And nasty describes the attitude Fairmont took in smashing its way to a 34-6 non-conference football win over the Vikings.
“They just came out and smashed us in the mouth,” Viking coach Ken Neal said. “Those boys over there just wanted it more than we did. Despite their record (0-3), I knew they were a good football team and their wishbone just killed us.”
Chief architect of the destruction was Fairmont halfback Jonathon Oxendine. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder powered through the Vikings for 180 yards on 17 carries and four touchdowns. His scores came on runs of 4, 64, 8 and 57 yards.
His scoring runs, combined with a high snap on a punt attempt that resulted in a safety, had the visitors in front 28-0 before Union Pines could get on the board early in the fourth quarter. The Vikings finally knocked some wind out of the Hurricanes when John Moore connected with wide receiver Mario Morales for a 59-yard score with 9:29 left in the fourth quarter. The extra-point attempt was blocked, leaving Fairmont on top 28-6.
Fairmont quickly regained its strength, however, responding with the last score of the game when Blaine Sealy hit Thomas Townsend with a short pass in the backfield that resulted in a 47-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, but with 7:25 remaining the damage had been done.
The Golden Hurricanes snapped a 14-game losing streak with the win, while the Vikings fell to 0-4.
After the game, the Hurricane players soaked head coach Kim Williams, not once, but three times with Gatorade showers. It didn’t bother him at all, although he claimed that he thought he could hide from the jubilant players.
“I thought I had ducked that (the showers),” Williams said.
Williams didn’t duck the congratulations for his team breaking their losing streak. He did acknowledge the rough ride the Vikings are undergoing, a team that has now lost 12 in a row.
“I know what it feels like,” Williams said. “It’s been so long since I’ve been on the winning side, I forgot what that felt like.”
Neal didn’t duck from the issue of the losing streak, either. He indicated that he thought his team came out a little flat, having lost two big games to county rivals Pinecrest and North Moore the last two weeks.
Last week’s loss to North Moore was particularly tough, coming by one point, 34-33, in a game that saw the lead change hands six times.
“But being flat is no excuse,” he said. “About the fourth quarter, I got over the frustration and started to focus on getting back our rhythm for the next game.”
Part of the problem for the struggling Vikings was the inability to slow down the Fairmont pass rush. The visitors sacked Moore six times for a loss of 73 yards, resulting in a total of minus-22 rushing yards for the Vikings. Moore did go 4-for-8 for 76 yards, including the touchdown toss to Morales.
Devon Person battled his way through the crashing Hurricane defense for 45 yards in 12 carries, but with the Vikings falling behind so quickly, they were forced to pass in an attempt to catch up.
“We got down and had to start passing,” Neal said. “We have to look up the field, not just at the pass rush, but that’s hard to do when they put pressure on you like they did.”
Union Pines will have next week off to recover from the Hurricane attack before undertaking what is sure to be a grueling seven-game journey through the Tri-County (3-A) Conference, a conference that boasts three teams ranked in the top 10 and two other teams that have received votes in the statewide poll.
