FAIRMONT —
To be honest, Fairmont Senior boys’ soccer coach Jim DeNardi entered Saturday’s game with Huntington expecting a grind-it-out, low-scoring result that is usually the norm when two good teams meet.
Turns out, he was in for a surprise — the good kind.
A scoreless game early on, the Polar Bears took control at the perfect time, scoring three goals in the first half’s final 12 minutes en route to an impressive 7-0 home shutout.
“It surprised me,” DeNardi said of the final score. “I never expected a 7-0 win against these guys.”
Nate Kast scored Fairmont Senior’s first goal with about 12 minutes remaining until halftime, and it merely opened the floodgates — Ross Dalton added a goal on an assist from Kast at the four-minute mark and Jordan Ross added another tally soon after to make it 3-0 at the break.
So what triggered the late surge?
“I don’t know,” DeNardi said. “We just possessed the very well (Saturday) and knocked it around a bunch.”
And they didn’t let up in the second half against a Huntington team that ended Hurricane’s long winning streak last season. Six minutes into the second, Jacob Freeland netted a goal on an assist from Dalton and Kast dropped in his second goal on a penalty shot not long after.
“That’s what you want,” DeNardi said. “They came out in the second half and it was lights out. They put the game away.”
Fairmont Senior (4-1-1) added some insurance — if they needed any — with a pair of late goals from Jordan Ross and Stephen Sinclair. Kast assisted on the former and Steven Hendrixson on the latter, an example of the solid passing that was the Polar Bears’ hallmark all day and a big reason for their highest goal total of 2010 thus far.
Allen Rickards had five saves in goal and Fairmont Senior’s steady defense limited the Highlanders’ scoring chances to ensure the shutout.
“This is probably the best we’ve played since the Woodrow game,” DeNardi said. “The boys are starting to put it together. This is a good win for us.”
Fairmont Senior looks to keep the momentum rolling Tuesday when it hosts University.
Bees’ runners shine in Ohio
VINCENT, Ohio — The East Fairmont girls’ cross country team made a strong impression far away from home Saturday, rolling to a second place finish in the annual Scenic Hills Lions Club Invitational in Vincent, Ohio.
The Bees finished with 85 team points, a score only bettered by champion Marietta (Ohio), and had four runners place in the top 30.
Michaela Luckey placed fourth overall with a time of 21:45 to lead the squad. Amber Trickett took 16th (23:05), Amanda Boyce was 19th (23:22) and Brenda Palmer was 26th (23:53) for the Bees.
Also running for East was Chelsie Hawkins (39th, 25:07), Sydney Moore (44th, 25:17), Rachel Ramage (53rd, 26:06) and Kristen White (54th, 26:07).
Polar Bears take part in Geico Classic
ONA — Fairmont Senior’s cross country teams had solid performances at the annual Geico Classic at Cabell Midland High School Saturday.
The Polar Bears boys placed fifth overall and two top 20 finishers. Dayton McVicker took third with a time of 16:27, while Todd Edgell was 14th (17:23).
Other Fairmont Senior runners included Nick Trefz (43rd, 18:34), Isaiah Tipton (45th, 18:36) and Jacob Richards (47th, 18:38), David Collins (60th, 19:00) and Josh Parucci (74th, 19:16).
On the girls’ side, Alyssa Scherich had another outstanding run, taking third in 20:18 to fuel the team’s ninth-place finish.
Tori Hawkins placed 40th in 22:39, Olivia Duke 44th in 22:44, Laura Tennant 74th in 25:31, Deirdre Tobin 99th in 28:10 and Gabi Jenab 121st in 35:52 to round out the Polar Bears’ runners.
Prep Sports
PREP ROUNDUP: Polar Bears bash Huntington, 7-0
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HARRIS - Polar Bears have been able to adjust
Nothing beats high school baseball and the adjustments that it takes to win.
Just four years ago, I was in these players’ shoes. It’s weird because instead of getting interviewed, I am the one conducting the interviews. Playing against teams from Canton through Youngstown, I faced a lot of superstar talent, but everybody knows that the teams are only as good as the players. -
Robbins helps Bears reach states
Matt Robbins had a week to remember for the Fairmont Senior Polar Bears while taking his team to the state tournament.
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Locals dot all-Big Ten softball
While Marion County failed to claim a Big Ten softball title, the area didn’t go empty-handed when the league announced its all-conference teams.
East Fairmont senior catcher Emily Morton nabbed Player of the Year honors to highlight four local first-team selections. -
Morton named Player of Year
As the lone senior on East Fairmont’s softball team, Emily Morton had no choice but to lead the way.
This could apply to the all-Big Ten Player of the Year selection process, too: After the 2012 season the Bees’ standout had, no other pick would do. -
Bears fought off nerves for lacrosse title
While quite a few of Fairmont Senior’s girls’ lacrosse players are playoff veterans, the butterflies were still swarming going into last Saturday’s WVSLA state title game.
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Next stop, Charleston: PHOTOS
Fairmont Senior has clawed its way back to Charleston.
The Polar Bears are making their ninth trip to Charleston in the past 10 seasons after a nail-biting, 4-0 win over John Marshall in the Region I final game on Thursday night at Mary Lou Retton Park. -
COLUMN: Polar Bears back in familiar spot
The Polar Bears did it again.
For the third straight season and ninth time in the past 10 years, Fairmont Senior’s baseball team is back in the Class AAA state tournament. -
Locals dot Big Ten cheer team
Marion County was well-represented when the Big Ten released its all conference cheerleading teams.
In all, nine county girls earned all-league honors. -
Bears top Monarchs for regional title
Fairmont Senior rallied for four runs in the sixth inning while advancing their way to the state tournament yet again with a 4-0 victory over John Marshall in the Class AAA Region I final on Thursday night at Mary Lou Retton Park.
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FSHS preparing for Monarchs in regional final
The Fairmont Senior Polar Bears are riding plenty of momentum into today’s Region I baseball final versus John Marshall.
The last time the Polar Bears faced the Monarchs with a trip to the state tournament on the line was the 2009 regional final, where the Monarchs prevailed in the bottom of the seventh inning, 3-2. - More Prep Sports Headlines
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HARRIS - Polar Bears have been able to adjust
