Fairview shuts out Poudre 19-0 in season opener

Fairview took a gamble to open the 2020 season by attempting an onside kick to start the game. Poudre recovered and had excellent field position on its home field for the opening drive. Fortunately, the Fairview defense delivered a big-time performance, a sign of confidence that head coach Tom McCartney had in them heading into the game. The Knights had three interceptions in the first half and came up with a number of fourth-down stops to get a shutout win 19-0 over Poudre. It was the first shutout win for the Knights since they won 43-0 over Evans (Fla.) in August of 2018. The first lift on defense for Fairview came from Blake Berden with an interception in the end zone on the first drive of the game. The Knights got a score late in the first quarter with [player_tooltip player_id="22583" first="Liam" last="Huber"] stretching the ball over the pylon for a touchdown reception late in the first quarter. [player_tooltip player_id="22672" first="Grant" last="Page"], the No. 1 wide receiver in the Class of 2022, came through with the other two touchdown receptions for Fairview. HIs ability to run after the catch resulted in a couple of long touchdown catches, the first coming in the second quarter that extended the lead to 13-0, and the other in the fourth that put the game out of reach late. While they were unable to get on the scoreboard, Poudre did have its moments with some explosive plays and long offensive drives during the game. The defense stepped up to keep them in the game as well with some sacks as well as drawing penalties from the Fairview offense that halted some drives with momentum. Below are six game balls handed out to the players who stood out in Saturday’s game. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Game ball #1: [player_tooltip player_id="22583" first="Liam" last="Huber"], 2021, 6’0, 175, WR/DB, Fairview</span></strong> Huber was flying all over the field for Fairview in the win. He used his speed in the slot on offense to get by defensive backs and had an impressive stretch to get in the end zone for the first points of the game. Where his speed was best seen was on defense as he found himself getting to the ball carrier frequently. He was seen making plays to stop the run game near the line of scrimmage but also in coverage against the Poudre wide receivers. The plays he made on both sides of the ball piled up during the game. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Game ball #2: Blake Berden, 2021, 6’0, 190, LB, Fairview</span></strong> Most people know Fairview for its air-raid defense and wanting to throw the ball over and over on defense. That leads many to sleep on its defense, which has seen its share of playmakers. Berden had arguably the best game on defense for the Knights, starting with his huge interception in the red zone on the first drive of the game that prevented his team from trailing. He nearly had another interception with the ball going off his hands on another attempt later in the game. His coverage skills were on point. He also had a couple nice hits, including one to stop the Poudre running back in his tracks on a play in the second quarter. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Game ball #3: [player_tooltip player_id="22672" first="Grant" last="Page"], 2022, 6’2, 175, WR/DB, Fairview</span></strong> Page should why he is considered the top wide receiver in the state in his draft class. The favorite play to him was the bubble screen to get the ball in his hands in the open field with some blockers in front. From there, he did the rest, turning on the jets and gliding down the field. When the ball came his way, he did a good job snatching it with his hands. He has been a reliable target, and now coming in as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver this fall, it appears he is ready to take the reigns like he did in the first half of the 2019 season. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Game ball #4: Griffin Daknis, 2023, 5’10, 150, QB, Poudre</span></strong> Daknis was thrusted into the game when Poudre’s starting quarterback was injured late in the first half. Daknis came in and found some big plays with his legs. He looked like a true athlete running in space and showed some great agility in making guys miss him in the open field. In the passing game, he was able to hit some throws and did a good job of settling things down when it came to turnovers after having three in the first half. He looked comfortable as a game manager and Poudre did a good job using his legs as well. If Daknis remains in the lineup moving forward, the varsity experience he got on Saturday should help him. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Game ball #5: [player_tooltip player_id="22537" first="Justin" last="Michael"], 2021, 6’5, 260, OL, Poudre</span></strong> On paper, the biggest player matchup was perhaps Poudre offensive tackle [player_tooltip player_id="22537" first="Justin" last="Michael"] taking on Fairview defensive end [player_tooltip player_id="22529" first="Brayden" last="Wood"]. Both are committed to play at the FBS level next fall. Michael did a good job going 1-on-1 with Wood in pass protection and showed some good strength and fight in the trenches. He moved to the left side of the line for this game after playing on the right side last year. Sure, the team was unable to get any points on the board, but Michael won many battles and looked like a solid anchor on the left side of the line for the team. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Game ball #6: Llayton Burkett, 2021, 6’1, 197, DE, Poudre</span></strong> Burkett was a disrupter for the Poudre defense. He showed great flashes in getting penetration against the Fairview offensive line and getting some pressure on quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="22561" first="Liam" last="O’Brien"]. He made a stop in the backfield, and even though he mostly had to play as a pass rusher against a pass-heavy Fairview offense, he forced O’Brien to move outside the pocket on a few occasions. His hustle may not show up as much on the stat sheet, but his presence was felt and helped Poudre stay in the game for as long as they could. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Upcoming schedule</strong></span> Fairview will play its first home game of the season next Friday when they welcome the Rocky Mountain Lobos to Boulder. Rocky Mountain is coming off its own shutout win over Prairie View 28-0 on Oct. 9. The winner will control their destiny to the 5A North title this season. As for Poudre, they have a nonconference matchup with Smoky Hill on the road next Friday. Smoky Hill came up short versus No. 1 ranked Cherry Creek 35-14 on the road in its season opener. &nbsp;