SEAN BOSTON
Hutch Post
LANGDON, Kan. — The Fairfield High School football team is looking to build on a strong finish to last season, as the Falcons gear up for 2024.
The Falcons finished the 2023 season on a high note with a 56-46 win over Hartford, the lone win for Fairfield last fall. The win ended a 17-game losing streak for the Falcons.
"That win summed up our entire season," Fairfield head coach Kyle Finder said. "It was a hard fought game, and our guys really didn't know how to celebrate. We had to take some time to almost teach them how to celebrate with what was going on. The smiles on their face meant everything and it was a great way to end the season."
Fairfield will open the new year with Hartford, and for the second straight game, it will be on the road.
"It's kind of a double edge sword opening up with them," Finder said. "Yes, we beat them last season, but they were a young team and pushed us to the end. They return everybody from last season and do some things that can give us fits. They're hungry to avenge the loss and I just hope we're not looking past them. We've never really had a whole lot of success, so I just hope we're not taking this one for granted.
The Falcons return starting quarterback Connor Fowler who looks to have a strong senior campaign.
"Connor is our workhorse," Finder said. "We rely on him to do so much both offensively and defensively. This year we're hoping to increase his production while decreasing his reps. There are some guys that we feel like can step up and make Connor more productive. Some of those guys include William McIver, Brodie Snodgrass and Gage Brown."
Finder says the offensive line is mostly intact from last season and will be a big part of the success this season.
"We'll look for those guys to pave holes that anybody can run through," Finder said. "Some of those guys include Garrett Lanning, Chase Combs, Gavin Foster, Lukas and Lane Schwab, and then Braeden Witt will fill in as well."
The Falcons will host a jamboree on Friday, Aug. 30 with St. John, Bucklin and Kinsley.
"We want to continue to build on the successes that we had at the end of last season," Finder said. "We're nine months apart from the end of last season to now. We run a simple enough offense that I feel like we can pick up where we left off, and then just fly around on defense, and most importantly, I just want the guys to have fun."
Finder says his team always puts up a fight, no matter their record.
"We may have been 1-8 last season, but it was one of the most enjoyable times I've had as a coach," Finder said. "The guys have the willing to get better each and every day, they always put in the effort day in and day out. We didn't hang our heads after some close or tough losses, we just were back to work on Monday. We continued to get better as the season went on and I'm really excited to see what this season holds for these guys."
FAIRFIELD HIGH SCHOOL
Sept. 6 @ Hartford
Sept. 13 PRATT-SKYLINE
Sept. 20 RENO CO. SABRES
Sept. 27 CENTRAL CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
Oct. 4 @ Attica-Argonia
Oct. 11 PRETTY PRAIRIE
Oct. 18 @ Norwich
Oct. 25 STAFFORD