Gatlin Luke of Fairbanks races for yardage at Madison Plains on Friday. The Panthers beat the Eagles, 56-14.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Mac Cordell)
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Fairbanks Head Coach Patrick Cotter said he was pleased with his team’s performance Friday night.
“We played well. Like all games, there was good, bad and ugly,” Cotter said following his squad’s 56-14 win over Ohio Heritage Conference foe Madison-Plains. “Tonight, there was a lot of good, a little bit of bad and a very little bit of ugly. It was a lot of good.”
The good for the Panther offense started on the game’s first possession. Fairbanks used a mix of running and passing, even converting a fourth and short situation. On the ensuing first down, just inside Madison-Plains territory, Panther quarterback Jacob Nicol scrambled out of trouble and found a wide-open Tyler Beem inside the 10. Beem went up to snatch the ball, turned and went untouched into the endzone. Cade Ziegler booted the extra point and with just 3:03 played, Fairbanks had a 7-0 lead.
The teams traded possessions before the home team took an 8-6 lead early in the second quarter. Madison-Plains Tailback Kostas Xenikis capped a short drive, following his line into the endzone from two yards out. Quarterback Jarrett Vallery found a seam and got in for the two-point conversion with 10:50 remaining in the second quarter.
The Panthers did not allow their hosts to hold the lead long. On the ensuing drive, Nicol found Braeden Fairchild on a short pass. Fairchild used a block from Beem and sprinted past the remaining defenders for a 27-yard score. Ziegler booted the extra point and with 9:35 in the half, Fairbanks had the lead again at 14-8.
The Eagles went three and out on their next possession.
“They came out with a lot of movement, some different looks, but it was all window dressing and even with everything, they were running exactly what we told them they would,” Cotter said. “We got our kids calmed down and got some things figured out and I think we did a good job of making adjustments.”
With 6:53 before halftime, Nicol threw his third touchdown of the game, a five-yard strike to Beem on the outside slant. His fourth scoring pass came less than three minutes later. Gatlin Luke took a quick slant pass and turned up the center of the field, running untouched through the defense for the long touchdown pass.
Nicol capped the half’s scoring with 1:20 to play. The senior signal caller scrambled to his left, began directing traffic downfield, getting Wyatt Damron to cross the front of the endzone. Nicol fired a low laser pass that Damron slid to catch. Ziegler’s fifth PAT of the half gave the boys in red and white a 35-8 advantage.
“Our passing game opened up a little bit this week,” Cotter said. “Our receivers did a good job catching the ball.”
The Golden Eagles used a 14-play drive to get back in the scoring column. Vallery got the drive’s final yard pushing into the endzone with 5:16 in the third quarter.
As they did the last time, the Panthers answered quickly. On the second play of their drive, Nicol heaved the ball deep to Beem all alone on the visitors’ sideline. Beem turned and jogged into the endzone. At one point Beem actually dropped the ball, but so alone was he, that he was able to grab it on the bounce and continue running to the endzone.
Vallery was hurt on the next Madison-Plains drive. Second-team quarterback Isaac Puckett fumbled the second snap from the Fairbanks 48-yard line. A host of Panther defenders was there to snatch the ball and return it to the endone. Ziegler gave his team a 49-14 lead with 2:55 to play in the third quarter.
Freshman Riordin Stauffer earned the game’s final touchdown. On second and 10 from the Madison-Plains 10, Stauffer blasted into the hole, spun free of a would be tackler and sprinted into the endzone. Ziegler’s kick set the final score at 56-14.
“I think our kids played tough and played well on both sides of the ball,” Cotter said.
He noted that his offensive and defensive lines played well, but often do not get enough credit.
“You can’t identify one person out of that unit because they play together and play for each other. All of our units do that so it’s hard to identify one player. It is a unit.”
Fairbanks moves to 2-2 on the season and will host Southeastern next week. The Trojans, 1-3, defeated Northeastern on Friday.
“We always enjoy playing them and playing against a Payton Printz team,” Cotter said. “We will take the good things we did, try to continue to do them and make them great.”