Card to Watch - Week 5 Preview
Fairmont to face Albert Lea in Homecoming clash
By Charlie Sorrells
Web Prep Writer
FAIRMONT – In his dual role as Fairmont High School activities director and head football coach during the last two decades, Mat Mahoney has emphasized the importance of students being involved with Homecoming Week events in a positive manner.
Mahoney hopes his Cardinal gridders, and the student body as a whole, heed the school district’s words of wisdom, especially on the heels of the woes currently being experienced by Albert Lea – this Friday night’s opponent for Homecoming at Thomas Mahoney Field in Fairmont.
According to area media outlets, including KEYC-TV of Mankato, an investigation into vandalism and damage done at Albert Lea during the school’s Homecoming week resulted into a number of students not participating in extracurricular events.
The Tigers’ football team – who was coming off a key 26-22 victory over the vastly-improved New Ulm Eagles during Week 3 – played Worthington without five starters on offense and eight more on defense en route to suffering a 19-13 loss to the Trojans last Friday night.
“The bottom line is the school, the authorities and all the powers that be over there (Albert Lea) are doing their best to sort things out,” said Mahoney. “I don’t know which players will suit up for them in this week’s game, but we (coaching staff and players) will prepare for their best lineup and be ready to try to exit Mahoney Field with another win this Friday night.”
Mahoney and his coaches received good news on Monday as leading tackler, senior nickelback Owen Terfehr, will return to the gridiron this week after missing a 46-0 triumph over Austin with a broken finger during Week 4.
“Owen will just play defense with a soft cast, while it looks like (sophomore linebacker) Aaron Becker also will return in a limited defensive role. He tore his meniscus earlier in the season, so we’ll look to ease him back into the scheme of things,” said Mahoney.
While linebacker Caiden Utesch, linebacker Mason Bicknase, cornerback Travohn Harvey and Fairmont’s vaunted defense limited Austin to 115 total yards of offense to post its second shutout of the season, freshman Ryder Thate produced the Cardinals’ first 100-plus-yard rushing performance and the first touchdown of his varsity career to pace the team’s 229-yard effort on the ground.
Ironically, this Friday’s 7 PM kickoff between Fairmont and Albert Lea will feature three players who returned punts for touchdowns during Week 4. The Cardinals’ Brayden Williamson galloped 55 yards to paydirt on one of his punt returns for six points, while teammate Carter Hanson sprinted 45 yards for a score after corraling a punt on the run.
Junior running back Amun-Ra Brown also took his punt return to the house by motoring 43 yards to the end zone for the equalizing score to help Albert Lea rally from a 13-0 deficit to Worthington last Friday night. The 6-foot, 167-pound Brown also generated the Tigers’ first TD on the strength of a 71-yard run to help fuel his incredible 143-yard rushing performance on 13 carries.
Brown, who started at receiver earlier this fall, moved to running back last week, Aidan Breamer Thumann made the transition from center to left offensive tackle and Bu Gay switched roles from right guard to right tackle. Defensively, Brown will make a slight change in moving from cornerback to safety.
“Brown turned in a great performance out of the backfield last week, while Mason Hrdalo and Bu Gay impressed us with their strength and quickness in two-way starting duty at defensive end/tight end and offensive guard/defensive tackle (respectively),” said Mahoney. “They’re missing a couple of guys from the first three games in the offensive line, but their replacements bring good size to the trenches.
“Charlie Murray, a freshman quarterback, throws a nice ball, but that was a tough situation for him being a late replacement running the offense a week ago.”
Fairmont and Albert Lea each enter Week 5 with 2-2 overall records.
FAIRMONT STARTERS
OFFENSE
QB: #14 Jensen Livesay, 6-4, 205, Senior
RB: #30 Keyon Schutz, 5-11, 190, Junior
WR: #7 Brayden Williamson, 5-9, 155, Senior
WR: #5 Mason Bicknase, 6-2, 185, Junior
LT: #51 Vincent Schultz, 6-4, 175, Senior
LG: #59 Craig Schultze, 6-1, 255, Junior
C: #55 Reed Johnson, 6-5, 200, Senior
RG: #69 Luther Malo, 6-2, 240, Junior
RT: #70 Max Nielsen, 6-3, 275, Senior
TE: #81 Preston Geerdes, 6-4, 210, Junior
WR: #1 Travohn Harvey, 6-3, 145, Senior
DEFENSE
DE: #51 V. Schultz
DT: #69 Malo
NG: #74 Ethan Farnum, 6-2, 350, Senior
DE: #55 R. Johnson
LB: #5 Bicknase
LB: #19 Caiden Utesch, 5-11, 175, Senior
NKL: #6 Owen Terfehr, 6-2, 180, Senior
CB: #23 Boe Kolbe, 6-0, 160, Freshman
CB: #1 Harvey
SS: #7 Williamson
FS: #10 Landon Traetow, 6-0, 155, Senior
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
ALBERT LEA STARTERS (Projected)
OFFENSE
QB: #17 Charlie Murray, 5-10, 155, Freshman
FB: #3 Ryan Collins, 5-8, 160, Senior
RB: #4 Amun-Ra Brown, 6-0, 167, Junior
SE: #12 Jayson Mikels, 5-10, 182, Senior
LT: #79 Aidan Breamer Thumann, 6-4, 217, Junior
LG: #52 Isaiah Diaz, 5-11, 228, Senior
C: #66 Mason Flattum, 6-2, 240, Sophomore
RG: #67 Bu Gay, 5-10, 243, Junior
RT: #63 Payten Crabtree, 6-3, 245, Sophomore
TE: #47 Mason Hrdalo, 6-3, 216, Junior
SE: #28 Asher Hanson, 6-0, 145, Freshman
DEFENSE
DE: #52 Diaz
DT: #67 Gay
DT: #54 Jacob Ojile, 5-8, 170, Senior
DE: #47 Hrdalo
LB: #51 Cade Semple, 6-0, 210, Sophomore
LB: #45 Noel Yanes, 6-0, 167, Junior
LB: #36 Peyton Mikels, 6-1, 195, Sophomore
CB: #23 Edison Williams, 6-1, 165, Senior
CB: #12 J. Mikels
S: #6 Sawyer McGill, 6-0, 145, Sophomore
S: #4 Brown
#19 Caiden Utesch
5-11, 175 Senior
Linebacker
Welcome
We would like to invite you to become part of the Cardinal football program in Fairmont by participating on a tackle football team in the fall. 2026 marks the 21st year of tackle football for 4th, 5th, and 6th grade boys. The results have been very positive for the boys involved. They had fun, learned principles of teamwork and sportsmanship, and began developing the fundamental skills of football.
RULES AND GOALS
- To Develop Fundamental Football Skills
- To Work and Play as a Team, NOT as an Individual
- To Have FUN at Practices and Games
- To Do Our Best at ALL Times
- To Maintain Good Sportsmanship at ALL Times
ELEMENTARY FOOTBALL REGISTRATION & INFORMATION
Registration is Closed
15th Annual Fairmont Football Golf Fund-raiser Fri., Aug. 8
By Charlie Sorrells Fairmont Football Association Contributor
FAIRMONT – If one’s looking to ‘get their steps in’ while helping the Fairmont Cardinal football program continue to thrive, then break out the golf clubs and head to Interlaken Golf Club in Fairmont on Friday, Aug. 8.
The Fairmont Area Football Association will hold its 15th annual golf fund-raiser, which tees off via a 1 p.m. shotgun start. Golfers registering prior to the Sunday, July 20, deadline will receive a quarter-zip Cardinal pull-over the day of the event. Players can sign up at the association’s website – www.fairmontareafootball.com – and pay the best-ball event’s entry fee by Paypal, Venmo or credit card. Anyone registering prior to the July 20 deadline should list their pull-over size on the entry form.
Proceeds
All proceeds from the annual tournament go toward purchasing concussion-protocol helmets; youth football programs’ gear; varsity practice jerseys; and new scoreboards for both the Fairmont elementary field and the high school’s practice facility. The in-house funds also will help defray costs for improvements to Thomas Mahoney Field – along with expenses for weekly meals and after-game food for the players – and provide funding for scholarships for camps. “The golf outing has evolved into a major fund-raiser in terms of making sure ‘our shelves are stocked,’ so to speak, for each upcoming football season at every level of the program,” said Fairmont head football coach/activities director Mat Mahoney.
Silent Auction
“There are a lot of moving parts to the golf tournament, and without all the important people organizing it, making generous donations in sponsoring the event, and of course, all of the alumni and area supporters playing in the outing, we wouldn’t be able to maintain our program’s tradition of excellence on the field and in the classroom.” The 15th annual golf outing will feature a silent auction, door prizes and hole prizes throughout the 18 holes of play. “Each and every contribution counts more than we realize and all are greatly appreciated,” said Mat Mahoney. “Businesses and/or individuals can be a major sponsor, sponsor a hole or be a green-or-tee sponsor, and also can make monetary or product donations.”
Lunch - Burger Bar
Fairmont Cardinal football fans also can support the program’s fund-raising effort by purchasing a Cardinal Card that features numerous discounts by area businesses on their products andservices. If any football supporter misses the July 20 registration deadline, one can still play by either signing up online or can pay a walk-up fee on the day of the golf outing at noon on August 8. A lunch of cheesy chicken sandwiches, chips, cookie and a drink will be served for lunch at noon that day, with a burger bar featured after the outing. Current Fairmont Cardinal football players will be on the Interlaken Golf Course to assist with any of the event’s contests and the players’ golf bags. The Fairmont Cardinals earned its 13th overall state appearance and seventh under Mat Mahoney’s leadership en route to an overall record of 8-3 last fall.