WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The Fairmont State (2-0, 1-0 Mountain East Conference) football team jumped out to a 42-16 lead in the third quarter and held on to secure a road conference win over West Liberty (0-2, 0-1) on Thursday (Sept. 7) at West Family Stadium in West Liberty, W.Va.
Fairmont State generated 460 yards on offense and rushed for 237 yards on the ground in the win. Quarterback Michael Floria passed for 223 yards in the air to go along with three touchdowns and a QBR of 208.6. Dereik Crosby II scored a receiving touchdown and a rushing touchdown to lead the Falcons in scoring.
“Mike [Floria] made a great pass to me,” said Crosby II. “I have to give credit to the guys up front for clearing a path for me on my rushing touchdown.”
LeJay Hatcher and Leonard Farrow added touchdowns on the ground for the Falcons. Kobe Harris and Gage Michael each hauled in a receiving touchdown and both finished with over 80 receiving yards.
The Fairmont State offensive line played a key role in the offense’s success.
“We did this together and as a unit,” said Fairmont State offensive lineman Joseph Petryszak Jr. “We took it to them and left it all out on the field.”
“Coach [Travis] Everhart brings the energy every day at practice,” said John Holland. “He emphasizes breaking off the ball with intent. That has helped us with our rushing game.”
Jovon Jackson once again led the Falcons on the defensive side of the football and forced two WLU turnovers. Jackson forced a fumble and picked off a pass to go along with two pass breakups and seven tackles in a superb defensive effort. The defensive back has forced four turnovers in the first two games of the season. Isaiah Powell-Major snagged an interception in the final quarter and added four tackles. Brocton Blair led the Falcons with 11 tackles, including a tackle for a loss, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry. Donovan O’Malley and Nemo Roberts recorded one sack each.
On special teams, Trey Singleton averaged 25.5 yards on two kickoff returns, which included a 37-yard return. Scout Arthur averaged 37.7 yards per punt and pinned the Hilltoppers inside the 20-yard line twice. Emmanuel Richardson made all six PATs and averaged 59.0 yards on kickoffs.
On Fairmont State’s first offensive drive, WLU sacked Floria in the end zone and took a 2-0 lead. On the ensuing free kick, Arthur’s punt was recovered at the WLU 45-yard line and Fairmont State took over in enemy territory. The Falcons took advantage of the break when Floria threw a pass on the run to Crosby II, who took it the rest of the way for a 20-yard score to pull the Falcons ahead, 7-2. After a defensive stop, the Falcons struck again when Floria found Harris down the seam for a 58-yard pitch and catch and the Falcons led 14-2 with 5:13 left in the opening quarter. Jackson jumped in front of a WLU pass for an interception on the next drive to set up the Falcons in Hilltopper territory. On the first play of the drive, Hatcher found a hole up the middle and raced into the end zone for a 34-yard rush and Fairmont State pushed the lead to 21-2 at the end of the first quarter.
West Liberty responded with a four-yard rushing touchdown to open the second quarter and cut the Fairmont State lead to 21-9. The Falcons’ offense answered with a seven play, 54-yard drive that ended with a Farrow one-yard rushing TD to put Fairmont State ahead 28-9. WLU scored a touchdown before the end of the half, but the Falcons held a 28-16 lead at the halfway point.
The Fairmont State defense stood tall to start the second half and forced a three-and-out. Fairmont State faced a 3rd and 8 at the FSU 41-yard line on the following drive. Floria threw a ball down the sideline that Michael grabbed with one hand for a 33-yard first down to put the Falcons in plus territory. Crosby II found the end zone for his second score of the night to increase the Fairmont State lead to 35-16. Floria and Michael connected for a 15-yard score and the Falcons held a commanding 42-16 lead with 4:14 to go in the third quarter. West Liberty found some momentum on offense and threatened to score at the end of the third quarter. Jackson forced his second turnover of the game when he stripped the ball out of a WLU wide receiver and the Falcons recovered. The Falcons led 42-16 after three quarters of play.
The Hilltoppers scored early in the fourth quarter to cut the Falcons’ lead to 19 points. WLU narrowed the Fairmont State lead to 13 points with 8:12 remaining. Fairmont State blocked the PAT and held a 42-29 advantage. After a Fairmont State three-and-out, West Liberty blocked a punt and set up at the Fairmont State 39-yard line down two scores. With WLU facing a third down, Powell-Major picked off a pass with less than three minutes left on the game clock. The Falcons sealed the game with a first down on offense and knocked off WLU 42-29 on the road.
Thursday night’s win marks the first time Fairmont State won at West Family Stadium since 2018. It is the first win versus the Hilltoppers since 2019. This is the first 2-0 start for Firmont State since the 2018 season.
Fairmont State football will welcome Wheeling to Fairmont next Saturday (Sept. 16). Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. from Duvall-Rosier Field.
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