The Fairview football team saw its season come to an end after a disastrous second half on Friday against Grandview, ultimately suffering a 40-6 loss in a first-round Class 5A state tournament game the Knights trailed just 7-6 at halftime.

As is the case whenever a season comes to a close, Fairview's thoughts immediately turned to next season. Those thoughts should be filled with optimism.

The Knights lose very few of the key cogs that comprised the team's prolific passing attack. Perhaps most encouraging was the form displayed by junior quarterback Anders Hill during the final four games. Hill, who missed the first six games due to a leg fracture, threw for 1,192 yards and 11 touchdowns in those four games while completing

The big arm of Fairview quarterback Anders Hill is a big reason why the Knights should be optimistic about 2013. ( JEREMY PAPASSO )
56 percent of his passes. Three of Fairview's top four receivers also are slated to return, including No. 1 target Sam Martin. Martin compiled seven 100-yard receiving games, finishing the season with 76 receptions for 1,289 yards and 14 touchdowns. Martin led the state in receptions and receiving yards.

The Knights will lose senior Cole Scheifele, who ranked fourth in the state in receiving yards and inched over the 1,000-yard mark for the season with his 100-yard game against Grandview, yet Fairview seemingly boasts the athletes to fill that void.

"We don't have a ton of seniors, and we talked about passing the torch," head coach Tom McCartney said. "We do have a young core, a young nucleus back. We played freshmen, we played sophomores, and a lot of juniors. There's definitely some excitement in the program."

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