KNIGHTS KNOCKED OUT
Fairview’s promising season ends abruptly in another 1st-round exit
Fairview blissfully bounced through the final seven weeks of the regular season, where the only thing sweeter than the present seemed to be what was to come.
As if a “Danger Ahead” sign was missed before the cliff.
The 15th-seeded Knights’ recent struggles in the opening round of the Class 5A playoffs continued in a 42-14 loss to No. 18 Fountain-fort Carson Friday night at Christian Recht Field.
That makes it four straight first-round exits for Fairview (9-2), with the last two coming at home following its forfeit in 2021 due to COVID-19.
“We love our seniors and there’s only one team standing in the end, so it’s always difficult,” Fairview coach Tom Mccartney said. “We have a lot of underclassmen that play varsity or play big roles, and then our lower levels did really well this year, so we want to keep working. We want to be more prepared in this moment to advance and move on.”
The Knights’ latest postseason loss felt opposite from the rest of a dominant fall season, where Jordan Rechel led the class in touchdowns and Division-i bound quarterback Bekkem Kritza returned midseason. Framed like a picture hanging on a rusty nail, a crooked opening half saw 5A’s top-scoring offense go scoreless and a defense allowing less than two touchdowns per game give up one on each of the Trojans’ first three drives.
After a lifeless half, the Knights did pull themselves back. Kritza threw touchdowns on Fairview’s first two drives out of the break — one to Rechel, the other to Toray Davis — as it pulled within 28-14 with 4:45 left in the third quarter.
Things got even more interesting when they got the ball back minutes later after a fourth-down stop by its defense. Looking to make it a one-score game, the opportunity quickly fizzled on an interception F-FC’S Alexander Rivera took back to Fairview’s 2.
Mathias Price (worth the admission) — coming into the night second in 5A touchdowns, seven behind Rechel — had his fifth TD of the night soon after to make it 3514 early in the fourth. Fairview turned the ball over on downs on its ensuing drive despite getting down to the 1, and he added his sixth on an 87-yard sprint down the sideline to seal it.
Price finished with more than 300 yards on the ground — a career high. Fairview hadn’t allowed any team to rush for more than 300 yards this season, holding most of its opponents to less than 100.
Fountain-fort Carson (8-3) will travel to No. 2 Columbine in the second round.
Fairview, which won nine games for a second straight year, will look to next season.