No. 14-ranked Fairfield capped off a memorable Senior Night with a dominant 40-14 victory over No. 13-ranked Fort Madison on Friday, October 9th at Pearl Smith Field in Trojan Stadium, improving to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in Class 3A District 4 play. The win gave Fairfield a perfect 4-0 home record on the season, with victories over Benton, Knoxville, Washington, and now Fort Madison. It also marked the second consecutive game in which the Trojans held their opponent scoreless in the first half. Heading into the game, both Fairfield and Fort Madison were ranked as wildcard teams in Class 3A according to the RPI — making the matchup one with significant playoff implications. After the game, updated RPI rankings revealed Fairfield moved up to 12th while Fort Madison dropped to 17th, with Fairfield remaining the only wildcard team from District 4.
The night carried special significance beyond the scoreboard. Fairfield honored its senior class — recognizing seniors from football, band, cheer, cross country, and girls tennis — and carried out the beloved tradition of bringing together the Class of 2027 and the Class of 2039 at the 50-yard line, with graduating seniors meeting the kindergarteners just beginning their Trojan journey. The middle school band also joined the high school band during halftime for the final songs of the night, including the fight song.
First Quarter
Fairfield wasted no time setting the tone. Starting at their own 40-yard line, Ethan Bisgard broke through the middle on just the third play of the game and went left down the sideline for a 55-yard rushing touchdown just 88 seconds into the contest. Tucker Robertson caught a Voss Richardson pass for the two-point conversion to make it 8-0 with 10:38 left in the first quarter.
Fort Madison got the ball back but after two first downs, went for it on fourth and five at Fairfield’s 25-yard line. Robertson stopped the play dead with a five-yard tackle for loss on a quarterback Owen Huffman pass to Moses Thacher, giving Fairfield the ball back at their own 30.
On the ensuing drive, Brady Wigle picked up a first down on two carries before Robertson exploded for a 22-yard gain and then a 24-yard run to give Fairfield a first and goal from the 10. The Trojans converted multiple third and fourth down situations to keep the drive alive before Bisgard ran outside to the left on first and goal for a 10-yard touchdown to make it 14-0 with 4:13 remaining. The two-point conversion was no good.
Second Quarter
Fort Madison drove deep into Fairfield territory, picking up four first downs before reaching a fourth and one at Fairfield’s 15-yard line. Quarterback Owen Huffman kept the ball himself on a quarterback run attempt, but Corbin Starr met him for a loss — Fairfield’s second straight tackle for loss on a Fort Madison fourth-down attempt.
With 10:27 left in the half, Fairfield took over. Richardson broke free for an 83-yard run on third and eight, but the play was called back on a holding penalty. Richardson then connected with Bisgard on a clutch 21-yard diving grab over the middle on third and 12 to keep the drive alive. After additional penalties extended the down and distance to first and 21, then second and 20, then third and seven at the Fairfield 38, Richardson faked the handoff and went right outside, making a Fort Madison safety miss him before being tackled near the Fort Madison 20 on a 42-yard run. A personal foul on Fort Madison for a late hit out of bounds gave Fairfield a first and goal from half the distance to the goal, and Bisgard punched it in up the middle on a 10-yard run for his third consecutive touchdown to make it 20-0 with 6:39 left in the half. The two-point conversion was no good.
Fort Madison punted on their next possession, giving Fairfield the ball at their own 30 with 5:03 remaining. Richardson faked the handoff again and went left, scoring untouched on a 50-yard run with blockers clearing the way, with 1:51 left in the half to push the lead to 26-0. The two-point conversion failed. Fairfield had held their opponent scoreless through an entire first half for the second consecutive week.
Third Quarter
After Fort Madison punted to open the second half, Bisgard returned the kick 19 yards to Fairfield’s own 45. On the very first play of the drive, Bisgard went straight up the middle and down the left side for his second 55-yard touchdown run of the game — an identical carbon copy of his first quarter score — to make it 32-0 with 10:08 left in the third quarter. The two-point conversion was no good.
Fort Madison finally found the end zone with 2:34 left in the third quarter, capping an 81-yard drive to make it 32-8. Robertson then gave Fairfield great field position on the ensuing kickoff with a 35-yard return.
Fourth Quarter
With 5:57 left in the game, Bisgard punched in a one-yard touchdown run on third and goal to push the lead to 40-8, also converting the two-point run himself. Fort Madison added one more late score to make the final 40-14.
Stats
Bisgard was the unquestioned star with five touchdowns, but Richardson matched him step for step in what was the best game of the senior quarterback’s season on the ground. Bisgard carried 12 times for 147 yards and five touchdowns. Richardson added 12 carries for 136 yards and a rushing touchdown — a season high in rushing yards — going one for two passing for 21 yards. Robertson carried six times for 57 yards, Wigle added eight carries for 35 yards, and Jackson Hollander chipped in two carries for four yards. Bisgard also hauled in Richardson’s lone completion for 21 yards. In a testament to how dominant the offense was, Fairfield did not punt a single time in the game.
Defensively, Blake Burnett led the team with 7.5 tackles, followed by Bisgard with 6.5 and Owen Adam with five. The Fairfield defense held Fort Madison to zero points in the first half for the second consecutive week.
Notably, Fairfield’s offense now leads the state of Iowa in fewest completed passes, with just eight on the season. Prior to the game, they were tied with Sumner-Fredericksburg at seven, but the Cougars completed two passes in their own game on October 9th over Jesup, leaving Fairfield alone at the top of that unusual leaderboard.
Coach Jones’ Thoughts
The following is from a postgame interview conducted by Ottumwa Radio play-by-play announcer Lee Muntz with head coach Matt Jones.
Jones was pleased with the balanced offensive attack and highlighted the running game. “Our running game, fakes were good, Voss carried the ball well. They were doing some things inside, so it opened up some things outside for him running the ball. He’s such a fast kid. I want to say Voss completed a really big pass across the middle to Ethan. I think that was third and long. That was a big, big play to keep that drive going.”
On the passing philosophy: “Some teams that play us, they really don’t roll their secondary into the run game at all, so it kind of makes it harder to throw it. So we’ve been running it obviously. And guys are doing their job and taking care of business.”
On Fort Madison running back Moses Thacher: “I don’t think I saw a single solo tackle out there, because he is a truck. He’s every bit of 205. I think he’s bigger than that because he runs hard, he runs north and south and square. Great kid. I honestly think their line was pretty big and physical and our boys battled, and they battled, and they battled.”
On sophomore JoJo Childs: “JoJo’s a sophomore, big guy. He’s contributing and he’s playing well. He’s doing a lot of good things and his best football is obviously in front of him too. He’s just going to get better and better and more confident. And all those other guys take care of him out there and they kind of help him out. I mean, that’s tough playing varsity as a sophomore. So even if you are a big kid, it’s the mental aspect, emotional aspect, and all that stuff too. So really proud of him. And then obviously Owen Adam and Jasper, those guys are sophomores too who are playing a lot for us.”
On the offensive line: “Benji is a great kid, he plays so hard. He plays so low. He’s so coachable. He runs his feet. He’s a good kid and he’s in it for the team. He loves his teammates and he loves Fairfield and he loves playing football. So really proud of him. Will Bryant as well, another senior out there that’s playing hard and doing great things for us at left tackle. You have Jasper, our guard, Hank Konczal — who is our lone returning starter from last year. He played a lot of football last year and he’s so smart, so physical, does a good job. He’s like having a coach out there, honestly. And then Clayton Greiner, who didn’t play last year. So glad Clayton decided to play football this year because I was kind of recruiting him all the time during school. And man, I am so glad that he did it, because he’s really stepping forward and really contributing well.”
On special teams and Robertson’s kickoff return: “We were kind of afraid, we had some hand team stuff out there, and then they tried to boom it and he was able to track it down and their coverage was thrown off I think a little bit. He made some guys miss — he’s a shifty, good kid. He made a nice return there. I think Bisgard had a decent return as well. Special teams is huge and I know there’s a couple kicks that Ian put down there and he was like one of the first ones down there making the tackle. So he’s athletic, he can run, he can move. So that’s kind of fun too.”
Jones took time to individually recognize each of Fairfield’s seven seniors. On Richardson: “Voss Richardson, quarterback, defensive back. Awesome kid, fast, strong, physical, multi-sport guy.” On Bisgard: “We know Ethan — he’s a running back and a linebacker. Plays so hard, plays smart. Big, big, big playmaker for us.” On Bryant: “Will Bryant — he’s that multi-guy that plays in the band and plays football and plays left tackle for us. He’s playing a little bit less defense because we’re keeping him really fresh and energized on offense. He’s doing a great job at left tackle for us.” On Hollander: “Jackson does an excellent job for us. There were some times where he gave up some passes, but he’s the kind of kid that’s just so coachable and he just keeps working at it and comes back. He has played some of his best football here in the last three weeks. He’s not afraid of nothing. He’s a tackler. He does a great job for us.” On Hazelwood: “Kayden — he played a lot of kickoff for us tonight, played some defensive back for us. He made a nice tackle out there defensively. Really, really super proud of him.” On Hunter: “Benji Hunter is our center — a down-blocking machine. He does a great job snapping the ball, making calls up front. He understands what to do. He’s really into it, really energized. That’s been a lot of fun with him as well.”
Jones almost forgot one senior before catching himself. “I got to mention Blake Burnett. You talk about a passionate, phenomenal kid. He is everywhere on defense. He is undersized to be playing linebacker, but his heart is huge and he gets downhill and he gets to the football. There’s so many times he’s out there getting guys lined up correctly too — he’s like a coach on the field on offense. When we did have that hold on that long run, he kind of got in one of his teammates’ ear and said, ‘Hey, let’s go. We got to keep our hands inside.’ And it’s cool to have coaches on the field like that — guys who are willing to do that and not do it in a demeaning, negative way, but like, ‘Hey, man, let’s go.’ Plays hard, plays with passion. Definitely glad we didn’t forget Blake. Leading tackler — and also long snapper when you have to. And you didn’t have to punt tonight.”
Looking ahead to next Friday, Jones turned his attention to a 1-6 Keokuk team that he said should not be taken lightly given their offensive weapons. “I know they like to throw it. They have a really good quarterback. He played last year for them — good athlete, he can throw it, he can run it, so that’ll be a challenge. We’re going to have to make plays in space. They want to throw it, and you can’t blame them at all with Kurt Joy and Jadyn. We’re going to have to be ready to go.” On the matchup: “We’re going to have to do a great job in coverage and in pass rush. And honestly, we’re blessed that our defensive line is kind of really gelling. Coach Kaska is doing a great job with those guys. Coach Countryman and Coach Perry are doing a good job with our DBs, and Coach Miller is a steady hand. He knows what to do. He studies with those linebackers. He coaches those guys up really well. So each level of our defense is contributing.”
Fairfield, now ranked 12th in Class 3A following updated RPI rankings released after the win, travels to 1-6 Keokuk on Friday, October 16th for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff. Keokuk’s Jadyn Burton ranks in the top five in Class 3A in passing yards, and Kurt Joy ranks in the top five in receiving yards — making the Chiefs one of the most dangerous passing offenses in the class despite their record. Fort Madison dropped to 17th in the updated RPI rankings, and Fairfield is now the only wild card team remaining from District 4, with No. 1 Solon and No. 3 Mount Pleasant holding the top two spots.
You can rewatch the Senior Night victory here.
