Johnston City and Fairfield share the Black Diamond Conference championship


Darren Kinnard
Section618.com

JOHNSTON CITY — With no postseason, conference championships are the crown jewel in the shortened, spring, COVID-edition, high school football season. The Johnston City Indians earned a piece of the Black Diamond title for the first time since 2010 by completing an unbeaten season with a 46-14 win over Edwards County.

The Indians share the title with Fairfield, who also finished 6-0 in the Diamond with a 17-0 win over Eldorado. The Mules have now won or shared the BDC title the last five seasons. Fairfield has won 35 straight conference games dating back to Week 7 of 2016.

Johnston City took care of its part to make it a shared championship by handling the Lions. Austin Brown and Corbin Hickey connected for three first quarter touchdown passes for a 22-8 Indians’ lead after one. Brown added a touchdown run in the second quarter for a 30-8 Indians’ advantage at halftime.

Kade and Ryan St. Ledger combined for a 65-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter for the Lions’ first points of the game. The two-point conversion gave Edwards County a brief 8-6 lead. Johnston City answered by marching 70 yards in three plays, capped by Brown’s second TD pass of the quarter to Hickey. That put the Indians back on top, a lead they would not relinquish.