Fairmont rallies to defeat Belle Plaine in sections
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BELLE PLAINE - Was recent history going to repeat itself for Fairmont football?
Each of the Cardinals’ previous two losses came by one point. Parker O’Malley's fourth-and-1 rushing score put Tri-City United ahead late in the fourth quarter. St. Peter held on to last week's victory after Fairmont's time-expiring field goal attempt fell short. With under five minutes left in Tuesday night's Section 3AAA quarterfinal matchup against No. 4 Belle Plaine, another narrow defeat seemed possible.
However, No. 5 Fairmont found a way this time around. Jensen Livesay started the game-winning drive with two big throws to Mason Bicknase and Preston Geerdes. The senior later used his 6-foot-4 frame on consecutive quarterback sneaks to score a touchdown and two-point conversion with 53 seconds remaining in regulation.
Carter Hanson intercepted Belle Plaine quarterback Reed Creighton’s lofty fourth-and-20 pass over the middle to seal Fairmont's 22-21 victory. The Cardinals now face No. 1 Tri-City United this Saturday at Montgomery in the section semifinals. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
"It feels so great. These kids have just endured so much this year," Fairmont head coach Mat Mahoney said. "Between injuries and some tough losses, for them to find a way to win a football game in the fourth quarter on the road says a lot about their character and everything they've invested in this season. I'm super proud of them."
The Tigers’ initial comeback effort gained momentum after previously trailing by two possessions. Belle Plaine's seven-play drive ended with Creighton finding Landon Wadsley on a quick slant over the middle. A once-promising Fairmont lead turned into a 21-14 deficit with 5:10 left in the fourth quarter. Momentum shifted further toward the home team after Creighton's hard-hitting tackle jarred the ball from Keyon Schutz's grasp on the Cardinals’ next possession.
But Fairmont had a chance to strike back. Aaron Becker and Bicknase notched two tackles for a loss to set up a fourth-and-1. Creighton's swing pass to Chaz Iovino went behind the line to gain after the wide receiver slipped. Fairmont had 3:06 to go 63 yards.
Quarterback Jensen Livesay found Bicknase on a left wheel route out of the backfield, floating the ball over Evan Cahalan and down to Belle Plaine's 40. Consecutive Tigers sacks for 5- and 2-yard losses set up a desperate fourth-and-8. Convert or go home.
Livesay dropped back and fired a quick pass to Geerdes on the left side. Geerdes, who caught Belle Plaine's defense off guard, broke a few Tiger tacklers before getting taken down at the 2-yard line. Livesay powered into the end zone on the next play, then converted the two-point attempt to put Fairmont ahead for good.
"We call that Y-Delay. That's been in our holster for a while, and Brian [Wille] nailed it. It's been a good play for us in the past, so we busted it out and hit a big one," Mahoney said. "I told Brian that if we score, we are going for two. That was the plan. We were going for two and going to win that football game."
Fairmont took an early lead off of two drives that stretched over 10 plays. Geerdes' first catch of the contest took the Cardinals past midfield and to the Belle Plaine 32. Three straight Schutz carries were followed by Brayden Williamson's catch-and-run inside the 5-yard line. Livesay drove past the pylon on his second quarterback sneak attempt with 6:09 left in the first quarter.
Bicknase jolted the Cardinals’ second possession with a familiar wheel route, this time down the left sideline, to put his team at the opponent’s 30-yard line. Schutz and Ryder Thate each took back-to-back carries to make it first-and-goal. No gain on Livesay's push up the middle forced another handoff to Schutz, this time for a touchdown in the early portions of the second quarter.
A Fairmont fumble inside Belle Plaine territory set up the Tigers for one final drive before halftime. Creighton completed four passes, with the final connecting finding Caden Koepp on a quick out route to the right. The Tigers later tied the score with 5:37 in the third quarter. Cahalan's screen reception drove to Fairmont's 22-yard line. Creighton converted on a fourth-and-3 toss to Koepp before finding Wadsley on a deep end zone fade.