Today (Friday, October 25, 2019) has
been a long time coming. The last time which I attended (and covered) a high
school football game was on Friday, November 10, 2017. On that very date, I
visited Beavercreek, Ohio’s Miami Valley Hospital Stadium (MVHS). I was not
present to cover a Beavercreek High School (BHS) Football Game. Instead, my
purpose was to cover an Ohio High School Football Playoff Game. Fast forward to
two weeks. Just before the Thanksgiving Day Holiday, I went and covered some
college basketball action. As I was leaving the campus of Cedarville University
(in Cedarville, Ohio), my car started to experience some problems. Although I
was able to safely return to my Xenia, Ohio home, my car was finished. It was no
more. I was left without my very own transportation. Over a period of nearly
the next two years, I had to solely rely on a family member for any
transportation which I needed. That transportation did not include the ability
to attend any high school football games. Covering Ohio High School Football is
my passion. Writing stories about the action which my two eyes witness is my
favorite activity. At the blink of an eye, it was all taken away from me. I am
not afraid to admit the following. Not being able to attend any high school
football games caused a great deal of pain within my heart.
“You
never know how much you appreciate something until it has been taken away from
you.” Ever since I was a little child, that phrase has been
repeatedly mentioned to me. When I think back to what I have dealt with since
November 2017, that phrase exemplifies my complete situation. Well, today is a
new day. Recently, God has blessed me with once again being able to own a
vehicle. As a result, I am now sitting inside of MVHS. It is no secret. MVHS is
my favorite stadium which to cover a football game in. I am both a fan and a supporter of Beavercreek High School. Therefore, it is always a great pleasure
to cover the Beavers’ Football Team. The total experience never stops being
enjoyable. The ensuing game will be no different. The BHS Beavers are hosting
the Kettering Fairmont High School (KFHS) Firebirds. Beavercreek won the
Official Coin Toss. The team has elected to receive the ball. Its Offense
started on the team’s own 35-Yard Line. At 11:19, the ball was positioned on
the 43-Yard Line. On 3rd Down and 2, Quarterback Nick Brown kept the
ball. He ran up the middle of the Offensive Line. Brown picked up exactly
2-Yards. The Offensive Drive would go on to stall. On 4th Down and 7
from the 48-Yard Line, BHS had to punt (8:53).
After
the good punt, the ball rested on Fairmont’s 12-Yard Line. On 3rd
Down and 5 from the 17-Yard Line, Quarterback Malek Hillon obtained a First
Down (7:05). With the clock reading 5:49, the Firebirds’ Offense faced a 2nd
Down and 5 situation. Running Back Tank Gant obtained another First Down.
KFHS’s Offense was rolling right along. However, an ensuing mistake almost
became a complete disaster. On 2nd Down and 6 from the team’s
42-Yard Line, the quarterback-to-running back pitch was fumbled (4:31).
Fortunately, Fairmont was able to recover its fumble. The negative play resulted
in a loss of 2-Yards. With 3:04 remaining in the 1st Quarter, it was
4th Down and 5 from the 43-yard Line. Fairmont punted the ball away.
The great punts continued. The ball was downed on Beavercreek’s 16-Yard Line. The
Offensive Drive ended up being marred by an Offensive Holding Penalty. The
Beavers’ Offense went three plays and out. At the 31-Seconds mark, the Beavers’
Punter was standing in the team’s end zone. Then, a short punt took place.
Before the end of the 1st Quarter, Fairmont’s Offense was penalized
for a Holding Violation. The penalty took away a First Down Run (by Chris
Thompson). At the end of the 1st Quarter, the score remained 0-0.
As
the 2nd Quarter got underway, Fairmont had a 1st Down and
23 on Beavercreek’s 34-Yard Line. Hillon threw a Deep Pass close to the end
zone. The pass was incomplete (11:54). The Firebirds’ Offense was given a
reward. The Beavers’ Defense was penalized for Roughing-The-Passer. As a direct
result, KFHS was given a 1st Down on BHS’s 20-Yard Line. Immediately,
the run game put forth positive results. Keon Wright took the ball to the
11-Yard Line (11:49). On 3rd Down and 1, the ball was still
positioned on the 11-Yard Line. At the snap-from-center, Trey Baker moved the
ball to the 5-Yard Line. On 2nd Down and Goal, Gant rushed 3-Yards
to the end zone (9:17). Will Holt’s Extra Point Kick was good. Fairmont leads
Beavercreek 7-0. After the ensuing kickoff, Beavercreek’s Offense started on
its 25-Yard Line. Behind the legs of Elijah Howard, the ball was moved to the
48-Yard Line. Howard rushed the ball four times. On 3rd Down and 12
from the 46-Yard Line, Brown threw an Incomplete Pass. The intended receiver
was wide-open. However, the ball was too low to the ground. On 4th
Down and 12, the Beavers had to punt (6:30).
Fairmont
proceeded to go three plays and out. On 4th Down and 6, the ball was
on the Firebirds’ 21-Yard Line. The team had to punt (3:51). KFHS would soon
possess the ball again. With 3:06 remaining in the 2nd Quarter, BHS
had a 2nd Down and 10 from its 45-Yard Line. After the
snap-from-center, Brown was intercepted by Fairmont’s Jaylen Razor. Razor was
tackled on Beavercreek’s 43-Yard Line. After three runs (by Gant; Thompson;
& Baker), the ball was moved to the 30-Yard Line. At the 23-Seconds mark,
Fairmont faced a 2nd Down and 12 from the 32-Yard Line. Hillon
completed an 8-Yard Pass to Thompson. The next play ended with Gant running for
4-Yards. With only 1-Second remaining in the First Half, the ball was still on
the 20-Yard Line. On 2nd Down and 10, Hillon kept the ball. When he
stopped running, Hillon was in the end zone. Holt’s Extra Point Kick was good.
At the end of the 2nd Quarter (and First Half), Fairmont leads
Beavercreek 14-0.
After
the Halftime Break, Fairmont continued to grind out yards on the ground. The
Offensive Drive started on the Firebirds’ 35-Yard Line. Upon Hillon rushing the
ball twice, the ball rested on the 44-Yard Line. On 3rd Down and 1,
Baker picked up three yards (10:41). From that point forward, the drive
stalled. Two, consecutive runs managed to only obtain 1-Yard. At 8:44, the
Firebirds’ Offense committed an Illegal Procedure Violation. A 3rd
Down and 14 Play went on to end with an Incomplete Pass. On 4th Down
and 14 from Fairmont’s 43-Yard Line, the Firebirds’ Special Teams Unit punted
the ball. Beavercreek’s Offensive Drive yielded no positive results. The
Beavers went three plays and out. On 4th Down and 12 from Beavers’
own 16-Yard Line, the team had to punt. The ball was downed on Beavercreek’s
49-Yard Line. In order to make something happen, it did not take Fairmont’s
Offense long. On 1st Down and 10, Hillon kept the ball. He proceeded
to run 49-Yards to the end zone (5:46). Holt’s Extra Point Kick was good.
Fairmont’s lead now stood at 21-0.
BHS’s
Offense was unable to garner any momentum. After going three plays and out,
Beavercreek had to punt (4:24). With a heavy dose of Tank Gant running the
ball, the Firebirds’ Offensive Drive got going. First, Gant committed a 6-Yard
Run. On 2nd Down and 4 from the Firebirds’ 26-Yard Line, Gant moved
his way 13-Yards (to the 39-Yard Line – 3:22). Another run by Gant placed the
ball on the 43-Yard Line. At the 2:06 mark of the 3rd Quarter,
Hillon got in on the fun. On 2nd Down and 6, he proceeded to run
24-Yards. When Hillon was brought down, he was on BHS’s 33-Yard Line. Logan Adams
continued the team’s momentum. He got the ball to the 28-Yard Line. With
54-Seconds remaining in the 3rd Quarter, Penalty Flags were thrown.
Fairmont’s Offense was charged with Illegal Procedure. On 2nd Down
and 10 from the 33-Yard Line, Hillon rushed the ball to the 16-Yard Line
(17-Yards – 26-Seconds). At the end of the 3rd Quarter, Fairmont
leads Beavercreek 21-0. As the 4th Quarter got underway, Gant took
control of the drive. Four, consecutive times, Gant rushed the ball. His runs
ended up getting the ball to the 1-Yard Line. On 1st and Goal, Trey
Baker ended the drive. Baker took the ball into the end zone (9:22). Once
again, Holt successfully completed an Extra Point Kick. KFHS’s lead grew to
28-0.
For
Beavercreek’s Offense, matters went from bad to worse. At the 8:37 mark of the
4th Quarter, the ball rested on Beavercreek’s 32-Yard Line. At the
snap-from-center on 2nd Down and 9, the ball flew over the
quarterback’s head. The quarterback was able to recover the loose ball. On 4th
Down and 27 from the 14-yard Line, BHS was forced to punt (7:19). The punt was
short. Fairmont’s Offense took over on Beavercreek’s 28-Yard Line. On 1st
and 10, Adams picked up 13-Yards. A short time later, Adams moved the ball to
the 8-Yard Line. With 4:37 remaining in the game, Fairmont faced 4th
Down and 1 from the 6-Yard Line. Baker went on to pick up the First Down. He
was tackled on the 3-Yard Line. Upon the completion of the next play, the
obvious took place. On 1st and Goal, Adams took the ball into the end
zone (4:04). Holt’s Extra Point Kick was good. Fairmont leads Beavercreek 35-0.
Beavercreek had the game’s final Offensive Drive. However, it ended in
disaster. With no time remaining on the clock, Nick Brown was intercepted by
Jaylen Razor. It was Razor’s second interception of the game. By the Final
Score of 35-0, Fairmont defeated Beavercreek.
