FAIRMONT— The Fairmont football team suffered a 26-0 setback at home against Midway Friday.

Fairmont (1-5, 0-2 Southeastern Athletic Conference) struggled in the red zone, with two first-half scoring chances inside the 10-yard line coming up empty. Midway (4-2, 2-0 Southeastern) took a 12-0 lead at halftime before scoring once each in the third and fourth quarters to pull away.

“We felt like we moved the ball between the 10s effectively all night long, and we just couldn’t finish,” Fairmont coach Lonnie Cox said. “We have to learn how to finish drives, especially when we move the ball as well as we did at times tonight.”

Fairmont reached the 2-yard line on its first drive of the game before a penalty pushed them back outside the 10, and two plays later Midway’s Cameron Cousar intercepted the Golden Tornadoes in the end zone. At the end of the first half, the Golden Tornadoes drove to the 4-yard line before Gabriel Washington was sacked and the period expired.

After a scoreless tie through one quarter, Midway scored second-quarter touchdowns on a 68-yard pass to Jamir McRae and on a run by Trey Gregory.

“We thought that Midway was the most disciplined football team we’ve seen all year long, and they play so cleanly that you can’t make any mistakes against them or they’ll make you pay for them,” Cox said.

Fairmont travels to Clinton next week.

Rams fall at Cape Fear

Points scored by the Cape Fear special teams and defensive units proved pivotal as the Colts earned a 48-0 win over visiting Purnell Swett Friday.

“They beat us in every phase of the game,” Purnell Swett coach Stephen Roberson said. “They had two pick-sixes for touchdowns early and a punt return (touchdown) to start the scoring. I thought our defense played pretty well, but with the special teams and turnovers for points it was a recipe for disaster.”

Cape Fear (4-1, 2-0 United-8 Conference) led 35-0 by the end of the first quarter. The Colts added 13 more points in the third.

“We never came off the bus looking like we were in this thing to win it,” Roberson said. “I have to take a lot of responsibility for that. They dominated us physically on the offensive side of the ball; they were getting pressure to the quarterback, who was retreating and throwing at the same time.”

Purnell Swett (2-3, 0-2 United-8) hosts Jack Britt next week.

“I think our conference, we’re going to see this style of play and physicality every week,” Roberson said. “We’ll have to find a way to match and we just have to play better.”

Buccanneers outduel Pirates

The Lumberton football team was shut out in Friday’s road United-8 Conference contest at Jack Britt, falling by a 44-0 margin.

Jack Britt (3-2, 2-0 United-8) led 7-0 after the first quarter, then scored 21 points in the second quarter to take a 28-0 lead at intermission. The Buccaneers added seven points in the third quarter for a 35-0 lead, then scored nine in the fourth.

“We’ve got to move the ball,” Lumberton coach Adam Deese said. “It was the same scenario as (against) Cape Fear, struggling to move the ball offensively and a couple missed tackles, and they scored three touchdowns in the second quarter. We’ve got to dig deep and we’ve got to fight and have that mentality of not quitting, and capitalize on mistakes. We’ve got to put our defense in a good situation by maintaining drives offensively.”

Lumberton (0-5, 0-2 United-8) hosts South View next week.

“We’re telling our kids, even though our record is not where we want to be, we still have an opportunity to play in the postseason. But we’ve got to click, on all three phases of the ball. We’re capable of doing that, but we’ve got to roll up our sleeves and be ready to go Monday through Thursday, and Friday’s will take care of itself. We’re not going to stop working.”