Lions handle Fairfield, Yancey wins No. 300
FAIRFIELD -- Top-ranked Briarwood spoiled Fairfield High School’s homecoming, 23-6, on Friday, Sept. 22 to remain undefeated at 4-0 and improve to 3-0 in Class 5A, Region 5 play.
The win also marked win No. 300 in Briarwood coach Fred Yancey’s 34-year coaching career, who is now 300-111-1 overall and 259-91 at Briarwood. Yancey previously posted a 41-20-1 record, coaching three years each at Towering Oaks and Gatewood School in Tennessee in the 1970s.
“It’s always great to get any of them, but this one is pretty special,” Yancey said.
Briarwood looked to jump out to a quick start but fumbled on its first possession. Two plays later, Fairfield put the ball on the ground also, giving Briarwood the ball at its own 47. After a sack and holding penalty, Lions quarterback Michael Hiers found Carson Eddy on three consecutive passes of 6, 32 and 30 yards, respectively, to score Briarwood’s first touchdown and 6-0 lead with 7:14 to play in the opening quarter. Briarwood lined up for a two-point conversion but the direct snap sailed wide and out of bounds.
Fairfield wasted little time. The host Tigers returned the kickoff to their own 40 and moved 60 yards in six plays to even the score, 6-6. Malachi Holt-Bennett found Myron Monroe twice on the drive for a total of 51 yards passing, including the 19-yard touchdown with four minutes to play in the quarter. Briarwood broke through the line on the extra point try and did not allow a kick to be attempted.
“Give Fairfield a lot of credit for being a fast, tough, good team. They made it hard on us,” Yancey said. “I knew it would be a hard-fought victory, if we came out, and we did. I was pleased that we got a region win and pleased that we had to fight through it.”
The score remained 6-6 until late in the second quarter, when Hiers found Eddy on a 6-yard touchdown pass. Briarwood then blocked a Fairfield punt, recovered by Mark Hand at the Tigers 15-yard line. Four plays later, Hiers pushed his way into the end zone for another Briarwood touchdown. Noah Nall added his second extra point of the night to send the Lions into halftime with a 20-6 lead.
At the half, Hiers led the Lions with 10-of-12 passing for 174 yards. Eddy caught six of those passes for 96 yards in the first half.
Briarwood slowed its pace in the second half, running the ball five of its seven offensive plays in the third quarter.
Nall added to the Lions’ score with a 26-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. Fairfield moved the ball well in the second half and converted 3-of-5 third down opportunities in the third quarter, but turned the ball over on downs twice around the Briarwood 20-yard line. Carson Donnelly recovered a Fairfield fumble at the end of the third quarter to give the Lions a short field and set up Nall’s field goal.
Briarwood struggled a bit with ball control, losing two fumbles and throwing one interception in the fourth quarter on a deep ball to try and put the game out of reach.
Hiers finished with 199 yards on 13-of-17 passing, with Eddy having 107 yards on seven catches. The Lions added 84 yards rushing.
Defensively, the Lions dropped Fairfield quarterback Holt-Bennett behind the line nine times in the game. Patrick Blythe, Dalton Brooks and Joseph Munganast were each in on three sacks.
Next week, Briarwood returns home to host Mortimer Jordan in a non-region game.