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PROCTORVILLE — Over the last three years, Fairland and West have treated fans to consecutive instant classics.
But this year, it was all Dragons.
From the opening kickoff to the final whistle, Fairland (1-0) was full throttle and flat-out relentless, blowing past the Senators in an impressive 34-0 shutout victory.
CREDIT: Erica Fike/SOSA
“A lot of film work went into this week, and so much more behind the scenes,” Fairland’s Keegan Smith said. “Honestly, our JV team doesn’t get enough credit for how hard they go to push us varsity players every single day. They did such a great job preparing us for this game, and our overall team bond is incredible. We’re all brothers and we’ve been playing together since sixth grade so we care about one another.”
Only needing four plays to make a quick statement, Fairland’s Ethan Wall uncorked a deep 48-yard touchdown pass to Smith, making it 7-0 early in the first quarter.
West (0-1) fumbled to open the second, and the Dragons took full advantage of the recovery. Wall found Hayden on a six-yard pass for a touchdown, doubling their lead to 14-0.
Hayden was just getting started, though.
After a Senator three-and-out, he showcased his speed and scored a 20-yard rushing touchdown. On the next drive, he found the end zone once again on a 36-yard touchdown catch from Wall to make it 28-0 at halftime.
“This is my first year back since my freshman year, so I had to get right back in and go hard every single day from the jump,” Wall said. “I couldn’t have done this tonight without the guys pushing me every single day to get better. I know I can trust my receivers. If one is covered, then someone else is open.”
The Dragons’ defense was getting stops all night and they took their chance to make yet another play.
West was attempting to get on the scoreboard, but a pass was intercepted by Smith, who did the rest by himself, taking it back 54 yards for a pick-six and putting the finishing touches on a dominant season-opening win.
“It all starts in practice, and we’ve put in so much work throughout the summer,” Fairland’s Jack Hayden said. “We worked a lot on conditioning and being physical in practice. It really prepares you for the game. We’re lucky to have so many weapons and options on offense. So one of us is going to be open and we have a great quarterback, as well as a great offensive line, who gives us so many opportunities to make things happen, whether it’s passing or running.”
Wall finished the night with three passing touchdowns, Hayden added two rushing scores and a receiving score. Meanwhile, Smith had two interceptions, including a pick-six alongside a receiving touchdown.
Fairland travels to West Virginia on Friday to take on Point Pleasant, while West travels to take on in-city rival Portsmouth.
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