown on a short scoring run and then added a pick-six interception return for a TD in the second quarter.
His brother, Vicente Romero, provided the final breathing room with a fourth-quarter score.
Fossil Ridge scored on a Colton Jantz 20-yard TD pass to Gavin Zanotelli, making it a 14-6 game at halftime.
Then, Will Hough added a one-yard scoring rush and Fossil had a chance to tie. But a 2-point pass slipped through Zanotelli's hands in the endzone.
Fossil couldn't mount another threat, with Fort Collins running out the clock late.
The Lambkins set up a huge Front Range League title showdown at Riverdale Ridge (5-3, 4-0 league) on Oct. 23.
This story will be updated. Return to coloradoan.com/sports for more.
Chris Abshire covers high school and community sports for the Coloradoan.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Fort Collins football survives city rival to keep perfect season alive