Alva Review-Courier -

Coming off the high of last week's win over Purcell, the Alva Goldbugs faced off against a tough non-district rival, the Fairview Yellowjackets. The Jackets are highly ranked in Class A and came into Friday night's game with a 2-0 record while the Goldbugs were 1-1.

The outcome of this contest was far different from last week. While both teams have sophomore quarterbacks, Fairview's QB Jax Bernard saw plenty of action on the varsity field last year. In contrast, Alva's Cambell Gasiford began as starting quarterback this fall. Alva had a number of untried players on the field including at least two freshmen on the line. The difference in experience and team cohesiveness showed as Fairview won 60-28.

First Quarter

Fairview took the kickoff and immediately drew a penalty for a false start. That moved them back to their 19 yard line. It took two plays, a handoff to Blake Perez and a pass to Isaiah Burris, to complete the down and advance to the 40. A flag for holding set the Jackets back to the 25. Fairview gained four yards, and then Bernard was sacked by Phillip Randall and Zander Miller. On the next play, Bernard broke loose and ran the 71 yards to the end zone. The extra point kick was good, and Fairview led 7-0.

Alva took the ball at their 25. Gaisford handed the ball to fullback Lantz Mathers who gained seven yards. On the next play, Gaisford's pass was deflected with Boden Campbell recovering for the Jackets.

Fairview began at the Alva 29 where Bernard was sacked by a pile of Goldbugs including Allie Pollock, Reichen Kraft, Demarkus Wharton and Aiden Faison. That moved the Jackets back to the 36 where Perez broke a tackle and gained 24 yards. After a three yard gain, Bernard ran the ball from the nine yard line to the goal. The kick missed the uprights, and Fairview led 13-0.

The Goldbugs went backward on the next two plays, setting them back six yards. The third play went nowhere, and Mathers punted.

At the Alva 22, the handoff from Bernard to Perez was fumbled due to a tackle, and Alva recovered.

The Goldbugs had the ball on their 17 yard line. Following three incomplete passes, Mathers kicked the ball deep into Jacket territory, but Burris picked it up and ran to the Fairview 37.

Bernard connected with Austin Houk on a pass for nine yards. Perez ran the ball to complete the down. A pass to Reed Martens took the ball to Alva's 23. Bernard lost control of the ball, and Hagan Wiersig took possession of the fumble.

At the Alva 23, Gasiford was hammered by Houk, losing two yards. Two handoffs to Mathers gave Alva a first down. Mathers carried the ball for three yards to the 45. Gaisford's pass was knocked out of the hands of Weston Tucker by Bryce Ramay. Then Gaisford was tacked by Pettus for a loss of five yards.

The first quarter ended with Fairview leading 13-0.

Second Quarter

The Goldbugs started the second quarter with a punt by Mathers into the wind.

Fairview had the ball on their 41 yard line. Bernard passed to Houk for a gain of six yards. Perez took the handoff and had a big run, but it was negated by a holding penalty on the Jackets. Now at their 37, Bernard threw to Burris who made a difficult catch, falling to the ground in the process. A handoff to Perez gained nine yards. Bernard passed to Brant Strader who took the ball to the Alva three yard line. He might have gone all the way, but Drew Glass made the stop. Two handoffs to Perezl later Fairview added another TD to the scoreboard. The kick was good, and the Jackets led 20-0.

Demarkus Wharton took the kickoff and went out of bounds where a late hit drew an official's flag. The personal foul on Fairview gave Alva a great position at the Fairview 49. Mathers dropped the ball on the handoff but recovered it for a loss of a yard. Gaisford made a short throw to Drake Wharton who gained four yards. Gaisford gave the ball to Mathers who broke free and ran the 48 yards to the end zone. The two-point conversion failed, but Alva was on the board although still trailing 20-6.

Starting at their 29, it took Fairview a while to score. In the ensuing plays, Fairview drew a couple of penalties. Alva had one for movement on the line. The Goldbugs just couldn't stop the Jackets who made it to the Alva 19. Two handoffs to Perez put another touchdown on the board for Fairview. Bernard's kick was good, and Fairview now had a 27-6 lead.

The Goldbugs were energized by the next action. Pettus kicked the ball to the Alva 10 where speedy Drake Wharton grabbed it and ran. He took it 90 yards to the goal, scoring Alva's second touchdown. The extra points conversion failed, but Alva had narrowed the lead 27-12.

Incredibly, Fairview did the same thing. Mathers kicked off, and Burris took the ball 85 yards to the end zone. The Jackets now led 33-12.

On the next kickoff, Daylon Malone ran the ball back from the one yard line to the 8 before being brought down. The determined Jackets set Mathers back twice with Alva losing two yards. Gaisford tried keeping the ball and ran for six, but it wasn't enough and Mathers had to punt.

At the Alva 34, Bernard gave the ball to Perez who broke through for 22 yards. An eight yard pass to Burris put Fairview four yards from the goal. Two handoffs to Perez later, they scored another touchdown. Bernard's kick was good, and Fairview led 40-12.

With little time left in the half, Alva advanced from their 17 to the 27. The third play had Goldbug fans worried as Mathers took a hit low to the back of his leg. He was able to stand and limp to the sidelines. The bad luck wasn't over as Gaisford was sacked, causing a fumble and Fairview recovered.

At Alva's 13, Bernard threw to a wide-open Houk at the 10, and he ran across the goal line. Bernard's kick was good. Fairview led 47-12 at halftime.

Third Quarter

Alva fans were relieved to see the tough Mathers return to the field for the second half. The Goldbugs lost four yards on their first play but Gaisford ran the ball five yards to the 23. After an incomplete pass, Drake Wharton punted.

From the Alva 44, Fairview made the first down. Bernard passed the ball, but Randall made a nice interception to give the Goldbugs possession.

Starting at the Alva 20, Mathers carried the ball six yards. An illegal shift penalty set them back, but Drake Wharton caught a pass and moved forward for seven. After an incomplete pass, Gaisford gave the ball to Mathers who made the first down. Gaisford tried another pass, but Fairview was penalized for pass interference, giving Alva another first down. Now at the 49, Gaisford threw to Drake Wharton. The ball came out as Wharton was tackled, and Fairview recovered.

After a gain of six from the Fairview 45, a run by Perez was negated when the Jackets were called for holding. A false start on the next play set them back five yards more. After a gain of four, the Jackets were penalized for holding. Apparently Fairview's coach Robert Bernard was upset by all the penalty assessments. He walked onto the field, and let the officials know his opinion, drawing an unsportsmanlike penalty. On the third down with 29 yards to go, Jax Bernard took a low snap and Alva's Faison ran him out of bounds. Fairview finally had to punt, their first of the game.

Alva took possession on their 40 yard line but couldn't make any progress. In fact, they lost five yards and had to punt. The kick took a bounce in Fairview's favor and ended up at the 50 yard line.

From there Fairview made steady progress, with no penalties, to the Alva 17. Bernard's pass was nearly intercepted by Randall but it went in and out of his hands. Houk was able to make the catch to put the Jackets within a yard of the goal. From there Burris took it across the line. The kick was good, and Fairview led 54-12.

The Goldbugs took the ball at their 14 and made it to the 33. Gaisford handed off to Mathers, but Houk stripped the ball away for the Jackets.

From the Alva 31, it took Fairview three plays to score despite a false start penalty. Bernard connected with Reed Martens on a pass for the 27 yard touchdown. Bernard's kick was blocked by Alva. Fairview now led 60-12 going into the final period.

Fourth Quarter

The Goldbugs weren't ready to quit. After an incomplete pass, Alva advanced for the first down on a pass to Drake Wharton and two keepers by Gasiford. From the 43, Gaisford was being threatened and threw the ball for an incomplete. He was hit after the throw, and Fairview drew another penalty for roughing the passer. That put Alva at the Fairview 42. Gaisford threw the ball to Malone who dodged and wove his way through defenders to break out for a 42 yard touchdown. Malone also caught Gaisford's pass for the extra two points. The score stood at Fairview 60, Alva 20.

With a substantial lead, Fairview brought in a new quarterback Dagan Fishback. He took the Jackets from the 21 to the 31, but from there they went backward and had to punt.

Alva didn't get far on their next possession either, ending with an incomplete pass.

Fairview's players tried three times, losing a yard and gaining a yard. They also had to punt.

Desiree Morehead

Senior Drew Glass (8) takes down Fairview's running back during the Friday night game.

At the Alva 36, Gaisford threw the ball to Mathers who made nine yards. Faison caught the next pass and had a big run to the Fairview 27. Gaisford was sacked by Kaden Pettus, taking the ball back to the 39. Gaisford connected on a pass to Tucker who battled defenders but made it to the end zone. On the two-point try, Fairview moved too early and Alva was placed closer to the goal line. From there, Mathers had a short run to score. There wasn't time for another play, and the final score was Fairview 60, Alva 28.

Wrap-Up

Alva finishes non-district play with a 1-2 record, while Fairview is 3-0. The Goldbugs have a bye week with their next game set for Friday, Sept. 23, at Millwood to begin district play.

In other Class 2A-1 scores Friday, Hennessey defeated Hinton 27-14, Newkirk edged Woodland 31-30, Kingfisher beat Chisholm 56-6, Oklahoma Christian School topped Luther 38-20, Stigler shutout Blackwell 52-0 and Tonkawa topped Perry 59-6. For other schools in the area, Timberlake wiped out Waukomis 46-0 while Shattuck beat Cherokee 46-20. Waynoka had a bye week.