Springfield left no doubt the second time around. The second-seeded Wildcats shut out Kettering Fairmont 38-0 on Friday night in a Division I, Region 2 quarterfinal, completing a season sweep of the Firebirds and moving into the regional semifinals.
The final score was confirmed on the statewide scoreboards published by The Columbus Dispatch, the Mansfield News Journal and the Zanesville Times Recorder, and on both schools’ MaxPreps schedules. Springfield improved to 9-2, while Fairmont’s season ended at 5-7.
The teams had already met once this season, on Oct. 16, when Springfield won 24-7 on the same field, according to the Wildcats’ MaxPreps schedule. Friday’s rematch was more decisive in every way: the Wildcats’ offense added two touchdowns to the margin while the defense turned a seven-point allowance into a shutout.
Fairmont arrived with momentum of its own. The 10th-seeded Firebirds reached the quarterfinal by beating Grove City 35-21 in the first round, and a 5-6 team playing with house money is a dangerous November opponent. Springfield’s defense never let that danger develop, holding the Firebirds scoreless for four quarters.
The shutout is the latest marker in a strong closing run for Springfield, which also routed Northmont 41-6 on Oct. 23 on its way to the No. 2 seed in Region 2. When the Wildcats’ defense plays at this level, the region’s top seed has company at the top of the bracket.
For Fairmont, the season closes with a winning playoff memory — the first-round victory at Grove City — and a clear measuring stick for where the program needs to go. The Firebirds lose the season series to Springfield by a combined 62-7, but they will not be the only Greater Western Ohio Conference team spending the winter chasing the Wildcats.
Springfield’s final-four company in Region 2 underlines the achievement: Perrysburg routed Westland 42-6, Wayne held off Beavercreek 35-34 and Hilliard Darby upset top-seeded Whitmer 24-21 in Friday’s other quarterfinals. Of the four winners, only Springfield pitched a shutout.
What happens next: Springfield plays in a Division I, Region 2 semifinal on Friday, Nov. 13, with a berth in the regional final on the line. One more defensive performance like Friday’s, and the Wildcats will be a very difficult out for whoever is left standing in the region.
Photo: David Wilson, CC BY