SOMERVILLE, Ala. – One week after securing a playoff berth, the Fairview Aggies traveled across the Morgan County line to Somerville to take on the Brewer Patriots in a non-region game. Coach George Redding’s Aggies are ranked no. 10 in AHSAA Class 5A. The Aggies left James R. Tucker Stadium with a 49-16 victory.
Fairview entered the game with leading rusher Tyler Simmons sidelined with an injury. The Aggie defense took the field with the Patriots starting the game on offense. Brewer was forced to punt after three plays.
The Aggies took over on Brewer’s 36-yard line after a short punt. Hard running by Fairview quarterback Parker Martin put the Aggies deep in Brewer territory. After a holding penalty helped stall the drive, the Aggies attempted a 14-yard field goal by Elijah Guyton. The kick was no good and the Patriots took over on their own 20-yard line.
Brewer quarterback Wyatt Styles led the Patriots on a 15-play drive that looked to give Brewer its first lead of the night. A yellow penalty flag once again stopped a promising drive when the Patriots were called for holding that backed Brewer almost back to midfield. Facing a fourth-and-long, the Aggie defense stiffened and gave the ball back to its offense at Fairview’s 20-yard line.
Another penalty against the Patriots aided the Aggies as they completed a nine-play scoring drive of 80 yards that extended into the second quarter. Martin completed a 21-yard touchdown pass to give the Aggies the lead 7-0 with 8:58 left in the second quarter. A pass interference penalty against Brewer was enforced on the kickoff.
The Aggies defense forced a quick punt by Brewer. Taking over on its own 32, Fairview’s offense looked to add to the lead. Martin continued his strong running and Jameson Goble scored the touchdown on a 5-yard run with 5:23 left in the first half. Fairview’s lead was now 14-0.
Brewer fumbled the ball on the kickoff return and Eli Speegle returned the fumble for a 21-yard touchdown. It took only 17 seconds for the Aggies to score 14 points, and with 5:06 left in the half Fairview’s lead was 21-0.
The Patriots went on another long drive and looked to score. After a trick pass from Cutter Eidson to Styles came up short of the goal line, Brewer faced a fourth-and-5 from the Fairview 5-yard line. A 1-yard run by Styles run came up short and the Aggies took over deep in their own territory.
On the second play, a bad snap forced Martin to fall on the ball and gave the Brewers a safety The half ended with the score 21-2.
A nice second-half kickoff return by Preston Ryan gave the Aggies great field position near midfield. A long run by Martin was followed by a 1-yard touchdown run by Martin and after two plays the Fairview lead was 28-2.
The Aggies defense forced another quick punt from Brewer. On the second play after getting the ball back, Fairview’s Martin hit Speegle on a 69-yard touchdown pass, and with 9:12 to go in the third quarter Fairview’s lead was 35-2.
Brewer turned the ball over on downs when another fourth-down play fell short. A long run by Goble looked to set the Aggies up for another quick score. Martin’s pass was intercepted by Caden Childers and returned for 30 yards.
The Fairview defense stiffened again as Martin intercepted the pass from Styles and the Aggies were in business at the Brewer 49-yard line. On the sixth play of the drive, Martin completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Ryan, and with 2:03 left in the third quarter the Aggies lead was 42-2.
Brewer took an 11-play drive that extended into the fourth quarter and scored its first touchdown of the game on a 34-yard pass from Styles to Childers. The two-point conversion try was no good, and with 9:47 left in the game the score was 42-8, Fairview.
On the fourth play of Fairview’s next drive, Ryan scored a touchdown on a 56-yard run play. With 8:29 left in the game Fairview’s lead was 49-8.
After forcing a quick kick, the Aggies fumbled the punt and the Patriots looked to capitalize. Once again, the Aggie defense showed its toughness, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Fairview’s Cale Foster.
Brewer’s defense responded and forced the Aggies to turn over the ball on downs and the Patriots took over near midfield. The drive was capped off by a 7-yard touchdown run by Gonzalo Ramirez and a successful two-point conversion completed the game’s scoring and gave the Aggies a 49-16 victory.
Martin finished the night with 10 rushes for 123 yards and was 8-of-11 passing for 132 yards.
After the game, Fairview Coach George Redding said, “We got off to a slow start. We had to overcome some injuries. Our young guys stepped up and played hard. I’m very proud of a total team effort.”
Fairview was slated to travel to Sardis next week; however, Sardis has suspended its program for the remainder of the season due to COVID-19, forfeiting the game to the Aggies. Guntersville defeated Boaz Friday night, and the Aggies wrapped up second place in the region, guaranteeing them a first-round home game in the playoffs.
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