After a 3-0 start, the Firebirds went from Greater Western Ohio Conference contender to afterthought. They lost 28-0 at Northmont and failed on a late two-point try in a 21-19 loss to Springboro. Then they won three straight games with go-ahead touchdowns in the fourth quarter, setting off a postgame locker-room ritual that feels more like a pep rally.
The Firebirds (6-2, 3-2 GWOC) pulled off the shocker of the season with a fourth-quarter touchdown to beat Springfield 24-21. A week later they beat Miamisburg 10-7 on a rare touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. This past week they scored late and defeated Wayne 26-21 for their first win over the Warriors since 2008.
“It’s just adversity,” said Fairmont star running back Drew Baker, whose team hosts Centerville (6-2, 3-2 GWOC) on Friday. “We faced adversity a lot this year, and, compared to last year, we just learned how to win these games. It’s just really about belief. All of us have believed coming in every single week, and we just came in and faced adversity and beat it.”
After building a 17-7 halftime lead, the Firebirds felt the stress of a 21-20 deficit by the end of the third quarter. The Firebirds needed a break halfway through the fourth quarter and got it when defensive tackle Kaeden Partenach forced a fumble on a sack and recovered it at the Wayne 7-yard line. Baker scored on the next play.
“The defense picked us up, and we just went on from there and never, never started wavering,” Baker said. “When we get in the red zone, we’re not denied. It was just a mindset of the whole offense that we’re going to get this thing in there and go up.”
Playing without star defensive tackle Dalton Gustwiller, players like Partenach needed to make plays for Fairmont.
“Our kids just persevered and played their butts off,” Fairmont coach Dave Miller said. “It was just great.”
Springfield has bounced back strong from the Fairmont loss and a performance the week before in a 49-17 win over last-place Beavercreek that Wildcats coach Maurice Douglass was not pleased with. The Wildcats blew out Springboro 54-14 two weeks ago and Centerville 38-10 this past week.
“You humble yourself and realize that you’re not as good as you think you are, and you have to work to be special,” Douglass said after the Centerville game. “In the last two weeks, we’ve done a really good job of paying attention to detail in practice.”
League races: Springfield and Springboro share the GWOC lead at 4-1. Springfield finishes with Miamisburg and at Northmont. Springboro hosts Wayne and goes to Miamisburg.
Xenia (8-0, 7-0) clinched the Miami Valley League Valley Division with a 42-7 win over Stebbins last week. Tippecanoe (7-1, 6-1) holds a one-game lead over Piqua (6-2, 5-2) in the Miami Division. Tipp finishes with Fairborn (1-7) and Greenville (2-6).
In the Southwestern Buckeye League, Bellbrook and Valley View are unbeaten in East and West Division play, respectively, and hold one-game leads. Bellbrook hosts second-place Monroe this week before finishing at home against Valley View. The Spartans are at Eaton on Friday.
Milton-Union (8-0, 4-0) and Riverside (6-2, 5-0) are both unbeaten in the Three Rivers Conference. Milton faceds Northridge (6-1, 3-1) this week.
Dunbar (2-6) leads the City League at 2-0 and Meadowdale (3-5) is 2-1. Dunbar finishes with winless Thurgood Marshall and Belmont (2-5, 1-1).
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