FAIRMONT – The Fairmont Cardinals football team is preparing for a Week 6 matchup against the Marshall Tigers. The Cardinal run game faces one of the biggest challenges on the Tiger defense. The Cardinals, who are expected to have to throw quickly and often, are ready for the challenge in their final home game of the regular season.
“They have two really good defensive tackles.” Fairmont football head coach Matt Mahoney said. “Probably two of the best defensive tackles we’ve seen this year. They do a really good job of disrupting the running game. They’re good at slowing our decline. It’s going to do the job. So we’re going to have to make some adjustments and be able to do some different things.”
Fairmont won 47-6 against New Ulm in Week 4, and the Cardinals’ run game, led by Elijah Johnson, defeated the Eagles with 23 carries for 185 yards and five touchdowns. Quarterback Joe Long went 9-for-15 for 100 yards, Nolan Schulze picked off New Ulm with four catches for 70 yards, and Brett Williams had two catches for 20 yards and an interception. Added 1 time.
Fairmont’s game plan this week won’t change much except for a few small adjustments to help establish the game plan early.
“It’s all about how you block things up front in the run game.” Mahaney said. “And in the passing game, we’re probably going to have to get the ball out a little bit faster because they do a great job of breaking everything down.”
The Tigers are another tough team in the conference, and the Cardinals will look to solve that this week.
“They really hurt us last year.” Mahaney said. “Trap, dive. They’re a very physical running football team. So we’ve got to stop their run game, and if we can do that, I think we’ll have a chance.”
In their last matchup, Marshall held a strong 27-7 lead heading into the second half. Schulze, Johnson and several players who have already graduated tried to fight back in the second half, but Marshall ultimately won 37-13, marking Fairmont’s only loss of the regular season.
With another undefeated season on the line, the Cardinals are making the necessary changes to avoid a repeat of last year and maintain their winning streak. Teams are not focused on their records, instead working on their records week after week, team by team, understanding that they must stay focused and earn every win.
“We still have a long way to go.” Mahaney said. “Personally, I like to take things one week at a time. We have Marshall this week. We have Worthington, who always plays tough.
It’ll be over there. And it ends with Waseca. We have three good games ahead of us. We just need to make sure we win one game at a time. ”
The stage is set for a rematch Friday at Fairmont’s Mahoney Field.