Polar Iced: Class AA No. 1 Fairmont Senior upends University 52-6

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – “Our performance speaks for itself,” University coach John Kelley said as he walked off the field. 

Heading into one of the biggest contests of the year with undefeated No. 1 ranked Fairmont Senior (5-0), the Hawks (2-3) knew the plan was to  contain the Polar Bears early. What happened, though, was a complete reversal from the Hawks’ good week of practice and a mauling at the hands of the Polar Bears’ attack. 

“They’re a very good football team with some very good football players. It’s very disappointing and uncharacteristic. I didn’t see a lot of fight or many positive things,” Kelley said. 

All it took Fairmont Senior was one drive and eight plays to grab their first touchdown – a 3-yard keep by quarterback Gage Michael. 

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University’s first drive would be much different, beginning with a high snap for a loss of 16 yards. Joseph McBee would get sacked on the 3rd down for another loss, forcing UHS to get rid of it – the first of four three-and-outs under McBee. 

Although FSHS was penalized for an illegal block in the back on the punt return, Michael connected with Camden Longwell in double coverage for a 28-yard touchdown. From there, the Hawks’ collapse began. Fairmont scored on their next three offensive drives, and McBee threw into Malachi West’s hands for a 25-yard pick-6 in the second quarter giving Fairmont a 39-0 lead. 

What aggravated the Hawks’ offense the most was senior defensive lineman and WVU 2020 commit Zach Frazier, but more on him soon. 

University finally found momentum in the final minutes of the half due in part to a ground-and-pound attack by McBee and Logan Raber. Raber’s 3-yard rush on 3rd down gave the Hawks its first 1st down of the night, and a face mask call on FSHS put UHS across the 50-yard line for the first time. The 15-play drive ended 24 yards shy of the goal line, due to fumble by McBee and a delay of game. 

The second half didn’t bode much better for the Hawks, but a shining light in the dark was backup quarterback Chase Edwards. 

Coming in midway through the third quarter, Edwards used his speed and the option to gain big yardage over the Polar Bears. That, paired with Raber bullying his way through multiple defenders, put UHS in position to score in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. 

Raber began the drive with a 9-yard rush to pick up a 1st down, and five consecutive plays by Edwards – including a pitch to Elija Jackson for 23-yards – allowed the freshman to punch through the defensive line for a 2-yard score. It was the Hawks’ lone score of the game. 

“We’re in a very dark place right now because everyone’s questioning whether we can do anything the rest of the season,” Kelley said. “I know one thing, if we play like that we aren’t going to win another game. We’ll come to practice and try to get better, pump ourselves up and get some confidence to go from there.”

As for his freshman backup quarterback’s impressive showing?

“I don’t think Chase is the backup quarterback anymore.”

Frazier delights in defensive shutdown

Nick Bartic had a lot of good to say about his team. 

“I thought we did well on the offensive line. Our receivers did a good job of blocking downfield, but not a great job of catching the ball,” he said. “Those are little details we need to clean up in the off week. Defensively we did a good job staying against their option game. Guys didn’t fall asleep in the secondary, so all in all we did a good job.” 

His first and second string defenses were a hitting point as well. Although his first string defensive line delivered a usual performance, opening up opportunities for his defensive backs and secondary, his second string also performed up to his expectations. 

“They executed well. We had to stop the run first with these guys, you can’t allow missed tackles and big plays to happen. You can’t be selfish and have to play your assignment, and they were able to do that,” he said. 

The key to success every week, though, is the guy Neal Brown has his eyes on to play center for the Mountaineers. 

“I play as hard as I can for my team,” Frazier said. “I thought it was a good team win. I play both sides of the ball as hard as I can … I feel like the physicality is a culture thing around here.”

“It was a lot of fun (getting up in McBee’s face). Every play I was trying to get after him.”

Bartic also spoke highly of his senior, noting his athleticism and commitment to being an all-around good person. 

“He’s the hardest working kid you’re going to find,” Bartic said. “It’s a combination of a lot of things. He’s an intense physical player, but he also comes from a good family and is involved in his community doing a lot with kids and different groups.

“He’s as smart as they come on and off the field. He understands where he should be on defensive and can flip that for offensive. As far as scouting reports, he typically has it ready before we even discuss it within the team on prep days. He can breakdown film as good as anybody. All of that obviously attributes to his overall ability.” 

And when he eventually graduates from Fairmont Senior, the Polar Bears big guy just wants to help out the old gold and blue “anyway I can.”

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