MIDDLE SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Fairview upends Vinemont 24-6 for county title
Oct. 22—VINEMONT — Fairview simply wasn't going to lose.
And, on Thursday night — with everything on the line — the Aggies didn't.
Fairview knocked off Vinemont 24-6 to secure a 6-1 season and the Cullman County middle school title.
The victory avenged a regular-season loss (32-0) to the Eagles, who finished their season at 6-1 as well.
Fairview jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first quarter following a 4-yard touchdown run by Jake Harper and subsequent 2-point attempt by Alex Cruz. The latter's blocked punt set up good field position for the Aggies.
Kolt Redding extended the cushion to 16-0 on a 36-yard touchdown scamper and 2-point toss to Cruz early in the second quarter.
The Aggies continued their impressive outing on their opening possession of the second half, punctuating a 12-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown dive by Redding, whose 2-point completion to Austin Naymen on the next snap pushed the advantage to 24-0.
Vinemont found the end zone on its next series — a 44-yard touchdown dash by Dominic McDonald — and got the ball back after forcing a turnover on downs midway through the fourth quarter.
The Eagles, though, coughed up a fumble, which was recovered by Andrew Latham.
From there, Fairview ran out the clock.
See below for quotes of note.
David Martin, Fairview coach: "We were hungry. We had a bad taste in our mouth from the last time we played them, and it gave us a wake-up call. The kids practiced hard all week and were ready to play. We wanted to slow their ground game down and keep them third-and-long. Our defense stepped up, and our offense played well. I was very proud of the kids."
Kolt Redding, Fairview quarterback: "I'm glad that we came back from last year and were able to win. This feels good. The last game (against Vinemont), we took too many plays off. But this game, we did it."
Jake Harper, Fairview running back: "It was a great experience. We've been working hard since Day 1. Last year, we had a horrible season. But this season, we showed people what we can do."
