Football games are fast approaching, and with less than 12 hours until the first kickoff of the season, excitement is building. Today at 6 p.m. the varsity football team will be taking on Poudre High School on their home turf in Fort Collins.

After weeks of preparation, the team is ready to face Poudre. “We’ve been working since the spring time to make sure we’re ready for everything other teams try to throw at us,” wide receiver Kellen Parker, 12, said. “We’ve been counting down the days until the first game and I know we’re ready.”

With jitters settling in, quarterback Judd Erickson, 12, remains confident in the team. “It’s the first [game] so there will be some rust like there usually is week one,” Erickson said. “But hopefully later in the game we can work through some of that, come together and make everything click.”

Echoing Erickson’s confidence is head coach Ric Cash. “We just want to get into the game, let our practice dictate how we play and get after it,” Cash said. “I just want the boys to come out and play hard and try to limit our mistakes.”