Football, Game Coverage, High School

Trotwood-Madison 20, Fairmont 7: Rams Flip the Script in Second Half

By Cole Swafford | CSwaff Media
Photography by Cooper Hamilton | Contributing Photographer

TROTWOOD, OH — Fairmont had the lead. Trotwood-Madison had the talent.

By the end of Friday night, the Rams had the win.

Junior Wideout Zye’Air Fields lines up for the Rams.

Trotwood-Madison erased a 7-0 halftime deficit with 20 unanswered points in the second half, defeating Fairmont 20-7 in a Week 2 matchup that featured several of the Miami Valley’s top college football prospects.

The victory moved Trotwood to 1-1 on the season, while Fairmont fell to 0-2.

Fairmont controlled the first half and took a 7-0 advantage into the locker room. Trotwood’s offense struggled to find its rhythm, but the Rams came out of halftime with a completely different look.

Senior quarterback Jayden McClain sparked the comeback.

McClain accounted for three touchdowns on the night, throwing for 172 yards while completing 8 of 14 passes. He also rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries.

His biggest pass of the night came in the second half when he connected with Mike Keith for an 84-yard touchdown. Keith finished with 85 receiving yards, and the touchdown gave Trotwood its first lead at 13-7.

Quarterback Jayden McClain runs all over Fairmont in the win for the Rams.

McClain later added another rushing touchdown to push the Rams’ lead to 20-7.

While the offense took over after halftime, Trotwood’s defense made sure Fairmont never got the chance to answer.

One of the biggest plays came from Ohio State commit Jameer Whyce.

With Fairmont setting up a screen pass, Whyce recognized what was coming before the play could develop. The 6-foot-5 defensive lineman sat down on the play, sniffed out the screen and made the tackle for no gain.

Then, while still laying on the ground, Whyce yelled from his back:

2028 5 Star DT Ohio State Commit Jameer Whyce

“I watch film! I watch film!!”

It was one of the loudest moments of the night and a perfect example of the preparation that has made Whyce one of the country’s top 2028 defensive prospects.

Whyce finished with 11 tackles and three tackles for loss and was selected as one of Trotwood’s players of the game.

The Rams’ roster is loaded with college talent beyond Whyce. Chandler Moore is a Miami (Ohio) commit, while Tyler Carpenter is committed to Ohio. With additional Division I-caliber players throughout the roster, Trotwood entered the night with plenty of individual talent — but Friday was ultimately decided by execution.

After giving up seven points in the first half, the Rams completely shut down Fairmont over the final two quarters.

Trotwood scored 13 points in the third quarter and another seven in the fourth, turning a one-score halftime deficit into a 20-7 victory.

For Fairmont, the loss was another tough result after starting the season 0-1. The Firebirds played a strong first half but couldn’t sustain that momentum after halftime.

Junior WR Josiah Hargrave walks back to the line of scrimmage.

For Trotwood, it was exactly the response the Rams needed after dropping their season opener to Central Catholic.

The Rams are now 1-1, and Friday night’s second-half performance showed what this team can look like when its offense and defense are clicking at the same time.

At halftime, Fairmont was in control.

Two quarters later, Trotwood was celebrating its first win of the season.