ARLINGTON — Class AAA No. 5-ranked Fairmont made a clean sweep of its five-game district schedule to capture the first-ever South Central Silver football championship Wednesday night.

Sophomore quarterback Zach Jorgensen eclipsed the 1,000-yard seasonal passing plateau by completing 10 of 15 tosses for 161 yards and two touchdowns, while the Josh Heinze-led defense limited the Sibley East Wolverines to only 98 yards of total offense to engineer a 42-8 district triumph in Arlington.

“Our guys came ready to play tonight, and we took care of business,” said Fairmont head coach Mat Mahoney, whose lineup closed out the regular season with a 7-1 overall record, including a perfect 5-0 district mark. “It’s a nice tribute to our seniors for all the hard work they’ve put in this season.

“Now we’ve accomplished the first of our goals by winning the district championship, and I’m assuming we locked up a first-round bye for the upcoming Section 3 playoffs.”

Fairmont awaits the final results of the minnesotascores.net’s QRF rankings that determine the seeding for the postseason. The Cardinals held the No. 2 spot in Section 3 behind No. 2-ranked Jackson County Central (8-0) prior to the MEA finale.

Sophomore trackster Hudson Artz took the district clash’s opening kickoff 35 yards to set up Fairmont’s five-play, 55-yard scoring drive.

Senior receiver Blake Buntjer made the first of his four catches on the night by settling under a 41-yard missile from Jorgensen to reach the Wolverines’ 2-yard line. Jorgensen then hammered across the goal line before Jack Hested’s PAT kick gave the Cardinals an early 7-0 lead with 10:02 remaining in the opening quarter.

Artz and Wyatt Frank later combined for a quarterback sack to stymie Sibley East’s initial possession at Fairmont’s 38 and forced a punt.

Both defenses held their ground until Fairmont assembled an incredible eight-play, 99-yard march downfield to paydirt. Jorgensen threaded a 9-yard out pass to Cale Steuber before the Cardinals’ signal-caller scrambled out of harm’s way for a 10-yard pickup largely due to offensive lineman Noah Rahm’s pancake block.

Jorgensen spotted favorite target Buntjer for a 9-yarder to reach the 34 before running a toss play to flanker Caden Baarts around left end. The fleet-footed Baarts high-stepped a defender, broke a tackle and left nothing but a vapor trail on his 66-yard TD sprint. Hested’s PAT kick doubled the Cardinals’ lead to 14-0 with 8:37 left before halftime.

Frank, Heinze and the Fairmont defense created a three-and-out series by Sibley East, and needed only three snaps to quickly extend the lead to 21-0. Jorgensen delivered a perfect between-the-numbers spiral to the speedy Buntjer along the hometown sideline and the 6-foot-5 senior end outraced the secondary on his 42-yard TD reception.

Tackle Jacob Rahn & Co. created another stonewall three-and-out defensive stand to give the Cardinals’ offense 3 minutes to widen the lead before intermission.

Jorgensen and Baarts covered 11 and 14 yards, respectively, on the ground before Jorgensen lofted a 24-yard TD pass to the 6-8 Frank. Hested’s PAT kick staked Fairmont to a 28-0 lead with 54 seconds left before halftime.

Steuber’s 20-yard punt return and ensuing 15-yard catch from Jorgensen set up Fairmont’s third-quarter scoring drive that helped create running time – a 35-point margin – in the final frame.Gavin Rodning’s 3-yard TD rush up the middle and Hested’s PAT kick capped the key march downfield.

Jorgensen then demonstrated his defensive prowess by intercepting Sibley East quarterback Caleb Dose’s pass and returning it 57 yards to the Wolverines’ 14. Jack Hested then lofted a 13-yard TD pass to Frank before kicking the PAT to cap the Cardinals’ point production on the night.

Fullback Cody Workman hammered his way into the end zone from 2 yards out to cap Sibley East’s only scoring drive, and Caleb Dose ran for the 2-point conversion with 6:16 left in regulation.

Running back Lincoln Carpenter rushed 16 times for a team-best 55 yards for the Wolverines, who ended the regular season with a 2-6 overall record.

Buntjer made four catches for 98 yards and one TD for the Cardinals, Baarts gained 87 yards and one score on only four totes, while reserve running back Noah Nelson chipped in 48 yards on six carries.

Fairmont 7 21 14 0 — 42

Sibley East 0 0 0 8 — 8

Scoring Plays

1st Quarter

FMT-Zach Jorgensen 2 run (Jack Hested kick), 10:02.

2nd Quarter

FMT-Caden Baarts 66 run (Hested kick), 8:37.

FMT-Blake Buntjer 42 pass from Jorgensen (Hested kick), 5:51.

FMT-Wyatt Frank 24 pass from Jorgensen (Hested kick), 0:54.

3rd Quarter

FMT-Gavin Rodning 3 run (Hested kick), 8:05.

FMT-Frank 13 pass from Hested (Hested kick), 3:28.

4th Quarter

SE-Cody Workman 2 run (Caleb Dose run), 6:16.

TEAM STATISTICS

First downs: Fairmont 13; Sibley East 6. Rushing: Fairmont 29-200; Sibley East 28-54. Passing: Fairmont 11-16-0-174; Sibley East 4-7-2-44. Fumbles-lost: Fairmont 1-1; Sibley East 1-1. Penalties: Fairmont 4-40; Sibley East 3-30.

INDIVIDUAL STATS

Offense: Rushing: Baarts (F) 4-87, Noah Nelson (F) 6-48; Lincoln Carpenter (SB) 16-55. Passing: Jorgensen (F) 10-15-0-161, Hested (F) 1-1-0-13; Caleb Dose (SE) 4-7-2-44. Receiving: Buntjer (F) 4-98, Cale Steuber (F) 4-31, Frank (F) 2-37; Lucas Dose (SE) 1-16.

Defense: Interceptions: Jorgensen (F) and Zach Soelter (F). Fumble recoveries: Josh Heinze (F) and Colin Chavez (SE). Forced fumble: Frank (F).