RECORD SETTER — Fairmont running back Elijah Johnson (football player) hits Albert Lea defender Devin Gonzalez, 22, during a regular season football game in Albert Lea on September 15. and Esteban Mixteco (44 years old). Johnson set the Cardinals single-game rushing record with 289 yards and four touchdowns in the 41-8 victory. Fairmont will host Albert Lea in a Section 3 AAA quarterfinal game at Thomas Mahoney Field in Fairmont on Tuesday at 7 p.m. (Photo by Greg Abel)
Fairmont — Home, sweet home.
Fairmont, the Section 3 AAA football champion and two-time defending champion, earned the No. 1 seed through the QRF system and the potential right to play as host in the second round of the postseason.
The Cardinals (7-1) will kick off their sectional quarterfinal game against the No. 8 seed Albert Lea Tigers (1-7) Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at Thomas Mahoney Field in Fairmont.
“We played Week 3 back, so obviously we know them well.” Fairmont head coach Matt Mahoney had this to say about the lineup’s 41-8 loss to Albert Lea on Sept. 15. “We (the coaching staff) sit down and watch film from the first time we played and try to fix the things we didn’t do well.”
One category the Cardinals probably don’t need to criticize is the ground game.
Fairmont finished with an impressive 478 yards on 48 totes. The highlight was junior running back Elijah Johnson’s 289-yard, four-touchdown performance at the expense of the Tigers. Johnson set the school’s single-game rushing record with his outstanding effort.
“We will analyze Albert Lea’s past two games and make adjustments accordingly for the quarterfinals.” Mahaney said.
Ironically, Albert Lea defeated No. 6 seed Belle Plaine (1-7) with a 29-8 decision on Wednesday night, ending its losing streak at 29 points.
If Fairmont defeats Albert Lea in Tuesday’s district opener, Mahoney and company will face the fourth-seeded Luverne Cardinals (5-3) and fifth-seeded Tri-City United Titans (4-4). You will play against the winner. Saturday, Oct. 28, at Mahoney Field in the semifinals at 2 p.m.
“Basically, we’ll be playing a common opponent in the second round since we played TCU this season. We have a long history of playing against Luverne over the years. ” Mahaney said. “We didn’t have Luverne on our schedule this year, but we know they are well-coached and are performing without making too many mistakes.
“TCU seems to have improved since we played them in the season opener on Aug. 31 (a 48-0 Fairmont win), so we have to be ready.”
TCU will make the long trip to Luverne for Tuesday night’s quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Neither team played during the regular season.
Luverne closed out Week 8 with a 33-21 win over Redwood Valley.
The Waseca Blue Jays (6-2), who lost their regular-season finale to Fairmont 21-0 on Wednesday night, deserved to be the No. 2 seed in the section and were defeated by the seventh-seeded Worthington Trojans (2 He will be facing a team with 2 wins and 2 losses. -6) Tuesday night at 7pm.
Worthington and Waseca, which closed the regular season with a 20-14 overtime win over St. Peter on Wednesday night, also did not play each other this fall.
In a regular season rematch, the third-seeded Jordan Hubmen (5-3) will take on the sixth-seeded Belle Plaine Tigers (1-7) Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at Jordan’s Ames Stadium. .
After a 25-13 loss to TCU in Week 8, the Hubmen cruised to a 35-6 win against the Tigers earlier this fall.
The Section 3 AAA semifinals are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 28 at 2 p.m. on the higher seed’s home field. The championship is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. on New Ulm’s artificial turf.
