Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but unfortunately for The Maplewood Panthers, they weren't the ones who walked away with it. They fell to Fairview 36-30. Maplewood lost against Fairview in their previous head to head back in November of 2022, too, but the margin this time around was much closer than the 47-6 score last time.
When it comes to explaining why Maplewood lost on Friday, one person who can't be blamed is Ladavion Darden. Despite the final result, he rushed for 121 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.6 yards per carry, and also threw for 92 yards and a touchdown. Darden was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 51 yards.
Travon Murry went supernova for Fairview, rushing for 311 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 8.4 yards per carry. Wendell Billingsley was another major influence, as he rushed for 64 yards and ran in a TD.
Maplewood's loss was their ninth straight on the road (dating back to last season), which bumped their record down to 1-10. Those losses could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 14.7 points per game. As for Fairview, the victory (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 8-3.
Maplewood does not have any more games scheduled as of now. Fairview will take on Liberty Creek at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Liberty Creek knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past six matchups -- so hopefully Fairview likes a good challenge.
