Fairview Captures Second Straight Title

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's always tough to beat a team twice in the same season but the Fairview Yellowjackets could not be stopped on Saturday afternoon on Edmond. They knocked off Hooker for the second time this year with a 34-8 victory to capture a second consecutive state championship and finish off a second straight perfect season. Back in September, Fairview opened up district play with a dominant win over the Bulldogs and finished off the season with a win in the state title game. They were once again led by junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='379243' first='Jax' last='Bernard'] on Saturday. The junior finished with nearly 250 yards passing and two touchdowns. He also had 121 yards and a score on the ground.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After Hooker had to punt on their first drive of the game, it didn't take Bernard and the Yellowjackets to drive down and score. Bernard converted a third and long on the ground and on the next play he found [player_tooltip player_id='379237' first='Reed' last='Martens'] for a 57-yard gain. A few plays later, he scored from two yards out to put Fairview up 7-0. The Yellowjackets would never trail on Saturday afternoon. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Yellowjackets opened the second quarter with a touchdown as Bernard connected with [player_tooltip player_id='1107551' first='Brant' last='Strader'] for a 15-yard score. They added two more touchdowns late in the second quarter when Bernard found [player_tooltip player_id='1107549' first='Isaiah' last='Burris'] for a 38-yard score. Burris scored just a few plays after he came up with an interception. And then Fairview scored when Kaleb Outhier stripped a Bulldog ball carrier and took the ball back for a score. They led 27-0 at halftime.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hooker struggled in the first few quarters to move the ball against a very stout Fairview defense. And anytime the Bulldogs would start to gain some momentum, penalties or turnovers would push them back. Fairview out-gained Hooker 249-81 in the first half and they put it on cruise control in the second half. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The third quarter was sloppy on both sides as both teams dealt with penalties and turnovers. Hooker was without starting quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='572028' first='Kleat' last='Martens'] for the majority of the second half and sophomore standout [player_tooltip player_id='572029' first='Keilan' last='Robinson'] would fill in for him in the backfield. Robinson and the Bulldogs would avoid the shutout when he connected with freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1084102' first='Justin' last='Palacios'] for a touchdown early on in the fourth quarter. Fairview's [player_tooltip player_id='1107562' first='Mikka' last='Wheeler'] had a big day on defense but he also added a rushing touchdown in the final quarter. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fairview now goes into the offseason riding a 30-game winning streak. And when you look at some of the top playmakers in Saturday's contest, it wouldn't be surprising to see these two district rivals from northwestern Oklahoma competing again for the gold ball in 2024. There are quite a few players on both sides that will be returning next fall. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma for more state championship coverage of this game and from the other four title games in Edmond this weekend!</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->