Trojans, Panthers square off in Fairfield

FAIRFIELD - The Fairfield and Mt. Pleasant football teams went into the second week of play with a head of steam. The Trojans had just snapped an 11-game winning streak with a home win over Knoxville, and the Panthers had edged out Clear Creek-Amana for the second-straight year. Both trains came to a screeching halt, however, in Game 2 losses.

Fairfield went into their road game against West Burlington Notre Dame just seven days after holding Knoxville to seven points. The Falcons sped past the Trojans, 42-14, scoring all 42 of their points in the first three quarters and holding the Trojans to two touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Mt. Pleasant was having all sorts of trouble stopping the run in Tipton. The Tigers ran for 467 yards and seven touchdowns against the Panther defense, including a 232-yard, three-touchdown performance from starting quarterback Payten Elijah.

Now, the Trojans and Panthers are both looking to bounce back against familiar opponents; each other.

Mt. Pleasant will be looking for its fourth-straight win over the Trojans. The Panthers took last year's contest 42-16 and also beat the Trojans in 2017 and 2018. Before that, Fairfield had won six games against the Pantehrs in a row, running a winning streak from 2011-2016.

The Panthers are led by quarterback Jack Johnson, who has thrown for 368 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for 242 yards and three scores. Receiver Chase Williamson has six catches this year for 115 yards.

Fairfield struggled to move the ball last week without injured running back Landen Schafer, who went for 86 yards and a touchdown in Week 1. Quarterback Isaac Harris will need a big game this Friday as he enters the game with 154 yards and three touchdown passes. Brody Angstead leads a balanced receiving core with 67 yards through the air.

The two squads will look to pick up a win before an all-important Week 4 when Mt. Pleasant hosts No. 5 Washington for their homecoming game as Fairfield heads to Burlington to try and spoil homecoming for the Greyhounds.