Independence simply had no answer for Ours as the do-it-all senior running back/middle linebacker, who rushed the ball 23 times for 162 yards and three touchdowns, caught three passes for another score while also coming up with three massive tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Ours teamed with junior quarterback Brody Whitehair, who finished 15-for-22 for 173 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions through the air to spearhead a Fairmont Senior offense that gained 396 total yards to Independence’s 234.
The win catapults Faimont Senior to 10-2 overall and into the Class AA state championship game next Friday, Dec. 1 against the winner of Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. semifinal matchup between No. 1-seeded North Marion and No. 5-seeded Weir, while the the loss brings Independence’s season to a close at 8-4 overall.
After opting for the opening possession, Fairmont Senior’s normally potent offense got off to a shaky start as wide receiver Cannon Dinger fumbled after catching a screen pass on the Polar Bears first-offensive play from scrimmage, giving the Patriots the ball at the Fairmont Senior 41-yard line.
Yet Fairmont Seniors stout defense held firm, forcing Independence into a quick three-and-out to get the ball back into their offense hands.
Taking over on their own 19-yard line, the Polar Bear offense marched to midfield before stalling out to bring up a critical early 4th-and-1.
However, Whitehair was able to draw Independence offsides, keeping the drive alive and allowing Ours to score five plays later on a short two-yard burst up the middle.
Fairmont Senior placekicker Cameron Peschl’s extra point attempt sailed true, giving the Polar Bears a 7-0 lead with 6:06 left in the first quarter.
After trading punts, Fairmont Senior’s offense took over on the Independence 40-yard line and quickly leveraged the premium starting field position into a blindingly quick two-play scoring drive as Whitehair connected with Dinger for an 18-yard gain on the last play of the first quarter, setting up Whitehair’s completion to Ours on a screen pass down the right sideline for a 22-yard score on the very first play of the second quarter.
Peschl hit the extra point to push Fairmont Senior’s lead to 14-0 with 11:47 left in the second quarter.
With Independence’s offense unable to get anything going against the Polar Bears early in the second half, they turned to the defensive end to provide the spark they needed.
That spark came as Independence’s Landon Burleson caught a pass that Brody Whitehair was trying to throw away as he was getting sacked, giving the Patriots possession on the Fairmont Senior 33-yard line.
After a false start penalty pushed them back to the Fairmont Senior 38-yard line on the first play of the drive, Independence quarterback Silas Nelson connected with Christian Linksweiler touchdown on the next play to get the Patriots on the board.
Independence kicker Micah Cuthbert’s drilled the extra point attempt to cut Fairmont Senior’s lead to 14-7 with 3:36 left in the second quarter.
Yet Fairmont Senior snatched momentum back before halftime, marching 58-yards in six plays with Whitehair connecting with Dinger for a 17-yard touchdown.
Peschl drills the extra point to stretch the Polar Bears lead to 21-7 with just 1:25 left in the first half.
Independence stormed out of the gates in the second half, putting together their best drive of the game to open the third quarter, marching 65 yards in nine plays, scoring on a short two-yard burst up the middle from Connor Bradford.
Cuthbert sank the extra point to trim Fairmont Senior’s lead to 21-14 at the 9:01 mark in the third quarter.
On Fairmont Senior’s ensuring drive, Whitehair managed to convert a fourth-and-7 from the Independence 25-yard line, finding Dinger for a 22-yard gain down to the Patriots’ 3.
After a negative run pushed them back to the Patriots’ 5, Whitehair connected with wide receiver Logan Canfield on a sharp slant for the score with Peschl’s kick pushing Fairmont Senior’s lead back to two scores at 28-14.
The Fairmont Senior defense caught a pair of bad breaks on Independence’s next drive.
First, a pass interference penalty on 3rd-and-12 in their own territory gave the Patriots’ offense new life with a fresh set of downs near midfield before later in the drive, Nelson connected with Tyler Linkswiler for a 30-yard touchdown on 4th-and-6 from the Fairmont 30-yard line.
Cuthbert connected with the extra point to draw Independence back into striking distance, down 28-21.
However, that would be as close as it would get as the fourth quarter belonged to the Polar Bears, who poured it on down the stretch, as Ours scored a pair of unanswered touchdowns on the ground.
Ours punched it in from one-yard out up the middle on the first play of the fourth quarter before bursting into the endzone untouched off of right tackle from 10-yards out with 7:58 remaining to deliver the dagger and close out the 42-21 win.
