Simonds Prescient in Rebels' First Win

New Fairfax Head Coach Kevin Simonds could not have asked for much more out of his first career win.

He got great performances from his quarterback, Spencer Macleod, his defense and a supportive home crowd, and showed off his honed coaching skills in a 20-12 win over Robinson.

Robinson dominated TC Williams in its first game this season, but the Titans like run a pass-first, spread offense. In preparation for the game, Simonds said his run-heavy offense would likely create matchup problems for the Rams.

"We are a run-first team and we can pound the ball a little bit," Simonds said. "Last year, we gave [Robinson] one of the best games they had all year, and I don't see any reason why we won't do that this week."

His prophecy proved true in the second half.

Fairfax struck first when Macleod hit tight end Chris Robic for the first touchdown of the night. Robinson looked primed to answer, but its drive stalled when senior running back Jared Velasquez came up one yard short a 4th-and-five from the Rebels' 27-yard-line. It was just the start to a frustrating night for Velasquez, as the Rebels held him to 89 yards on 23 carries.

Velasquez did manage to sniff out the end zone early in the second half, but Fairfax blocked the extra point, keeping the Robinson lead at 12-6.

From that point on, the Fairfax running game took over. Macleod showed off his athletic ability late in the third quarter as he tiptoed down the sideline to setup a first and goal for the Rebels. Two plays later, he ran it in himself, and Rebels kicker Austin Perryman hit a crucial extra point to give the Rebels a 13-12 lead entering the final quarter of the game.

After the teams traded a few scoreless possessions in the fourth quarter, the Rebels' Marcus Bailey busted a 66-yard touchdown run, putting Fairfax up by eight. On the Rams next drive, Joey Boyle picked off a Mike LoPresti pass, allowing the Rebels to salt away valuable minutes on the clock. Robinson got the ball back with less than a minute left, but the Fairfax defense clamped down, sacking LoPresti on back-to-back plays before a hail mary pass ended up in the arms of the Rebels' Kolin Atkinson.

After the game Simonds praised the team for their hard work.

"Hard work pays off men," Simonds said. "There will be more to come."

Simonds has been a fixture at Fairfax even before accepting the position as the head football coach at Fairfax High School in April. It began evident why as Simonds concluded the team huddle after the game with some words of advice.

"Go home tonight, rest, and have a smile on your face while you sleep," Simonds said. "Next week work as hard as you did tonight and this weekend take care of each other. We are a family. Watch out for your family this weekend."

The 1-1 Rebels next game is Thursday Sept. 16 against Stuart High School.