Varsity Wildcats hit the road for a short hike to their first ‘away’ game in three weeks and return on the victory bus with a solid defeat of the Fairfax Rebels and a final score of 35 to zero. The Centreville defense extended their streak of shut-outs while the offense just trampled Fairfax. The game was a quick one, ending in about 2-hours after it began.

It’s a pretty night for a Wildcat road trip. The temperature in Fairfax is in the low 70s while the sky is crisp and clear. A bit of rain on Thursday night threatened wet conditions, but the cool, dry weather that moved through during the day dried things nicely. Besides, Fairfax has an artificial turf surface, so “wet” means nothing. As the Centreville team enters the field to begin the contest Wildcat fans are filling the stands. Wildcat team captains meet their opponents at the center of the field and participate in the coin toss, and win! Centreville decides to defer possession, so they will receive the kick in the second half of the game.

Runnin’ Down the Rebels

The game begins with Fairfax receiving the kick, and it appears they have some rocket fuel in their cleats. No luck, as the Wildcat Defense Mechanism blocks their opportunities. Rebels punt the ball to Centreville. Calder Street grabs the kick and rockets down the left side of the field, all the way to the 33 yard line. After a bit of offensive articulation Wildcats attempt a field goal. Fairfax slips through the line and blocks the kick, placing possession into Rebel hands. No worries – that series of plays was just a bit of foreshadowing. Fairfax fails any meaningful movement toward the end zone. With 5:22 left to play in the first quarter the Rebels punt the ball into Wildcat hands, and here we go again! Calder Street lets the ball slip into his firm grip and begins a 52-yard sprint to the end zone for the first Wildcat touchdown of the contest. Kevin Maslyn’s extra point sails between the uprights as Centreville takes the lead with 7 and Fairfax zero.

The Centreville defense is fired-up and won’t allow the Fairfax crew any opportunity to score. Another punt into Wildcat hands and the first quarter ends with the lead controlled by the Wildcats, 7 to zero.

The second quarter begins with a Wildcat offensive drive that eats up 3-and-a-half minutes of game time but ends with a punt. Calder Street kicks the ball 49 yards to the Fairfax squad where it comes to rest on the 3 yard line. The Wildcat Defense Mechanism is just too big and too strong for the Rebel effort. With 7:01 on the clock the Fairfax offense fumbles the ball and Centreville performs a crisp grasp of control of the ball.

With the ball on the Fairfax 24 yard line Centreville begins a long march down the field. With 7:01 still to play in the second quarter the Wildcat running game is gaining momentum. As the offense is eating up yardage Andrew Morgan is moving through the Rebel defense as if he were a snowplow in the middle of a blizzard. With second down and just 6 yards away from the goal line, yellow flags cover the field as Fairfax is called for offsides and the ball moves half the distance to the goal – the 3 yard line. With 4:49 left in the second quarter Wildcats power their way into the end zone for another touch down. Maslyn’s extra point splits the uprights and while the Wildcat Cheerleaders are cranking through their push-ups the scoreboard now displays Centreville 14 while Fairfax shows a big zero.

Up, Up and Away

Fairfax takes the ball, but not for long. They punt back to Centreville who take possession at the 26 yard line. With 3:08 still to play in the first half the Wildcat offense begins another long and meticulous drive toward the end zone. P.J. Dunegan is composing a symphony of successful passes and runs. Zack Glatter grabs a pass for a first down. Andrew Morgan continues to shatter the Rebel defense on the ground. Dunegan completes a big 26-yard pass to Richie Staggers at the 13 yard line, then another to Darryl Hamilton that ends up on the 1 yard line. Morgan muscles another quick run for 6 more Wildcat points into the end zone. The extra point is good, cheerleaders are counting-down their push-ups, and the score is now Centreville 21, Fairfax nothing with 2:21 still to play in the first half.

The Wildcat defense handles the next Rebel attack and the first half ends. While the Fairfax squad had a teensy bit of hope at the very, very beginning of the game, the scoreboard is glowing with their frustration as it displays Centreville 21, Fairfax zero.

This may be the first ‘away’ game in more than three weeks, but that hasn’t stopped the enthusiasm of Wildcat fans. While the Fairfax band is hammering their drum line the Centreville fans have filled the stands and just can’t control their excitement. It’s a beautiful Friday evening for football, Centreville is maintaining a big lead, and Wildcat fans are rocking the stands, some of them even sporting their spirit body paint.

Mercy in Fairfax

Wildcats receive the kick to begin the second half of Friday night football. They encounter a bit of a slow start and punt the ball to Fairfax. Not to worry, the Defense Mechanism is back in action. It appears that momentum may be turning to the Rebel’s favor, but don’t blink! Fairfax fumbles the ball and it is bouncing down the field like a hot potato when Jason Pearson scoops it up and runs 25 yards for a Wildcat defensive touchdown. Kevin Maslyn’s extra point screams between the bright yellow uprights boosting Centreville’s score to 28 while Fairfax is sporting a big zero. Oh, my – those poor cheerleaders. Now they are muscling through 28 more push ups, increasing their total workout to 70 push ups for the evening. Ouch.

Fairfax takes the ball and punts it back to Centreville. With 5:34 remaining in the third quarter the Wildcat offense takes the field and begins another long drive down the field. Keeping the ball on the ground for a running attack, they eat up yardage bit by bit. After almost 3-and-a-half minutes of game time tick-by, Centreville has the ball on the 2 yard line. With a powerful pop Wayne Jackson appears in the end zone with the ball for a Wildcat touchdown. The extra point attempt hits a snag with a flag as Fairfax is caught running into the kicker. Maslyn hardly felt it, as his foot jets the next kick right between the uprights. The scoreboard now displays Centreville 35, Fairfax zero and, guess what—we get to see the mercy rule kick into gear (the clock keeps running regardless of action on the field). With 2:10 still on the clock in the third quarter time begins to fly.

Fairfax received the kick from Centreville but struggled to move the ball. The third quarter ends with the Wildcats firmly in the lead. The next 12 minutes of fourth-quarter game time seemed to zip by at an accelerated pace. Centreville saw a great variety of players enter the game on both defense and offense. Rebels took advantage of a couple of opportunities, but failed to gain any results. Pretty soon, the mercy rule brought a quick end to the contest and another victory for the Wildcats with 35 points and Fairfax with zero.

111 Phot-o-rama

Ok, sit down and grab yourself a beverage, cuz we’ve got a gallery packed with 111 fantastic photos. Maybe it was the artificial turf, and maybe it was the slaughter rule put into effect, but it was just a good night for pics. Click here to see our gallery (please be patient, might take a minute-or-so to completely load – even with your Cox Highspeed whatchamacallit) and be sure to click the little pics to see the FULL-SIZE photos. The full-size pics really help make it feel like you were right there. Stay tuned for more! We expect to see more photos delivered within a couple of days, and you know they will be a blast to view, too.