Published: September 07, 2008 12:41 am            

JUSTIN GRAVES: Fairview starting to grab people’s attention

There was a time when Fairview High’s football team was flying quietly under the radar.

Not many people outside of Cullman County knew about Fairview. And there were even fewer people giving the Aggies a chance.

That’s changed in a hurry. But when you’re putting crooked numbers up on the scoreboard every week, people are going to find out.

Last week, Fairview found itself on the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Class 4A football poll for the first time since the early 1990s.

Look for the Aggies to climb even higher this week — and even higher the week after that.

Around here, most people expected this out of Fairview.

People that follow Cullman County football knew the Aggies had plenty of talent returning. They also thought this could be a playoff team.

But what about the folks outside Cullman County? Did they know about Fairview?

To be perfectly honest, not really.

It’s been a while since a Fairview team made the playoffs. It’s been even longer since that community has had a postseason win.

So when it was first rumored that Fairview may be a contender in Class 4A, Region 7 this season, there were a few chuckles in some parts of Northeast Alabama.

When they heard Fairview, the first thing that came to mind was pretender. They thought the Aggies were crazy for even thinking this little ol’ team from Cullman County could compete with the likes of North Jackson, Guntersville and Plainview.

Wonder if they’re laughing now?

Probably not.

This Fairview team is no longer flying under the radar.

Nope. Not anymore.

This is a team that’s got a lot of coaches on alert, and rightfully so.

Fairview has all the makings of very dangerous football team.

Quarterback Trett Hardman is one of the best in North Alabama. The junior has came a long way since last season.

Not only does Hardman see the field well, but he’s also better at reading defenses.

Hardman has thrown seven touchdowns in one game twice in less than a year. He did it against Holly Pond last season, and the junior did it again Friday at Douglas — throwing for almost 400 yards in less than three quarters.

Running back Josh Millwood is a man, and anyone who says otherwise is crazy.

The senior is big, strong and quick. He’s looks like a middle linebacker, but moves like a free safety.

Just give Millwood the ball and watch him go. Odds are pretty good that he’ll run over someone.

And then there’s Fairview’s offensive line. It’s a big unit, but still quick.

There’s a reason Hardman and Millwood have been so good. Actually, there are five reasons — and they’re all up front.

Fairview has speed on the defensive side of the ball, and the Aggies have playmakers all over the field.

It’s a deadly combination of a lot of things, and a bright coaching staff has figured out how to make it all work.

Yes, Fairview’s football is starting to grab people’s attention. But is anyone around here really that surprised?

This group was supposed to be able to do this.

        

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