JV pushes for last-minute TD
By Sam Waller
The Albany Lions junior varsity football team held on late to take an 18-13 victory over Dublin on Thursday, Sept. 1 at Robert Nail Memorial Stadium.
“Overall, it was a tough fight and a good win,” coach David Fairchild said.
The JV Lions (2-0) play their third consecutive home game to start the season on Thursday, Sept. 8 (tonight) when Seymour visits. The game, which is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m., will be the nightcap of a tripleheader with the junior high teams.
Calhan Fairchild ran for two touchdowns and caught a touchdown pass, accounting for 135 combined yards rushing and receiving.
Albany finished with 346 total yards, 273 of it rushing. Breylon Billington led the Lions with 84 rushing yards, 71 of which came on the final drive to run out the clock. Calhan Fairchild added 76 rushing yards and caught three passes for 59 yards. Huffman Heatly rushed for 61 yards, while Shawn Keen ran for 32 yards and had one reception for 14 yards. Brody Oliver was 4 of 6 passing for 73 yards and rushed for 20 yards.
“I thought our backs ran hard,” David Fairchild said. “Huffman Heatly, Shawn Keen, Breylon Billington, and Calhan Fairchild all had some nice runs. Our offensive line – Tristan Howe, Ryan Turner, Ethan Green, Jace Little, Laithe Leech, and Jackson Shack – had a good night.”
Dublin gained 207 total yards behind quarterback Ayden Vargas, who scored on runs of 59 and 2 yards. Cade Fairchild and Jaxson Street each had an interception, while the Fairchild brothers both broke up passes as Dublin finished 5 of 15 passing.
The coach cited defenside efforts by Ethan Green, Woods Peterson, Jaxson Street, and Cade Fairchild.
After Vargas opened the scoring with his long run in the first quarter, Calhan Fairchild tied it at 6-6 with a 3-yard run in the second. Albany took a 12-6 halftime lead when Oliver found Calhan Fairchild on the right sideline for a 40-yard score.
Albany went up 18-6 on Calhan Fairchild’s 66-yard run with 8:59 to go in the game. Dublin responded with Vargas’s second TD and kicked the extra point with 4:28 remaining, but never got the ball back.
Albany faced fourth down near midfield with less than a minute to go when Oliver drew Dublin offside with a hard count. A few seconds later, Billington gained 13 yards to clinch the win.
“We had two plays to seal the deal,” David Fairchild said. “The guys showed great discipline on the hard count and Breylon made a tough, hard-nosed run.”
