BUSY BEE BAND & HONEYBEES

2007 - 2008 Season Highlights

(including EFHS Football Playoff Run)

The 2007-2008 season was very busy for the Busy Bee Band & Honeybees and included several events in the region during their Field Show season, Highlights included a trip to Peters Township High School for the 2007 Peters Township Band Festival and participation in the Fairmont Senior and Morgantown Band Spectaculars. A deep playoff run by the 2007 East Fairmont Bees football team brought the group twice to the Charleston area for games against George Washington High School, where the group performed at Laidley Field and to Saint Albans High School. In 2008, the group traveled to Nassau, Bahamas for their Spring Trip prior to their Annual Follies. At the end of April, the group performed in the Marion County Band Showcase. Performances included:

August 23, 2007 - East Fairmont vs. Elkins (East/West Stadium)
August 31, 2007 - East Fairmont at University High School (Pony Lewis Field)
September 8, 2007 - Fairmont Senior Polar Bear Band Spectacular (East/West Stadium)
September 18, 2007 - Morgantown Band Spectacular (Mountaineer Field)
September 21, 2007 - East Fairmont vs. Bridgeport High School (East/West Stadium)
September 22, 2007 - Peters Township High School Band Festival, McMurray, Pennsylvania
September 28, 2007 - East Fairmont at North Marion (Husky Field)
October 10, 2007 - East Fairmont Homecoming Parade
October 11, 2007 - Fairmont State University Homecoming Parade
October 12, 2007 - East Fairmont vs. Preston High School (East/West Stadium)
November 2, 2007 - East Fairmont vs. Fairmont Senior High School (East/West Stadium)
November 10, 2007 - East Fairmont vs. Hurricane High School - State Playoffs (East/West Stadium)
November 16, 2007 - East Fairmont at George Washington High School - State Playoffs (Laidley Field)
November 23, 2007 - East Fairmont at Saint Albans High School - State Playoffs (Crawford Field)
March 13-18, 2008 - Spring Trip to Nassau, Bahamas
April 1-4, 2008 - Follies 2008
April 29, 2008 - Marion County Band Showcase at East Fairmont High School

Football Highlights

2007 East Fairmont Football Schedule

'The Kids Gave Their All'
Bees miss great opportunities in 14-12 loss to St. Albans

The opportunities were there. East Fairmont's historic run in the Class AAA football playoffs came to an end in a heart-breaking fashion as the St. Albans Red Dragons held on for a 14-12 semifinal win Friday night. The Bees had secondand-goal from the Dragon 2-yard line but couldn't put home the winning score in the final quarter. New kicker Nolan Harvath got a chance to win the game with a 22-yard field goal from the left hash, but the kick was blocked.

The East Fairmont Bees Football Team takes the field at Saint Albans

"We played as hard as we could," East Fairmont coach Bill Haddox said.The opportunities were there. We had two guys wide open in the end zone and couldn't get it to them. We had the winning field goal blocked. We just didn't take advantage of those opportunities.But the kids gave their all out there."

The first half belonged to No. 5 St. Albans. The Red Dragons' sophomore tailback Marcus Guy carved his way through the Bee defense behind his big offensive line. He scored St. Albans' first touchdown on a 15yard run with 6:22 left in the second quarter to put his team up 7-0.

Carter DeVault attempts to avoid a would-be tackler early in the second half

But the Bees answered with a 55-yard kickoff return from L.T. Harbert, and a 15-yard personal foul at the end of the play put East in business at the Dragon 15. Three plays later, quarterback Carter DeVault hit Nick Bonnett for a 14-yard TD pass. The extra-point attempt failed after the snap was mishandled, leaving East trailing 7-6.

"We made some nice plays; we just needed a few more," said Haddox. "You can't fault the kids, but in the last three games we made great plays. This time we didn't."

St. Albans scored the deciding touchdown on a third-and-13 from the Bee 25 with 27.5 seconds left in the first half. Guy was split wide left along with two others receivers in a trips formation. The Bee defense jumped the two inside routes, letting Guy slip uncovered on a wheel route into the end zone for a touchdown pass from quarterback T.J. Feazelle.

Nick Bonnett scores on a Carter Devault pass to draw East Fairmont within 2-points of Saint Albans

"T.J. made some nice throws to keep a couple of drives going," St. Albans coach Derek Christian said. "Our kids really stepped up in the second half when they (East Fairmont) started to get momentum."

In the second half, East Fairmont's vaunted defense shut down the bigger Red Dragons. St. Albans managed only two first downs in the entire second half. The Bees looked as if they were about to pull off their fourth consecutive come-from-behind victory when DeVault lofted a 23yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Harbert. The score was set up by six consecutive runs by DeVault. The Bees then went for two in an attempt to tie the game at 14, but DeVault's pass was just out of reach for Bonnett.

"Carter was beat up, but he still played a great game," Haddox said. "That's not an excuse. That's just the way it was. Defensively, we made some adjustments and didn't allow them anything in the second half."

Offensively the Bees struggled again. East had a mere 34 yards rushing with DeVault leading the way with 41. DeVault finished 9-for-18 passing for 82 yards and a pair of touchdowns and two interceptions. The Red Dragons were led by Guy's 119 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

Aaron Moore attempts to pull down a Carter DeVault pass late in the second half

The Bees' run through the playoffs had to come to an end sometime, but it didn't make it any easier for them to take.

"It was a good run," a visibly disappointed DeVault said. The Bees ended their season with a 10-3 record, the most ever wins by a Bee squad. St. Albans, 12-1, will move on to face Parkersburg next week for the Class AAA state title.

"It was a great season," Haddox said. "We are disappointed, but they're a good football team. We're going to be OK."

Band Leaves Impression in Southern West Virginia

The Busy Bee Band & Honeybees left quite an impression on many in Charleston during the East Fairmont / George Washington game and on Hurricane fans who traveled to East-West Stadium for the East Fairmont / Hurricane game last fall during the Bees' playoff games. The performance at Laidley Field was the first field show performance by the group in Charleston since 1992. Here are a few of the comments the band has received:

"I just wanted to let you and your band members know how impressed I was with your band's performance at Laidley Field during the half-time of your most recent playoff game. As impressed as I was with your football team, the band just blew me away. Your school and community have something to be really proud of. My wife and I will be attending your next game at St. Albas, mainly so my wife can see your performance at half-time. Keep up the good work."

"Your band is one of the best, if not the best HS band, I have ever seen. Watched your football team beat GW and when I walked onto Laidley Field that night the first thing I saw was the size of your band standing in the stands. Your participation during the game and your halftime performance was great. You remind me of a smaller version of the WVU band. Your band and the Honeybees are awesome. Your school, from what I witnessed, has a lot of School Spirit. I am very glad I attended that football game. Thank you, Fairmont East."

"I went to Laidley Field Friday nite to watch a high school football game and ended up seeing the MOST AWESOME high school band I've EVER seen!!! GREAT SHOW!!! WOW!!! 1st Class school, 1st Class band. You were the highlight of the evening for EVERYONE on BOTH sides of the field. Keep up the great work, you all are AWESOME!!!"

"Really enjoyed the show last Saturday! As a past majorette, I especially enjoyed your drill team / majorettes. I loved their uniformity / presence. I could easily tell that the members of the band are very well respected from other students of the school. Congratulations and good luck in the future!!"

and from Rich Stevens at the Charleston Daily Mail:

"At halftime of the GW-East Fairmont quarterfinal game, I went to my car to listen to the radio and get scores from other games. Unfortunately they never came and, what's more, I missed the halftime show put on by the East Fairmont band. When I returned, everyone raved about the performance put on by the band. Halftime is usually reserved for the trips to the restroom and concession stand - usually in that order. All I got to see was the band lined up in the next-to-last section of the visitor's side here at Laidley Field, lined up uniformly and playing sometimes between plays. I was impressed enough by that, but when I had everybody gushing about the halftime performance, I realized I should've stayed. Chalk one up for the Bees' band. It gives me a renewed respect for high school bands."

2007 Field Show at Laidley Field in Charleston, West Virginia

East Fairmont stuns No. 1 George Washington
Will Face St. Albans on Friday, November 23rd

For the 3rd week in a row, the 2007 East Fairmont Bees football team showed a will to win late in a game to continue their historic run in the West Virginia State Playoffs. The No. 8 Bees scored 14 fourth quarter points Friday to upset the No. 1rated George Washington Patriots, 14-3, to advance to the Class AAA semifinals.

East trailed the Patriots, 3-0, for most of the game before getting on the board with just over eight minutes left in the contest. On third-and-9, East running back L.T. Harbert, who was held to only 16 yards rushing, took a pitch from quarterback Carter DeVault and rolled to his left before tossing a 11yard touchdown strike to senior Cody Spickler, for the go-ahead score. That was Spickler's first touchdown of the season, and according to him the biggest catch of his prep career. It also put East ahead 7-3 with just over eight minutes left in the game.

Nick Bonnett is congratulated by teammates following his interception return for a touchdown, giving East Fairmont a 14-3 lead and securing the victory

Minutes later, with No. 1 GW reeling from East's score, quarterback Andrew Kinder was barraged by Bee defenders and let loose a wobbly pass over the middle. East safety Mason Bailey tipped the ball into the waiting hands of teammate Nick Bonnett, who returned the pick 36 yards for a touchdown, essentially sealing the win for the Bees. On the first play of George Washington's next possession, Kinder connected with a receiver for a 7-yard gain, only to see the ball stripped and the Bees' Bailey fall on the loose ball.

East Fairmont celebrates their victory over #1 George Washington as time expires

The Bee defense limited the Patriots to only 3 points and 153 total yards after GW scored 45 points and rolled up over 400 yards of offense last week against Nicholas County. The Bees only had 160 yards of total offense themselves, but it was enough to move on to their first-ever playoff semifinal game. East Fairmont never buckled under the talented passing game of the Patriots. In fact, the Bees held Kinder to 59 yards on 6-of-19 passing.

East Fairmont will now travel to St. Albans to face the #4 Red Dragons on Friday, November 23. Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m. The winner will advance to the AAA Championship Game in Wheeling to face the winner of the University - Parkersburg matchup.

The Bees celebrate with the Busy Bee Band & Honeybees and the East Fairmont student body following their 14-3 victory over George Washington

Bees Mount Second Half Comeback to Top Redskins
Will Face George Washington in Second Round

After trailing much of the game, East Fairmont mounted a furious fourth quarter comeback to defeat the Hurricane Redskins 20-16 at East/West Stadium. The victory is East Fairmont's first-ever playoff win. The Bees will now advance to the second round and play George Washington at Laidley Field in Charleston on Friday, November 16th at 7:30 p.m.

Hurricane jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to a couple fortunate bounces. On the Redskins' first possession, quarterback Justin Henry threw a deep pass to wideout Terrell Martin, who was being defended stride for stride by L.T. Harbert. The pass was deflected and Martin hauled it in for a 65-yard touchdown. Then with time running down in the first quarter, the Redskins kicked a field goal that made the score 10-0.

After trailing much of the game, East Fairmont scores a touchdown with less than 30-seconds remaining in the game, securing a 20-16 win over Hurricane High School

After the Bees defense stood strong, East Fairmont was able to get on the board thanks to a Nick Bonnett 1-yard touchodwn run with 3:30 remaining in the half. Bonnett rushed for 30 yards on six carries. But the Redskins increased their lead to 16-7 with 44.9 seconds left in the third quarter when Martin sprinted 20 yards for a touchdown run. Martin gained 87 rushing yards and 85 receiving yards, scoring both Hurricane TDs.

The Bees got back into the game behind the passing of senior quarterback Carter DeVault, who completed 14 of 20 passes for 175 yards with one touchdown and one interception. DeVault's last four completions on the final two drives totaled 86 yards. DeVault connected with Aaron Moore for a 16-yard completion that set up his 24yard TD pass to Bonnett, who had 7 receptions for 110 yards.

The Bees celebrate following after Hurricane's last efforts fall short and the victory is secured

Then after the defense forced Hurricane to punt, East's offense took over at its own 28 with 3:11 left.
DeVault rushed three times for 24 yards, getting the Bees in Redskins' territory at the 48. Following a penalty, DeVault threw the ball up to Harbert, who came back to making a diving catch for 19 yards down to the 29. DeVault threw the ball up to Harbert again on third-and-10 and Harbert made a onehanded grab at the 2-yard line.

Two DeVault rushes later and the Bees took their first lead with 26.6 seconds remaining, 20-16. DeVault ran for 114 yards on 20 keepers. Harbert, who was held in check on the ground, caught 6 passes for 49 yards.

East, now 9-2, will carry a six-game winning streak into next weekend's state quarterfinal matchup at No. 1 George Washington (10-1), which defeated No. 16 Nicholas County, 45-8. The game will be played on Friday, November 16th at Laidley Field in Charleston. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Coach Billy Haddox addresses the East Fairmont football team following the Bees first post-season win in school history. East Fairmont now advances to the second round of the state playoffs