FAIRMONT, W.Va. — The Fairmont State football team (3-7, 3-4) lost to Concord (7-3, 5-3) 35-24 on Saturday at Duvall-Rosier Field. The Falcons rushed for 278 yards on 57 carries, while their defense limited the Mountain Lions to 24 rushing yards and recorded three sacks.
The Falcons' opening series ended with a
Nino Marzullo interception at the Falcons' 23, and Devin Kargman found Cordale Russell for a 28-yard touchdown at 13:09 to put the Mountain Lions ahead 7-0. After
Joshua Jones returned the kickoff 64 yards to the Mountain Lions' 32 and
Elijah Tidwell and
James Borbor helped move the ball inside the 5, Jones scored on a 4-yard run to tie it 7-7 with 11:37 left in the first.
Kargman's 5-yard touchdown pass to Que Moore put the Mountain Lions back in front 14-7 (8:39), but Borbor answered with a 29-yard touchdown run at 6:16 after Marzullo converted third-and-15 with a 16-yard run.
Jamar Grimball's sack helped force a Mountain Lions punt on the next series, and although the Falcons later reached the Mountain Lions' 22 before turning it over on downs, the first quarter ended tied 14-14.
Marzullo hit
Rickey Hunt Jr. for a 5-yard touchdown at 9:00 in the second quarter, and
Connor Mollohan's kick gave the Falcons a 21-14 lead after Marzullo converted fourth-and-2 at the Mountain Lions' 29 with an 8-yard run. The Mountain Lions used an offside penalty on a punt to keep their next possession alive and moved into Falcons territory, but the Falcons stopped Kargman's fourth-down pass at the Falcons' 42 at 5:28.
Jonathan Williams intercepted Marzullo on the next Falcons drive and returned it 26 yards to the Falcons' 19, but Allen Hertel sacked Kargman and
Spencer Adderley recovered the fumble at the Falcons' 21 to keep the Mountain Lions out of the end zone. The Falcons later lost a fumble at the Mountain Lions' 46, but the Mountain Lions punted after an intentional grounding penalty, and the quarter ended with the Falcons ahead 21-14 after a final sack at their own 41.
To start the second half, Kargman hit Dom Collins for an 8-yard touchdown at 10:13 of the third quarter, and Christian Torres added the kick to tie the game 21-21. Mollohan's 35-yard field goal at 6:40 put the Falcons back in front after Marzullo completed a 17-yard pass to
Fred Highsmith and Borbor and Jones added runs on the drive.
The Mountain Lions started their next drive at the Falcons' 42 after the kickoff return and penalty, and Kargman found Russell for a 36-yard touchdown at 6:03 before the extra point made it 28-24. The Falcons kept the final drive of the quarter alive with fourth-down conversions by Tidwell and Marzullo to
Eli Sibley, but the quarter ended with the Falcons at the Mountain Lions' 23 and trailing 28-24.
After Mollohan missed a 41-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, Jayden Williams scored on a 13-yard run at 12:15, and Torres' kick made it 35-24. The Falcons moved from their own 22 to the Mountain Lions' 11 behind completions from Marzullo to
Gage Michael and a 19-yard Tidwell run, but the drive ended on downs when Marzullo was stopped on fourth-and-1 at 8:08.
The Falcons got the ball back after a Mountain Lions punt and immediately reached the Mountain Lions' 20 on Marzullo's 36-yard completion to
Ralo Wesley, but another fourth-down incompletion gave the Mountain Lions possession at their 15 with 3:42 left. The Mountain Lions converted twice on third down during the final possession, including Kargman's 5-yard completion to Collins, and knelt out the clock.
Borbor rushed 18 times for 130 yards and a touchdown. Marzullo completed 14 of 29 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown and added 53 rushing yards on 13 carries. Wesley finished with three receptions for 58 yards.
Jeffery Polk led the defense with 11 tackles.
Fairmont State wraps up the season on Saturday, November 14 at Frostburg State University. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
