Friday takeaways: Redemption for Fairmont Sr. with gutsy win

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. — Heading into Friday’s high school football playoff semifinal, Fairmont Senior hadn’t beaten rival Bridgeport since 2006.

The Polar Bears came up short in 2015 against the Indians, 28-20, in the same matchup on the same stage – a game that left a bitter taste for Fairmont Senior for an entire year. The 2016 regular season matchup? Just short again for the Polar Bears as Bridgeport pulled out a 17-14 win.

But Friday’s end result was much different as the Polar Bears willed themselves to a 22-21 double-overtime win in what was an instant all-time classic Class AA semifinal clash.

Trailing 21-14 in the second overtime and facing a 2nd-and-31, Fairmont Senior’s Bryson Gilbert made a tremendous 41-yard touchdown catch on a near-perfect pass from quarterback Jake Abbott.

Fairmont Senior goes for two and gets the semifinal win in dramatic fashion over Bridgeport 22-21.
Bryson Gilbert’s 41-yard touchdown catch set up the game-winning score.

Opting to go for two and the win, Abbott, head coach J.L. Abbott’s son, got the call on a keeper as he was initially stopped short, but stretched the ball around the defender, just across the goal line for theĀ conversion.

It was about as close as could be.

“We were in shotgun – a full-house with a two-back set and pistol-back right behind me,” Abbott said of his game winning score. “We called it right up the gut and they told me to just get into the end-zone. I saw a little gap, tried to shoot it and had my legs taken out from under me – but I was able to reach across the goal line just enough.”

The win put Fairmont Senior (10-2) finally back into the state title game for the first time since 1981 — a loss to North Marion in Class AAA. The Polar Bears’ only football championship came in 1946, awarded by the West Virginia Sportswriters Association.

Gallery: Fairmont Senior ends Bridgeport’s AA reign in 2OT

The win over Bridgeport had been a long while in the making as the Polar Bears finally got their redemption in the series.

“I’ve always thought that we were a better team than Bridgeport because we had the better athletes,” said Fairmont Senior lineman, and WVU commit, Darius Stills. “But whenever the big games came down, we shot ourselves in the foot. We made some mistakes this game, but our heart kicked in.

Fairmont Senior goes for two and gets the semifinal win in dramatic fashion over Bridgeport 22-21.
Fairmont Senior goes for two and gets the semifinal win in dramatic fashion over Bridgeport 22-21.

“We were losing in the second overtime and our heart had to kick in at that point,” Stills said. “Either you want it or you don’t. I feel like we wanted it more than them and our reward is that we get to go to Wheeling (for the state title) next week.”

Fairmont Senior led 7-0 at the half, before Bridgeport added a late second half touchdown to send the game into overtime. Both teams scored touchdowns on their first-overtime possessions.

Bridgeport ends the year with a 12-1 record, coming a game short of defending its three-straight titles. Fairmont Senior will face either James Monroe or Mingo Central in Friday’s Class AA championship.

Martinsburg returns to Wheeling behind another postseason shutout

Martinsburg’s offense gets a lot of the praise, but the No. 1 Bulldogs (13-0) made their official return to the Class AAA title game with a third straight defensive shutout in the postseason, dominating No. 4 Morgantown 51-0.

The Bulldogs will enter next week’s state championship game having outscored their three postseason opponents by a staggering combined margin of 154-0.

“We are playing really well, especially on defense,” said Martinsburg coach Dave Walker. “Our guys are practicing really well and they’re playing well. I’m very proud of them.”

Martinsburg quarterback Tyson Bagent scored three rushing touchdowns in the win as the Bulldogs led 23-0 at the half.

“Offensively, we were pretty balanced and we played well up front. It was just a solid performance,” Walker said. “It was just a great team effort. There are times that we have five or six sophomores on the field, so it looks great for the future. But this time of the year, they’re all pretty much veterans now and I think we have gotten better throughout the season.”

The Bulldogs will face either Spring Valley or Capital on Saturday’s championship game at noon (December 3). Morgantown ends its season with a 10-3 record and its first semifinal appearance since 2012.

St. Marys back in Class A title game after dominant effort

Another team that has rolled through postseason opponents has been Class A No. 2 St. Marys as the Blue Devils defeated No. 3 Fayetteville 47-0.

In three playoff games, St. Marys has outscored its opponents 143-7. Two of those wins came over teams that had previously been undefeated, Fayetteville included.

“We had a great week of practice and we were able to coming out with the win,” said St. Marys coach Jodi Mote. “Our kids have bought in we are looking forward to going back to the Super Six.”

Highlights: St. Marys dominant again, makes return to Super Six

The Blue Devils are also looking for a bit of redemption after falling two years ago in triple-overtime from Wheeling to rival Williamstown.

“I was a freshman on the team that year – we’re looking for a different outcome this time,” said St. Marys running back Jaiden Smith. “We had an early lead tonight and got the momentum – it played a big part in the win. You also have to give credit to our blockers, we couldn’t do it without them. Everyone stays on their blocks and we see open lanes – they make our jobs easy.”

Smith has positioned himself as a MetroNews Player of the Year candidate, entering Friday’s game with 1,391 yards on the ground and 26 touchdowns, averaging an astounding 10.2 yards per carry.

St. Marys will face either East Hardy or Pendleton County on Saturday night of next week for the Class A championship.





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