Fayette’s Homecoming celebrations was spoiled by new conference rival Tipton on Friday night, 48-0.

Fayette entered the game after earning the first win of the season a week prior over Linn in the Central State 8 opener. The Falcons now fall to 1-5 on the season, while Tipton maintains its hunt for the first-ever CS8 crown at 1-4 overall.

Fayette won the coin toss and took the ball to start the game, beginning their first drive on the 38 yard-line. The impressive drive started with junior running back Carter Vroman rushing for a first down. Then, senior quarterback Kaleb Friebe completed a pass for another first down on second-and-six.

“I’m really proud of our effort, especially in how we came out in the first quarter,” Fayette coach Kole Hinton said. “We played hard, but we need to find a way to maintain that effort and focus consistently throughout the game.”

After two short runs and facing a third-and-six, Fayette’s receiver fell down on a pass play. The Cardinals intercepted Friebe’s pass to take over on the 31 yard-line.

Tipton’s high-powered offense went to work. Two consecutive long pass completions for 33 and 23 yards set up a five-yard touchdown run. The Cardinals completed the two-point conversion to take an 8-0 lead with 6:43 left in the first quarter.

Tipton pulled off a successful onside kick and started their next drive on the 50 yard-line. But early in the drive, the Falcons forced a fumble and recovered, starting their second drive of the game on the 22 yard-line.

The Falcon and Cardinal defenses stiffened, causing several short drives for both teams as the game reached the second quarter.

After a short punt by the Falcons, Tipton took over on the Fayette side of the field. On the first play of the drive, junior running back Will Cashman broke loose for a 49-yard touchdown. The Falcons stopped the two-point conversion and kept the score 14-0 with 10:48 left in the second quarter.

Tipton attempted an onside kick again, but the Falcons recovered the ball, starting their drive on the 50. It was the Cardinal’s turn to cause a fumble, which they recovered on the 50-yard line. The Cardinals attempted to strike fast, but Fayette’s sophomore defensive back, Ky Cunningham, intercepted a pass, giving Fayette a first-and-10 on the 15-yard line.

A short drive resulted in a punt, giving Tipton the ball in excellent field position at the Fayette 42. After several first downs, Cashman again struck with a long touchdown run. Fayette stopped the two-point conversion to hold the Tipton lead at 20-0 with 5:20 left in the first half.

The Falcons started their next drive on the 28 and earned a first down on a pass from sophomore quarterback Ledgyr Conrow to senior running back Micah Estes. But the offense stalled, and Friebe delivered a tremendous punt that pinned the Cardinals on their nine-yard line.

The Tipton went back to work, completing several big plays, which were capped off by another long touchdown run and a 26-0 lead with only 1:19 left in the half.

Fayette then broke out its tried-and-true hook-and-ladder, pitching to Vroman for a considerable gain and a first down on the 19 with 44 seconds left. A 12-yard run from Vroman gave the Falcons a first-and-goal from the seven, but time was slim.

After several short runs and with time-outs exhausted, the Cardinals stopped Vroman at the one-yard line on third down as the quarter ended.

“To hold this team to only eight points in the first quarter was tremendous, and even 26-0 and a chance to score at the half wasn’t bad,” Coach Hinton said. “We are hit and miss on our effort and execution right now. Tipton is a very good team, and it is perhaps the best one we will see this year. We want to achieve that level, but building that program will take consistent year-round effort. That’s the goal.”

Though the Falcons fought hard in the second half, the game belonged to the Cardinals as their record improved to 5-1 on the season, while Fayette fell to 1-5.

“We forced several turnovers throughout the game and made some big plays offensively,” Hinton added. “We need to stay consistent and gain yards each play offensively because we aren’t built well for third-and-long situations.”

Vroman led the Falcons offensively, gaining 75 yards on 17 carries, with a long of 32 yards. Estes added 23 yards on 10 carries. At quarterback, Friebe went 4-for-6 for 24 yards, while Conrow completed three of 11 passes for 13 yards.

Vroman also caught two passes for 16 yards, while sophomore receiver Colton Cross had two catches for 11 yards.

Defensively, the Falcons were led by Vroman’s 10 tackles. Cunningham had eight tackles, junior defensive back Caleb Craig had six, and junior defensive lineman Jacob Wood added five.

Next week, the Falcons travel to face another CS8 powerhouse, South Calloway. The Bulldogs have won their last four games and edged Harrisburg 32-22 on Friday to improve to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in the new conference.

“South Calloway is another good team. Offensively, they will be similar to Carrollton,” Hinton said. “They are of good size and are well-coached. We need to execute to have a chance.”

Fayette returns home on October 18 to host area rival Harrisburg on senior night. The Falcons close out the regular season at Russellville on October 25.