By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Fair Grove Eagles didn’t shy away from their recent history. On Friday night, they showed why this year’s Eagles are different.
Fair Grove ended eight years of district heartbreak, capturing an elusive district title with a comeback victory over their archrivals.
The Eagles came to life in the second half and rallied past Strafford to win 26-10 in the Class 2 District 4 Tournament championship game in Fair Grove.
“We put (districts) up as a goal,” said Fair Grove coach Bill Voorhis. “We weren’t afraid to talk about it. To see these kids (achieve it), to actually be rewarded for it, it’s tremendous.
“We did some things differently this year than we’ve ever done before. For them to have some tangible results for being different, I’m so happy for them.”
The Eagles outscored Strafford by 20 in the decisive third quarter.
Running back Kellen Lair finished with 181 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries. Quarterback Spensar Seiger added 125 rushing yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.
The Eagles had finished as a district runner-up for eight straight seasons until Friday, falling short against the likes of Lamar, Liberty and Ava.
“I’m just so happy for our team and our coaches,” said Fair Grove senior lineman Seth Hardison. “We’ve grinded all summer for it; 5 a.m. workouts. Got up, got out of bed and came here. I’m just so proud of the commitment.”
Fair Grove (11-0 overall) will travel to Father Tolton Catholic (11-0 overall) in Columbia next Saturday, Nov. 18 for a Class 2 quarterfinals matchup.
Friday night was another chapter in what has been a banner year for Fair Grove sports.
The girls’ basketball team won the school’s first state championship last March, the volleyball team won a state championship last weekend, and now the football team has its first district championship since 2011.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
“There was a timeframe this year where people were kind of taking some shots at our school culture and things like that from the outside,” Voorhis said. “I look at this right now and I challenge anybody to say that this isn’t a great school culture. We have kids that are legitimately happy for each other.”
Early on, Friday’s game was shaping up as a worst-case scenario for the home team.
Fair Grove trailed 10-6 at halftime after a sloppy, penalty-filled first half.
“We had a lot of self-inflicted problems in the first,” Voorhis said. “Credit to Strafford. They had a good gameplan and were ready to play.”
The Eagles, who beat Strafford 49-14 in late September, went into the locker room with their first halftime deficit of the season.
Fair Grove’s coach tried to put a positive spin on the unusual situation.
“What a great opportunity to make a memory that you guys will have forever,” Voorhis said. “Overcoming that kind of adversity – here, against them, in this game – that’s the kind of stuff you dream about as a high school football player.”
Fair Grove began the second half with a big break, as Strafford fumbled the opening kickoff return. Fair Grove recovered at the Strafford 12 and scored one play later.
Two more touchdown runs, by Lair and Seiger, put the Eagles up 26-10 late in the third.
Fair Grove sealed the win by chewing about nine minutes off the game clock in the fourth quarter.
“People have been talking about how we hadn’t played four quarters all year. It was time to prove them wrong and show them we can handle adversity,” Hardison said.
The Eagles welcomed back a familiar face Friday night. Dual threat and two-way player Bryden Baxter played for the first time since breaking his collarbone midway through the regular season.
Baxter didn’t play in the first half. But with Fair Grove’s season on the brink, he saw action – mostly on defense – in the second half.
“He’s such a tough kid,” Voorhis said. “He only had a day of practice, but I knew he’d be ready if we needed him to be.”
Senior Silas Morton led Strafford with 102 rushing yards on 20 carries. The Indians (7-5 overall) were seeking their first district championship since 2014.
Fair Grove 26, Strafford 10
Strafford 3 7 0 0 — 10
Fair Grove 0 6 20 0 — 26
First quarter
Strafford – Voysey 26 kick
Second quarter
Fair Grove – Lair 53 run (kick blocked)
Strafford – Morton 28 run (Voysey kick)
Third quarter
Fair Grove – Lair 12 run (pass failed)
Fair Grove – Lair 3 run (Brock kick)
Fair Grove – Seiger 14 run (Brock kick)
