Fairfield falls to Benton in district opener

VAN HORNE — Fairfield football opened district play on Friday night with a matchup against the Bobcats of Benton.

It was a tough out for the Trojans as the Bobcats won the Class 3A district five contest in shutout fashion, 38-0.

Fairfield entered the bout hoping to get back on the winning track after suffering a loss to Southeast Conference foe Keokuk the week prior.

Meanwhile, Benton came in off a victory over Clear Creek-Amana after suffering a 19-7 loss to then No. 2 Mount Vernon the week before.

The Bobcats have shown that they can play with some of the best competition in the class and in the end the Bobcats were just to much for Fairfield.

Despite the lopsided loss, just one quarter made the difference, along with a plethora of turnovers.

After the opening 12 minutes on Friday evening, the Trojans trailed the Bobcats by just three, 3-0.

However, the game was opened up in the following frame as Benton found its grove on both sides of the ball, while Fairfield struggled to hold onto possession.

Through four quarters, the Trojans turned the ball over six times with four fumbles and two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

Benton went on to score 21 straight in the second quarter, which gave them a 24-0 halftime lead.

The Trojans did everything they could in the second half.

Fairfield gave up just one touchdown in each of the final two quarters, but could never find the end zone itself.

With the loss, Fairfield drops to 2-3 on the season and 0-1 in district play.

Things don’t get any easier for Fairfield next week as they host Class 3A No. 1 Williamsburg (5-0).