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By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Fair Grove, Mo. — Fair Grove didn’t see the ball much in the first half of Friday’s 29-7 victory over Mountain Grove.
When it did, the Eagles’ offense struggled to find any traction.
“We kind of put ourselves in a bad position there in that first quarter,” Fair Grove head coach Bill Voorhis said. “We had four plays, three incompletions and a one-yard run — and we only had the ball one time. Credit to [Mountain Grove]. They had a great game plan that kept the ball away from us, and then when we had our chances, we didn’t execute.”
After the sluggish start that netted a single yard of offense in the first quarter, Fair Grove rebounded with 22 unanswered points in the second half to help secure the week one victory.
Hale Beckley racked up 192 yards from scrimmage and scored a pair of touchdowns to pace the Eagles’ attack.
The senior running back helped spark the sputtering Fair Grove offense in the second quarter during a 14-play, 99-yard drive.
After opening the possession with a 22-yard reception from quarterback David Oplotnik, Beckley bookended the drive with a 37-yard touchdown catch to put the Eagles on the board.
Despite the two big plays from Beckley, the drive was rife with miscues.
“We kind of shot ourselves in the foot there for a little bit,” Beckley said. “Had a couple offsides and a personal foul, but Coach always says just stick your nose in there and get it done, and that’s what we did tonight.”
While Fair Grove offense managed to finally put a drive together and find the end zone, the team’s roller coaster ride would continue.
Mountain Grove’s Alex Casas returned the ensuing kickoff 65-yards to even the score.
While the momentum swing didn’t quite pan out for the Panthers, head coach Brandon Rodgers was pleased with his team’s effort and execution on the road.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
“I thought we executed really well in the first half, and we didn’t get down,” Rodgers said. “It’s a game of momentum, and they fought right back. Our kids really fought hard the whole game; we just had some bad breaks and some bad plays that went against us.”
For the Panthers, many of those bad plays shared a common element.
Beckley.
The Fair Grove playmaker helped stretch the lead midway through the third quarter on a five-yard reception.
Voorhis praised his workhorse’s performance, which included 121 yards rushing on ten carries and a host of highlight plays throughout the contest.
“[Beckley] is deceptively fast,” Voorhis said. “I don’t think I give him enough credit for being as fast as he is. It probably upsets him when I call him blue collar.”
This time, Mountain Grove was unable to answer as the Panther offense was, once again, bottled up by a swarming Fair Grove defense.
With a newfound second-half confidence, Fair Grove promptly broke the game open with a 12-play, 76-yard touchdown drive.
Oplotnik found Dominick Hoskins in the back corner of the end zone for an 11-yard score to give the Eagles a commanding, 21-7 lead.
After struggling to find his rhythm in the first half, the senior quarterback found another gear in the second.
The slow start didn’t surprise Voorhis, nor did the second-half improvement.
“Because David’s been so successful in basketball and football, you forget this is his first varsity start as a quarterback,” Voorhis said. “In that first half on a really wet field against a good team … that’s tough to ask a person to come out here. He’s such a good athlete, you just expect him to fire on all cylinders all the time. I think he just needed to settle down and get in the flow of the game.”
Oplotnik finished the game with 11 for 29 passes, 121 yards and three touchdowns. He added 43 yards on the ground
Fair Grove sealed the victory with a fourth-quarter blocked punt that was scooped up by Matt Sutherland for a six-yard touchdown.
The defensive score capped a solid night for the Eagle defense. Mountain Grove quarterback Rhett Wakefield was held to 28 rushing yards as the Panthers managed only 100 yards of offense on the evening.
Voorhis was quick to credit assistant coaches Ryan Buffington and Randie Roepke for implementing a scheme to slow down Mountain Grove’s potent rushing attack.
“Coach Buffington and Coach Roepke do a great job with our defense, and they’re always about the details,” Voorhis said. “I think that’s what they preached to our guys at halftime — It wasn’t anything we needed to change. We just needed to be focused on the small details.”
Up next for Fair Grove (1-0) is a trip north to face Skyline in week two, while Mountain Grove (0-1) looks to right the ship at Strafford.
Fair Grove – 29, Mountain Grove – 7
Mtn Grove 0 7 0 0 — 7
Fair Grove 0 7 14 8 — 29
Second quarter scoring
Fair Grove – Hale Beckley 37-yard TD pass from David Oplotnik 0-7
(Oplotnik kick)
Mtn Grove – Alex Casas 65-yard kickoff return TD 7-7
(James Maynard kick)
Third quarter scoring
Fair Grove – Beckley 37-yard TD pass from Oplotnik 7-13
(PAT missed)
Fair Grove – Dominik Hoskins 11-yard TD pass from Oplotnik 7-21
(Beckley 2-point conversion TD pass from Oplotnik)
Fourth quarter scoring
Fair Grove – Matt Sutherland 6-yard blocked punt return TD 7-29
(Beckley 2-point conversion run)
