Fairbanks defensive back Trey Good (9) ends up on his back after breaking up a West Liberty-Salem pass. The Panthers upset the state-ranked Tigers, 26-20. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
The outcome of Fairbanks High School’s 500th football game could not have turned out any better if a Hollywood script writer had penned the story.
The Panthers went into Friday evening’s game on their home field as a heavy underdog to an unbeaten and state-ranked West Liberty-Salem outfit.
Fictional movies and storybooks all the time have endings where the little guy comes out on top.
It happened in real life on Kyre Field as the Panthers stunned the Tigers, 26-20.
It was a standout defensive effort that enabled Fairbanks (5-2) to hand West Liberty its first setback of the season.
“Our defensive line played very well and our defensive backs were fantastic,” said Panther coach Patrick Cotter. “We got into a couple of bad situations, but for the most part, our defense came out to play.”
Fairbanks’ defense bottled up West Liberty’s ground attack for only 108 yards.
That forced Tiger quarterback Trevor Woodruff into airing out the ball perhaps more than he would have liked.
Woodruff threw for 227 yards, but completed a woeful 13-of-36 and suffered a trio of interceptions.
West Liberty had to surrender the ball on punts on its first two possessions.
The second kick buried the Panthers on their own 11, but a false start infraction sent them back five yards further.
Riordin Stauffer and Brogran Green did most of the heavy lifting on the ground as Mason Cushman continued to nurse a leg injury.
Quarterback Braxton Wilhelm mixed in passes to Ashton Griffith and Braeden Fairchild as the Panthers rolled into Tiger territory.
Green carried the ball down to the six-yard-line.
From there, Wilhelm found Griffith for a touchdown pass.
Cade Ziegler booted the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
The teams swapped punts as action moved into the second quarter.
The Panther defense kept the Tigers pinned in their own territory on several possessions.
Fairbanks regained possession with 11:47 left in the second quarter.
The Panthers mounted a drive that moved into Tiger territory before it stalled.
Fairbanks was able to take something away from the series, however, when Ziegler drilled a 35-yard field goal that gave the home team a 10-0 lead.
The Panthers quickly had the Tigers’ heads swiveling on a stick.
Woodruff went back to pass from his own 20, only to see Stauffer tip the ball, grab it for an interception and return it into the end zone.
Ziegler’s extra point pushed the Panthers out to a 17-0 margin with eight minutes left until the turn.
West Liberty suffered a second consecutive turnover when FHS lineman Sam Rengert jumped on a fumble at the Tiger 24.
The Panthers had a little trouble moving the ball, but Ziegler’s 34-yard field goal pushed them out to a 20-0 lead.
West Liberty marched deep into FHS’s side of the field, but the series was thwarted when Fairchild intercepted a pass thrown by Woodruff.
Fairbanks appeared to score another touchdown, but Green’s 55-yard scamper into the end zone was nullified by a holding penalty.
Wilhelm was then content to take a knee and go into the lockerroom with the 20-point advantage.
Fairbanks continued to make the Tigers’ life miserable at the start of the third quarter.
Green received the kickoff to begin the period on the FHS 10-yard line.
He moved upfield, dodged several would-be tacklers and shifted into another gear.
Green wasn’t stopped until a Tiger defender hauled him down at the West Liberty one-yard-line.
Wilhelm bulled into the end zone on the first play from scrimmage.
The extra point failed on a bad snap from center.
FHS, though, had climbed to a 26-0 lead.
West Liberty finally broke its scoring ice on its first offensive series of the half.
Fairbanks helped keep the drive alive with a pass interference call.
Woodruff later drilled a 54-yard scoring pass to Zach Rosedale.
Ethan Cole’s extra point sliced into West Liberty’s deficit at 26-7.
The Tigers scored once again with two minutes left in the quarter.
This time, Woodruff flipped a two-yard pass to Zach Glock.
The extra point failed, but the Tigers closed the gap to 26-13 by the end of the quarter.
Both teams punted to begin the final stanza.
The Tigers needed just one play to score after receiving the Panthers’ kick.
Isaiah McGill raced into the end zone on a 51-yard run.
Cole’s extra point narrowed the deficit to 26-20 with slightly less than 10 minutes left in the contest.
FHS lost the ball on a fumble, but quickly regained possession on a Wilhelm interception.
Another Tigers’ series was halted when Fairchild fell on a fumble.
The Panthers punted on their next possession, but held the Tigers on downs as the clock raced under a minute.
FHS, which will travel to Triad on Friday, regained the ball with 34.9 ticks on the clock and went into victory formation.
“That was a big win,” said Cotter as his squad improved to 2-0 in the Ohio Heritage Conference North Division.
“It was a game between two evenly-matched teams,” he said. “Our offense ran the ball hard against their big boys up front and we completed some timely passes when we needed them.
“The guys never panicked and I’m just so proud of them.”