Fairbanks defensive back Riordin Stauffer breaks up a Springfield Catholic Central pass play Friday evening. The Panthers opened the season with a 50-6 victory.
—
All week long, it appeared as though Mother Nature might add insult to injury Friday evening.
High school football teams throughout the area kicked off their coronavirus-shortened regular seasons.
The weather was forecast to add additional problems with the threat of thunderstorms.
The only thunder and lightning heard and seen at Springfield Catholic Central, however, was Fairbanks’ offense.
After a slow, first-quarter start, the Panthers kicked their offense into overdrive with a 50-6 victory.
“We started slowly because we really didn’t know what to expect from them,” said Panther head coach Patrick Cotter. “They didn’t scrimmage last week, so we didn’t have any film to watch.”
SCC employed the Wing T offense and used a 4-3 defensive alignment.
Those configurations are similar to what the Panthers use.
“It took us a couple of series, but we were ready to rock and roll after that,” said Cotter.
The first quarter ended in a 0-0 stalemate as both squads swapped punts.
The Panthers’ final possession of the opening stanza led to their first touchdown early in the ensuing period.
FHS started on its own 35 and Riordin Stauffer did most of the heavy lifting to get down to the SCC 30 by the end of the quarter.
Quarterback Ethan Kise capped the series by firing a 20-yard scoring strike to Grant Rausch early in the second stanza.
Cade Ziegler’s extra point gave Fairbanks a 7-0 lead.
The young Irish, who have 23 freshmen on a roster of 26, once again had to punt after gaining short yardage.
FHS later misfired on a couple plays due to holding.
The Panthers, though, regained momentum and scored when Braylon Green finished a 66-yard touchdown toss from Kise.
Ziegler was just a bit off on the conversion, leaving Fairbanks up 13-0.
Another SCC punt left the Panthers on their own 28-yard-line.
Brogan Green, who went on to rush for 107 yards, took command of the ground attack.
He ripped off huge chunks of real estate and ended the drive with a 22-yard burst through the Irish defense.
Ziegler’s extra point lifted the Panthers to a 20-0 margin.
SCC’s next series ended when Stauffer intercepted a pass thrown by Irish QB Ty Myers Jr.
Fairbanks’ ensuing drive stalled down in Irish territory.
Ziegler, though, swung his powerful right leg for a 38-yard field goal that sent the Panthers into the turn with a 23-0 lead.
It didn’t take the Panthers long to go up by 30 points and invoke the running clock rule.
The Irish punted from their own end zone after three plays into the third quarter.
FHS took over on SCC’s 35-yard-line.
Rausch ended the three-play series with a nine-yard scoring run.
Ziegler’s extra point pushed Fairbanks out to a 30-0 lead.
As a result, the timer continued to run for the remainder of the game.
Fairbanks added scores on Brogan Green’s 22-yard run and a 41-yard interception return by Rausch.
As such, the Panthers took a commanding 43-0 lead after a fast-moving third quarter.
Mazen Green put FHS’ final touchdown on the board with an 11-yard run in the fourth set.
Ziegler ended the Panthers’ scoring with another PAT.
The Irish, who have now lost 25 consecutive games, avoided the shutdown with a late touchdown.
Myers hit Tre’Von King with a 74-yard scoring strike.
SCC attempted a two-point conversion that failed.
The Panthers will host Northeastern on Friday.