Fayette lost its second-straight game on Friday night at the hands of one of the Central State 8’s most formidable teams, Class 2 South Callaway, at home 38-12 on Friday. The loss drops Fayette below .500 to 3-4 overall and 1-1 in CS8 play.

South Callaway improves to 4-3 and 2-1 in the young conference.

Fayette coach Kole Hinton said he knew it would be a tough matchup and graded his team’s performance as so-so.

“It was a little bit of a mixed bag. I think we’ve done a really good job of fighting throughout the year. We’ve been a lot better this year playing four quarters,” Hinton said. “We had a lot of mental errors. We line up in the wrong place, or we don’t get a motion going on offense. That definitely hampers you when you’ve only got three downs to get a first down. Defensively, not being in the right position, being tired, and not really thinking. If we’re not locked in and tuned up every single down, it kills us.”

South Callaway marched down the field on the shoulders of senior running back Kolton Adrian on its first possession of the game. But a fumble six yards short of the endzone was recovered by Fayette senior Isaac Day with 8:11 on the clock. Just over a minute later, however, Fayette gave the ball back on a Falcon fumble with the Bulldogs recovering on the 4-yard line.

On the next play, South Callaway senior quarterback Graden Pontius ran the ball in to give the Bulldogs a lead they would never surrender.

South Callaway would go up by two scores before the end of the first quarter when Adrian intercepted a Fayette pass and ran it to the house.

Fayette answered two minutes into the second quarter with a short touchdown run up the middle from stout senior running back Carter Vroman. But the Vroman’s point-after attempt was blocked, keeping the Falcons behind by 10.

Trailing 24-6 after halftime, the Falcons opened the second half with a first-down run by Vroman across midfield to the SC 40. Later in the drive, a play-action pass to senior Caleb Craig set up Fayette with a first down at the 15-yard line. Two minutes later, junior quarterback Colten Cross scored on an 11-yard keeper to cut the deficit to two scores.

But two touchdowns would be it for the Fayette offense. South Callaway went on to pad their lead with two more scores and end the game on top, 38-12.

“They are a good football team with a complicated offense to defend. We let them off the hook too many times with too many crucial mistakes,” Hinton said.

Regardless of the final score, Fayette took strides at improving, especially on offense. With the already-solid running game of Vroman firmly established, Fayette put the ball in the air. And despite some early interceptions, Hinton kept at it as Cross found senior receiver Caleb Craig on multiple throws.

“We told Colten, it doesn’t matter how many picks you’ve thrown, we’re riding with you regardless,” he explained. “We’re going to have your back. We just have to keep playing and learn from it. As soon as we let defenses dictate what we’re going to do, we’re in a world of trouble.”

Cross threw three interceptions early on, but had an otherwise efficient night, completing 13 of 21 passing attempts for 78 yards. He also ran the ball 11 times and scored a rushing touchdown.

Craig caught nine passes in a breakout night, racking up 65 yards, including a 24-yard reception. The senior is typically the third option in the passing game. And while he is often unsung on the stat sheet, his routes open up after making blocks on play-action passes.

“He’s a guy who was unaccounted for, for how much we ask him to block on a lot of our run plays. Naturally, he comes open on a lot of our play-action stuff,” Hinton explained.

Sophomore Blake Braden hauled in three passes for six yards, and Vroman made one grab for seven yards.

On the ground, Vroman led the way, again surpassing 100 yards. The senior tallied 112 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown.

On the other side of the ball, Cross did much of the heavy lifting on defense as well, with nine tackles (8 solo), including one for a loss. Junior Brodi Tucker added six tackles (3 solo) with one behind the line of scrimmage, making himself noticeable to opposing coaches. Vroman and junior Cooper Duren tallied five tackles apiece, with two each from Ky Cunningham, Kyle Burreros, Day, and Justin Kunze. Freshman Paxtyn Llewellyn added four solo tackles. Craig added a fumble recovery and broke up a pass.

Fayette hopes to pick up its fourth win of the season for the first time since going 6-5 in 2022. On Friday, the Falcons face longtime rival Harrisburg on the road. The 2-5 Bulldogs have been hobbled by injuries this season, falling by no fewer than 10 points in each of their last five games, including a 48-28 loss at Russellville on Friday to extend a five-game skid.

But Harrisburg is on the mend and looks to get back into the win column behind its stout offensive line with the return of key players in the trenches. The Bulldogs are expected to start senior Rylee Robinson at quarterback again on Friday. Normally the team’s leading receiver, he has been taking snaps since Week 5 after starting sophomore quarterback Kadyn Weldon injured his throwing hand against Salisbury in Week 4.

Another crucial injury re-emerged last week. On Friday, senior running back Caleb Nichols re-aggravated a lower leg injury from the week prior. It is unknown how fit he will be to play this week.

“We have to stop [Rylee Robinson]. That’s the first thing. He’s the quarterback the rest of the year. And Nichols. Stopping those two on defense,” Hinton said about facing Harrisburg. “Obviously they’ve got a much bigger offensive line. I think if we play hard and fast, that will be good.”

Friday’s game also holds postseason implications. Both teams are assigned to Class 1 District 7. Fayette is sitting third in the five-team district standings after beating Westran and losing to Salisbury. Harrisburg is 0-1 against district teams, having also lost to still-unbeaten Salisbury. A win on Friday would help the Falcons in their pursuit of a first-round bye.

Friday is also Senior Night for Harrisburg, giving the Bulldogs even more to play for. Either way, both coaches expect a good game. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Harrisburg.