Story and Photos by Sean McNamara
FAIRMONT – The Fairmont Senior Polar Bears outpaced the Elkins Tigers on Thursday at East-West Stadium, earning a 42-13 victory to improve to 6-3 on the season with one game to play before the playoffs.
The game was originally scheduled to be played Friday at Elkins, but construction on the track at the new Elkins football complex forced the Tigers (1-8) to play their remaining games on the road to close the 2022 campaign.
The Polar Bears, who came into Thursday’s contest tied for No. 8 in the latest WVSSAC Class AA playoff rankings, took advantage of the bonus home game, outgaining the Tigers 322-97 in total yards while recording 15 tackles for loss on defense while forcing three turnovers.
“Defensively, our guys played disciplined, they didn’t try to overplay, and they stayed the course throughout the game,” FSHS coach Nick Bartic said. “The communication was good and ultimately that’s the reason why we played well on the defensive side of the ball.”
The turnovers came by virtue of an interception by Trey Longwell and fumble recoveries by Germaine Lewis and Kaleb Arbogast.
Elkins did have some bright spots in the game, notably a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Logan Beam in the second quarter, a 4-yard touchdown run by Nick Bowers in the fourth quarter and a pair of passing connections from Todd Vandevender and Christian Lopez that accounted for 59 combined yards.
The Polar Bears spread the ball around to a variety of players in Thursday’s win, with quarterback Brody Whitehair and running backs Germaine Lewis and Dylan Ours carrying a majority of the load.
“Anytime you have balance on offense, that’s important,” Bartic said. “Defense can’t key on any one guy. That’s what we’re always trying to do is be balanced on run to pass and just take what the defense gives us. We did a nice job of doing that in the first half.”
Whitehair completed 7-of-14 passes for 134 yards and a pair of touchdowns, finding Lewis from 19 yards away and Ours from 25 yards away for touchdowns in the second and third quarters, respectively. Whitehair added 53 yards rushing.
The trio of Whitehair, Lewis and Ours all found the end zone on the ground, with Lewis rushing for 8- and 3-yard scores in the first and second quarter, respectively, Ours rushing for a 13-yard score in the first quarter and Whitehair running one in from 10 yards out in the second quarter.
In addition to Whitehair’s numbers, Ours accounted for 84 total yards of offense while Lewis tallied 46 total yards and three scores. Cannon Dinger was the top receiver in the game with 87 yards on four catches.
Following Thursday’s game, the Polar Bears have one game left on the schedule – the historic East-West game against the East Fairmont Bees.
The game always has an elevated meaning and feel in the Friendly City, but this year the stakes are raised as the Bees currently sit at 6-2 and ranked No. 10 in the latest WVSSAC Class AA playoff rankings with a contest upcoming today at home against Lewis County. The Bees are seeking a chance to secure a playoff spot for just the third time in school history.
“We’re in a position in the county where all three high schools have the opportunity to make the playoffs this season,” Bartic said, noting that fellow Marion County team North Marion is poised to make the postseason, as well. “There’s a good feeling throughout the county and some anticipation on these in-county matchups. The East-West game always has a big-game feeling. Anytime it takes on some extra incentive you take on a bigger crowd and a little bit bigger atmosphere. That’s what we’re going to expect for the 102nd edition.”
Elkins will close the season on the road next week at Buckhannon-Upshur.
FAIRMONT SENIOR 42, ELKINS 13
Team Statistics
FS;ELK
First Downs; 16;9
Rushing Yards; 151;38
Passing Yards; 171;59
Total Yards; 322;97
Passing; 11-20-0;2-6-1
Fumbles; 5;4
Fumbles Lost; 1;2
Penalties; 8-85;5-25
Individual Stats
Rushing: FS: Dylan Ours 7-59 1 TD, Brody Whitehair 7-53 1 TD, Damani Johnson 4-28, Germaine Lewis 7-27 2 TD, Jordan Wagner 1-4, Tarran Boda 1-(-2), TEAM 2-(-18). Totals 29-151. ELK: Nick Bowers 12-32 1 TD, Damien Strader 6-15, Andrew McGilberry 3-11, Logan Beam 5-3, Riley Rider 2-2, Todd Vandevender 5-(-18), TEAM 3-(-7). Totals: 36-38.
Passing: FS: Brody Whitehair 7-14-0 134 yards 2 TD, Dylan Ours 2-4-0 26 yards, Jason Walker II 2-2-0 11 yards. ELK: Todd Vandevender 2-6-1 59 yards.
Receiving: FS: Cannon Dinger 4-87, Dylan Ours 1-25 1 TD, Kolbie Hamilton 2-13, Germain Lewis 1-19 1 TD, Trey Longwell 1-16, Andy Mines 1-6, Jordan Wagner 1-5. ELK: Christian Lopez 2-59.
FS;; 22;14;6;0;;42
ELK;;0;6;0;7;;13
First Quarter
FS – Germain Lewis 19-yard pass from Brody Whitehair (kick blocked)
FS – Lewis 8-yard run (Whitehair run)
FS – Dylan Ours 13-yard run (Lewis run)
Second Quarter
FS – Lewis 3-yard run (pass failed)
ELK – Logan Beram 96-yard kickoff return (kick blocked)
FS – Whitehair 10-yard run (Dinger reception)
Third Quarter
FS – Ours 25-yard pass from Whitehair (kick blocked)
Fourth Quarter
ELK – Nick Bowers 4-yard run (Isaiah Sigley kick)
