FAIRFAX - After storming out to a 28-6 lead late in the first half only to see Poultney rally to within 33-26 late in the fourth quarter, BFA-Fairfax coach Mike Williams did something unthinkable.
Turns out, it was a great thought.
Faced with 4th-and-3 on his own 29 with less than four minutes to play, Williams defied conventional wisdom and went for it, surprising the Blue Devils with a daring pass play.
BFA-Fairfax's Ben Langelier struggles to gain yardage. (www.coldhollowphoto.com)
Fairfax quarterback Andrew Barden (4-for-11, 109 yards passing and 12 carries, 87 yards) completed a swing pass in the right flat to Ben Langelier (20 carries, 75 yards) for a 21-yard gain, effectively eating up two more precious minutes and helping secure the Bullets’ 33-26 win on Saturday.
“The kids were certainly on roller skates there and sometimes when things are going against you, you have to force the issue and challenge the kids to make a play and that’s what we did there,” said Williams. “We were fortunate enough to get (Poultney) to kind of scramble a little bit and we pulled it off.”
Poultney coach Dave Capman tipped his hat to Williams for the gutsy call.
BFA-Fairfax's Brandan Bates trips up Poultney's Richard Ferguson. (www.coldhollowphoto.com)
“It surprised us on the sidelines and surprised the kids on the field,” said Capman. “It was a great call. It won the football for them because the way we were moving the football, who’s to say what might have happened?”
Poultney did get a final crack at a tying score after forcing a punt with 2:39 to play, but their timeouts were now depleted.
The Blue Devils advanced the ball to midfield before Fairfax’s Kody Ballard sealed their fate with an interception, the lone turnover in a highly-entertaining game that appeared destined to be a rout in the first half.
Fairfax dominated the first 23 minutes of the game, out-gaining the Blue Devils 287-11 and outscoring them 28-6 thanks to two short TD runs by Langelier (4 and 1 yards) and an 80-yard connection between Barden and Max Graves.
BFA-Fairfax QB Andrew Barden is brought down by Poultney's John Fairbanks. (www.coldhollowphoto.com)
“We didn’t get off to a good start,” said Poultney coach Dave Capman. “I’m not sure if it was the bus trip or what it was, but we dug ourselves too big a hole. We’re capable of playing better, but we have to play with excitement and desire all the time.”
The lone Poultney highlight in the first half was a 95-yard kick-off return by John Fairbanks, who backtracked to field a bounding ball before slicing through the Bullet coverage.
Poultney, now 1-5 overall and 1-3 in Division III, didn’t get its first first down until its final drive of the first half.
That drive ended at the Bullet 6, but the seeds of a comeback were planted.
The Blue Devils got the ball first in the second half and eight plays and 59 yards later, they had their first offensive touchdown.
BFA-Fairfax's Josh Woodward kicks an extra point out of the hold of Brandan Bates. (www.coldhollowphoto.com)
Nathan Bourne (12 carries, 55 yards) carried three times for 31 yards to start the drive and after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty extended it, QB Skyler Staples (9-for-20 passing, 101 yards and eight carries, 52 yards) ran around the left end for a 10-yard TD with 9:00 left in the third quarter.
Fairfax answered with an 11-play, 57-yard scoring drive, capped by a 5-yard TD run by Jeremy Lawrence (eight carries, 26 yards) on an option play for a 33-14 lead with 3:39 left in the third quarter.
From there, it was all Poultney.
Fairbanks sparked the ill-fated rally with a 47-yard punt return, keyed by a great block by Wayne Thornton, making it 33-20 with 10:31 to play.
BFA-Fairfax's Jeremy Lawrence tries to elude Poultney's John Fairbanks. (www.coldhollowphoto.com)
Poultney’s Zachary Sawyer then recovered an onside kick and eight plays and 52 yards later the Blue Devils scored on a 2-yard plunge by Bourn to close to within 33-26 with 7:00 to play.
It was on their next possession that Williams showed ultimate confidence in his Bullet offense and put his team in prime position for a playoff berth.
Poultney's playoff hopes took a major hit with the loss.
“We were a completely different team in the second half,” said Capman. “We couldn’t establish anything in the first half. They took stuff away from us, but it was like we were going through the motions and expecting good things to happen.
“You can’t win like that. You have to play with heart and with desire and (Fairfax) did that better than we did in the first half today. Even in the second half when we did well, they did some good things, too,” said Capman.
Poultney's Skyler Stpales is tracked down by a pair of BFA-Fairfax defenders. (www.coldhollowphoto.com)
Fairfax (3-3 overall and 3-1 in the division) got 12 carries from Brandan Bates for 58 yards and plays at 1-5 Montpelier on Friday.
“We’re certainly proud of our effort and it’s a big win,” said Williams. “It puts us 3-1 in the league and we have three league games left. I told the kids they can be happy for a couple of days, but they need to come back Monday ready to work.”
Poultney, which got five catches for 63 yards by Nick Pryor, makes another long trip north on Friday, playing at Winooski.
“Give a lot of credit to Poultney for what they did in the second half. They are a good team and are very well-coached and they certainly gave us all we wanted and more,” said Williams.
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