‘A tough one to swallow’
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FAIRMONT - Thursday's scene at Mahoney Field was very familiar. The St. Peter Saints had just completed a six-play, 67-yard touchdown drive after Alex Korir's touchdown toss to Owen Potts over the middle. Ryan Moelter's two-point conversion catch gave St. Peter a 15-14 lead moments later.
Everything seemed similar to Fairmont's loss against Tri-City United last Wednesday. The Titans scored late to take a one-point advantage. They left the Cardinals with just 15 seconds to respond. But this time was different. This time, head coach Mat Mahoney's team had 3:49 left to mount a game-winning drive.
The series moved efficiently early. Ryder Thate and Keyon Schutz each recorded three straight positive carries before consecutive quarterback sneaks from Jensen Livesay put Fairmont on the Saints’ 40-yard line with 0:58 remaining. Five plays later, Livesay used his legs with a scramble to the 3-yard line. A quick spike and a longer conversation between the referee crew left just enough time to attempt a field goal. One second to close the Cardinals’ regular season with a win.
What transpired next was the final example of what Fairmont had done all game. The Cardinals continuously made self-inflicted mistakes. Penalties and miscues that shaped the final result. An inaccurate snap, rushed hold and low kick forced the ball to flutter under the crossbar. Fairmont's comeback effort fell just short.
"This one is a tough one to swallow," Mahoney said. "We thought we ran the ball extremely well. Defensively, we stopped their run very well. We gave up one long run, but outside of that, we did a great job in controlling the line of scrimmage. In games like this, those are the ones you typically come out ahead on. But at the end of the day, we just had too many penalties and mental mistakes. And it caught up to us."
Fairmont entered halftime trailing 7-6. A tightly contested opening 24 minutes saw both teams have their moments. However, a handful of Cardinal penalties potentially prevented a different score.
Korir followed Fairmont's previous touchdown run by Schutz with a lengthy scamper of his own. Rushing left, the senior cut upfield before bouncing his path the opposite way and into open space, ultimately getting dragged down at the Cardinals’ 7-yard line.
Two Moelter carries and another Korir keeper forced a fourth-and-four. St. Peter intended to go for it. A Fairmont encroachment made the conversion attempt easier. Korir made light work of the shorter distance, while Peyton Garcia Landa gave his team a one-point lead with 7:16 left in the second quarter.
Brayden Williamson caught a punt with 2:02 left before halftime. Another score would have put the Cardinals ahead before gaining immediate possession to begin the third quarter. Schutz started the drive with three carries for 25 yards. Livesay's spike stopped the clock beyond midfield with 42 seconds remaining.
A second-and-10 ended with Livesay's deep end-zone toss to Travohn Harvey falling incomplete. The following screen pass to Williamson was caught, as the speedy wide receiver bounced the ball to his left before getting tackled out of bounds inside the Saints’ 15-yard line. Fairmont's second penalty of the drive wiped it off the board. Another flag for an ineligible man downfield forced a punt right before the game's intermission. The Cardinals finished the opening half with just 27 penalty yards, but each one proved untimely.
Fairmont's defense continued flexing its prowess in the third quarter. A strong effort to keep the score where it was. Williamson nabbed the Cardinals’ second interception on St. Peter's first possession. The Saints’ following drive to Fairmont's 25-yard line abruptly ended after Landon Traetow scooped a Korir fumble.
St. Peter's third and final turnover set up the Cardinals’ six-minute offensive response. Ten rushes on 10 plays. Schutz notched seven carries for 32 yards. Livesay had two quarterback sneaks, the second carrying him past the goal line for a Fairmont touchdown. A successful two-point conversion attempt from Williamson's outside run left made it 14-7 with 6:27 in the fourth.
"I just give some credit to our offensive line for making holes. Again, I thought we just ran the ball extremely well today," Mahoney said.
The Cardinals’ second straight defeat slots them as the No. 5 seed in this year's Section 3AAA Football Tournament. Fairmont travels to Belle Plaine for the second time this season next Tuesday. That winner plays at Tri-City United on Saturday, October 31, in the section semifinals.
Mahoney's team has done what he asked at the beginning of the season. It was a challenge to improve week by week, day by day, to hopefully be playing their best brand of football near the end of October.
Fairmont responded to his task. Since its 28-0 loss to Waseca on Sept. 18, Fairmont won three consecutive games against Austin, Albert Lea and Belle Plaine. The Cardinals showed growth throughout that stretch, even as consecutive losses to Tri-City United and St. Peter closed their regular season. Now, Mahoney’s team turns its attention to the postseason.
"I'm so proud of this football team," Mahoney said. "In my 20 years of coaching, I don't think I've seen a team come as far as they have in terms of their growth. These guys are doing everything we're asking, but we are just coming up a hair short. But we are just going to keep fighting. We're going to get back to it Friday morning, and here come the playoffs. This is when it matters now."