HOLLY POND – The Holly Pond Broncos found themselves facing their long-time Cullman County rival, the Fairview Aggies, in their last regular game of the season tonight. With playoff decisions already made, this game was purely for bragging rights between the two schools. For years, the Aggies have taken home the victory, but many Holly Pond fans hoped that this year would be different as the Broncos were 6-3 on the season and the Aggies 4-5. Unfortunately for the Broncos, Fairview was absolutely determined to win this rivalry game and walloped Holly Pond, 62-25.
Holly Pond tried to take an early lead in tonight's game, gaining first downs from Kyler Chaney, Caleb Jones and quarterback Michael Lambert before finally scoring a touchdown. But the excitement was short-lived as a penalty called on the play took those points away and left many fans thinking back to Holly Pond's first loss, when a penalty called on a touchdown cost the Broncos the game.
Holly Pond tried again to put some points on the board, but a field goal was no good. Fairview ended up being the first to score with a touchdown run from Logan Brooks plus an extra point. The Aggies quickly followed this with yet another TD and extra point, putting the score at 14-0 for the first quarter. The Broncos attempted to end the quarter on a high note after gaining a first down with a pass to Dylan Morton, but they were unable to get another and the Aggies got the ball back.
The second quarter consisted mostly of each team taking turns to score. Fairview scored almost immediately, but the Broncos retaliated soon after. A long pass to Morton for a TD put the Broncos on the board, and an extra point from Todd Schwab put the score at 21-7. Then the Aggies scored again with no extra point, putting them at 27 points. A long pass to Matt Cahoon and a fumble recovered by Holly Pond gave way to a touchdown run from Jones. Fairview gained several first downs before scoring again; despite their original touchdown being taken back on a penalty, they successfully scored another and put the score at 34-13.
A devastating blow was dealt to Dylan Morton just before the clock ran out, leading to a personal foul called on the Aggies, and some Bronco fans feared that Morton would be unable to continue playing as he was unable to stand for quite some time. Fortunately, he powered through and not only managed to get up, but also went back into the game during the second half.
Despite Holly Pond's best efforts to avenge their injured teammate, Fairview completely dominated the third quarter. The Aggies were ruthless in their efforts to prevent Holly Pond from gaining yards, and three separate touchdowns – all with extra points – put the score at 55-13.
The Aggies continued their trend of being the first to score each quarter. A TD run from Donte Dumas and an extra point from Jaxxon Swann put them at 62 points, where they stayed for the rest of the game. Holly Pond, however, fought relentlessly to close the gap. Jones ran for first down after first down, and the Broncos scored with no extra point. When they got the ball back after Fairview's punt, Holly Pond gained first downs with passes to Morton and Cahoon. With only three minutes left, another pass to Morton gave the Broncos their fourth touchdown of the night.
Unfortunately for Holly Pond fans, including those who came for the 35-year reunion of the Class of 1981, three minutes was not enough. Fairview won 62-25, putting them at 5-5 on the season.
Holly Pond travels to Piedmont next week for the first round of the playoffs.
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