FAIRFIELD SENIOR STUDENTS who are members of the Grand Band from Eagle Land were honored as Band Students of the Week after they marched their final half-time show during the Fairfield-Crockett varsity football game Friday night. Fairfield junior varsity and freshmen Eagles football teams each waged a battle before emerging with victories last week to end the 2009 season.

The jv squad squeaked out a 13-6 win over the Crockett Bulldogs in a game that was close throughout and the frosh mounted a pair of goal line stands to beat Brookhill Academy.

"This was a sign that our kids refuse to lose. Even though we made some critical mistakes at different points in the game, the kids were resilient enough to fight through them and overcome them," jv coach Joey Worley says.

The jv Eagles started well with an opening drive that covered 45 yards to score on a 28-yard run by Terrance Hunter. Kicker Jose Garcia added the extra point for a 7-0 lead.

Crockett answered on the ensuing possession but missed a 2-point conversion to trail Fairfield by a point.

With five minutes remaining in the half, Dane Blackwood intercepted a Bulldogs' pass and returned the football 20 yards to set up a second score.

A touchdown came shortly afterwards on a 3- yard run by Jeffrey Carter. The extra point attempt failed, giving the Eagles a 13-6 lead that turned out to be the final score.

Defensively, the jv ended a potential Bulldogs' scoring drive when Hunter intercepted a pass in the third quarter.

"We struggled with intensity throughout the game. I thought our offense moved the ball easily the first drive and got a little complacent and lost the intensity it needed to consistently move the ball," Worley says.

The season finale win gives the jv a 7-2 overall record and 4-1 mark in district games.

"It was a great season. I enjoyed coaching these guys because they were not afraid to work hard and expect good things to happen," the coach points out.

He reports that several players stepped into roles this season that they did not fill as junior high and freshmen players, and excelled.

"Some might think we did not show improvement in this last game but, in actuality, this is a game we might not have won earlier in the year with all the turnovers and other mistakes," Worley says.

Fairfield frosh gridders came from behind, and showed a strong defensive game, to beat Brookhill 14- 6.

The win gave the Eagles a 9-1 season record.

"They have been a pleasure to coach. They show up every day and work hard, and they play very well together as a team," coach Bill Crawford says.

"These guys have a bright football future in Fairfield," he adds.

Brookhill cracked the scoring column first on a 35-yard pass plan early in the second quarter. The extra point kick put the Eagles behind 0-7.

The frosh Eagles answered late in the quarter with a 6-yard touchdown run by Adrian Welch with 1:38 minutes left in the half. The extra point try failed, leaving the frosh a point behind.

Fairfield made the first of its decisive goal line stands when they stopped Brookhill, which had a first and goal, on the five yard line. A field goal attempted missed the mark.

From there, the Eagles drove 85 yards to score on a 2-yard run by Welch. The 2-point run by Cooper Cole made it 14-6 with 3:36 left in the game.

Brookhill knocked on the end zone door as time was expiring, getting a first down on the one yard line, and the Eagles held again.

Fairfield benefited when Brookhill was flagged for a procedure penalty on first down, which was followed by an incomplete pass, then Hayden Hill sacked the quarterback for an 8-yard loss on second down and third down resulted in an incomplete pass.

Under pressure from Hill on fourth down, the Brookhill quarterback threw to the endzone only to see the pass picked off by Jay Robertson as the clock ticked down to 17 seconds.

Crawford credits blocking by the offensive line and eight carries by Ben Barlow with the success of the 85-yard scoring drive that put the Eagles on top. On the offensive line were center Will Doyle, guards Zack Pratt and Deonte Carr, tackles Colton Henson and Marshall Davis, and tight ends Will Akers and Hill.