Fountain-Fort Carson football practice was missing a familiar, blond set of locks flowing out of the team’s gloss blue helmets for two days last week.

Senior Tavian Tuli was sick. From what, he didn’t know. But the illness kept him sidelined, away from school and practice until Wednesday. The offense was simplified in his wake, the game plan was accelerated, and he played free, all the way to a combined 418-yard, six-touchdown performance to lead the Trojans over Douglas County, 61-29.

It also landed him this week’s Peak Performer nod.

Feeling under the weather kept Tuli away from his teammates, but those same Trojan standouts have embraced the four-year starter, giving him a confidence that’s allowed him to take a leap in his final year.

Just a week after setting the school’s single-game passing yardage record, he showed once more what coach Jake Novotny saw in the freshman years ago — albeit without the nervousness.

“The last three years, and as a freshman, it was about not losing games,” Novotny said. “He’s been surrounded by guys who could carry the offense like Dezmen Oliver, and now he’s being relied upon more. This version of him could compete anywhere.”

The game-to-game attitude brought by Tuli is one of forgetting. When he struggled against Pine Creek, he brushed it off to face Legend.

When back-to-back games came and went, both losses, where the quarterback missed opportunities, he didn’t dwell. Instead, he geared up for a stretch run of Douglas County and Chaparral with playoffs on the horizon.

“Going into the Douglas County game, it was all about having fun and executing,” Tuli said. “We have a lot of seniors and it was our night. They came with some different things than film, and we were able to adjust and read that. We found a rhythm.”

The senior has surpassed all of his previous season-high marks. Over 300 yards separate him from last year’s numbers, and he’s on pace to nearly double his previous high in touchdowns.

And yet, Tuli is still finding new wrinkles to his game.

Already the size of a linebacker, he’s embraced the physicality he can bring to a game through his legs. He led the team in rushing with 84 yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns to add to his Douglas County total.

It’s opened up a new side to Tuli’s game — one his teammates have bought in on.

“Being a four-year starter is huge, especially when the first year we had one of the hardest schedules in the state,” senior Darian Martin said. “That experience was huge, and his experience has all come together with the chemistry we all have.

“He leads in the classroom; he leads on the field. We worked out almost every day and the confidence of the whole offense has risen with him.”

Novotny and his experienced staff and roster know the importance of passing the ball in the playoffs.

Last year’s two-game playoff run proved two things: a win over Golden showing how much an efficient passing game can add to a lopsided score; and not having one can lead to the opposite, as it did in a loss to Montrose.

Tuli had his best game as a prep’s player against Douglas County. In many ways, he may be hitting his stride at just the right time.

Fountain-Ft. Carson quarterback Tavian Tuli is the athlete of the week.

Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette

Fountain-Ft. Carson quarterback Tavian Tuli is the athlete of the week. Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. (Photo by Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)

Fountain-Ft. Carson quarterback Tavian Tuli is the athlete of the week. Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. (Photo by Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)