The Fairfield Trojans delivered a dominant performance on both sides of the ball Friday night, October 10th, rolling past Fort Madison 50-12 to secure their first district win of the season and improve to 2-5 overall and 1-2 in district play.
Despite traveling with just 12 healthy varsity players and five or six swing players called up from the junior varsity, Fairfield never let the Bloodhounds into the game, building a commanding 36-12 halftime lead and cruising from there. Fort Madison fell to 0-7 overall and 0-3 in district play.
Offensive Explosion
The Trojans’ rushing attack was unstoppable, grinding out 401 yards on the ground with four different players approaching or exceeding the century mark.
Ethan Bisgard led the charge with 122 yards and a touchdown on just five carries, averaging a staggering 24.4 yards per attempt. Quarterback Voss Richardson added 92 yards on four rushes while efficiently completing 4-of-5 passes for 48 yards and two touchdowns. Brady Wigle bulldozed his way to 92 yards and a score on six carries, and Zandrik Allison punched in three touchdowns on 77 yards and eight attempts.
“We really had a balanced rushing attack offensively, with Ethan getting over a hundred and then also Zandrik, Voss and Brady coming very close to 100,” said head coach Matt Jones. “A huge team win!”
Through the air, Bisgard caught two passes for 20 yards and a touchdown, while Blake Burnett hauled in two receptions for 28 yards and a score. Bisgard also converted three two-point conversions, with Richardson adding another.
Defensive Dominance
Fairfield’s defense set the tone early, forcing Fort Madison into consecutive three-and-outs to open the game while creating two crucial turnovers that swung momentum decisively in the Trojans’ favor.
Bisgard and Tucker Robertson anchored the unit, each recording 10.5 total tackles with seven solo stops. Axl Starr recovered a fumble and added five tackles including a tackle for loss, while Blake Burnett tallied five stops, a tackle for loss, and delivered a crucial fourth-down sack in the first quarter. Calvin McLain disrupted the backfield with 3.5 tackles, three solo stops, and two tackles for loss. Allison contributed four tackles and a tackle for loss, and Bisgard sealed the defensive performance with an interception.
“For our defense to get two turnovers is big for momentum swings!” Jones said. “Tucker and Ethan really made their presence known on defense—it seemed like they were all over the field.”
First Quarter Assault
Fairfield wasted no time establishing dominance. Starting from their own 35-yard line, Richardson broke off a 37-yard run to jump-start the opening drive. At 9:48, Richardson found Burnett for a 3-yard touchdown pass, and Bisgard powered in the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead.
After forcing a three-and-out, the Trojans struck again. Starting from their 44-yard-line, Wigle ripped off a 32-yard run to the Fort Madison 24-yard-line. Moments later at 7:37, Allison punched in a 24-yard touchdown run, though the two-point try fell short, making it 14-0.
Another Fort Madison three-and-out gave the ball back to Fairfield at their own 40-yard-line. Bisgard capped the drive with a 39-yard touchdown rush at 4:54, pushing the lead to 20-0 heading into the second quarter.
Building the Lead
Fairfield fumbled in the red zone early in the second quarter, giving Fort Madison life. The Bloodhounds capitalized with a touchdown to cut the deficit to 20-6.
At 3:45, Allison responded with a 2-yard touchdown run, and Richardson connected with Bisgard on the two-point conversion to extend the lead to 28-6.
Fort Madison scored again at 1:38 following a big kickoff return, trimming the margin to 28-12. But Fairfield answered immediately. Bisgard broke loose for a 34-yard run to set up Allison’s 12-yard touchdown run with just 29.7 seconds remaining in the half. Richardson added the two-point conversion, sending Fairfield into halftime with a commanding 36-12 advantage.
Putting It Away
The Trojans’ defense forced a Fort Madison fumble in the third quarter, which Starr recovered to give Fairfield excellent field position. Richardson exploded for a 39-yard run to the Fort Madison 27-yard-line, setting up Bisgard’s 15-yard touchdown run at 6:13. Richardson then found Bisgard for the two-point conversion, extending the lead to 44-12.
At 8:32 in the fourth quarter, Wigle put the exclamation point on the victory with a 45-yard touchdown run, pushing the final score to 50-12.
Burnett’s Return
The return of Blake Burnett proved vital for the Trojans on both sides of the ball.
“Having Blake Burnett back was huge as a tight end and outside linebacker,” Jones noted. “He had a couple catches and a big touchdown catch. Blake also had a huge 4th down sack on defense. He also sets a great tone with his energy and his effort and his toughness.”
Shorthanded but Not Short on Heart
Despite the depleted roster, Jones was proud of his team’s preparation and execution.
“It feels great for the boys to get a big win at Fort Madison,” he said. “To go in there with 12 healthy varsity guys and five or six swing players from the JV and play so well is a tip of the cap to our boys and their preparation.”
The Trojans will return home on October 17th to host Keokuk, who suffered a heartbreaking loss to Mount Pleasant last week. Fairfield will look to build on this momentum and secure their second consecutive district victory as they head into the final stretch of the season.
