Cardinals downed by Eagles
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NEW ULM - A fourth-and-6 on New Ulm's 11-yard line forced Fairmont quarterback Jensen Livesay to drop back for another pass. Livesay and the Cardinals hoped to cut their third-quarter deficit to two possessions at the end of their 14-play drive, looking to tack on a touchdown rather than settle for three.
As Livesay scanned, the senior gunslinger looked toward Travahn Harvey over the middle, running a slant pattern to gain separation. The ball zipped through the air before ultimately falling on the dark green turf of Eagle Stadium. New Ulm's defense held strong.
This sequence summed up Fairmont's 30-0 loss to New Ulm on Friday night. From Owen Castleman's initial quarterback sneak score to the Eagles’ defense forcing a safety in the final quarter, not a lot went according to plan for Cardinals head coach Mat Mahoney.
"Hats off to the New Ulm Eagles," Mahoney said. "They played extremely hard, and I thought they were very well coached."
Castleman capping off New Ulm's eight-play scoring drive in the first quarter set a tone immediately for the home team. The Eagles’ Wing-T running scheme had 8-, 12-, and 15-yard pickups from weapons Parker Ranweiler and Hunter Heil.
Fairmont’s third consecutive scoreless drive ended with a powerful punt block from Isaiah Friese on the Cardinals’ own 20-yard line. Another 12-yard sweeping run from Heil was stamped by Ranweiler punching in his lone score of the night.
The Cardinals’ second punting mishap put New Ulm's third scoring drive on the Cardinals’ 35-yard line. Castleman connected on one of his two completions on a big fourth-by-9 to Jayden Broste. Broste broke through the middle on an open seam route, doing the rest himself to push the Eagles up 21-0.
"They [New Ulm] did a really nice job of running the football," Mahoney said. "They used their strengths and went away from their tendencies, which was good on their part."
Fairmont's longest offensive series ended with a pair of turnovers. An eight-play drive fizzled out after Livesay fumbled on New Ulm's 33. The failed connection between Livesay and Harvey early in the third quarter halted another promising opportunity.
New Ulm shut the door moments after their red zone stand. Jeffery Kral burst up the middle for a 64-yard gain to set the Eagles up on the 1. Castleman snuck past the pylon for his second time of the contest.
Results weren't what Fairmont wanted to see. However, Mahoney knows the team has all the weapons capable enough to bounce back. The goal now is to continue this process next week at practice. It starts with the mindset of improving every repetition.
"At the end of the day, we got a great bunch of kids," Mahoney said. "I think this loss was tough on them, but I also know they are going to bounce back on Monday and try to sharpen this all back. We just have to take this one brick at a time and continue to build that wall. The pieces are right there."