GOOD HANDS — Fairmont’s Parker Mathiason (34) intercepts a flip pass by Luverne quarterback Carter Sehr as Sehr gets tackled by Fairmont defensive lineman Sawyer Tordsen (65) during regular-season prep football action Thursday night at Mahoney Field in Fairmont. Luverne offensive linemen Will Serie (55) and Zach DeBoer (52) watch the interception that Mathiason returned for a touchdown. Fairmont went on to post a 28-6 win over Luverne. (Photo by Greg Abel)
FAIRMONT — Fairmont’s defense produced a rarity — back-to-back twin pick-6 outings — during Thursday night’s football clash with Section 3AAA foe Luverne at Mahoney Field.
Fairmont’s smothering 4-3 defensive scheme not only generated two touchdowns on interception returns, but a fumble recovery and the third of four total picks set up a pair of third-quarter scores for the hometown Cardinals.
Parker Mathiason and David Maakestad collected the point-producing picks, while quarterback Brendan Schmidtke ran for one score and connected with Maakestad for a TD pass to pace Fairmont’s 28-6 triumph over Luverne during the next-to-last regular-season gridiron clash.
“I’ve never heard of consecutive games with a pair of pick-6s, let alone coach in both,” said Fairmont head coach Mat Mahoney, whose lineup received TD-returning interceptions by Maakestad and Levi Pooley during last Friday night’s victory over Worthington. “Parker Mathiason delivered a huge pivotal play with time winding down in the second quarter that probably turned out to be a 14-point swing in the matter of 20 seconds,” said Mahoney, whose defense created a plus-4 in the turnover category.
After both Fairmont and Luverne pitched first-quarter shutouts, Luverne wide receiver Gannon Ahrendt got behind Fairmont’s secondary and caught a 49-yard scoring spiral from Carter Sehr with only 1:13 remaining before halftime.
Gavin DeBeer scooped up Fairmont’s ensuing muffed kickoff return at the home team’s 17-yard line, but hometown Cardinal defensive lineman Sawyer Tordsen and Mathiason combined to deliver the momentum-changing defensive gem.
Tordsen had Sehr in his grasp and Luverne’s sophomore signal-caller flipped the football toward the Fairmont sideline. Mathiason snatched the ball out of mid-air and rumbled 75 yards for a pick-6. Owen Burmeister nailed the first of his four PAT kicks to swing a 7-6 lead to Fairmont with only 53 ticks left on the scoreboard.
After Gavin Baum returned the third-quarter kickoff 29 yards to Luverne’s 44, Mathiason recovered the visitors’ first-play fumble at the 49. Schmidtke capitalized by zipping a 15-yard pass to Nolan Schultze to highlight Fairmont’s ensuing march downfield.
Schmidtke later dove across the goal line from 1 yard out and Burmeister kicked the PAT for a 14-6 lead with 4:48 left in the third quarter.
“I thought Pooley’s pick in the third quarter really gave us the final adrenaline push to put the game away,” said Mahoney.
Pooley’s leaping grab of a Sehr pass in the shadows of the end zone and ensuing 55-yard return to Luverne’s 45 put Schmidtke and the Fairmont offense in business again.
Schmidtke bookended the six-play scoring drive with a 5-yard strike to Maakestad and a 12-yard swing pass that Maakestad sped around right end, made two defenders miss and found the pylon for the TD. Burmeister’s kick made it 21-6 with only 3 seconds remaining in the third period.
A roughing-the-passer penalty against Fairmont and Sehr’s 15-yard completion to Conner Connell triggered Luverne’s following drive to Fairmont’s 38, but Maakestad & Co. ruined the comeback bid.
Maakestad stepped in front of the sideline throw, picked up a block, high-stepped another would-be tackler and sprinted into the end zone for six more points. Burmeister’s kick salted away the win at 28-6 with 7:34 remaining in regulation.
Landen Meyerdirk delivered Fairmont’s initial interception of the game during Luverne’s first possession, but the home team did not convert that turnover into points.
Fairmont (5-2) plays host to Class AA No. 10-ranked Blue Earth Area at 7 p.m. Wednesday night at Mahoney Field, while Luverne (4-3) plays host to Class AAA No. 6-ranked Waseca at 7 p.m. Wednesday night.
Luverne 0 6 0 0 — 6
Fairmont 0 7 14 7 — 28
Scoring Plays
1st Quarter
No scoring.
2nd Quarter
LUV–Gannon Ahrendt 49 pass from Carter Sehr (kick failed), 1:13.
FMT–Parker Mathiason 75 interception return (Owen Burmeister kick), 0:53.
3rd Quarter
FMT– Brendan Schmidtke 1 run (Owen Burmeister kick), 4:48.
FMT–David Maakestad 12 pass from Brendan Schmidtke (Owen Burmeister kick), 0:03.
4th Quarter
FMT–David Maakestad 70 interception return (Owen Burmeister kick), 7:34.
TEAM STATISTICS
First downs: Fairmont 11; Luverne 10. Rushing: Fairmont 31-119; Luverne 27-108. Passing: Luverne 9-22-4-124; Fairmont 5-14-0-40. Fumbles-lost: Luverne 6-1; Fairmont 2-1. Penalties: Fairmont 4-39; Luverne 5-40.
INDIVIDUAL STATS
Offense: Rushing: Kaleb Hein (LUV) 6-47; Elijah Johnson (FMT) 10-46. Passing: Brendan Schmidtke (FMT) 3-13-0-37; Carter Sehr (LUV) 6-14-3-96, Conner Connell (LUV) 3-8-1-28. Receiving: Conner Connell (LUV) 4-48, Gannon Ahrendt (LUV) 2-54, Gavin DeBeer (LUV) 1-22; Nolan Schultze (FMT) 2-20, David Maakestad (FMT) 2-17.
Defense: Interceptions: Fairmont: Landen Meyerdirk, Parker Mathiason, Levi Pooley and David Maakestad. Fumble recoveries: Gavin DeBeer (LUV) and Parker Mathiason (FMT).