Fairview Report by Eric Amendola

A weekly report of Fairview High School

Greyhounds down Tigers in D - 10 semis, 36 - 25 !
 
Colin Fulkman threw for three touchdown passes and Chris Burns rushed for 172 yards to life the Wilmington Greyhounds to a 36 - 25 win over the Fairview Tigers friday night at Slippery Rock University's N. Kerr Thompson stadium. The Greyhounds, who head into the D - 10 finals for the third consecutive year next week against Harborcreek, scored on the games second play when Chris Burns scampered 81 yards down the right sideline just a minute into the game.  Nick Riggall's extra pont made it 7 - 0 for the 11 - 1 Greyhounds.  Fairview answered on its opening drive with a 9 play, 75 yard drive that culminated with a 25 yard field goal by Garrett Stolz to close the gap to 7 - 3. 
 
After a Tiger fumble on their second possession, both teams exchanged punts.  Fulkman, who also rushed for 58 yards to go with his 110 yards passing, found Sutton Whiting in the end zone from 12 yards out to make it 14 - 3 Wilmington with 9:26 left in the first half.  Fairview came roaring back needing just three plays to make it 14 - 10 after Tyler Sargent's 70 yard run. The Tiger'a appeared ready to take control of the game after forcing a Greyhound punt, but a Fairview fumble was recovered by Matt Wagner and gave the Hounds the ball at the Tiger 32 yard line.  From there, Fulkman found Chris Burns from 14 yards out to make it 22 - 10 after Fulkman's two point conversion run.  Fairview answered just before the half going 69 yards in five plays with Sargent capping the drive from 5 yards out on a 4th and goal.  Stolz's extra point made it 22 - 17 at the half in favor of the Greyhounds.
 
Fairview took its only lead of the game in the second half, taking the opening kickoff and going 67 yards in 5 plays.  Corbin found Jake Lightner on the left sidelines and he broke two tackles and raced in from 47 yards out to make it 23 - 22, Fairview.  A two point run by Corbin made it 25 - 22 for the Tigers, a lead they would hold at the end of the third quarter.
 
The Hounds took the lead for good with 9:50 left in the contest, capping an 88 play drive as Whiting scored his second TD of the night from a yard out to make it 29 - 25.  After Fairview lost the ball on downs, the Greyhounds ate up almost four minutes of clock going 70 yards for the games final score.  Fulkman connected with Shane Wagner on a 4 yard pass with under two minutes to play to make it 36 - 25.  The Tigers last drive ended with an interception near the goal line by Fulkman, and the Hounds closed out the contest by taking a knee.
 
Tyler Sargent finished with 288 yards on 27 carries for Fairview, giving him 2,071 yards on the season with 31 TD's.  Pat Michael led the Tigers defensively with 19 tackles, including 13 solos, giving him 131 tackles for the year. Gary Corbin chipped in with 13 tackles, 7 of them solos. Overall, the Hounds rushed for 279 yards to Fairview's 275, the Tigers passing for 112 yards to Wilmington's 110. The total yards favored Wilmington, 389 - 387, with Wilmington having the ball for 22:43 compared to 21:17 for the Tigers.  Wilmington held a slight edge in first downs, 14 to 12.  The Hounds were flagged for 6 penalties for 38 yards, the Tigers had 5 penalties for 30 yards.The Tigers finished their season with an 8 - 3 record.       
 

 

Tigers roll on senior night, 47 - 0 !!!

 
The Fairview Tigers sent their 16 seniors off on a winning note Friday, defeating the Corry Beavers 47 - 0 on Friday night at Keck Field.  Fairview dominated from start to finish, rolling up 382 rushing yards good for six rushing TD's.  The Tiger defense registered its third shutout of the season by limiting the Beavers to 117 total yards.  Brett Waples had two sacks, Mickey Taylor picked off a beaver pass and Pat Michael had 10 tackles and blocked a punt, returning it 25 yards for the Tigers first special teams score of the season.
 
Offensively, Fairview wasted little time scoring, going 18 yards on three plays after a Tyler Sargent 40 yard punt return gave Fairview great field position.  Sargent carried on all three plays going in from 3 yards out.  Garrett Stolz (39 0f 42 PAT's for the season) gave Fairview a 7 - 0 lead with 9:53 left in the opening quarter.  After another Corry punt, Fairview went 57 yards on 11 plays with Gary Corbin getting the first of his two rushing TD's from 8 yards out.  Corbin scored the third Tiger TD in the second quarter on a beautiful fake and 22 yard quarterback keeper.  That's when the Fairview defense came to life when Michaels blocked a punt, then picked it up and raced 25 yards for the Tiger score. Sargent closed out the first half scoring when darted 55 yards on the first play of the drive for his 27th TD run of the season, leaving the score 33 - 0 at the half.
 
Fairview began the second half with possession but gave it up on downs.  That's when Mickey Taylor squelched a Corry drive with his first interception of the season.  After a Fairview fumble and a Corry punt, Fairview's Anello Sorci rumbled 20 yards up the middle to cap a six play drive for his first score of the season.  Peter Jackson closed out the scoring with his second score of the year, this one from 34 yards out.  Freshman Josh Gdanetz booted his first PAT of the season to make it 47 - 0.
 
Scott Frisina led Corry with 65 rushing yards and 56 passing yards, and Tyler Lutton led Corry defensively with 10 tackles.  The Tigers are off next week as they prepare for the playoffs, with the first round games scheduled for November 10th.   
 
The Tigers finished the regular season with some staggering numbers.  The Tigers averaged 8 yards per carry on 321 rushes and had 41 rushing TD's.  The Tigers managed 47 offensive TD's this season, yet only had two TD drives of more than six plays.  The Tigers punted only 15 times in nine games and outscored their opponents by a 349 - 68 margin. Tyler Sargent finished the regular season with 1688 yards rushing and 27 TD's, and Pat Michaels led the Tigers defensively with 102 tackles, including 67 solo tackles.        
 

Tigers Sting Jackets 49 - 6 behind Sargent's 5 TD's !!!!!!

 
Tyler Sargent scored the first time he got his hands on the football Friday night, scampering 67 yards on Fairview's first offensive play en route to 49 - 6 win over arch rival Girard at Battle's Memorial Stadium.  Sargent, who also scored on runs of 2,28, 5 and 23 yards, finished with 289 yards on 25 carries to lead a devastating Tiger game that rolled up 393 rushing yards.  Jordan Babcock finished with 96 yards on just 9 carries and a TD, Mickey Taylor getting the other Tiger score on a 5 yard quarterback keeper to close out the scoring for Fairview.  The Tigers were never threatened as the defense held Girard to just 83 total passing and rushing yards.  Only an 86 yard kick return by Mike Droll that set up a 3 yard TD run by Steve Reinelt prevented the Tigers from registering a shutout.  Pat Michaels led the way defensively with a season high 18 tackles, including 12 solos. Brooks Linkoski had his first interception of the season which resulted in the only Yellow Jacket turnover of the night.  Gary Corbin chipped in with 7 tackles and Mike Wolf had the only sack for Fairview, which moved to 6 - 2 on the season and 4-1 in Region 4.  Corbin was also effective from his quarterback position, going 4 for 5 for 71 yards passing.  All four receptions were by Justin Haney, who now has 12 catches on the season for 250 yards.  Fairview will close out its regular season with hopes of a playoff bid by hosting Corry next Friday at Keck Field. The game also marks senior night for Fairview, with a 7:00 p.m. kickoff scheduled.
 

TIGERS SQUASH PICKERS 49 - 6 ON HOMECOMING NIGHT !!!

 
The Fairview Tigers put together two halves of football Friday night, and easily defeated the North East Grape Pickers 49 - 6 before a Homecoming crowd of 3,000 at Keck Field.  By the time Abby Eberley's name was announced as the 2007 Homecoming Queen, the Tigers had the game in hand, leading 35 - 0 at halftime thanks to the running of Tyler Sargent and Gary Corbin.  Corbin, who rushed for two scores in the first half, also connected with Justin Haney on a 40 yard TD pass for Fairview's second score of the night.  Tyler Sargent got things going early for Fairview with a 3 yard burst to cap off an 8 play, 70 yard opening drive.  Garrett Stolz booted the first of his 7 PAT's to give the Tigers a 7 - 0 lead with 8:40 left in the opening stanza.  After a North East punt, Corbin found Haney down the sidelines for a 40 yard score with just under four minutes remaining in the first period.  Sargent, who finished with 231 yards rushing on 19 carries, darted 81 yards for his second TD to make it 21 - 0 after the PAT.  Sargent's run was impressive in that he had just returned a punt 79 yards for a score only to have it called back by a holding penalty.  Corbin finished off the first half scoring with his 2 TD runs, the first from 8 yards out and the last with :40 left in the half on a 35 yard bootleg around the right end.  Sargent began the thrid quarter scoring with his third TD from five yards out.  Jordan Babcock, who finished with 59 yards on seven attempts, scored his first TD of the season from 4 yards out to close out the Fairview scoring.  The Pickers avoided a shutout when Louis Neff rumbled in from 6 yards out capping a 6 play, 80 yard drive that was set up by Neff's 50 yard run earlier in the drive.  Gary Corbin led a stingy Tiger defense that limited the Pickers to just 25 first half yards with his 10 tackles.  Bryan Kirsch led the Pickers defensively with 8 tackles and a fumble recovery. The Tigers are now 3 - 1 in Region 4, and will travel to arch rival Girard next Friday.  Game time at Memorial Field is set for 7:00 p.m.    
 

Week SIX

BURKES LATE SCORE LIFTS EAGLES OVER TIGERS, 25 - 21 !
 
Mike Burke scored on a 1 yard keeper with :21 left in the ball game to complete a second half comeback and carry the Grove City Eagles to a 25 - 21 win over the Fairview Tigers Friday night at Forker Field.  Burke, who was pulled in the second quarter, returned in the 4th quarter and engineered two scoring drives that wiped out a 15 point Tiger lead they held at the half.  Fairview scored first when Tyler Sargent rumbled in from a yard out on the first play of the second quarter.  Garrett Stolz converted the first of his 3 PAT's to give Fairview a 7 - 0 lead.  The drive was set up by Gary Corbin's fumble recovery with the Tigers going 56 yards in 6 plays.  After a GC three and out, Sargent raced 36 yards on the first play for his second score and a 14 - 0 Tiger lead. 
 
Keith Rundle replaced Burke for the Eagles and quickly got them on the board with a beautiful 51 yard pass to Dwayne Martin.  The failed PAT left the Eagles trailing 14 - 6 midway through the second quarter.  The Tigers scored with :29 left in the half on a 10 yard run by Gary Corbin and a 21 - 6 halftime lead.
 
After both teams exchanged turnovers to start the third quarter, Grove City scored on a 1 yard run by Chris Clark, who finished with 153 yards on 18 attempts.  A failed two point try left the Eagles trailing 21 - 12 heading into the 4th quarter.  Both teams exchanged punts when Grove City took advantage of a bobbled punt snap and took over at the Tiger 10 yard line.  Dwayne Martin scored his second TD of the night on a three yard run to cut the Tiger lead to 21 - 19 following Jason Ferderber's PAT with 3:43 left in the game.  The Eagle defense stiffened and forced a Tiger punt.  After Justin Burke's 20 yard punt return to the Tiger 33, brother Mike Burke engineered the winning drive in four plays, scoring with :21 left.  A missed two point try and a Tyler Sargent 30 yard kick return gave the Tigers a final chance, but Corbin's throw into the endzone for Justin Haney was tipped away at the last second and preserved the Eagle's win.  
 
The game was marred with 7 turnovers, the Tigers commiting four of them.  Tyler Sargent finished with 237 yards on 31 carries, leaving him 8 yards shy of 1,000 for the year.  Pat Michael had 13 tackles, Matt Sundberg had 11 and Gary Corbin and Justin Haney had 10 each.  Andrew Dawson and Corbin recovered fumbles for the Tigers and Haney collected his second interception of the season.  Bret Waples, Jake Lightner, Ken Martin, Sundberg and Michaels had sacks for Fairview, as the Tigers fell to 4 - 2 on the season.  Fairview hopes to rebound this Friday against North East in a key Region 4 matchup.  The game is also the Tigers Homecoming, with the parade starting at 6:00  p.m. and a 7:00 kickoff at Keck Field.   

Week FIVE

TIGERS REVERSE FORTUNES IN 28 - 7 WIN AGAINST BISON

 
Justin Haney scored two touchdowns, one on a dazzling 40 yard reverse, to spark the Fairview Tigers to a 28 - 7 win Friday night versus Fort LeBeouf at Keck Field.  Haney, who also caught a 4 yard TD pass from Gary Corbin, scored on a 40 yard reverse in the second quarter to give Fairview a 14 - 0 lead with :48 left in the first half.  The Tigers, who had the ball only 8 minutes in the first half, drew first blood when Gary Corbin found Matt Sundberg from 17 yards out on the Tiger's second possession of the game.  The drive was set up by a fumble recovery by Pat Michaels, who led the Tiger defense with 10 tackles and 2 sacks to go along with his fumble recovery.  The Bison were plagued by 4 turnovers as Matt Sundberg had an interception, and Tyler Sargent and Jordan Babcock had fumble recoveries.
 
The Tiger defense kept Fort LeBeouf out of the endzone until the final minute of the game despite giving up 259 yards on the ground.  Colin Feeney found Brett Veshecco in the back of the endzone from 17 yards out to avert the shutout.  Tyler Sargent opened the second half scoring with a 53 yard TD run early in the third quarter.  Sargent finished with 128 yards rushing on 14 attempts.In addition to his 2 TD throws, Corbin also had a key 33 yard run in the second quarter which helped set up Haney's reverse later in the drive.The Tigers will travel to Grove City next week in a non region contest at 7:00 p.m.

Week FOUR

Huskies down Tigers in Battle of Unbeatens, 18 - 16 !
 
Josh McAnulty scored the first touchdown of the game and passed for the last score of the game as Harbor Creek defeated Fairview 18 - 16 before a large Homecoming crowd at Harbor Creek's Paul Weitz stadium Friday night.  The Huskies scored first after recovering the opening kickoff, going 31 yards in six plays with McAnulty scoring on a 9 yard keeper.  After a failed two point try, both teams exchanged punts for the remainder of the opening quarter.  Harbor Creek made it 9 - 0 with 11:05 left in the half on a 35 yard field goal from Ryan Divell.  Fairview closed to within two at  9 - 7 on an 11 yard run by Tyler Sargent and Garrett Stolz's PAT.
 
The Tigers  took their first lead of the game when Stolz connected on a 25 yard field goal with 3:21 left in the third quarter.  But the Huskies came right back when Divell hit from 28 yards giving the Huskies a 12 - 10 lead.  The Tigers looked like they had control of the game after Justin Haney scored on a 76 yard reverse with 5:00 left in the game, giving Fairview a 16 - 12 lead.  Gary Corbin's attempt to score a 2 point conversion came up inches short and gave the Huskies a chance from their own 21 with under five minutes to play.  With Divell grinding out valuable yardage (he finished with 95 yards on 23 carries), McAnulty engineered the winning drive hitting Ken Burnett in the corner of the end zone with just 24 seconds left in the game.  A blocked PAT gave the Tigers hope, but a desperation pass in the end zone was knocked down and the Huskies took over sole possession of Region 4 with the win.
 
Tyler Sargent finished with 85 yards on 23 carries, Pat Michael had 13 tackles and Matt Sundberg and Gary Corbin had 10 tackles each for the Tigers, who are now 1 - 1 in region 4.  The Tigers will host Fort LeBoeuf next Friday at Keck Field while the Huskies travel to Seneca. 

Week TWO

SARGENT RUNS WILD IN 54 - 0 TIGER WIN !!!!!!

Tyler Sargent rushed for 292 yards on just 15 carries and scored five touchdowns, all in the first half, as Fairview avenged its only Region loss from last season, downing Seneca 54 - 0 Friday night.  Sargent scored on runs of 9, 53, 43, 14 and 77 yards and finished with 304 yards rushing as the Tigers remained undefeated at 3 - 0 in the Region 4 opener for both clubs.  Gary Corbin picked up a loose ball and rambled in from 8 yards out and then hit Jake Lightner on a 15 yard passing TD to close out the first half scoring for the Tigers, who led 34 - 0 after the first quarter and 48 - 0 at the half.  Peter Jackson closed out the scoring for Fairview with a 15 yard run with 1:24 left in the game.  Defensively, the Tigers were equally impressive as they recorded their second consecutive shutout.  Brett Waples recorded a sack and Ryan Hayes had his second interception of the season to complement Corbin's defensive score.  Freshman Jordan Kerner led the Tigers in tackles with 8 stops.  Fairview will play Harbor Creek next week at the home of the Huskies.  Game time is et for 7:00 p.m.   

Week One

TIGERS DOMINATE WILDCATS, 49 - 0 !

 
The Fairview Tigers looked extremely impressive in their game Thursday night, 
beating the Northwestern Wildcats 49 - 0 in front of 2,500 fans at Keck Field.  Playing
in temperatures approaching 90 degrees at kickoff, the Tigers scored early and often
in rolling to a 42 - 0 halftime lead.  Tyler Sargent led the way with four rushing touchdowns and 93 yards on the ground, but it was Gary Corbin and Justin Haney who got the offense started with a 43 yard hookup on their third offensive play of the game.  Garrett Stolz added the first of his 6 PAT's to make it 7 - 0 with 8:09 left in the opening stanza.
 
After a three and out by the Wildcats, Sargent rambled 40 yards on the Tiger's first play of the drive for a 14 - 0 lead following the PAT.  The Tigers appeared poised for another score when Kyle Maio stepped in front of a Gary Corbin pass to stop the Tigers in Wildcat territory. The turnover, Fairview's first of the season, was not costly however as Matt Sundberg came up with an interception of his own on the following drive.  It took Fairview four plays for Tyler Sargent to score, this time from 21 yards out, giving Fairview a 21 - 0 lead on the first play of the second quarter.
 
On their next possession, Northwestern  fumbled and Gary Corbin recovered.  Sargent scored again on the first play of the drive from 13 yards out and the Tigers had a 28 - 0 lead. Sargent's last score was set up by another turnover, this time Fairview's Anello Sorci pounced on the lose ball at the Wildcat 13. Five plays later, Sargent went in from a yard out and the T igers led 35 - 0.  Fairview closed out the first half scoring after yet another fumble, this time recovered  by Andy Dawson.  Jordan Babcock found paydirt from 4 yards out to make it 42 - 0 at the half.
 
Matt Wlliams scored the lone TD for Fairview in the second half on a 6 yard run on the last play of the third quarter, and Peter Jackson added the PAT to cap the scoring.  The Tiger defense was equally impressive, causing four turnovers and holding Northwestern to just 42 total yards.  T.J. Lawrence (8 tackles, 1 sack), Anello Sorci (7 tackles, fumble recovery), Pat Michael (6 tackles) and Jordan Kerner (5 tackles) led the defensive efforts.  
 
Fairview opens Region 4 play next Friday night with a 7:00 p.m. game at Seneca.  The Bobcats were the only team to defeat the Tigers in the regular season last year, so this contest should be both very entertaining and competitive.