ATTENTION ALL FUTURE FIREBIRDS:
Coach Andy Aracri and his staff of assistant coaches are excited to announce this year’s Fairmont Football Camp. Camp dates are June 18th-21st and will held at Roush Stadium, starting at 5p. Click on the link below for the official 2012 camp brochure. Coach Aracri looks forward to seeing everyone at camp in June!
Link to registration form & brochure are on the 2012 Fairmont Football Camp link on left side of page.
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FAIRMONT ALUM LEADS UM TO BCS BOWL VICTORY
Fairmont East graduate Brady Hoke has proven that he is the right coach for the future of
Michigan
football. The Wolverines won the Sugar Bowl 23-20 on Tuesday night against Virginia Tech.
Hoke has taken a
Michigan
program that did not make a bowl in 2008 or 2009, back to the BCS. The team entered the Sugar Bowl with a 10-2 record and defeated quality teams such as Notre Dame,
Nebraska
and
Illinois
.
Before this season,
Michigan
hadn't won 10 games or more in a season since 2006 and hadn't been to a BCS bowl game since the 2007 Rose Bowl, which they loss to USC.
The Wolverines also beat the arch rival Ohio State Buckeyes, which for many
Michigan
fans is goal No. 1 each season.
Hoke has really established a winning culture at
Michigan
, which is so important for the future success of the program. He holds his players accountable, and his passion for the game is something players love from their coach.
Hoke's dedication to his job and making sure his players are well prepared for any challenge is a reason the Wolverines have gone from mediocre over the past few seasons to a major bowl game in only one year under Hoke.
One aspect of the game that the Wolverines were strong in this season was defense. There are a lot of quality playmakers in the Big Ten conference, but
Michigan
ranked No. 6 in the country in fewest points allowed, giving up just 17.2 points per game.
The Wolverines running game was also fantastic this season, ranking 11th in the nation with an average of 235.7 rushing yards per game.
Playing good defense and running the ball well consistently are two ingredients to being successful in the Big Ten, and with
Michigan
doing those two things well under Hoke, the program is well set up to be a perennial BCS bowl contender for a long time.
Brady Hoke doesn't demand attention or respect, he earns them with results. This season he has proven that
Michigan
is in good hands with him leading their football program into the future. _____________________________________
Firebirds Wrap Up 2011 With Annual Banquet
This past Wednesday (11/2) evening at United Christ Methodist church in Kettering the Fairmont Firebirds football team held their annual post season banquet to celebrate the 2011 season the 18 seniors who have led this team on and off the field this past year. During the banquet the following Firebirds were announced to the crowd of over 250 as being selected to the 2011 ALL G.W.O.C football team, as voted on by the league coaches.
1st Team ALL GWOC:
Matt Silverman, OL
Nick Bower, LB
Robert Nsenga, DB
Deven Gannon, Punt Return Specialist
2nd Team ALL GWOC:
Nick Orr, Punter
Demetrius Summerville, DL
Bryan Prouty, WR
Tom West, QB
Aaron Abbott, DB
Damon Bahns, RB
Special Mention ALL GWOC
Ryan Belcher, KO Return Specialist
Chris Rhoades, RB
Program Award Winners were:
Team MVP- Tom West, QB
Coaches Award- Jordan Schlemmer, OL
Sportsmanship -Bryan Prouty, WR
Most Improved - Aaron Abbott, DB/WR
Michael Klenk Award - Jacob Hesse, LB ________________________________________________________
Firebirds Finish Season With Another Heartbreaker
By SHAWN BAUMAN Times sports editor
Wayne High School head football coach Jay Minton clearly has a lot of respect for Fairmont head coach Andy Aracri and his staff and it may have been that respect that made the difference in the regular season finale for both teams. After watching the Firebirds jump out to an early 14-0 lead Friday night, the Warriors remained composed, reeled off 28 unanswered and then held on for a 52-42 victory in the Greater Western Ohio Conference Central Division showdown at Roush Stadium in Kettering.
“I told Andy (Aracri) before the game that we’ve watched enough film on them to see that their kids are still playing very hard and they come at you full tilt every week,” said Minton. “For a team to be sitting at 2-7 and to be still playing as hard as they do is a testament to their coaches and their kids.”
The Firebirds got a pair of early scores on a little trickery and then a little fortune. After forcing a punt on the Warriors’ first possession, the Firebirds appeared destined for the same result when their drive stalled facing a fourth-and-2 just shy of midfield. The Firebirds lined up to punt, but quarterback Tom West took the short snap and found Deven Gannon for a 28-yard gain along the right sideline.
The drive ended up consisting of 14 plays in all, nine of which were carries by sophomore Damon Bahns. It was West however that capped it, scampering 7 yards on second-and-goal to give the Firebirds the early lead. Junior Robert Bowling added the extra point and Fairmont led 7-0 with 3:18 left in the opening quarter.
The Warriors coughed up the ensuing kickoff and the Firebirds pounced on the ball at the Wayne 37. After a 2-yard run from Bahns, West hit a wide open Bryan Prouty over the middle for a 35-yard touchdown. Following Bowling’s extra point, Fairmont led 14-0.
The Warriors roared back, beginning with a brief 7-play drive that covered just over two minutes. All seven plays came on the ground beginning with a 41-yard keeper by junior quarterback Javon Harrison on the drive’s first play. Senior Jalen Mack picked up 24 yards on three carries and Harrison finished it off with a 1-yard plunge to cut the Firebirds’ lead in half. Collin Belcher added the extra point and Wayne trailed 14-7.
Following a Fairmont punt, the Warriors needed less than a minute to knot things up. The big play came on a 31-yard Harrison to Marcus Bonner completion to the Fairmont 30. Three plays later Harrison rolled into the endzone untouched from 12 yards out. Belcher split the uprights with the extra point and with 8:57 left in the opening half, the game was tied 14-14.
Fairmont threatened to retake the lead as they drove deep into Wayne territory, but an incompletion on a fourth-and-2 turned the ball back over to the Warriors at their own 22. A pair of carries each from Mack and Harrison moved the ball into Fairmont territory before Harrison hit Bonner with a 20-yard completion down to the Firebird 9. Two plays later, Mack barreled in from the 1 and the Warriors had their first lead of the night. Belcher’s extra point was blocked and Wayne settled for a 20-14 lead as the teams headed to the half.
The Warriors forced a punt on the Firebirds’ first possession of the third quarter and Wayne’s offense quickly headed back into Fairmont territory. The Warriors drove 88 yards in six plays with a big chunk of it coming on a 54-yard run along the left sideline by Mack. Harrison again added the exclamation point, scoring from 8-yards out on another keeper. Harrison then hit sophomore Tristan Davis for the 2-point conversion and the Wayne lead stood at 28-14.
The teams traded scores into the fourth quarter as the Firebirds got a 43-yard West to Aaron Abbott touchdown pass and an 8-yard touchdown run from Bahns to keep Fairmont within a score. Wayne sandwiched a Harrison sneak from inside the 1-yard line in between the Fairmont scores to keep the Firebirds at bay.
With the Warriors lead at just 35-28 with 10 minutes left, Wayne drove to the Fairmont 9-yard line before settling for a 26-yard field goal from Belcher to extend the lead to 10. Fairmont would never get closer as Wayne added a 21-yard touchdown pass from Harrison to Davis to give them their biggest lead of the night at 45-28. Fairmont added touchdown passes from West to Gannon and Abbott to keep things interesting, but a 65-yard touchdown run from Mack with 2:42 left put the game away.
“It is disappointing to lose your last game, but a ton of credit should go to our seniors and the character of this football team,” said Aracri after the loss. “I can’t imagine too many 2-7 football teams that had the kind of great week of practice that we had. It says a lot about these kids and their commitment to this program. I couldn’t be more proud to be this team’s head coach.” |
