Gage Cyphers

FAIRMONT — After respective treks to Marshall and St. Peter during Weeks 1 and 2, Fairmont’s road warriors return to the friendly confines of Mahoney Field when the Cardinals (1-1) square off against the Jordan Hubmen (2-0) at 7 p.m. Friday night.

Ironically, Jordan kicked off the current campaign on the artificial turf at Ames Stadium in back-to-back fashion, facing Worthington for its season opener on Sept. 1 before playing host to New Ulm last Thursday.

“Offensively, Jordan hasn’t changed much in the way they like to spread the field and throw the football, but surprisingly, they ran much more during their first two games than in the past,” said Fairmont head coach Mat Mahoney.

Leo Siekmann, a 6-foot, 185-pound junior running back, produced a game-best 168 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries to help pace the Hubmen’s 41-13 triumph over Worthington during Week 1.

Quarterback Gavin Lloyd, a 6-3, 180-pound senior, contributed 48 rushing yards and one TD to Jordan’s opening win. Lloyd also connected with senior split end Nate Kes for scores of 13 and 20 yards, respectively, en route to a 100-yard passing performance at the Trojans’ expense.

“After watching the tape, we’ll have to be prepared to defend the pass and run equally,” said Mahoney, whose defensive unit limited St. Peter to just six points and countered by netting six points via Hank Artz’s 25-yard fumble return for a TD. “Jordan has been known for its ‘big-play’ capabilities, so we’ll definitely have to limit those on Friday night.”

Siekmann erupted for 121 yards and four more scores on 21 carries to help engineer Jordan’s 48-7 victory over New Ulm last Thursday night.

Junior Zach Olsen and senior Mack Schmidt contributed to the Hubmen’s 263-yard ground attack with 68 and 67 yards, respectively, on nine totes each.

Lloyd completed 10 of 16 passes for 126 yards, including a 10-yard scoring strike to split end Jack Olson, while Kes delivered an 86-yard kickoff return for six more points to open the third quarter against the Eagles.

Ironically, Landen Meyerdirk made a special-teams delivery for Fairmont, returning a kickoff 70 yards for a TD in a 32-6 victory over St. Peter last Saturday afternoon at Floyd B. Johnson Field.

Meyerdirk also crossed the goal line for two TDs to help rejuvenate a Cardinals’ ground game that amassed 229 yards on 38 carries.

“On offense, we developed some consistency and our execution within the line improved as the game progressed,” said Mahoney. “Defensively, we’ve given up only two touchdowns in as many games, so we’re pleased with that statistic so far.”

Fairmont lost its opener by a 10-0 decision to Marshall, which earned the No. 9 spot in this week’s Class 4A state rankings after rallying for an 8-7 comeback win over Waseca last Friday night.

“Monday, we spent time watching tape and our coaching staff did a nice job of teaching and working on correcting our mistakes, although we did a lot of good things in the win over St. Peter,” said Mahoney. “Now we just need to get a handle on our penalties. We’ve committed a total of 15 for 147 yards combined during our first two games, and that’s way too many.”

Fairmont travels to Waseca on Friday, Sept. 23, while Jordan plays host to St. Peter during Week 4.

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Tailgate Time

Profinium will sponsor the Fairmont football team’s initial Tailgate Party from 5:30-7 p.m. Friday night just outside the gates of Mahoney Field.

A BBQ sandwich, chips, cookie and beverage will cost $6, with all proceeds going to the Fairmont Booster Club.

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Retrospective

Fairmont posted a 41-18 victory over Jordan during the two non-district opponents’ clash in 2021. The Cardinals compete in the South Central White District, while the Hubmen play in the South Central Red District.

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State-Ranked

In addition to Marshall, Jordan received four points in the Minnesota Associated Press’ Class 4A poll in the ‘others receiving votes,’ while Fairmont netted three points and Waseca two in Class 3A.

Jackson County Central garnered the No. 6 spot and Blue Earth Area pocketed No. 8 in Class 2A, while Martin County West received two points in Class 1A.