Fairmont Senior's comeback falls short 21-19 against Morgantown
Oct. 6—FAIRMONT — One of the biggest high school football games of the season in West Virginia played out that way Friday night at East-West Stadium.
As the fog rolled into East-West Stadium at the end of the game, Fairmont Senior — ranked third in AA — had its comeback attempt fall just short as Morgantown — ranked sixth in AAA — walked away victorious 21-19.
"It's a hard-fought game on both sides of the ball," Fairmont Senior's Dylan Ours said. "They played great. Think we played some great football too. Definitely not the best football we've played. But all around I'm happy with the rest of the 10 people on the field with me. They played good games."
Ours struggled in the run game against Morgantown, gaining 22 yards on 11 carries. He made an impact on the receiving end, making eight catches for 149 yards and a touchdown. He also snagged an interception on defense.
Junior quarterback Brody Whitehair went 16-for-21 for 268 yards and three passing touchdowns. Junior receiver Cannon Dinger had six receptions for 63 yards, and junior receiver Navaughn Jones had two receptions for 34 yards and two touchdowns.
Unfortunately, Morgantown gained 230 yards on the ground and scored three rushing touchdowns. The Mohigans converted all three point-after attempts, while Fairmont Senior went one for two on point after kicks and failed to convert on a two-point attempt, the difference maker in the game.
"Morgantown is a tough opponent by all means," Ours said. "Top class AAA team right now. It's no easy matchup, and for us to come out and have that good of a game against that team, I'm proud of my team for doing that."
Fairmont Senior received the opening kickoff, and its offense looked like a well-oiled machine on its first drive. After being aided by a few Morgantown penalties, Whitehair found Jones down the middle on third and goal from the nine for the score. Cam Peschl's point after gave the Polar Bears a 7-0 lead with 8:05 left in the first quarter.
It took until the second quarter for Morgantown to respond, but it responded loudly. Junior running back AJ Thomas punched the ball in from a yard out to tie the game 7-7, and after Morgantown recovered the ensuing kickoff, senior running back Caleb Nutter got a one-yard rushing touchdown of his own, making it 14-7 Morgantown with 6:14 before halftime.
The Polar Bears had two chances to get those points back before halftime, but Peschl's 30-yard field goal attempt went wide right, and the offense couldn't get points after Ours' interception, turning the ball over on down in the waning seconds of the first half, entering halftime down 14-7.
The Mohigans received the second-half kickoff and took seven minutes to complete their drive. Thomas scored his second rushing touchdown of the game for Morgantown, this time from two yards out. Morgantown took a 21-7 lead, but Fairmont Senior didn't back down from being down two scores.
With 2:28 to go in the third, Whitehair found Ours on a screen pass when it was 2nd and 18 for the Polar Bears. Ours, with blocking from his offensive line, broke free and took the screen 64 yards for a touchdown. Unfortunately, Peschl's extra point attempt went wide right too, leaving Fairmont Senior down 21-13.
Fairmont Senior managed to stop Morgantown on fourth down not once but twice in the fourth quarter, providing a spark of hope for the home team. Whitehair and Ours continued to move the ball down field through the air, and the seven-play drive culminated in a 25-yard touchdown pass from Whitehair to Jones, making it 21-19.
Needing just two points to tie, Fairmont Senior went for two after the touchdown, but Whitehair couldn't get away from Morgantown's defensive line, failing to get the two points to tie.
Morgantown chewed clock for the rest of the game, using its trio of Thomas, Nutter and Bobby Powell to move the ball on the ground. Fairmont Senior had one last chance to stop Morgantown, but on 4th and two for the Mohigans, the Polar Bears jumped offsides, sealing the game away.
"They're a big, fast, strong team and physical," Fairmont Senior coach Nick Bartic said. "I feel like we matched their physicality all night. And we got a lot of guys who play both ways. I feel like we really didn't ultimately wear down. Guys get tired and all that, but ultimately they sucked it up and didn't wear down strong to the end."
Fairmont Senior (5-2) hopes to get back on track after the loss to Morgantown (5-1). The Polar Bears host Pittsburgh's Carrick High School next Friday, Oct. 13 at East-West Stadium for homecoming. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Reach Colin C. Rhodes at 304-367-2548
