GRAND JUNCTION — After a dismal start, Fairview High School started rolling.
Down 14-3 after the first quarter, the Knights dominated the second quarter and second half to beat Grand Junction 58-28 Saturday night in their season-opener.
All total, the Knights ran off 30 unanswered points.
Quarterback Johnny Feauto settled down and started clicking after a shaky start. The senior went 21 for 35 for 404 yards and four touchdowns.
He also had 118 yards rushing and one TD.
The game turned in the second quarter when Feauto had TD passes of 29 yards to Tommy Wakefield and 66 yards to Connor May to put Fairview up 24-14.
The Knights kept the pressure on the Tigers with a 77-yard, six-play drive to open the third quarter to push the lead to 30-14. Carlo Kemp, a 250-pound junior, busted in for the TD from three yards out after lining up at fullback.
The score was set up on a 38-yard pass from Feauto to Tim Ryan to the three.
From the second quarter on Feauto was brilliant, making pinpoint throws from the pocket and on rollouts.
His 28-yard TD toss to May with 3 minutes, 17 seconds remaining in the third came after Feauto scrambled to his right and lofted a perfect throw on the run.
Fairview unleashed its offensive onslaught after Grand Junction looked good early.
Senior wide receiver Jack Parsons took a handoff and popped a pass to a wide-open James Antonucci from 26 yards out to take a 7-0 lead on the Knights.
The Tigers, which are using a two-quarterback rotation early in the season, put another score on board when sophomore Jax Nourse hit Brody Cupp on a 19-yard throw, extending the Grand Junction lead to 14-0.
Defensively, Fairview picked up the intensity after those two quick touchdowns by the Tigers.
After the second touchdown, the Knights started dominating with a forced turnover and forcing three three-and-outs.
Grand Junction never found its rhythm again until late in the third quarter when Antonucci caught his second touchdown pass of the game, this one from 19 yards out from Mike Poland.
Kemp added another 1-yard TD run late in the third quarter to put the Knights up 44-20.
Sophomore wide receiver David McWilliams had two TD catches in the fourth quarter to make the score 58-20. He finished with 184 yards on eight catches.
May had 94 yards on his two catches and Ryan had 85 yards on four catches.
This was the season opener for the defending 5A runner-up Knights while the Tigers are now 0-2 on the season.
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Fairview 58, Grand Junction 28
At Stocker Stadium
Fairview (1-0) 3 21 20 14 — 58
Grand Junction (0-2) 14 0 6 8 — 28
First quarter
Grand Junction — James Antonucci 26 pass from Jack Parsons (Ridge Droskin kick); Grand Junction — Brody Cupp 19 pass from Jax Nourse (Droskin kick); Fairview — Raul Magno 20 field goal.
Second quarter
Fairview — Tommy Wakefield 29 pass from Johnny Featuo (Magno kick); Fairview — Connor May 66 pass from Feauto (Magno kick); Fairview — Feauto 3 run (Magno kick).
Third quarter
Fairview — Carlo Kemp 3 run (kick failed); Fairview — May 28 pass from Feauto (Magno kick); Grand Junction — Antonucci 19 pass from Mike Poland (kick failed); Fairview — Kemp 1 run (Magno kick).
Fourth quarter
Fairview — David McWilliams 21 pass from Feauto (Magno kick); Fairview — McWilliams 37 pass from Thomas Creese (Magno kick); Grand Junction — Parsons 4 pass from Poland (Antonucci pass from Parsons).
