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By John Clark

BLADENBORO – On a night of missed opportunities by both teams, Fairmont turned 2 Demarcus Grissett pass interceptions into a pair of late touchdowns that lifted the Tornadoes to a 26-14 Southeastern Athletic Conference football victory over West Bladen Thursday night.

Trailing 14-12 the Tornadoes were stopped on downs at the Knight 12, but 3 plays later Grissett picked off a West pass to set Fairmont up at the Knight 20. Senior Gabriel Washington took over at quarterback and scrambled 14 yards two plays later for the touchdown. Washington ran the conversion for a 20-14 Tornado lead with 4:38 left to play.

Grissett returned his 2nd interception to the Knight 6 yard line, and senior Nehemiah Baker darted 6 yards to paydirt with 1:54 on the clock to boost the lead to 26-14.

Besides the 2 late interceptions, the Knights lost 2 early fumbles, missed a 32-yard field goal and turned the ball over on downs 4 times at the Fairmont 20, 23, 29 and 4 yard lines.

“You have got to capitalize on those opportunities,” said West Coach Stanley Williams. “We have to keep pushing and get ready to try and end the season on a high note at Red Springs.”

The Tornado offense had their own miscues. Fairmont turned the ball over on downs at the West Bladen 41 and 12 yard lines, lost a fumble that resulted in a touchdown and suffered a pass interception.

Knight junior Hezekiah Adams raced 47 yards on a punt return for a touchdown with 10:05 left in the 1st period. Junior Cade Allen kicked the extra point for a quick 7-0 lead.

On West Bladen’s 2nd possession, senior Messyah Whitted bolted 13 yards, and Adams turned a slant from sophomore quarterback Hunter Hester into a 30-yard gain. However, Allen’s 32-yard field goal attempt was on line but fell just short.

Fairmont senior Jalarion Owens recovered a Knight fumble at the West 45. Grissett rambled 19 yards, before senior Tyrek Townsend snared a 28-yard touchdown pass from senior Harlan Hunt. A conversion run failed and West still led 7-6 at the 3:24 mark.

Adams eluded several rushers and fired a 29-yard pass to junior Noah Hall to ignite a 14-play drive. Adams then evaded tacklers on runs of 8 and 18 yards that picked up 1st downs as the Knights reached the Fairmont 19 before being halted on downs.

Three plays later Adams intercepted a Tornado pass to start the next West drive. Whitted rushed 3 times for 12 yards then dashed 35 yards with a short pass from Hester. However once again the drive stalled on downs at the Fairmont 23 yard line.

On the next play the Tornado snap skipped past the quarterback. He dove for the ball and knocked it into the end zone where Knight junior Tyleak Ballard recovered it for a touchdown. Allen tacked on the extra point for a 14-6 West lead 1:09 before halftime.

Adams returned the 2nd half kickoff 25 yards, and Whitted carried 4 times for 17 yards to the Fairmont 27. However the Knights were stopped on downs at the 29.

Fairmont responded with a 71-yard drive in 7 plays. Senior Emanuel Oxendine turned a shot pass from Hunt into a 35-yard gain. Grissett reeled off runs of 19 and 10 yards, before junior Tristen Longchallen scooted 25 yards for the touchdown that sliced the margin to 14-12. West senior Aaron Lewis blew up the conversion run with a tackle-for-loss.

The Knights answered with a 66-yard drive that reached the Fairmont 6 yard line. Whitted carried 6 times for 28 yards, and Adams hauled in a 40-yard pass from Hester. However a holding penalty bogged down the drive and the ball was turned over on downs at the 4.

Fairmont senior Travelius Leach scampered 65 yards on a jet sweep then snagged a Hunt pass for 19 more to reverse the field position. However the Knights regained the ball on downs at their own 12.

Whitted rushed 23 times for 89 yards and caught a pass for 35 yards. Hester completed 6 of 20 passes for 129 yards. Adams completed a pass for 29 yards, caught 3 passes for 77 yards and returned a punt 47 yards for a touchdown.

Senior Travis Baxley led the Knight defense with 8 tackles. Senior Jahmar Richardson made 6 tackles, and Adams had 2 tackles and a pass interception. Ballard had the fumble recovery for a touchdown.

Grissett ran 12 times for 71 yards for Fairmont. Hunt completed 7 of 17 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown. Leach had 82 yards on 3 receptions.

West Bladen, now 0-4 in SAC-6 and 2-7 overall, will travel to Red Springs Friday night.

Knight seniors who celebrated Senior Night included: Jahmar Richardson, Deyon McDonald, Stefane Jessup, Travis Baxley, Malijah McKoy, Messyah Whitted, Cornelius Esters, Aaron Lewis, Xavier Spaulding, Christopher Perez-Ortiz, Kamarie Washington, Amarie Haynes, Noah Rogers, William Stevens, Joseph Cooper and Robert Osborne.