COLUMBIA – After a blowout win over Eau Claire for their final home game of the regular season and an open date on Oct. 25, Fairfield Central’s football team jumped right back into the win column at Columbia High School on Nov. 1. They downed the Capitals 48-0 for their eighth consecutive win.
Senior Tydarion Grier and the Griffins put on an offensive clinic, racking up 331 all-purpose yards and seven touchdowns.
Grier led the efforts on the ground. He picked up 156 yards and four touchdowns on eight carries (for an average of 19.5 yards per carry). Senior Steven Gadsden had the Griffins’ other rushing touchdown. He had four carries for 20 yards on the night. Quarterback Kaden Diggs chipped in six carries for 43 yards.
Diggs and senior Ford Davis split time under center. Diggs completed three of four attempted passes for 27 yards.
TyQuarius Shannon, a sophomore, had the team’s lone aerial score on a 13-yard catch from Davis. Jalen Squirewell had two catches for 17 yards, and Grier had a 10-yard catch.
Junior Dre Walker accounted for the Griffins’ other touchdown with a 50-yard punt return.
The Griffin defense allowed just 157 yards from the Capitals; 72 of which were from kickoff returns. They shut down Columbia’s offense, limiting the Capitals to just 42 rushing yards and 43 receiving yards.
Chauncery Turner and Douglas McCloud Jr both had a sack on the night. McCloud forced a Columbia fumble, and Turner had an interception. McCloud and Kingston Peay led the Griffins with three solo tackles each as the Griffin defense combined for 84 total tackles, six for loss.
Antario James and Dre Walker tallied 8 total tackles. Breone Whitaker, Peay, Christopher Jackson and Steven Gadsden had seven total tackles.
The win moves Fairfield Central to 8-1 on the season, 3-0 in AA Region 3 with only Mid-Carolina left to face. Originally slated to face off on Oct. 4, the game with the Rebels was postponed in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
As Fairfield currently sits atop the region standings, Mid-Carolina stands in third place with a 2-1 record. A win in Prosperity on Friday would solidify a region title for the Griffins and seed them high (and give them a home-field advantage) in the AA Upper State playoff, which are set to begin Nov. 15.
Mid-Carolina lost to Chester 42-0 on Oct. 25. Fairfield Central beat Chester 22-6 on Oct. 11.