Tigers hold off Senior to capture 35-33 victory
Elkins stops two-point conversion with no time left
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FAIRMONT -- Jaden Hatfield rushed for 144 yards and two scores as Class AAA, No. 4 Elkins held off Fairmont Senior for a 35-33 win Friday night in Big 10 Conference action at East-West Stadium.
Trailing 21-20 at halftime, the Tigers (7-1, 7-0) received the ball to open the second half and went in front when Hatfield scored on a 5-yard run to make it 28-21 at the 7:32 mark of the third quarter. Elias Jones ran in the two-point conversion to give EHS a seven-point advantage.
The Polar Bears cut the lead to 28-27 on the ensuing drive when Smith scampered into the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown. The point-after was blocked, which allowed the Tigers to cling to the lead with 2:01 remaining in the third.
Elkins made it an eight-point game late in regulation when Tony Silvester found paydirt on a 17-yard run to make it 35-27 with 1:52 left in regulation. The scoring drive covered 65 yards in 11 plays.
Fairmont Senior (2-6, 2-3) answered and cut the deficit to 35-33 when Anthony Smith completed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Chuckie Armstrong as time expired in the contest. But the Tiger defense stopped Smith at the goal line on the two-point conversion run to preserve the victory.
After Hatfield blocked a Benny Smith punt on the Polar Bears' opening possession of the game, Elkins took an early 7-0 lead when Seth Robinson capped off a short 4-play drive with a 3-yard touchdown run at the 7:19 mark.
Fairmont Senior answered back with a 14-play, 97-yard drive that ended with a 20-yard touchdown run by Christian Hrapchak with 1:40 remaining in the opening quarter.
The Tigers regained the lead on its next drive when Hatfield scored a 3-yard touchdown to make it 14-7 with 8:01 remaining in the first half. The scoring drive consisted of 11 plays for 67 yards.
The Polar Bears tied the contest at 14 when Smith completed a 22-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Barksdale with 4:47 left to play in the half. The score capped off an 81-yard drive.
Elkins went back in front with just over two minutes remaining in the first half when Robinson scored his second touchdown of the game on a 22-yard run. The point-after failed and Elkins held a 20-14 advantage.
Fairmont Senior took its first lead of the game at 21-20 with just 46 seconds left in the half when Smith, who finished with 304 yards passing, connected with Elijah Holmes for an 11-yard touchdown reception.
Elkins will remain on the road next Friday when it travels to Brooke for a non-conference matchup.
The Polar Bears will entertain Bridgeport the same evening.