FAIRVIEW, Ala. – The Aggies were at Dafford Smith Stadium hosting Fairfield in the opening round of the 5A State Playoffs Friday night and in a game that looked to be over, yet turned into an instant classic, Fairview made one last play on a Fairfield two-point conversion to seal a thrilling, 30-28 win in the 5A playoffs and advance to round two.
Despite being the hosting team Fairview felt everyone viewed them as the underdog all week and Fairfield treated them as such before the game. From dancing all over the field in pregame to entering the field on Fairview’s sideline to smack talk all game long Fairfield showed they didn’t have much respect for Aggies. And in Michael Jordan fashion they “took that personal.”
To open the game Fairview used the ground and pound combination of quarterback Parker Martin and running back Eli Frost. After four first downs Frost punched it in on the 11th play of the drive from three yards out for an early 7-0 lead that took nearly five minutes off the clock.
Fairfield would respond with their own lengthy drive of 12 plays before finally connecting on an 18-yard touchdown pass. The point after would be blocked and Fairview would take a 7-6 lead into the second half.
The Aggies went right back to work with the same gameplan, feed No. 3 and No. 9 all the way to the endzone. Again, converting four first downs, Fairview marched 62 yards in 12 plays, where Frost would again find paydirt, this time from 2 yards out. The extra point would be blocked for a 13-7 game.
The next few series would shape much of the game. Frost and fellow sophomore star Jameson Goble would each made big stops to force a punt, giving Fairview the ball with a few minutes to go in the half with a chance to take a two-possession lead. Ultimately, penalties plagued the ensuing drive and Fairview had to punt after the three and out.
The Tigers methodically pieced together a two-minute drill and drove down to score with just over a minute to go in the half. After the blocked extra point Fairfield elected to go for the two-point conversion and would convert it on a pass to Ja’Kobi Albert, an Auburn commit. Momentum seemed to shift as the Tigers went into the half up 14-13 with the ball coming to them in the second half.
Fairview’s defense would come out and come up with a huge fumble recovery, by Dalton Payne. Starting in Fairfield territory on the 33-yard line, the drive looked like it may come up empty after a couple of false start penalties. Facing fourth and two from the 25 Martin put together an ‘ESPN Top 10’ play breaking tackle after tackle and driving about four Fairfield players to the 13-yard line. The Tiger defense came up with three big stops and came down to one player to make sure Fairview came away with some points and the lead, Elijah Guyton.
All year Guyton has been the secret weapon for the Aggies. He’s been knocking in extra point after extra point, kicking touchback after touchback, and he has two 30+ yarders under his belt on the field goals. Facing a 27-yard field goal, in the most pressured moment of the year, Guyton drilled it straight through the uprights giving Fairview an 16-14 lead.
The following Tiger drive Payne would deliver a huge hit and the Fairfield would have a big decision to make on fourth and seven from their own 45. An incomplete pass later the Aggies would again takeover in Fairfield territory. Going back to Frost and Martin they went down in seven plays and Martin ran it in from 6 yards to put the Aggies on top 23-14 with 11:53 to go in the fourth.
Desperation began to set in for the Tigers after Simmons and fellow senior Ethan Bice came up with a sack that put Fairfield at fourth and 21 pinned deep in their own territory. Electing to punt, Fairfield gave the Aggies the ball once more and the run game went right back to work. This time Simmons came in with fresh legs and was able to score from a yard out for what looked to be the last nail in the coffin. In the words of Lee Corso, “Not so fast my friend.”
Down 30-14 Fairfield went to its west coast attack and quickly went down and scored on a 7-yard touchdown pass to the Auburn commit, also grabbing the two-point conversion. Now 30-22, Fairfield kicked an onside kick and recovered it at mid field with just under four minutes to play.
Despite three penalties the Tigers found themselves on fourth and four with the game on the line. In a play that perhaps is the reason Auburn signed him, Albert reached over the Aggie defender on a deep ball and snatched it for a 38-yard reception that gave Fairfield the ball on the 7-yard line with a minute to go in the game. Fairview’s defense would come up with three straight big plays forcing a fourth and goal from the 16-yard line. After scrambling around, the Tigers’ quarterback finally found his favorite target for another touchdown making it 30-28 with 18 ticks left on the clock.
Looking to force overtime, Fairfield lined up for yet again in what’s known as “the swinging gate.” The Tiger quarterback would take the snap on the two-point conversion, fake the pitch, scramble to his right, and deliver a pass that the Fairfield receiver would catch trapped behind him and the ground. The referee paused for a moment, with the entire stadium quiet as it be. “Incomplete” as the ref crossed his arms, and the home crowd erupted, and the Aggie sideline went into a frenzy. Fairview would recover the onside kick attempt and take one knee to seal the win.
It was clear from beginning to end that Fairview had a game plan. For the defense, don’t give up the big play, keep everything in front, and make them earn every yard. And for the offense, chip away 3, 4, 5 yards at a time and pound it down their throats. Coach Redding had this to say on his kid’s execution, “We knew after all the stuff, the dancing, the fireworks, and everything it would boil down to ‘who has a plan.’,” Redding said. “And our guys just bought in and believed.”
Martin echoed his head coach, “We knew we were underdogs and didn’t have anything to lose. We just went out there with a plan and gave it everything we had,” Martin said. “We clearly made some mistakes, but we did just enough to get the win.”
Frost, who was banged up for much of the game, continued to play through the pain and ultimately broke 1,000 yards on the season. He had this to say on playing through the pain and delivering huge plays throughout the night, “It’s bigger than me. I knew I had to play for these guys tonight, but hey, do me a favor,” Frost said. “Tell everyone how amazing my line is because they’re the best out there.”
That line helped give Frost 111 yards on the night and two touchdowns. Martin added 94 more on the ground and a touchdown, while Simmons totaled 39 and a touchdown. Payne came up with two clutch receptions that led to key first downs. With Guyton’s 27-yard field goal being the difference maker,
Fairview is advancing to the second round of the 5A state playoffs for the third year in a row and will travel to No. 9 Russellville to take on the Golden Tigers next week.
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