A.J. Brem from Lorena hit a field goal with just seconds remaining and that sent the Fairfield Eagles from the top seed to the fourth seed in District 9-4A Division II.
The loss gave the Salado Eagles the district title and caused a three-way tie between Lorena, Mexia and Fairfield. The first tiebreaker is head to head matchups and Mexia beat both Lorena and Fairfield, to move up into the second seed. The remaining two qualifiers played in the game recap here; Lorena’s win put them in third and Fairfield fourth.
The Eagles had a lead and could not hold it late in the game. Fairfield held the Leopards on downs after a 12-play drive that ended at the Fairfield 17. Quarterback Chad Rushin (above) passed to Kolbe Branch for eight yards and a first down. Jar-Mychael Hudson had a 13-yard run and Kadarius Walker added a 36-yard run to the Lorena 14-yard line. On second down from there, Rushin kept the ball and raced upfield for the 13-yard touchdown. Tyler Haynes added the extra point for the 7-0 lead.
A short Fairfield punt set the Leopards at the Fairfield 39. Thor Hoffman had a 17-yard run and Hunter Hudgens had the final two runs, the second for a six-yard touchdown. Brem added the point after for the 7-7 tie.
Fairfield forced a turnover near midfield and the Eagles took over at their own 44-yard line. Branch caught a 13-yard pass across the middle and Kolby Adams caught a third down pass to the Lorena 35. Fairfield got a first down on a key third down play on a pass interference penalty. Branch caught a two-yard touchdown pass for the 14-7 lead.
The Eagle defense forced a three and out and took the offense on the field at their own 37. The Fairfield offense reached the 30-yard line and found Branch running up the hashmark. He caught the ball and scored easily for a 30-yard touchdown. Haynes added the point after for a 21-7 lead.
Hoffman scored a short two-yard touchdown run to get the lead within seven heading in the fourth quarter. Lorena would tie the game on a long drive that ended the third quarter and took a portion of the fourth. Brem ended the drive on a five-yard run that closed out the 12 play, 67-yard drive.
With the game tied 21-21, both teams had opportunities to take the lead. A Fairfield punt gave the Leopards possession at the 20-yard line. Eleven consecutive running plays put the ball at the Fairfield 39, but the twelfth play was a pass that was snagged out of the air by Branch.
The Eagles had to punt, and Lorena went to work. The Leopards completed a hook and lateral for a first down to the Eagle 31. Two more passes set the Lorena offense at the Fairfield seven-yard line and Brem came on to attempt a 24-yard field goal. It sailed through the uprights for the win with only seconds remaining.
Fairfield will head to College Station to take on the Giddings Buffaloes, champions of District 10-4A Division II. Mexia will play the Gonzales Apaches on Friday in Georgetown and Caldwell battles Lorena on Friday at Round Rock’s Dragon Stadium.
