ABOVE: Owen Terfehr tosses the ball to the referee after completing a catch during Fairmont’s first drive against Worthington on Friday night.

FAIRMONT – Mistakes are meant to happen for any team knocking off the rust for their respective first game of the season.

In fact, Fairmont football head coach Mat Mahoney expected a few mishaps to happen during his team’s first game of the year against the Worthington Trojans.

While Mahoney could nitpick a handful of items he wants to see the Cardinals improve on going forward, there wasn’t much to complain about during Friday night’s 47-0 victory over the Trojans.

Fairmont opened the game scoring 24 points in the first half, tacking on a pair of touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters, and holding the Worthington offense to just a handful of first downs.

“We really played textbook football tonight,” Mahoney said. “We mastered the game plan offensively, defensively, and special teams. Still some things we need to work on and fix, but overall, we just dominated the line of scrimmage and were the more physical football team.”

The Cardinals got things going right away after choosing to receive the first-half kickoff.

Fans got to see a steady presence of new running back Cole Brockmann early, starting things off with a pair of 10-yard runs to set the tone at Mahoney Field.

After quarterback Joe Long connected with Owen Terfehr for a reception deep into Trojan territory, Tavian Harvey finished things off with a touchdown catch in the left end zone at the 10-minute mark.

“It was just fun to watch,” Mahoney said, referring to Fairmont’s four-play opening touchdown drive. “These guys put in so much time and effort, and then for them to come back out here and watch them execute like they did, it’s fun as a coach.”

However, it wasn’t just the Cardinal offense executing at a high level early and often.

Mahoney’s defense followed the touchdown with a fast three-and-out on Worthington, forcing a quick punt and giving the ball back to the offense.

This was a common theme throughout the night, as the Trojans failed to get a first down until midway through the fourth quarter.

Fairmont capped off its 12-play second drive with a Long connection to fullback Macklain Anderson out of the backfield with 3 minutes left in the first quarter.

After Brockmann punched in Fairmont deep into scoring position on the team’s third drive with four consecutive runs, the tailback was rewarded with a one-yard touchdown run to start the second quarter, his first of the season.

The new Cardinal tailback kick-started both of these possessions. Tallying 11 carries, the senior continuously stacked together five, seven, and 10-yard runs behind the steady presence of his offensive line.

“He did a great job,” Mahoney said. “For not being in this position in years past and for him to be able to go out and execute, it was fun to watch the kid, and he has worked super hard in the offseason.”

The next two drives for Fairmont saw the offense see its only lull of the night after back-to-back interceptions by Worthington’s Fino Noeno, one coming off an untimely tipped pass.

But Cardinal defense never gave up, however, forcing a timely turnover to propel the offense into scoring position.

With the ball on their own 22-yard line, the Cardinal defensive pressure got home on Trojan quarterback Isaiah Schroeder. Fairmont ripped the ball out of the Worthington play-caller on a pass rush, falling right in the hands of Terfehr for the unit’s first of two takeaways forced.

Following a nine-yard jet sweep run by wide receiver Jordan Thompson, running back Ty Tumbleson pushed the ball over the goal line to make it a 27-point lead following an extra point.

Fairmont got the ball back with two minutes left in the half. Using an up-tempo style of offense, the Cardinals marched their way down to the Trojan 14-yard line. Long capped off the drive with a quick swing pass to Brockmann, who wheeled his way down the sideline before diving for the pile-on and giving his team a 34-0 halftime lead.

The Cardinal defense started the second half with more firepower after Brayden Williamson intercepted Schroeder for his second turnover of the night.

Running back Keyon Schultz took advantage of the opportunity on the very next play. After receiving the handoff, the sophomore dashed through the hole down the right sideline, scoring yet another Fairmont touchdown.

Quarterback Mason Bicknase capped off the offensive barrage with a goal-line touchdown run at the 10-minute mark of the fourth quarter to balloon the lead 47-0.

Brockman finished his night with 18 rushes for 149 total yards and two touchdowns. Long completed eight passes for 83 yards and three touchdowns.

Proceeding the game, while crediting the entire team with Friday’s victory, Mahoney was most impressed with the work from his offensive line. The group of upperclassmen guided Cardinal tailbacks throughout the contest, limiting errors and imposing their will on the Trojan defensive front.

“I don’t know how many mistakes we made on our offensive line,” Mahoney said. “They did just an outstanding job, and I told them two times, at halftime and postgame, how well they played.”

Fairmont continues its season next week with another home competition against New Ulm High School. Kickoff at Mahoney Field is set to begin at 7 p.m.