The Fairfield Eagles allowed 17 points in the first quarter and a half and could not catch up and fell in the area round to the Gilmer Buckeyes 24-14 at Bruce Field in Athens last Friday afternoon.
The Eagles offense has been hard to stop in the last several weeks, but a healthy Gilmer defense held the Eagles in check most the day, forcing several three downs and punt. However, the Eagle defense kept them in the game the entire day, forcing long situations and punishing sophomore quarterback Mason Hurt the entire day.
The weather conditions were a factor all day. The teams played through a high wind that affected the passing of both teams and the kicking game was treacherous.
The teams exchanged possessions in the first quarter and the Eagles had an advantage in the field position. Fairfield took advantage of a short punt, but they forced a fumble on a jet sweep by Kam Ransom midway through the first.
With Hurt under pressure on a third down and the wind at their back, he lofted a pass with Fairfield defenders hanging on him. The high pass landed in the arms of Malik Williams and he was tackled at the one-yard line. Two plays later, Bran Webb scored on a two-yard run for the first points of the game with 5:02 remaining in the first quarter. Adan Ibarra kicked the extra point for the early 7-0 lead.
The next break for Gilmer was disaster for the Eagle special teams’ unit. The Fairfield special teams had not committed a single error since the Madisonville game in week two of district play. A. J. Polk took the kickoff and tried to pick up his blockers. One of the Gilmer defenders made a solid tackle at the three-yard line and the Eagle offense took the field.
Quarterback Chad Rushin was sacked in the end zone for the safety and the Buckeye lead swelled to 9-0.
Early in the second quarter, the Eagle special teams made another critical error. A Gilmer defender sliced in and blocked an Eagle punt and the Gilmer offense took over at the Eagle 28. Hurt gave ground and tossed a screen pass to Webb and he scored easily to extend the lead to 15-0. They added the conversion for the 17-0 with over ten minutes remaining in the first half.
Fairfield did get an offensive touchdown on the board before the half. The Eagles drove down the field using the running of JaShaughn Hatcher and Ransom. Jar-Mychael Hudson took the handoff and pushed upfield for the three-yard touchdown. Ransom passed to Cody Ferguson for the conversion to cut the lead to 17-8 at the half.
Following a scoreless third quarter, the Buckeyes got the score back up past double figures. The Fairfield defense kept them in the game but began to show signs of fatigue. With 11:41 remaining in the game, Hurt found Zac Jordan in the end zone on a 14-yard pass play. The point after made the score 24-8.
The Eagle offense put things in high gear on their next possession. They had been in a no-huddle mode all day and the offense got to the line and Rushin hit Ransom with a five-yard pass. Ransom did the rest and turned the play into a 59-yard touchdown. The try for two was stopped short and the Buckeyes held onto a 24-14 lead.
Gilmer had one final drive and they ended up running out the remaining minutes of the clock to preserve the win. Gilmer will draw their own district champion and reigning state champion Texarkana Pleasant Grove. Pleasant Grove defeated Gilmer 14-0 in their first meeting. Lorena will take on the third team from District six in the Pittsburg Pirates.
The Eagle seniors that played their final game for Fairfield are Kameron Ransom, Kadarrius Walker, Devin Cunningham, A.J. Polk, Cody Ferguson, Chad Rushin, Johnny Perez, Blake Posey, Ty Bachtel, Keshun Crenshaw, Johnny Burns, Jaise Oliver, De’Untre Dixon, Tonio Carter, JaShaughn Hatcher, Dylan Mudge, Wyatt Poole, Jordan Gibson, Parker Eidson, Justin Sander, Jack Latshaw, JoJo Hilburn, Justin Cooper, Josh Arrington, and Clifford Smith.
(Sports Photography by Melissa Lee)
