The Harrisburg Bulldogs snapped a five-game losing streak with a decisive 28-8 victory over Fayette at home Friday on Senior Night.

The Bulldogs seem to be emerging from a long streak during which injuries piled up alongside losses. Coach Brennan Claas said Friday was too early to declare that his team has turned the corner. But with one game left in the regular season, Harrisburg is running out of time.

“We will see what Monday brings,” he said. “On Monday, nobody’s going to care that we won this game. It’s on Linn, and we still have to get better.”

On the other side of the field, the loss was the third in a row for Fayette after back-to-back wins over Westran and Linn in Weeks 4 and 5. Coach Kole Hinton said his team was shocked and surprised at how fast Harrisburg came out.

The Bulldogs stopped Fayette on the first drive of the game, forcing a Falcons punt. Harrisburg then marched the ball down the field on big runs by sophomore running back Hunter Winscott and athletic quarterback Rylee Robinson. The Bulldogs scored their first touchdown with 5:26 left in the first quarter when Robinson took the ball in from 25 yards out on fourth-and-three.

Harrisburg then recovered an onside kick and scored two and half minutes later on another fourth-down situation. Once again, it was Robinson, this time through the air, finding sophomore Silas Buckler on a 55-yard pass and run to go up by two scores with just under three minutes left in the first quarter.

“I think a little bit was shock and surprise,” Hinton said about his team in the first half. “A little bit was not paying attention and beating ourselves. We beat ourselves by not recovering an onside kick. We beat ourselves in how we lined up and played our keys.”

The Falcons quickly found themselves down by three touchdowns. Opening the second quarter with a fourth-and-one situation from the Fayette 21, Robinson trotted into the right side of the endzone untouched to take a 20-0 lead.

Fayette finally found the endzone late in the first half when defensive pressure turned into a pick-six. The Falcons were pursuing Robinson behind the line of scrimmage. He tried to extend the play with a pass, but it fell into the waiting hands of junior linebacker Brodi Tucker, who took it 40 yards to the house.

Fayette quarterback Colten Cross ran the ball for a two-point conversion to put the Falcons on the board with eight 62 seconds before the mid-game break.

“At halftime we just told them we have to get out of our own way. Just play ball,” Hinton said. “I was really proud of how that turned out defensively. But offensively, we still struggled and put up zero points. We have to figure out a way to move the ball.”

The second half was an entirely different game altogether. Pugilists call it “fighting in a phone booth,” as neither team was able to move the ball much in the third quarter.

Coach Claas credited Fayette for “coming out and really confusing us in the third quarter. In weeks past, we would’ve backed down from that challenge. We didn’t tonight. When the offense was struggling, defense tried to bail us out and really make Fayette earn it.”

Only one score broke up the second-half stalemate. Harrisburg found the endzone with a seven-yard touchdown run by Robinson. The quarterback then crossed the goal line again on the two-point conversion to clinch the victory 28-8 with 9:47 left in the fourth quarter.

“He played a very good game. He’s going to fight till the very end, no matter what the scoreboard says,” Claas said about his senior quarterback.

Robinson finished 7-for-14 in the air for 99 yards and a touchdown with one interception. But it was on the ground that he really shined, scoring three touchdowns on 18 rushes for 82 yards.

Winscott had a breakout game as well, rushing for 100 yards on 20 carries, as Harrisburg’s leading rusher, Caleb Nichols, was mostly sidelined on offense with a lasting ankle injury.

“He’s a little sophomore who stepped in,” Claas explained about Winscott’s performance. “Caleb is dealing with a nagging ankle thing. So, we thought we would get Hunter some reps and keep Caleb off the field a little bit. To see the senior give up the ball like that and it be all right with it tells you a lot about him. I was really proud of him not making it about himself in that moment. And Hunter did a great job.”

For Harrisburg’s receiving corps, Buckler led with four grabs for 73 yards and a touchdown. Nash Sublett, Winscott, and Victor Shouse each made one reception.

Defensively, Harrisburg put up big numbers as well, holding Fayette’ offense scoreless with fewer than 100 yards rushing or passing. Shouse led the Bulldogs with 15 tackles (2 solo), two for losses, and a forced fumble. Adrian Jacobs added 12 takedowns, four for losses, with Nichols and Robinson contributing 11 each. Senior lineman Jonathan Darwent picked up five tackles, three for losses, and a sack in his second game back from injury.

It just wasn’t the Falcons’ night on offense. Cross completed 11 of 22 passes for 92 yards. The rushing game was held to 73 total yards, with Cross leading the way with 25 yards. Four-year starter Carter Vroman gained just two total yards on eight carries.

Junior Ky Cunningham made four pass receptions for 30 yards to lead a cadre of six receivers on the night. Vroman made two grabs for 27 yards, including a 23-yarder. Freshman Paxtyn Llewellyn had one catch for 14 yards. Sophomore Blake Braden made two receptions for 13 yards, followed by senior Caleb Craig and freshman Kielin Pulliam with one catch apiece.

Tucker was the bright spot for Fayette’s defensive, recording eight tackles (6 solo) with a sack, three tackles for loss, and a pick-six. Vroman added five tackles, and Cross had four. Senior Isaac Day made three tackles, two of which were for lost yardage, and had a long quarterback sack.

“Brodi Tucker played out of his mind on defense after being selected as our fourth captain this week. Kudos to him. As well as Isaac Day for his performance,” Hinton said.

Entering Friday’s game, Harrisburg was last in the five-team district standings with Fayette third. Harrisburg’s defeat of Fayette allowed the Bulldogs (3-5, 28.09 points) to overtake the Falcons for the third-place position and drop Fayette (3-5, 26.41 points) to fourth. Westran (2-6, 24.89), which Fayette defeated in a 7-6 decision in Week 4, dropped to fifth place.

With one game left in the regular season, it is expected that Fayette will play Westran on Friday, October 31, while the top three teams receive a first-round bye. Since the Falcons defeated the Hornets in the regular season, Fayette would earn home-field advantage.

Both teams close out the regular season this week. Fayette returns home to host No. 9 Russellville (6-2) at 7 p.m. The Indians lost to CS8 favorite Tipton 52-0 on Friday and defeated Harrisburg 44-28 the week prior.

Coach Hinton said Russellville is disciplined and athletic, but is ultimately beatable. “They’re a team that has flaws that we can exploit. They’re a team that can be scored on. But they are disciplined and sound in what they do. We have to match that. If we don’t, it’s going to be tough.”

Harrisburg has a solid chance to finish the regular season with two straight wins. The Bulldogs travel to Linn on Friday. But the Wildcats, in just their second ever varsity season, are far better than their 1-7 record indicates. “They are worlds improved from last year,” Claas said. “They look like a totally different team. They’re big and they’re fast. It’s another physical battle. And it’s on the road. We have to have our heads buttoned on and get on the bus and be ready to go.”