Five Takeaways: Fairfield vs. Cut Bank
Five Takeaways from Fairfield's 24-16 District 1B win over Cut Bank Friday
1. Peter Hamilton, Jr. is a workhorse for Cut Bank. The fullback-linebacker was very tough to bring down on offense for the Wolves while also putting some big hits on Fairfield defensively.
2. The Fairfield offense wasn't sharp, but it was effective when it needed to be. Big plays, such as Chandler Allen's fourth-down conversion catch to keep a drive going in the third quarter, were a huge factor. "We need to execute a little better on offense, but that's a tribute to (Cut Bank)," Fairfield head coach Les Meyer said. "There are things that we just missed on that would've helped us out a lot but that's the way the game is."
3. Cut Bank's rush offense is for real. The Wolves have several options in quarterback Wiley Novak and running backs Tyrell Sylvester, and Jaxson Ray. Cut Bank was averaging over 350 yards on the ground in its last three games.
4. This was unfamiliar territory for Fairfield, which had outscored its opponents 182-20 coming into the night. The 16 points is the most the team has given up since a 56-16 win over Conrad last season.
5. The Eagles have now won 17 games in a row and haven't lost since a state quarterfinal loss to Huntley Project in 2014. The win over Cut Bank was Fairfield's first single-digit win in that span, with the next closest margin coming in last year's 27-14 state title win in which they outscored Huntley 27-0 in the second half to claim the Class B crown.