Riding in a bus 127 miles is long enough, riding back after a loss would be painful. The Fayette Falcons did not have to experience that pain Friday night as they came from behind to defeat Scotland County 34-31 in the final moments of an emotional contest.

In what sometimes felt like a game in which the odds were not in their favor, the Falcons continued to keep their eyes on the prize and fight through adversity. “We were penalized more and had more turnovers, but our guys made big plays and overcame mistakes,” said Fayette head coach Mike Thompson.

Behind the arm of junior quarterback Benjamin Wells and the legs of senior running back Garren Vroman, Fayette stayed close enough to pull the game from the jaws of defeat at the end of the fourth quarter.

Falling behind early, Fayette clawed back into the game on a 54-yard touchdown run by Vroman in the second quarter, which gave notice to the Tigers that the Falcons were not going to be an easy mark.

Scotland County, however, racked up two more scores leaving Fayette looking at an 11-point deficit in the third quarter. Although Fayette scored another touchdown mid-quarter, the Tigers would not back down, going up by a score of 25-16. On fourth-and-20 Wells scrambled out of the pocket and headed to his left to avoid pressure. As he approached the sideline, Wells turned completely around and fired the ball to the deepest corner of the end zone, approximately 48-yards away, into the arms of Vroman for the touchdown, making the score 25-22 in favor of the Tigers.

The Tigers answered again making the score 31-22, but after getting the ball back in the fourth quarter, they mishandled a pitchout to the running back. Senior Logan Wiswall wasted no time jumping on the loose ball, giving Fayette possession on its own 44-yard line.

On first-and-10, Wells dropped back again and found senior Dalton Collins streaking down the right sideline. Collins was able to gather the ball in on the 25 and take it in for a 56-yard Fayette touchdown making the score 31-28.

Trailing by three in the waning moments, the Falcons got the ball back but were driven back to their own 15-yard line facing a third-and-17. Wells dropped back to pass but found no one open, so he pulled the ball down and began to run through the left side of the line. Finding no room that direction, he skirted around to the right and broke five tackles before finally being dragged down at the Tiger’s two-yard line after an 83-yard run.

The Tigers did not back down as they pushed Fayette back to the 22-yard line and Fayette faced another third down. This time, Wells would not be denied. He faked a handoff and ran in for the touchdown putting the Falcons up 34-31 for the win.

Wells ended the night with six completions in 13 attempts for 140 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. In 10 rushing attempts, he accounted for 128 yards and two touchdowns.

Vroman ran for 148 yards on 16 attempts, averaging more than nine yards per carry. He rushed for one touchdown to go along with a touchdown reception on four catches for 81 yards.

Collins had one catch and made the most of it, earning a touchdown on the 56-yarder.

Defensively, senior Tyler Bartholomew pulled down 12 Tiger ball carriers and assisted on two other tackles.

Junior DJ Moore and senior Chris Brown each accounted for seven tackles while assisting on six and four, respectively.

Logan Wiswall had six tackles, while classmate Avery Powell logged four to go along with his four assists.

Senior Cale Hudson, juniors Carmelo Hockaday and Haden Kelly, along with freshman Micah Estes, each had three tackles on the night. Wells and Collins each contributed two.

Vroman and junior Wesley Miner each added one tackle.

Fayette played without the services of junior receiver and defensive end Chase Allen-Jackman who suffered an injury in last week’s game and was unable to answer the bell for Friday night’s match. “Even with that injury and our penalties and turnovers, I was very proud of how resilient our guys were,” said Thompson. “I think our effort showed we are headed in the right direction to improve our mental and physical toughness.”

After improving their record to 2-0, the Falcons will travel next to Slater on Friday evening for a 7 p.m. tilt. The Wildcats are 0-2 after losing to Wellington-Napoleon, 39-18, and Polo 18-6.