“I’m really proud of our kids,” said Haynes, moments after doing 20 push-ups with his team to celebrate the Thunderhawks’ winning point total. “(Fairfield) had the momentum there in the second half, but the defense stood tall and stopped them.
“When you’re learning how to win sometimes you have to take small steps. I thought we took a step tonight.”
Sophomore quarterback Rob Harpring rushed 22 times for 77 yards and scored two touchdowns for East, which moved to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the GMC.
Harpring, who came into the game with 22 yards gained on 29 carries, did a good job directing the Thunderhawks’ triple option attack.
Junior fullback Max DeZarn also gave East a big boost in his first career start. The Moeller transfer punished the Tribe up the middle for 65 yards on 14 carries — all on dive plays. J.D. Whetsel had a rushing TD for East.
“We stuck to what coach told us,” Harpring said. “We played it well and came out with a victory. We tried really hard not to make any mistakes. We focused on that a lot this week and it showed tonight.”
Harpring’s second TD of the game — a 4-yard run on a fourth-and-3 play — put the Thunderhawks up 20-0 and seemingly in control late in the third.
But Fairfield took the ensuing kickoff and marched 93 yards in 12 plays. Jordan Ammon hit Devon Barlow for a 30-yard TD passes to cap the march and make it 20-7 with 10:20 to play. Barlow caught nine passes for 110 yards.
An eight-play, 80-yard drive that Tyler White finished with a 3-yard TD run made it 20-14 with 6:26 to play.
East took some time off the clock and marched inside the Tribe 20 on its next drive, but Fairfield’s defense held on a fourth-and-9 play from the 25. A 15-yard penalty for sideline interference gave FHS the ball on its own 33 with 3:45 left.
The Indians recorded one first down, but a holding penalty put them off schedule and ultimately led to them turning it over on downs at their own 48 after a fourth-and-7 pass fell incomplete.
“We waited too long,” said Fairfield coach Aaron Fitzstephens, whose team is 1-4, 0-2. “Our kids battled, but we couldn’t get anything going early on and couldn’t stop them.”
Ammon finished 14-of-23 for 163 yards through the air and added 58 yards on the ground. White rushed for 67 yards on 18 carries.
Fairfield’s early woes were compounded by an apparent leg injury to standout defensive end/punter Robert Mincey. He left the game in the second quarter and did not return.
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