After trouncing the Globe Tigers 42-7 on the road Friday, Oct. 24, the high school football team is gearing up for the final game of the regular season, which also happens to be the final home game for long-time coach Jim Fairfield.

Fairfield announced following Friday night’s road game that he will be retiring at the end of the 2014-15 school year, with plans to head to Washington to spend more time with family.

While the Falcons’ post-season plans are not yet set in stone, the local team would not be hosting during the opening rounds of state, meaning the Oct. 31 game will be Fairfield’s last romp on the home field.

The Falcons will have their work cut out for them against Blue Ridge on Halloween night, with kickoff set for 7 p.m.

“Blue Ridge will be tough, like always,” Fairfield said.

“But we’re feeling confident. Plus, it’ll be Seniors Night, so the guys are excited.”

The Falcons are currently ranked 17th, with state open to the top 16 teams. The local squad’s post-season chances would be greatly increased by a win over Blue Ridge but, until all teams finish up the regular season Friday, anything could happen.

“We invite everyone to come out, cheer us on and let’s have some fun this week,” Fairfield added.

Globe

The Falcons hit the end zone in a big way during the first quarter in the showdown versus Globe, going on to score 21 points in the first 12 minutes of play.

Hank Alsopp scored on a 42-yard throw to get the ball moving, with kicker Lucas Johnson on target (as he was following every touchdown this game) to add an additional point to the board.

Brady Hartman scored on a 16-yard reception next, followed by a 51-yard reception from Jacob DeGroote to wrap up the quarter.

Into the second and the Falcons would light up the board for another 14 points on a 29-yard pass to Sam Stoor and a 15-yard pass to Hank Alsopp.

Mike Doka scored the final TD of the evening in the third quarter on yet another successful pass from quarterback Luke McDermott.

The Falcons stayed off the board in the fourth quarter of play, which is when Globe finally managed to hit paydirt and prevent a shutout. The Falcons brought home a big win, 42-7.

“This was really our first game back healthy,” Fairfield said.

“We had pretty much everyone back on the roster, and we played well on both sides of the ball.”

Fairfield said that the Falcons changed up their defense a bit heading into the Globe game and the local squad adjusted well to those alterations.

On offense, Fairfield said the Falcons’ receivers had little trouble getting open, capping off successful passes with loads of extra yards.

“Mike Doka played excellent defense, giving us a couple of sacks,” Fairfield continued.

“Quentin Donahue had a couple of fumble recoveries and Sam Stoor caught an interception for us. We grabbed five turnovers and gave up none, so that’s huge.”

Fairfield said that he’s happy to have his team back up to full strength, allowing his athletes to play their regular assignments and, as was shown during the Globe game, improving their effectiveness.

“We’re no longer playing with mix-matched positions, so we should do well,” he added.