Playoff Recap - TCU 20, Fairmont 13

---

By Charlie Sorrells

Web Prep Writer

MONTGOMERY – Fairmont cornerback Brayden Williamson’s clutch pick-6 late in the opening quarter established a defensive tone for the No. 5-seeded Cardinals during Saturday’s Section 3AAA semifinal football clash with the No. 1-seeded Tri-City United Titans in Montgomery.

Ethan Holicky, Eric Borchardt, Toren Kelly, Parker O’Malley and Ty Smith, however, usurped that trend for TCU during the second half to set up teammate Keegan O’Meara’s go-ahead rushing touchdown with 65 seconds remaining to fuel an eventual 20-13 playoff victory over upset-minded Fairmont.

TCU (8-1) advances to square off against No. 2-seeded Waseca (9-1) for the sectional championship at 7 PM Friday, Nov. 6, on the artificial turf at New Ulm High School. The high-powered Bluejays eliminated No. 3-seeded Luverne, 42-21, to gain the sectional finale.

“Every one of you players should walk off this field with your heads held high today,” said Fairmont mentor Mat Mahoney, whose team ended the season with a 5-5 overall record. “I’m guessing a number of people thought TCU – who’s the top seed – would run away with the win without much of a challenge from us, but we proved them wrong.

“We matched them play-for-play for 47 of the 48 minutes and nearly pulled off the win, but we fell just a little short. I’m extremely proud of the effort that our guys gave today.”

Williamson delivered the Cardinals’ initial momentum-seizing play by stepping in front of a TCU receiver in the left flat, pocketed the interception and outsprinted the Titans’ offensive unit 60 yards to the end zone for a pick-6. Boe Kolbe kicked the PAT for a 7-0 lead with 2:52 left in the first quarter.

Smith answered the challenge for TCU by tipping away a Fairmont pass on third-and-14 to force a Cardinals’ punt early in the second frame. Kellen Jirik generated 27 of his 32 passing yards on the playoff game with one flick of the wrist to O’Meara to convert a third-and-13 to reach Fairmont’s 38. O’Malley’s clutch 13-yard rumble eventually set up O’Meara’s first of three TDs – this one from 16 yards away – before Chase Miller kicked the tying extra point for a 7-all score at the 5:13 juncture.

Quarterback Jensen Livesay – who eclipsed the 1,000-yard passing seasonal mark with a 165-yard performance – worked his aerial connection with Williamson to account for 70 of the Cardinals’ ensuing 72-yard scoring drive to grab a 13-7 lead with 24 seconds to go before intermission. Livesay lofted a spiral to a sprinting Williamson along the Titans’ sideline and the fleet-footed senior receiver accelerated by the TCU defense for a go-ahead 53-yard TD catch. Borchardt tipped the PAT kick to keep the Titans’ differential at 6 heading into the lockerroom.

Kelly later delivered his second QB sack of the section semifinal and the fourth of TCU’s game-high five to slam the brakes on Fairmont’s first possession of the third quarter. O’Meara’s 16-yard punt return to the Cardinals’ 44 helped set up his second TD of the outing to knot the game at 13-all. O’Malley – who generated 93 of the Titans’ 196 rushing yards – hammered out a pivotal 36-yard tackle-breaking sweep run to gain the Cardinals’ 8. O’Meara later converted a clutch four-and-goal run from the 2 to tie the score with 7 minutes remaining in the third.

Three Fairmont series later, Holicky literally stole the football out of the Cardinal QB’s hand from the shotgun to halt the visitors’ march to the Titans’ 38 with 6:42 left in the fourth quarter.

A procedure penalty and ensuing ineligible player downfield infraction forced a TCU punt before Smith answered by delivering a clutch 6-yard sack on third down to create another Fairmont punt with time winding down.

O’Meara’s rugby-scrum run that covered 13 yards for a first down was followed by an unsportsmanship penalty on Fairmont to chew up 15 more yards to reach the Cardinals’ 25 with less than 2 minutes showing. O’Meara covered the rest of the distance – capped by a 6-yard end-around TD run – to put TCU in front at 19-13. Smith kicked the PAT for a seven-point edge at the 1:05 mark.

Livesay zipped completions of 11 to Preston Geerdes and 20 yards to Williamson, respectively, to venture into Titans’ territory at the 49, but Borchardt knocked the football loose on second-and-15 before Holicky recovered his second fumble to seal the Titans’ triumph with 28 seconds to go.

Williamson closed out his outstanding football career with a game-high seven catches for a game-best 132 yards and Fairmont’s only offensive TD.

FAIRMONT 7-6-0-0–13

TRI-CITY U 0-7-6-7–20

SCORING PLAYS

1st Quarter

FHS: Brayden Williamson 60 interception return (Boe Kolbe kick), 2:52.

2nd Quarter

TCU: Keegan O’Meara 16 run (Chase Miller kick), 5:13.

FHS: Brayden Williamson 53 pass from Jensen Livesay (kick failed), 0:24.

3rd Quarter

TCU: Keegan O’Meara 2 run (kick failed), 7:00.

4th Quarter

TCU: Keegan O’Meara 6 run (Chase Miller kick), 1:05.

TEAM STATISTICS

First Downs: Fairmont 10; TCU 10. Rushing: TCU 36-196; Fairmont 25-14. Passing: Fairmont 11-21-0-188; TCU 3-10-1-32. Fumbles-lost: TCU 0-0; Fairmont 5-3. Penalties: TCU 7-45; Fairmont 5-31.

INDIVIDUAL STATS

Offense: Rushing: Parker O’Malley (TCU) 10-93, Keegan O’Meara (TCU) 14-79; Ryder Thate (FHS) 4-17, Keyon Schutz (FHS) 6-12. Passing: Jensen Livesay (FHS) 10-20-0-165, Brayden Williamson (FHS) 1-1-0-23; Kellen Jirik (TCU) 3-10-1-32. Receiving: Brayden Williamson (FHS) 7-132, Preston Geerdes (FHS) 2-29, Jensen Livesay (FHS) 1-23, Chase Birr (FHS) 1-4; Keegan O’Meara (TCU) 2-31.

Defense: Interception: Brayden Williamson (FHS) Pick-6. Fumble Recoveries: Ethan Holicky (TCU) 2, Tyson Sladek (TCU) 1. QB Sacks: Parker O’Malley (TCU) and Toren Kelly (TCU) 2 each; Ty Smith (TCU) 1.