Case's late fumble return ends unbeaten Fairhaven's title defense, 42-37, in the Division 6 playoffs
The Cardinals came back from 19-7 down, outscored Fairhaven 35-18 the rest of the way and move on to the Round of 8 against the winner of Abington and Wilmington. Fairhaven quarterback Jackson Ponte scored on runs of 4, 5 and 32 yards.
FAIRHAVEN Fairhaven faced fourth down at its own 38 with about seven minutes left, and the ball came loose. Joseph Case picked it up and returned the fumble 36 yards for a touchdown, then ran in the two point try for a 42-31 lead that the defending Division 6 champion could not erase.
No. 11 Case won 42-37 in the Division 6 Round of 16 on Thursday night at Fairhaven High School, ending No. 6 Fairhaven's season at 8-1. The Cardinals (7-2) trailed 19-7 early in the second quarter and outscored the Blue Devils 35-18 from there. Fairhaven had won 15 straight games over two seasons and had beaten Case in all six meetings since 2021, including 45-37 on Oct. 16.
How the scoring went
Fairhaven scored on its first drive, on a 4 yard run by junior quarterback Jackson Ponte, and the kick made it 7-0. Ponte broke a 44 yard run to the Case 4 on the next scoring drive, and a 3 yard run made it 13-0. A long kickoff return set Case up deep in Fairhaven territory, and the Cardinals scored on a 6 yard run with under a minute left in the first quarter. The kick made it 13-7.
Ponte scored again from 5 yards early in the second quarter for a 19-7 lead, and Fairhaven picked off a Case pass a few minutes later. Case answered with a long drive, helped by a pass interference call in the end zone, and scored with about 1:30 left in the half. The kick made it 19-14 at halftime.
Case took the lead on its first possession of the second half, a touchdown and a kick for 21-19. On Fairhaven's next series, a pitch went loose and Case recovered at the Fairhaven 39. A long pass took the Cardinals to the 9, and a 1 yard run and the kick made it 28-19. Fairhaven came right back: a long kickoff return, a long run by Ponte and a 1 yard touchdown made it 28-25, the score after three quarters.
Case pushed the lead to 34-25 on another 1 yard run early in the fourth quarter; the kick missed. Fairhaven needed two plays to answer, a long run by senior Aidan Donnelly to the Case 32 and Ponte's 32 yard touchdown run, and it was 34-31. Case recovered Fairhaven's onside kick but punted, pinning the Blue Devils at their own 12. Fairhaven worked out to its 38 before the fourth down fumble and the return. Fairhaven scored once more, its try failed, and the stadium scoreboard read 42-37 with 2:12 left. Case held on.
The tries after touchdowns decided the margin. Fairhaven converted only one of its six, the kick after its first score. Case made four kicks, missed one and converted a two point try after its last touchdown.
What was at stake
Fairhaven won the Division 6 title in 2023 and 2025 and lost the 2024 final to Hudson. Case came in 6-2 in coach Mike Cloutier's first season, and the 37 points it scored on Fairhaven on Oct. 16 were more than it had scored against the Blue Devils in the five previous meetings combined. The MIAA's all-time Super Bowl records list Case against Cardinal Spellman in 1992.
Case moves on to the Round of 8 against the winner of No. 3 Abington and No. 14 Wilmington, who played the same night at Memorial Field. Fairhaven coach Derek Almeida and Case coach Mike Cloutier are being asked for comment, and their words will be added when they reply.
Our previews of both teams are here: Fairhaven and Case. Every South Coast final is on the Friday Night Scoreboard.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
The final and the quarter scores come from MaxPreps and match the stadium scoreboard on the NFHS broadcast; Fairhaven's Arbiter Live schedule had not posted the result when we checked. Each score, each try after and the turnovers come from the MaxPreps Scoretracker kept by Fairhaven's scorekeeper; players are named only where it names them, with class years from our Copy-verified previews. Where the Scoretracker and our own notes from the broadcast differed on a distance, the distance is left out. Seeds, the Round of 8 path and team history come from the MIAA bracket, both schools' schedules and our previews. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar. Not heard yet: Fairhaven coach Derek Almeida and Case coach Mike Cloutier, being asked after the game; Case's scorers will be added from the schools' scoring summaries.
Corrections
No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.
Sources (6)
- MaxPreps: Case at Fairhaven, Nov. 5, 2026, final and ScoretrackerFinal Case 42, Fairhaven 37, by quarter Case 7, 7, 14, 14 and Fairhaven 13, 6, 6, 12, read at 9:2x p.m. Scoretracker entries by the Fairhaven scorekeeper (J. Sinko) through 8:50 p.m.: each score, the try after, Ponte by name on the 4, 5 and 32 yard runs and the 44 yard run, Donnelly by name on the long run, the interception, the fumble recoveries and the 36 yard fumble return touchdown.
- Arbiter Live: Fairhaven High School Varsity Football scheduleThu Nov 5 6:30 PM vs Joseph Case, Fairhaven HS Stadium, no result posted yet (the L beside it is the game type column, not a result; the page still shows 8-0), read by Copy at 9:3x p.m.; Thu Nov 26 10:00 AM vs Dartmouth; 2026 results and the Oct. 16 45-37 win over Case, as read by the preview desk Nov. 3 and Nov. 5.
- NFHS Network: 2026 MIAA Football Playoffs, Joseph Case High School vs. Fairhaven High School, Nov. 5, 2026Live broadcast and replay: plays, field position, the stadium scoreboard (37 and 42 with 2:12 left in the fourth quarter) and the postgame handshake. The broadcast score graphic was not used: its score and period fields did not match the game.
- MIAA: Football 2026 Division 6 State TournamentSeeds No. 6 Fairhaven (8-0), No. 11 Joseph Case (6-2); No. 3 Abington vs. No. 14 Wilmington, 7 p.m. Nov. 5, Memorial Field; winners meet in the Round of 8.
- MaxPreps: Case at Fairhaven, Oct. 16, 2026Line score 37-45, as read by the preview desk Nov. 3.
- The Standard-Times (on Yahoo Sports): Week 6 SouthCoast football roundupThe Oct. 16 meeting, as read by the preview desk Nov. 3.