Fairview knocked off Carver-Birmingham 15-12 on Friday night to advance in the Class 5A playoffs.

The No. 3 Aggies (10-0) led just 9-6 at halftime following a Kolt Redding touchdown run and field goal.

A scoring scamper by Jake Harper stretched the lead to 15-6, but the road squad answered quickly to draw to within three late in the third quarter.

Fairview’s defense, though, kept the Rams out of the end zone for the remainder of the game to secure the opening-round win.

“We just continued to fight tonight,” Fairview coach George Redding said. “We had some struggles on and off offensively, but I’m super proud of our defense and how they played. They made some big plays in big moments and got two big stops late in order for us to win. But like I said, our kids just fought and gave us a chance.”

Harper finished with 121 yards on 26 carries, while Redding (41 yards) and Carson Jones (30) also contributed to the Purple and Gold’s ground attack. Redding passed for 79 yards as well — with Jace Stevens (six catches for 52 yards) being his top target.

The Aggies will host No. 9 Leeds, which beat No. 6 Guntersville 35-28, in the second round next week.

“What an opportunity it is to play in the second round and play at home,” Redding said. “We could only control our part tonight, but it worked out with Leeds winning as well. We know they’ll be extremely tough.”