FAIRVIEW – If a spectator were to describe the 2017 version of the cross-creek rivalry between the home team Fairview Aggies and the visiting Holly Pond Broncos, the word sloppy might come to mind.
Heavy rains early Friday saturated the field at Dafford Smith Stadium, and a thick fog covered it for most of the first half, making for a ball that was hard to handle and resulting in a combined three fumbles (two turnovers) and an interception.
It was not until five minutes deep in the third quarter that either team dented the scoreboard, when, on third-and-2, Bronco Jerimiah Holmes caught the left edge and raced down the far sideline for a 14-yard touchdown. The 2-point conversion was good, giving Holly Pond the 8-0 advantage in the third.
After the score, the two teams traded a pair of possessions each before the Aggies found themselves with the ball at their own 15. On the first play from scrimmage in the drive, the ball flew backward into the end zone where the Aggies tried in vain to get it out, but a host of Broncos secured the safety for Holly Pond, making the score 10-0 with 1:11 left to play in the third.
Holly Pond put the game on ice early in the fourth quarter when quarterback Kyler Chaney found Alex Corneglio on a back-shoulder fade and Corneglio did the rest, racing 39 yards to pay dirt. Holly Pond added the 2-point conversion to go up 18-0 with 9:51 left to play.
The Aggies, though, never gave up, and they were rewarded late in the fourth. On second-and-5, quarterback Dayne Black found senior receiver Ethan Holland, wearing the purple and gold for the last time on the gridiron, in the near front corner of the end zone for a 25-yard score. The 2-point conversion was no good, making the score 18-6, and that is where the game finished as Holly Pond will roll into the first round of the playoffs on a high note.
The Broncos end the regular season with a record of 7-3; 3-3 in 3A Region 6. As of press time, Holly Pond’s first-round play-off opponent had not been named.
The Aggies end their season with a record of 2-7; 0-6 in 5A Region 6.
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