FAIRMONT – Fairmont Senior quarterback Brody Whitehair led his team to a 49-7 victory over visiting University High with five passing touchdowns on Friday night at East-West Stadium.
The senior threw for 396 yards on 12 completions and the five scores to five different receivers, his final setting the new all-time passing touchdown record for the Polar Bears program as he tossed the 80th for his career.
“We took this week very serious and prepared well for a good team,” Whitehair said after the homecoming victory. “It’s great to get the win and it feels amazing to break the record. It isn’t possible whatsoever without my teammates and coaches. I knew about it coming into the game and I’m glad I was able to get it done.”
Whitehair tossed touchdown passes of seven, 17, 72, 41, and 51 yards in the contest. His 51-yard strike to Jeff Cowger just before the halftime break put the Polar Bears (5-0) ahead 42-7.
UHS first-year head coach Eric Snyder praised his team’s effort against a tough opponent the likes of Fairmont Senior, one of the best teams in the state regardless of class.
“I thought we were able to get some nice execution in our run blocking tonight and found some success on the ground with Brody Kehler,” Snyder said. “We even had some passing plays where we had our guy open and didn’t execute the play. That’s all it’s coming down to for us, we just have to execute. We have to get better in every single phase of the game from pass protection to shedding blocks on defense to securing the ball on offense. Fairmont is a great team, credit to them for the job they did. Brody Whitehair is a very talented player and they are a well-coached team.”
UHS (1-3) struggled to stop both the run and passing offense of the Polar Bears, allowing 506 yards of total offense in the game while only gaining 148 of its own.
Hawks quarterback Harrison Helbig completed 10 passes for 98 yards in the game, and Brody Kehler added the lone score for UHS on the night with a one-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
Snyder says a game like the one against Fairmont Senior will be a big learning experience for his team.
“They’ll take this experience and see what it takes to compete with a team at this level,” he said. “With the seeing that, it will pay huge dividends in the future. I have to give credit to a guy like our captain Brock Kehler though, who is giving everything he can to win right now as a senior. Everyone is out there fighting to try and get a win, players and coaches included.”
Snyder added his thoughts about Fairmont’s Brody Whitehair and his talents as well.
“I knew that he may have been close coming into the game, he is an incredible player and talent,” he said. “They do great things to get him protection and moving around, then he goes out and makes plays and does the job he’s supposed to do. He’s a great example of what a great quarterback should strive to be.”
BOX SCORE
University 0 7 0 0 – 7
Fairmont Senior 21 21 7 0 – 49
SCORING SUMMARY
FS – Whitehair 7 pass to Martin (Peschl kick)
FS – Whitehair 18 pass to Johnson (Peschl kick)
FS – Johnson 47 run (Peschl kick)
FS – Whitehair 72 pass to Dinger (Peschl kick)
UHS – Kehler 1 run (Goodenow kick)
FS – Whitehair 41 pass to Jones (Peschl kick)
FS – Whitehair 51 pass to Cowger (Peschl kick)
FS – Fantasia 15 run (Peschl kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Fairmont Senior – Wilson 10-81, Johnson 5-60 TD, Whitehair 2-19, Hrapchak 3-16, Fantasia 1-15 TD, Carrillo 2-(-2), Trotta 2-(-3), Moore 1-(-6). University – Kehler 9-21 TD, Robinson 3-7, Brown 1-2, Helbig 4-0.
PASSING: Fairmont Senior – Whitehair 12/19 326 5TD, Trotta 0-2 0. University – Helbig 10/22 98, Brown 1/1 18, Maisel 1/1 2.
RECEIVING – Fairmont Senior – Dinger 3-122 TD, Cowger 2-68 TD, Martin 4-64 TD, Jones 1-41 TD, Johnson 1-17 TD, Canfield 1-15. University – Brown 3-39, Kehler 2-34, Lewis 4-31, Deel 1-16, Robinson 1-2, George 1-(-4).
