A few short days ago, the Lakota West Firebirds were off to a struggling start this football season. After dropping a week one rivalry contest at St. Xavier 0-10, the Firebirds continued to struggle in week two against a GMC competitor in the Princeton Vikings, losing 18-3.
The week after the Princeton game, many Firebird fans had expressed frustration, some even swearing off their fandom of the team this year. However, West’s week three matchup against the Fairfield Indians seems to have pulled everyone back in.
A little under a year ago, the Firebirds faced one of their toughest roadblocks yet on their path to the regional finals, the Fairfield Indians. With Fairfield quarterback Talon Fisher leading the way, the Indians fought the Firebirds all the way to double-overtime. What sealed the victory for West was a forced fumble recovered by Elijah “Eli” Davis. Eli would proceed to scoop the ball and run it about 80 yards back to the opposite endzone to ruin the homecoming fun for the Fairfield Faithful. While the touchdown may not have counted, it symbolized what was yet to come for the Firebirds that year. That said, it almost undoubtedly left frustration in the hearts of many Fairfield fans and players.
As the stands started to fill up ahead of the rematch on Friday night, the excitement in the stadium was palpable. However, this game was sure to be a bit different than the Firebirds’ first two contests. West starting quarterback Jackson Smith had been sidelined by a left forearm injury, providing a much-needed opportunity for junior quarterback Sam Wiles. Nobody knew at the time whether this would prove to be a positive or negative change for the Firebirds, but at the conclusion of the game, it seemed like the change in offensive playcalling, due to Wiles’s different skillset, had revitalized the struggling offense.
On the first drive of the game, the Firebirds went back to the classic Coach Bolden option offense. After keeping to the ground game for the first few plays, Wiles would take to the air with his first pass on varsity this season, a 52-yard touchdown pass to junior Rece Mason – The first West touchdown of the year. It was evident that Fairfield was having a hard time adjusting to the option plays, with the long passes becoming a recurring circumstance.
It was then the defense’s turn to step up. The Firebird defense had been nothing short of spectacular to this point in the season, helping keep games within reach despite a desperate offensive team. Less than two minutes after the opening score, Eli Davis recovered a forced fumble and found the endzone for 6; a familiar sight for both him and the Fairfield faithful.
According to Davis, his eyes lit up at the sight of the football. “It was kind of crazy. It was on the ground and I was like ‘I’ve got to go put it in the endzone again.’”
With the help of one more touchdown from Eudes “Juinor” Gonzales, the Firebirds exited the first quarter with a 21-0 lead over the Indians. The Firebirds were not content there, however. They wanted to turn the game into a boat race.
In the second quarter, the strong offensive showing would continue as Sam Wiles would connect with slot receiver Jiovionni Wilson for a 31-yard touchdown. This was yet another familiar sight for the Firebirds, as Wilson caught a 20-yard touchdown from quarterback Mitch Bolden in last year’s contest.
After a 24-yard chip-shot field goal from Brayden Benner, as well as a safety for the Firebird defense, the West side would end up shutting out Fairfield 33-0 for their first win of the season. Sam Wiles would finish the night 9/10 through the air with 182 yards and two touchdowns, as well as 34 yards on the ground.
When asked about his success under center tonight, Wiles said, “I’ve known these guys for so long. These are my brothers and I love them, and I owe everything to them. They made my performance.”
While it may be uncertain who the Firebirds will utilize at quarterback next week against Middletown, one thing is evident after this statement win: The Firebirds got the game they needed to start to right the ship this season.
