FAIRVIEW, Ala. – The eighth annual Brandin Iron Bowl was hosted at Fairview this year, and the Aggies took on the West Point Warriors in the region opener for both teams. After a close few minutes in the opening period, Fairview quickly took command of the game and ended up pulling away to defeat West Point 48-13.
Fairview’s Kolt Redding returned the opening kickoff all the way down to the 46-yard line. Carson Jones ripped off a 33-yard run on the first play, then three plays later, Jake Harper muscled his way in for a three-yard score to give the Aggies a 7-0 lead as they only took a little over a minute off the clock. Fairview quickly got the ball back, as Avery Latham recovered a West Point fumble on the 19. On just the second play of the series, Jones found the end zone from 14 yards out to make it 14-0 with 9:38 remaining in the opening period.
The Warriors answered quickly on its next series. On the second play of its series, Hunter Hensley found Bryant Moon for a 76-yard score to cut it to 14-7. Back-to-back punts gave the ball back to Fairview. A 13-yard pass from Redding to Zayden Cruce kept the drive alive for the Aggies, and Harper found a big hole on the left side and ended up scoring on a 70-yard run to give them a 21-7 lead. On the first play of West Point’s next series, Jace Stevens picked off a Hensley pass at the 30-yard line. Redding picked up a first down on the ground and later connected with Cruce on a 10-yard touchdown to push the Aggie lead to 28-7 with less than a minute to go in the first quarter.
The Warriors kept their series alive a couple of times. On third down, Hensley found Brayden Monfort for 50 yards and a first down. Later, on fourth down, Hensley found Monfort for 15 more and another first down. On the next play, though, Jones collected an interception. Back-to-back punts gave the ball back to Fairview, as they were backed up at the nine-yard line.
A 15-yard run by Redding gave them a first down at the 26, then Harper continued his strong first half, as he took off the left sideline and ended up scoring on a 74-yard run to make it a 35-7 lead for the Aggies. After another West Point punt, Fairview added another score before the half ended, as Jones punched it in from nine yards out, and the Aggies went into the half with a commanding 42-7 lead over the Warriors.
Fairview put up a score in the third quarter, as Redding found Conner Scott over the middle for an 81-yard touchdown to make it 48-7. Hensley scored on a seven-yard run late in the fourth quarter, but the deficit was too much to overcome for the Warriors, and the Aggies picked up a 48-13 win over West Point. It is now Fairview’s fifth straight win over the Warriors in the Brandin Iron Bowl.
Harper finished with 159 yards on just five carries and three touchdowns, plus three sacks on defense. Jones added 76 yards on the ground and a pair of scores, plus an interception. Redding finished 8/12 for 169 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Scott added three receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown. Cruce ended up with 53 yards on three receptions and a touchdown. Stevens finished with an interception, while Avery Latham collected a sack in the win for Fairview (2-0, 1-0). For West Point (0-3, 0-1). Hensley finished 10/22 for 199 yards and a score and added another one on the ground. Moon added 104 yards on four receptions and a score, while Monfort ended up with 91 yards on five catches.
Both teams will continue region play next week. Fairview will travel to Ardmore, and West Point will head back home to take on Lawrence County.
Copyright 2024 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
