TriStateFootball.com

Comets come to life in win over Fairfield

Mason juniors John Hendrix (63) and Lenin Aguilar (73) (photo by Greg Shoemaker / TriStateFootball.com)

CINCINNATI, Ohio – It was a battle of two GMC heavyweights in the Blitz 5 Game of the Week,
with both squads looking to get a win to turn their seasons around. In the end, it was the Mason
Comets who ended the evening with a statement win over the Fairfield Indians, 31-13.

From the opening kickoff, it was all Mason throughout the contest. On the Comets first drive of
the night, senior wide receiver Braden Dunn found open running room and took the ball to the
house, with a 56-yard rushing touchdown to open the scoring.

It wasn’t just the Mason offense that imposed their dominance, however. Mason also capitalized
on impressive special teams play, when senior wideout Preston Estoesta had a 20-yard punt
return for a touchdown, quickly putting the Comets up two scores early in the first quarter.

After some back-and-forth play from each of the respective defenses, the Comets struck again
midway through the second quarter. Mason’s senior signal caller Ashton Sheafe took to the air,
and found senior wide receiver CJ Castner in stride for a 24-yard touchdown pass, giving
Mason a 20-point advantage heading into halftime.

POSTGAME INTERVIEW: Brian Castner, Mason

Coming out for the second half, the Indians offense looked to have found a little momentum,
capping off a long drive down the field with a touchdown run from their trusty junior quarterback
Dominic Back, who plunged his way into the endzone for a 5-yard score. In an attempt to get
within striking distance and put pressure on the Mason team, Fairfield went for the two-point
conversion, but the attempt failed.

By the fourth quarter, it seemed the Fairfield defense had finally gotten a hold of the Mason
offensive attack, with both teams trading multiple punts after failed 3rd down conversions. The
contest would come down to which offense was able to put points on the board next. It took until
late into the fourth quarter for Mason to finally find the touchdown to put the game on ice. Senior
halfback Temi Adesanya found the endzone on a 2-yard rush for the Comets, capping off an
impressive offensive performance for the home team.

Fairfield did find another score late, however. Back was able to find his senior running back
A’Shion Ruff out of the backfield for a 52-yard passing touchdown with a minute left in the
contest, making the final score closer than the game really was.

Despite the loss, Back put up 109 yards and a touchdown on 20 attempts through the air, while
also tacking on 77 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Senior tailback Tyler George had 56
yards on 14 attempts, respectively.

Branden Dunn was the star of the night for Mason, racking up 169 yards and a score rushing on
just 16 attempts, by far his highest rushing total of the season. Additionally, Sheafe had 98
yards and a touchdown through the air. The quarterback also gained 27 yards on the ground.
Mason will continue their resurgence in play at Middletown next week, while Fairfield will look to
bounce back at home against red-hot Hamilton.

SCORING BY QUARTERS
Fairfield 0-0-6-7-13
Mason 14-7-0-7-31

SCORING PLAYS
M: Branden Dunn 56-yard run (Max Gogul kick)
M: Preston Estoesta 20-yard punt return (Gogul kick)
M: CJ Castner 24-yard catch from Ashton Sheafe (Gogul kick)
F: Dominic Back 5-yard rush (2-point failed)
M: Temi Adesanya 2-yard rush (Gogul kick)
F: A’Shion Ruff 52-yard catch from Dominic Back (Aiden McGuire kick)

RECORDS: Fairfield (2-4, 2-2 GMC); Mason (2-4, 2-3 GMC)
UP NEXT: Fairfield vs. Hamilton (4-2, 3-2 GMC); Mason at Middletown (4-2, 3-2 GMC)

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