Above, solid Fairbanks gang-tackling slows Golden Eagle running back Ryan Bevington. Madison-Plains was able to move the ball and Bevington rolled to 132 yards on 21 carries. The Fairbanks defense stood tall when its back was against the wall in Friday’s 35-20 win.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Mac Cordell)
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Following his team’s loss last week to Greenview, Fairbanks head football coach Patrick Cotter lamented his team’s inability to finish drives.
The Panthers must have worked on the issue because it was a strong fourth quarter and hard-nosed fourth down defense that pushed them to a 35-20 win over Madison-Plains on Friday night.
“Some good things happened. Some bad things happened,” Cotter said. “We never gave up.”
He called the win, “a great team game.”
Fairbanks led 21-20 as the third quarter ended in Milford Center and the matter was still very much in doubt.
“I just told them not to give up, to keep going, great things are going to happen,” said Cotter.
Less than a minute into the final stanza, Fairbanks took possession and began a 10-play march to the end zone.
Senior signal caller Jacob Nicol ran for 32 yards on the drive and completed three-of-five pass attempts, the last being an 11-yard toss to Tyler Beem. He went up and caught the ball at its high point in the front right corner of the end zone.
Megan Olson booted the extra point and the home team led 28-20 with 8:41 to play in the game.
On the ensuing Golden Eagles’ possession, Fairbanks forced Madison-Plains into a fourth-and-seven deep in its own territory. On the down, Plains quarterback Jarrett Vallery dropped back to pass and while he was looking for a receiver, dropped the ball behind him. He recovered it at the 16-yard line, but Fairbanks took over possession.
Nicol put the game out of reach three plays later when he kept the ball on sprinted into the end zone from 11 yards out. The extra point gave Fairbanks the final 35-20 margin.
Madison-Plains opened the game with a 14-play drive, marching to the Fairbanks two-yard line. On fourth down, Vallery was sacked by Beem to end the threat.
The Eagles held Fairbanks on its opening possession and drove into the red zone on their second possession. Once again, the Panther defense rose up.
On third down, Mason Cushman tackled Ryan Bevington behind the line of scrimmage, forcing a fourth- and -seven. On that down, Vallery found receiver Isaac Puckett, but safety Josh Powell jarred the ball lose before he could corral it.
The Panthers took advantage of the momentum swing. Nicol completed four consecutive passes, then sprinted 40 yards to put his team on the doorstep.
On the next play, wing Chase Litzke zipped around the right side of the line and into the scoring column with a four-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter.
Fairbanks extended its lead minutes later. On third down from the Eagle 24, Nicol waggled left, pulled up at the sideline and floated a pass that dropped over the linebacker and into Beem’s waiting hands at the six. Beem, who was behind the defense, turned and walked untouched, into the end zone.
The Eagles, not wanting to go into the lockers with a goose egg, lit their side of the scoreboard with 2:21 to play in the half on a 20-yard steamroll into the end zone by Bevington.
It took the visitors less than 90 seconds to return to paydirt.
Following a fumble by Nicol inside Panther territory, Powell pushed his way over the goal line with 50 seconds to play. Two-point conversion attempts following both Plains’ scores failed and the half ended with Fairbanks ahead 14-12.
The Panthers used a 13-play drive in the third quarter to take a 21-12 lead. Nicol notched the score on a 10-yard sprint draw.
Not to be outdone, the Eagles also added a score before the third quarter came to an end. Vallery moved his team into position with a 44-yard pass to Bevington on a wheel route out of the backfield. Bevington blasted the final 24 yards into the end zone on a backside draw play. Vallery followed Bevington into the end zone on the two-point try, narrowing the gap to 21-20 and setting up the Panthers’ dominant fourth quarter.
Cotter said his defense stepped up when it was time against a potent Plains’ offense.
“That entire defense played their hearts out,” Cotter said.
With the win, Fairbanks’ first in their new conference, the Panthers even their record at 2-2 and 1-1 in the Ohio Heritage Conference. They will travel to South Charleston next week to take on the Southeastern Trojans (3-1, 1-1) in conference play.
“We are going to keep hammering fundamentals and never give up,” Cotter said.