Column: The Fairfield Lions had a ‘heck of a run’

The 2025-26 Fairfield Lions is another one of those teams that won’t be forgotten, and they should be remembered for their resilience, their willingness to to battle through any and all adversity, and as a team which truly left all they had on the court in their pursuit of reaching the Elite 8 this season. 

Though the Lions’ season ended in the OHSAA Division VII Regional Finals with a 57-54 loss to the Malvern Hornets at Westerville High School on Sunday, March 15, they made history for their school by being only the second Fairfield Local boys basketball team to reach the Elite 8, and just the fifth team in program history to be a district champion. 

The Lions achieved this following a slow start to the season in the standings — they were 1-3 after the first four games — as they adjusted to off-the-court decisions, plus the players battled through injuries, fended off strong opponents and went on a tournament run that few in Highland County have ever achieved. 

The Lions won their fifth district championship with a 60-51 victory over South Webster and followed that with a 54-41 win over Shekinah Christian in the regional semifinals. Before those wins, it was a district quarterfinal win against Federal Hocking, then a semifinal win vs. South Gallia. 

If the word “grinders” doesn’t describe this team, then the word shouldn’t be in the dictionary, because what the Lions achieved this season is stuff of high school sports lore. 

Fairfield finished with a 19-7 overall record, which is the third time in the past four seasons the Lions have had at least 19 wins in a season. 

The Lions boys basketball team overcame off-the-court issues that resulted in having an interim head coach with five games left in the regular season, and with all of that, as FHS athletic director Jimmy Barnett said to me at the season-opening softball game … “It was a heck of a run, wasn't it?” and I automatically knew he was talking about the Lions basketball team. 

What made this team so great begins with the starting lineup, where the starting five rarely left the game, including juniors Brody Smith, Griffin Friend and Caleb Rice, along with seniors Quentin McIntosh and Zach Ahsaruk. This starting lineup had one of the better tournaments of any team in the Southeast District. Smith battled a foot injury that would have kept most players on the bench, but he showcased toughness that won’t be forgotten, and he deserves high praise for his sacrifice on the court when the games mattered the most as his season totals put him at 19.8 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game and 2.6 assists per game. 

Even more so, his performance in the regional semifinal game was outstanding with 23 points, as he made five 3-pointers in his final scoring totals. 

Friend was the constant on the court because nearly every game, we all knew he was going to be one of the leaders on the court and score his average of 16.5 ppg, along with his 5.9 rpg and 4.7 apg he compiled for the season. 

Rice made a name for himself, as his performance in the tournament should put him on everyone’s radar next season, but as for this year, there wasn’t a more exciting player on the Fairfield roster when he heated up. Going back to the regional semifinal, Rice had an 8-0 run of his own in the second quarter with two 3-pointers and a two-point basket that ignited the Lions to a 54-41 win over the Shekinah Christian School Flames, putting FHS in the regional finals for the first time since 1978. 

As for McIntosh, if there ever was a true senior leader, it was him this season for the Lions. Having McIntosh on the Lions had to be a blessing of sorts for all he brought to the Lions in the wild ’25-26 season. 

McIntosh showed all of his emotions following each of the Lions’ big wins in the district finals and regional semifinals, and his passionate reactions following those wins are what sports is all about. 

His play on the court was excellent too, averaging 10.7 rpg this season, including 20 rebounds in a regional final game, plus in the regional semifinals there were a couple blocks that still haven’t landed. He left all he had on the court his senior season, and it was a pleasure to cover his games. 

Maybe the most underrated player for the Lions was Ahsaruk, who played strong defense when needed most this postseason. By the time his senior season finished, nobody will forget what Ahsaruk did for the Lions when on the court in the biggest games. 
After one of the games, interim head coach Raymond Friend spoke about the bench players and all they’ve done for the team this season, and he’s right. A starting lineup is only as good as the players they practice against, so it is safe to say the bench players for FHS are top-tier. 

Those players are: Logan Burgess, Cam Caudill, Layne Burgess, Joel Matthews, Landyn Hoskins and Zayden Scott. It is always nice to see a varsity head coach speak highly of his bench players, especially during the biggest moments of the season. 

Hats off to Coach Friend and the rest of the Fairfield coaching staff (Jensen Daulton, Travis Teeters and Brandtson Duffie) for keeping everything going forward the way they did this tournament run. 

This season is one to remember for the Lions and the Leesburg community. Congratulations to all involved, as this is the type of season players, coaches and fans dream of. 

Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. 

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