ABOVE: The Fairmont High School football defensive line prepares for its upcoming opponent by walking through different formations and schemes during Monday afternoon’s practice. The team travels to Floyd B Johnson Memorial Field/Track to take on St. Peter this Wednesday.

FAIRMONT – With the eighth and final week of the prep football regular season here, teams are preparing to gear up for their respective final competitions before section tournament play begins early next week.

For the Fairmont Cardinals, it’s an opportunity to bounce back again after falling 35-7 last Friday to Tri-City United.

The Cardinals dropped to 4-3 on the year with the loss. Despite running back Dakota Wiley scoring a touchdown in the second quarter to cut the Titans’ lead to 14-7, Fairmont’s efforts proved to be not enough.

“We overlooked them,” head coach Mat Mahoney said. “They played hard for 48 minutes, and we just did not. It was just a tough loss in every capacity. The coaches feel bad, the kids feel bad, but the good thing is that the sun came up the next day, and we are moving on.”

The Cardinals will face a significant test to close out the regular season Wednesday, taking on a St. Peter Saints team with a 6-1 record. Winners of their past six games, the Saints have dominated teams in all three phases of the game.

This is the first time the Saints have been above .500 since the 2018-2019 season when they finished with a 6-4 record.

Mahoney’s first remarks about this week’s opponent were the overall depth St. Peter possesses in all sides of the game, mentioning that each position group had skilled players who will pose a threat in their respective positions.

“They [St. Peter] have a lot of good players, like all around,” Mahoney said. “At every level, they don’t really have a weakness on either side of the ball. So they are very solid in all categories; their kicking, defense and offense are good.”

Starting on the offensive side of the ball, the Saints have averaged 27 points per contest while breaking the 30-point mark three times thus far into the season against the likes of Worthington, Tri-City United and Belle Plaine.

Quarterback Alex Korir leads the Saints’ unit as the man under center. The junior has been the focal point of an offense that generally likes to spread opponents out on the outside, using horizontal route combinations and an occasional deep shot to keep opponents on their heels.

Brody Whipps and Ryan Moelter are faces to look out for in the running back position, with wide receivers Carter Wills, Ian Wills and Finley Olson posing as threats on the outside with their constant threat to take the top off the field.

Leading the St. Peter charge up front on the offensive line is Parker Maloney. The talented 6-foot-7, 255-pound tackle has garnered looks from Minnesota, St. Thomas and Western Michigan to continue his football career.

“They can hit you with some home run throws over the top,” Mahoney said. “I think in a handful of games, they have created a lot of big plays. A lot of explosive plays over 20 or 30 yards. So we have to minimize those and can’t let those happen.”

On the opposite side of the ball, Mahoney says the Saints typically line up in a 3-4 defensive front that doesn’t make many mistakes. Whether it’s lining up in the right spot, limiting coverage mistakes, or simply playing more physically than their opponent, St. Peter’s defensive unit has thrived under a tight system.

The Saints have held opponents to less than 6 points per game while pitching three shutouts to Central, Tri-City United and New Ulm.

“But again, they are very sound,” Mahoney said. “They are always lined up in the right spot, they are very sound fundamentally, and they just have a bunch of really good players all over the place.”

Kickoff between Fairmont and St. Peter starts at 7 p.m. this Wednesday at the Floyd B Johnson Memorial Field/Track.