Fairfield football falls just short

FAIRFIELD — What could have been a magical night for the Fairfield football team turned bitter in the final 15 minutes, as Friday night’s regular season finale against Grinnell went from a 20-7 lead to a 27-20 loss.

The Tigers scored the last 20 points of the ballgame to not only spoil the final home game for the Trojan faithful, but end any hopes of a playoff berth for a team that had high hopes after a 4-1 start.

Fairfield led 14-7 at halftime, thanks to a pair of second quarter scores. A diving catch by Tallon Bates on the final play of the first quarter set up a short touchdown run from quarterback Tate Allen. Allen later found Bode Hoskins in the back of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown pass.

Fairfield had plenty of momentum at halftime. Hoskins batted away a potential touchdown pass to end the second quarter, keeping the Trojans ahead by a score into the locker rooms.

The Trojans’ momentum seemingly multiplied when Allen launched a 77-yard strike to Bates with 4:21 left in the period. The PAT missed but Fairfield held a 20-7 lead in a game that hadn’t seen a Grinnell touchdown since the opening drive.

Grinnell, however, slugged right back when they got the ball. On the first play from scrimmage after the Trojan score, Tiger quarterback Brady Coffman scampered 66 yards for a score, and the PAT put Grinnell within six, at 20-14.

The Fairfield offense stalled out and couldn’t build on a now slim lead, and in the fourth quarter, Grinnell made them pay. The Tigers took the lead on a rushing touchdown by Kinnick Johnson with 10 minutes remaining, and Johnson burned the Trojans after a shanked Fairfield punt, making it 27-20 on another touchdown run with 5:57 showing on the clock.

Due to a doinked point after attempt on Grinnell’s last touchdown, Fairfield had a couple of chances to march down and tie or take the lead, but the Tiger defense held strong for the entire fourth period and the Trojans could never get a final shot to the end zone.

“The first thing we tell them, is we love them,” said Fairfield head coach Nate Weaton after the game. “It's just a really emotional way to end the season for a really great senior class, and a class we have a lot of love and respect for. We tell them to keep their head held high.”

Allen finished the day just 6-for-18 passing the ball, but he did rack up 177 yards and two touchdowns while throwing just one interception. Bates went off for 110 yards and a score on just two catches.

Fairfield won four of its first five contests, setting the Trojans up for a potential playoff run for the second-straight season, but a back-loaded schedule spelled doom again. The Trojans played first-place Solon tight but fell 45-25 before falling to Washington and Grinnell by a combined 14 points.

After the game, Coach Weaton talked about a talented senior class, which despite a lack of playoff experiences, has ignited the Fairfield football program in recent years.

“If you take the number of disappointments and you take the number of accomplishments and reasons we're proud of them, the reasons we're proud of them far outweigh the disappointments,” Weaton said. “That's what we'll focus on.”

Fairfield’s loss not only ended its own playoff hopes, but Washington was mathematically eliminated with the Trojans’ loss as well. Grinnell moves on with Solon to the Class 3A playoffs, which begin next Friday.