FAIRVIEW, Ala. – Fairview hosted Russellville for a regional matchup with big postseason implications Friday night, and it ended being another great one between these two squads. The score was knotted at 14 at halftime but the Aggies came out strong in the second half to pull ahead 35-21 and fended off the Tigers down the stretch the secure a 35-28 win.
Russellville got the ball first to start out the game, and they struck gold on its opening series, as a 56-yard touchdown pass gave them the early lead less than a minute into the contest. Fairview looked to respond on its opening drive. A big run by Jake Harper gave them a first down at the 46, but two plays later, a touchdown got called back because of a penalty. Later on in that drive, the Aggies were faced with a fourth and seven from the 43, and they ran a trick play. Kolt Redding gave the ball to Rex Chandler, who then proceeded to find a wide-open Ayden Batz in the end zone for a 43-yard score to tie things up at seven with 7:53 remaining in the first quarter.
Some big plays by the Golden Tigers on its next drive put them in position to score another touchdown, but a holding penalty and two straight incompletions had them settling for a field goal. They missed it, and the score remained knotted up at seven. The Aggie offense went on a long methodical drive on its next possession. Redding found Batz for eight yards to start out the drive, then the trio of Harper, Redding, and Rex Chandler helped them get to the 28. After Redding found Conner Scott for eight yards, Fairview kept it on the ground the rest of the way. Jace Stevens ended up scoring from 13 yards out to give them a 14-7 lead with 8:53 remaining in the first half. A pair of big plays by Russellville quickly got them past midfield, and they finished things off with a 28-yard touchdown pass to tie it up at 14. Neither team was able to break the tie after that, as the game was tied at 14 at the half.
Fairview kept the ball on the ground to start out the second half, as the Redding/Harper duo helped them get to the 42. Two plays later, Redding converted a huge fourth down to help keep their drive alive. The running game continued to wear down Russellville’s defense, and Harper finished off the drive with a three-yard score up the middle to give the Aggies a 21-14 lead. A quick three-and-out gave the ball to Fairview, and back-to-back big runs by Harper and Stevens quickly had them on the doorstep of another score. Three straight carries by Chandler put the Aggies at the 16. A holding penalty nullified a rushing touchdown, but three plays later, Harper wasn’t going to be denied this time, as his 10-yard score extended their lead to 28-14.
The Golden Tigers went on a long, methodical drive of their own, which included a pair of third-down conversion, and one fourth-down conversion. They ended up scoring on a five-yard touchdown pass to cut it to 28-21 with less than six minutes to go in the contest. Fairview quickly responded on its next drive, as Harper found a big hole on the right side and scored on a 42-yard run to make it a 35-21 game. Russellville was far from done, though. They continued to give the Aggie defense fits through the air, and a 20-yard touchdown pass made it a one-score game again with 1:52 remaining in the game. A penalty on the kickoff gave the ball to Fairview, and a Harper first down helped seal a huge, 35-28 region win for the Aggies.
Harper finished with 164 yards on 25 carries and three touchdowns. Chandler finished with the 43-yard touchdown pass, and Stevens added a score on the ground.
Fairview (6-0) will be on the road next week for another region game at Priceville.
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