Fairmont falls to Waseca in nail-biter

ABOVE: Fairmont’s Brett Williams runs back an interception for 53 yards against Waseca during a South District football game Wednesday in Waseca.

WASECA – Despite two defensive touchdowns to take the lead going into the fourth quarter, Fairmont fell just short of defeating Waseca, with a missed field goal as time expired allowing Waseca to hold onto a 20-19 win in a South District football game on Wednesday.

“There’s no such thing as a moral victory,” said Fairmont football head coach Mat Mahoney. “I was very proud of how our boys played in the second half. They fought to the end, but at the end of the day, we just couldn’t get off the field on third down and that’s what it came down to.”

The first quarter was a battle of field position where the Cardinals found themselves pinned in their own half of the field for the majority of time. The Cardinals made an opening-drive defensive stand, getting the ball into the offense’s hands. Fairmont started in usual fashion trying to establish the run early, but with 6:51 left in the quarter, Elijah Johnson took a hard hit that knocked the ball loose before it was recovered by Koltyn Quillen of the Bluejays. Taking over possession on the Fairmont 23-yard line, Waseca strung together a couple of plays before a quarterback keeper gave Kellen Klinger a 1-yard rushing touchdown, taking the 7-0 lead.

The Cardinals offense stuck with the run on their second possession, where Johnson started to get going with two carries for 19 yards before another fumble ended the first quarter.

The Cardinal defense kept the Bluejays out of the endzone with the help of a batted pass by Hadan Toomer. The Cardinals were forced to punt the ball back, however, handing the ball over on their own 49 yard line. Despite the good field position for the Bluejays, the Cardinals were able to force a fumble, which was recovered by Ivan Martin to regain possession for Fairmont. A quick four-and-out gave the ball to Waseca, and this time they were able to capitalize with Klinger connecting with Carson Ohnstad for the second score of the night to go up 14-0 before the whistle blew on the first half.

The Cardinals came out fired up in the third quarter with a five-minute drive, putting them in scoring position. The 85-yard drive featured Johnson with a total of 84 yards on the ground and scoring the Cardinals first touchdown of the night, cutting the Bluejays lead in half. On the responding drive, the Bluejays found themselves at the 50-yard line before a tipped pass landed in the hands of the Cardinals’ Brett Williams, who took it 57 yards to the endzone. After a blocked extra point, the Cards were only trailing by 1 point 14-13 with 5:15 left in the quarter. That lead was short-lived, as the Bluejays were stringing together a drive until Nolan Schultze picked off Klinger in the endzone and returned it for a 103-yard pick-6 for Fairmont’s second defensive touchdown, and after the extra point the Cardinals had taken a 19-14 lead headed into the fourth quarter.

The final quarter was a defensive battle until the final two minutes, when Waseca was able to score to go up 20-19. A short kick set the Cardinals up at the 50-yard line. Long connected with Johnson for a 37-yard pass with three seconds left on the clock. The Cardinals set up to take a shot at the win by sending out the field goal unit. The snap was good, but the ball carried wide left, ending the game with a 20-19 win for the Bluejays.