Fayette’s two-game win streak came to a brutal end at the hands of third-ranked Tipton on the road Friday night, 79-8.

The Cardinals scored 73 points in the first half and allowed their first points all season from a Class 1 opponent. Fayette spoiled the shutout with a 47-yard jet sweep pass from junior quarterback Colten Cross to explosive sophomore Blake Braden for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Cross then scrambled for the two-point conversion.

“It was a tough loss, but we knew that was going to be the case,” said Fayette coach Kole Hinton. “We’re still excited about the last three games and putting ourselves in a good postseason position.”

Fayette is sitting third in the five-team Class 1 District 7 standings, behind undefeated Salisbury (6-0) and Marceline (3-3), and in front of Westran and Harrisburg, both 2-4 overall.

The Falcons picked up their first win of the season against Missouri Military Academy in Week 2 and won back-to-back games over Westran and Linn in Weeks 4 and 5.

Fayette now sits at 1-1 in Central State 8 action. Tipton is again predicted to win the young conference after claiming the inaugural title a year ago. The Falcons face another challenge this Friday with a home game against South Callaway. The 3-3 Bulldogs are fresh off a 36-20 win over Harrisburg last week (see story on Page 8).

Hinton said he is confident about Friday’s matchup. “We’re excited to play South Callaway at home and look to get back into the win column.”

Fayette enters the final stretch of the season next week with a conference game against longtime rival Harrisburg, which also holds district implications. A win for the Falcons could set them up with a favorable district seeding. Fayette’s final game of the regular season is against another ranked team, No. 8 Russellville, which currently holds a 5-1 record, the only loss a one-point heartbreaker to Cole Camp in the season opener.