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Fairborn upsets No. 1 Beavercreek in OT

Swope, brought in for defense, intercepts pass to preserve 13-10 victory.

Staff photo by Ron Alvey Beavercreek running back Gabe Henry (5) tries to outrun Fairborn linebacker Keith Wilson.

Beavercreek linebacker Nathan Hofstetter (left) tries to pull a touchdown pass away from Fairborn wide receiver Devon Hamilton. The touchdown pass, thrown by Ryan Cook of Fairborn, came with  8 minutes, 39 seconds left in the second quarter and gave Fairborn a 7-3 lead.

Staff photos by Ron Alvey Beavercreek linebacker Nathan Hofstetter (left) tries to pull a touchdown pass away from Fairborn wide receiver Devon Hamilton. The touchdown pass, thrown by Ryan Cook of Fairborn, came with  8 minutes, 39 seconds left in the second quarter and gave Fairborn a 7-3 lead.

ENLARGE PHOTO

Photos: Fairborn vs. Beavercreek

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By Kyle Nagel, Staff Writer Updated 2:17 AM Saturday, September 19, 2009

BEAVERCREEK — Mark Swope Jr. is rarely used as a defender, and even then only on the more significant plays so Fairborn High School football coaches can preserve the senior for offense.

So, Swope’s overtime role on Friday, Sept. 18, was to keep an eye on Beavercreek receiver Brad Sundstrom, who, at 6-foot-5, was a major threat for a lob to the end zone.

Swope did the work. Taking advantage of a partial slip by Sundstrom, Swope intercepted a pass on Beavercreek’s first play in overtime to preserve a 13-10 Fairborn victory in the Dayton Daily News Game of the Week.

Once Swope pulled down the pass, the sideline exploded and Fairborn quarterback Ryan Cook cried as the Skyhawks improved to 3-1 while Beavercreek, ranked No. 1 in the Dayton Daily News Division I ratings, fell to 3-1.

“It just shows our guys have heart,” Swope said. “We’re gonna be good, we’re physical and fast.”

Fairborn needed all of that late. The Skyhawks took possession at their own 39-yard line trailing 13-10 with 1:03 left in the third quarter. In the next 10:17, Fairborn held the ball for all but eight seconds, relied on two Beavercreek fumbles and used a Dylan Stegall 23-yard field goal wth 2:46 left to tie the game 10-10.

Beavercreek drove to the 28-yard line on its ensuing possession, but Nick Gundel’s 45-yard field goal attempt fell short to extend the game to overtime.

Fairborn, getting the ball first, gained just three yards in three plays before Stegall kicked a 34-yard field goal for the lead.

Many thought that Beavercreek, also starting at the 20-yard line, was sure to toss to Sundstrom in the end zone, but Fairborn coaches weren’t sure if the Beavers would do it on the first play.

Swope entered the field, and he waited for the coming pass and Sundstrom slipped. Swope’s intercept gave Fairborn a 4-3 lead in the series since 2003.

“We’ve been playing solid, and we’ve got a great group of kids,” said Fairborn coach Roy Thobe. “They kept coming up with big plays, but we still believed we could win.”

Gundel opened the scoring with a 22-yard field goal with 47 seconds left in the first quarter. By that point, Beavercreek led 3-0 and had run 21 plays that took 11:07. Fairborn had run one play, an Evan Desjardins’ interception of Fairborn’s Cook.

The teams traded passing touchdowns in the second quarter — Cook to Devon Hamilton for 20 yards and Beavercreek’s Tim Carroll to Ryan Sedlar for 31 yards — and Beavercreek entered halftime with a 10-7 advantage.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com

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