By JIM WALKER

Tribune Sports Editor

PROCTORVILLE — Next week, set the alarm clock an hour earlier.

The Fairland Dragons finally got going in the second half but couldn’t pull off the comeback as the Meigs Marauders held on for a 27-20 win on Friday.

Meigs led 20-0 at the half and their only score in the second half was a kickoff return. Fairland ended the game with a 222 to 154 total yards advantage.

“We didn’t show up in the first half,” said Fairland coach Dave Carroll. “We dominated in the second half except for the one kickoff return. But penalties, turnovers and missed tackles killed us.”

The Dragons had three straight penalties late in the game, the third nullifying a 90-yard touchdown pass that would have cut the deficit to one.

Faced with a third down at their own 10, Kyle Sowards hit Nathan Campbell with what appeared to be a game-tying touchdown. A holding penalty wiped out the play and two more penalties and a failed conversion on fourth down gave Meigs the ball at the 25 where they ran out the clock.

Meigs recovered a fumble and then used 10 plays to score as Dillon Boyer hit Zach Sayre with a 23-yard touchdown pass on a fourth-and 12 play.

After an interception by Jeffrey Roush, the Marauders went 36 yards in six plays. Roush capped another Meigs’ drive with a 6-yard scoring run and it was 12-0.

Fairland moved to the Meigs’ 35 only to fumble the ball away again. The Dragons had four turnovers in the game.

Two plays after the fumble, Boyer hit Sayre for 39 yards to the 10-yard line and set up a 4-yard scoring run by Roush and it was 20-0.

Meigs fumbled to start the second half and J.B. Lange recovered to give Fairland the ball at the 35. Three plays later Sowards scored from 5 yards out and Cody Midkiff’s kick cut the deficit to 20-7.

The Dragons forced a three-and-out and six plays later Tyree Ceasar bolted 31 yards up the middle to cap a 59-yard drive and it was 20-13.

But the comeback was sidetracked as Sayre returned the kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. Charlie Barrett kicked the conversion and it was 27-13.

Fairland (0-2) came back to get within 27-20 on a 1-yard run by Sowards with 5:45 left in the fourth quarter to cap a 10-play, 60-yard march.

Evan Maddox led the Dragons with 85 yards on 12 carries while Ceasar had 82 yards on 15 attempts.

Roush topped Meigs (1-1) with 55 yards on 16 attempts.

Meigs 6 14 7 0 = 27

Fairland 0 0 13 7 = 20

First Quarter

Me – Zach Sayre 23 pass from Dillon Boyer (kick failed) 4:30

Second Quarter

Me – Jeffrey Roush 6 run (pass failed) 11:15

Me – Jeffrey Roush 4 run (Roush run) 1:30

Third Quarter

Fa – Kyle Sowards 5 run (Cody Midkiff kick) 9:20

Fa – Tyree Ceasar 31 run (kick failed) 1:20

Me – Zach Sayre 95 kickoff return (Hutton kick) 1:00

Fourth Quarter

Fa – Kyle Sowards 1 run (Cody Midkiff kick) 5:45

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Me Fa

First downs 10 15

Rushes-yards 29-92 45-222

Passing yards 62 19

Total yards 154 241

Cmp-Att-Int 2-3-0 2-4-2

Fumbles-lost 1-1 3-2

Penalties-yards 3-15 11-85

Punts-average 2-32.5 1-00.0

Individual Leaders

RUSHING–Meigs: Jeffrey Roush 16-55, Charlie Barrett 4-12, Dillon Boyer 7-17, Zach Sayre 2-8; Fairland: Evan Maddox 12-85, Tyree Ceasar 15-82, Eric Riley 10-31, Nathan Campbell 3-28, Dylan Murphy 2-3, Kyle Sowards 3-minus 7.

PASSING–Meigs: Dillon Boyer 2-3-0 62; Fairland: Kyle Sowards 2-4-2 19.

RECEIVING–Meigs: Zach Sayre 2-62; Fairland: Evan Maddox 1-11, Eric Riley 1-8.