Braxton Wilhelm (14) picks up yardage for Fairbanks against Benjamin Logan on Friday. The Panthers fell, 34-19.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Will Channell)
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Fairbanks’ 34-19 loss to Benjamin Logan Friday evening could best be summed up as a game of missed opportunities.
The Panthers dominated field position for much of the opening half, but could not capitalize on several drives that went into Raider territory.
“We missed a couple of scoring opportunities and gave up a big touchdown,” said FHS coach Patrick Cotter.
The Panthers stuck the ball into the end zone first, scoring on their initial possession of the 2017 season.
The Raiders couldn’t do much with the ball during the first four snaps of the game and shanked a punt that gave FHS possession on the Ben Logan 39.
The ensuing series was the only time the Panthers sustained a drive in enemy territory during the first half.
Quarterback Jacob Nicol hit passes to Gatlin Luke and Tyler Beem that moved the ball down to the one-yard-line.
From there, the FHS signal-caller plunged into the end zone for the touchdown at the 9:41 mark of the opening quarter.
Megan Olson, playing in her first-ever varsity football game, booted the extra point, giving FHS a 7-0 lead.
The Raiders did not take long to respond with a touchdown of their own.
Quarterback Derek Coy ran for 25 yards up to near midfield. He then flicked a 51-yard scoring strike to Grant Ward, pulling the visitors to within 7-6.
Mitch Vance then took the ball on a reverse for the two-point conversion that gave the Raiders an 8-7 lead.
The remainder of the opening period went by with both squads exchanging punts.
Fairbanks started two ensuing possessions in Raider territory, but came up empty as Ben Logan nursed its one-point margin through the end of the quarter.
The free exchange of possessions continued into the ensuing stanza.
Both teams lost the ball on interceptions.
Nicol was picked off by Nathan Beikman, while Fairbanks’ Brian Higinbotham swiped a pass thrown by Coy.
Higinbotham’s pick set up Fairbanks on the Raider eight-yard line.
The series regressed, however, when Nicol threw a pair of incomplete passes and then was sacked all the way back to the 18-yard-line.
Olson was summoned for a field-goal attempt.
The Lady Panther soccer player was on the money as she nudged the ball over the cross bar for a field goal that gave FHS a 10-8 lead.
“Megan worked hard all summer and did a great job tonight,” said Cotter.
Just how did Olson get hooked up with football?
“Keith (FHS trainer Tebbe) and Mr. Newell (former athletic director Joe) told me I should give it a try,” said Olson. “I also talked to my Grandpa about it before he passed away (in April). He said I should do it.
“It was exciting to hear the crowd cheer and it was a lot of fun.”
Once again, the Panthers’ lead was short-lived.
Aided by an FHS personal foul penalty, the Raiders went 63 yards in four plays. The series was capped by Cole Waugh’s 38-yard run into the end zone.
The two-point conversion failed, leaving Ben Logan up 14-10.
The lengthy first half ended with the teams swapping possessions.
The Raiders put some distance between themselves and the Panthers with Coy’s six-yard TD run on their first possession of the third quarter.
The two-point conversion failed, but BL held a 20-10 lead.
FHS’s next series resulted in a 25-yard field goal by Olson, slicing the deficit to 20-13.
Ben Logan lost the ball on its next series when FHS’ Dylan Stage recovered a fumble.
The Panther offense bogged down and Alex Adkins was forced to punt.
Benjamin Logan expanded its lead to 26-13 when Coy found Ben Whitten for a 15-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, but the Raiders took the 13-point lead into the final period.
The Panthers got the ball deep into BL territory, but eventually lost the ball on downs.
The Raiders had to start from their own five-yard-line after an illegal substitution infraction.
On the next snap, Waugh took the handoff from Coy and went through the Panther defense like a hot knife through butter.
He didn’t stop until he had rambled 95 yards for the touchdown.
Coy then connected with Grant Ward for the two-point conversion that gave the visitors a 34-13 advantage.
After several more exchanges in possessions, the Panthers scored a late-game touchdown on backup quarterback Mason Cushman’s one-yard plunge into the end zone.
“I think our defense played fairly well,” said Cotter. “Charlie Scheiderer had a great game and Brian Higinbotham came up with two interceptions.
“Our defense, though, was put into a couple of bad spots as far as field position.
“We made some fundamental mistakes that we need to correct and get ready for next Friday’s game at Fisher Catholic.”