ALBIA — Brett Leshen had no intentions of throwing the ball into the end zone on the last play of the first half.

That didn’t mean he wasn’t looking for one more touchdown throw to his favorite target.

With just five seconds to go before halftime and 58 yards from the endzone, Leshen threw a seemingly harmless pass down the middle of the field toward Zach Hugen hoping for the best. The best is exactly what Hugen delivered as the Blue Demons’ receiver slipped by two defenders and raced in for Albia’s fourth touchdown of the first half as the clock hit zero.

Who knew that those seven points would make all the difference in the world? Albia’s 27-0 halftime lead held up, by one fateful touchdown, as Fairfield’s second-half rally fell short 27-20 Friday night in the opening game for both teams.

“We saw the safeties weren’t dropping back (on the previous play), so the coaches decided we’d take a shot,” Leshen said. “They did the same exact thing on that final play and Zach got himself wide open.”

“We say we play for 48 minutes of action no alibis and no regrets,” Albia head coach Jerry Staton said after winning in his 50th season opener as a head coach. “We could have taken a knee in that situation and some people might have wanted us to do that, but I say if we got a chance to score let’s go down and get a touchdown.”

On the other side of the field, the final play represented a fitting conclusion to a first half filled with mistakes for Fairfield head coach Mike Scheneck’s squad. It was also fitting that the biggest defensive miscue of all turned out to be the difference in a season-opening loss for the Trojans.

“We just kept making mistakes that gave (Albia) more opportunities,” Schenck said. “Whether it was penalties that kept drives going or giving up a big pass, we didn’t make enough of those key plays to win. That last one was probably the biggest of all.”

Leshen and Hugen proved to be a tough combination for the Fairfield defense to stop throughout the night. Leshen completed 10 passes on the night including eight to Hugen for 210 yards with a pair of second-quarter scoring strikes padding Albia’s 13-0 lead after one.

Hugen talked about the final play of the first half, which ultimately made the difference in a season-opening win for Albia.

“I ran out on the previous play and I told coach I just needed one more play to get open,” Hugen said. “Coach just called a simple post pattern. I just ran it and found my way into the endzone.”

“There were a number of catches (Hugen) seemed to make all night that I was stunned by,” Schenck said. “It seemed like we had a couple guys on him all night. For whatever reason, though, our defender on him on that last play of the half dropped off and left him open for the touchdown.”

Fairfield showed great fight and their own offensive expressiveness in the second half, scoring 36 seconds out of the locker room on Dillon Fry’s 35-yard pass to Justin Hammes that pulled the Trojans within 27-8. After a fourth-down stop on the next series defensively, Fairfield’s offense marched right back down the field and pulled within 27-14 on Mason Carnahan’s 25-yard touchdown run with over five minutes left in the third.

“The guys did a great job fighting back and showing the willingness to compete despite the score,” Schenck said. “They got themselves back into it. It’s just a shame it took us a half to have that come out.”

Albia turned back to Leshen to help the Blue Demons stall the comeback of the Trojans. The junior quarterback did just that several times, tossing first-down passes to Hugen on third and fourth downs to keep a drive alive into the fourth quarter.

“We’ve been hanging out since we were in third grade throwing passes to each other,” Leshen said of his relationship with Hugen. “(Zach) runs his routes perfectly. I can’t ask for a better wide receiver.”

Leshen also showcased his ability to run, adding 68 yards rushing to his 237 passing yards. Leshen put Albia on the board first, capping a season-opening 15-play, 76-yard drive with a three-yard scoring run midway through the first quarter and also eluded defenders twice on first-down runs in the fourth quarter.

“He started for us in our final three games last year and he started against Iowa City Regina a couple years ago in the playoffs,” Staton said of Leshen. “There’s not too many teams that are tougher then that. He’s also a wrestler, so he’s got that strong will and strong body that makes him tough to bring down.”

Fairfield’s kept their final hopes alive by forcing a late fumble and capitalizing on a Vince Horras touchdown catch to pull within seven. After forcing a punt in the final minute, Fairfield’s final hope was sealed when a final long pass by Fry was picked off by Leshen at midfield.

Albia (1-0) heads down Highway 5 next Friday to face Centerville. Fairfield (0-1) takes on Davis County in their home opener.