What the Fairfield Green Knight football team lacks in player numbers it makes up with the will to win.

And that showed no more truer than Friday night at James Buchanan’s Rocket Stadium.

Fairfield, which dressed only 23 players, used 3 lengthy scoring drives and held the Rockets in check to come away with a 31-23 victory in a non-league game.

“This was a learning experience,” JB coach David Miller said. “They are used to winning and wanted this game more. They went out, played hard and wanted it more.”

Other than a handful of runs by Cormac Houpt, who rushed for 187 yards and 2 TDs, the Rocket (1-2) offense was stagnant.

In the first half, Houpt had a 51-yard run and a 49-yard TD run off a draw. In the second half, Houpt had 3 decent runs of 27, 10 and 18, but beside that JB’s offense was held to 3 yards rushing and 8 yards passing.

And if not for Scott Seburn’s 51-yard pick 6 in the first quarter and Houpt’s 1-yard TD with only 51 seconds left in the game the Green Knights winning margin would’ve been bigger.

Fairfield (1-1) meanwhile was very efficient offensively, putting together 3 extended scoring drives, and one back-breaker of a conversion that proved the difference.

* In the second quarter, with the score tied 7-7, the Green Knights capped off a 12-play, 80-yard drive with a 30-yard field goal by Jake Myers. On the drive JB’s Brady Bigler intercepted a pass on a fourth-and-12, but it was wiped out by a roughing the passer penalty. Fairfield also benefited from two 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalties by JB on the drive.
* Later in the second quarter, the Rockets had just taken a 15-10 lead on Houpt’s 49-yard TD run, but the Green Knights responded with a 16-play, 68-yard scoring drive, capped off by Zach Koons’ 13-yard TD pass to Joey Quealy.  On that drive Fairfield converted a fourth-and-11 and a fourth-and-2.
* And the one that really stunned the Rocket defense was with a little over 2 minutes left in the third quarter. Fairfield faced a third-and-goal from its own 20, yes, its own 20. The Green Knights dialed up a reverse and Nic Wheeler took it almost untouched into the end zone for another touchdown.
* The third and final big scoring drive that iced the game was with 4:33 remaining in the game. QB Zach Koons finished the 12-play, 71-yard drive with a 17-yard QB keeper to the end zone. On that drive the Green Knights converted on a third-and-4 and a third-and-10.

The Rockets have a bye next week and don’t play again until Sept. 21 at Perryville, Md.

Fairfield 31, James Buchanan 23
Fairfield 7 10 7 7 – 31
James Buchanan 7 8 0 8 – 23
FIRST QUARTER
FF – Garrett Stadler 84 blocked FG return (Jake Myers kick), 8:11
JB – Scott Seburn 51 interception return (Alec Truett kick), 5:24
SECOND QUARTER
FF – Myers 30 FG, 7:25
JB – Cormac Houpt 49 run (Sawyer Egolf run), 6:47
FF – Joey Quealy 13 pass from Zach Koons (Myers kick), :26
THIRD QUARTER
FF – Nic Wheeler 20 run (Myers kick), 2:13
FOURTH QUARTER
FF – Koons 17 run (Myers kick), 4:33
JB – Houpt 1 run (Mason Line pass from Sebastian Wise), :51
TEAM STATISTICS
First downs – FF 19; JB 10
Rushes-yds. – FF 37-126; JB 25-190
Passing yds. – FF 79; JB 8
Totals yds. – FF 205; JB 198
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing – FF – Ethan Favorite 10-28, G.Stadler 8-50, Koons 7(-14), Peyton Stadler 7-18, Wheeler 1-20; JB – Houpt 15-187, Wise 8(-6), Owen Stoner 2-9.
Passing – FF – Koons 10-1-22-79; JB – Wise 4-1-12-8.
Receiving – FF – Quealy 3-26, G.Stadler 3-25, Wheeler 3-22, Brent Hamilton 1-6; JB – Brady Bigler 2-16, O.Stoner 1(-2), Houpt 1(-5).
Interceptions – FF – Nicholas Mezger; JB – Seburn