The first-ever Central State 8 matchup between area rivals Fayette and Harrisburg ended with the Bulldogs on top 46-14 on Friday, spoiling the Falcons’ final home game of the season on Senior Night.

The Bulldogs leaned on the strength of their powerful offensive line to allow quarterback Trace Combs and running back Caleb Sager to move the ball down the field the way they have all season. Harrisburg now improves to 4-4 overall and 2-2 in the CS8 while likely receiving a first-round bye in the upcoming district tournament.

For Fayette, the game was the latest in a frustrating season of mounting losses. The Falcons fall to 1-7 overall and 1-3 in CS8 play, with the chance to close out the regular season with some retribution on Friday at Russellville.

“The good part is that we were not happy afterward, but we were not downbeaten. When you’re 1-8, you have to figure out some way to just get over it,” said second-year Fayette coach Kole Hinton. “I think that we played really well. I was proud of their fight. We moved the ball well. We played defense well. We had some self-infliction. Our penalties kind of rang up again. Some of those things that you just rely on younger guys that that don’t quite have enough football experience.”

Fayette was once again without a few of their key starters, especially on defense. Sophomore linebacker Brodi Tucker, and freshmen defensive backs Blake Braden and Hunter Hampton remained sidelined with injuries. Hinton expects them to return this week.

Neither team found the end zone on their opening drives. After recovering an onside kick to start the game, Harrisburg got close but lost a fumble to Fayette junior Colton Cross just inside the red zone. But the Falcons would go three-and-out and punt the ball back to the Bulldogs.

Harrisburg then did what it has done all season: put the ball in the capable hands of Caleb Sager. The junior running back broke for one of his signature long runs to put the first points on the board, this time on a 44-yard rush. The Bulldogs then scored the two-point conversion with a direct snap to junior lineman Bender Wardrip, who pushed his way over the goal line.

The Bulldogs went right back on offense after recovering the ensuing onside kick at midfield. But Harrisburg failed to capitalize on the drive, turning the ball over on downs when Sager was tackled short of the marker on fourth down.

“When we could do three or four plays in a row when we knew what they were going to do and our kids felt confident, we shut them down really well,” Hinton said about his defense.

Harrisburg coach Brennan Claas, also in his second season, felt his team wasn’t mentally prepared entering Friday’s game. “I was a little disappointed because I think we weren’t quite mentally ready. After Russellville last week, I think we came in a little big for our britches, which is on me. But they responded well, and that’s a big thing.”

Harrisburg’s defense came up with a big stop early in the second quarter to keep Fayette off the scoreboard. On fourth and goal from the 5-yard line, the Bulldogs forced an incompletion in the end zone from Fayette quarterback Ledgyr Conrow. 

“We had a good play call. It was a good route, a good pass. They made a good play on it,” Hinton recalled. “The frustrating part is we did that anticipating a look, and we didn’t get that look. We actually should have just run the ball the opposite way. We imagined the guys on the right who were athletic and made the play to be on the left side based on what they had done all night.

“That’s a young quarterback. And that’s the hard part. On the sideline, you see it 10 times faster than they do.”

Combs responded by making short work of a long field. On the next play from his own 4-yard line, he connected with senior wide receiver Bryce Ott for a 96-yard catch-and-run to go up by two touchdowns. The two-point try was successful, making the score 16-0.

The third time was the charm on the next kickoff. Fayette recovered Harrisburg’s onside kick on its own 43-yard line. A minute later, it was Fayette’s turn to spring a long scoring run. Junior running back Carter Vroman broke free for a 52-yard rush to the end zone to cut the lead to one score.

“I’ve never seen a kid run that hard in my life. He is a monster,” Hinton said about his powerful running back.

The point-after attempt by senior Kaleb Friebe sailed wide, holding the Falcons to six points.

Not to be outdone, Combs found room on a quarterback keeper on the Bulldogs’ second play of their next possession, scoring from 80 yards out as the Bulldogs began to pull away. Combs then ran the ball for the two-point conversion to give Harrisburg a 26-6 lead with 9:37 left in the first half.

Another onside kick attempt was recovered by Fayette’s Jaron Cross to set up the Falcons’ next drive on its own 43. Three plays later, on fourth down, senior lineman Jacob Wood ran the ball to the Harrisburg 47 on a fake punt to give the Falcons a fresh set of downs. This time, Fayette wouldn’t squander the opportunity. Vroman converted another fourth-down situation with a 30-yard run to the 11-yard line. Two plays later, senior running back Micah Estes ran the ball seven yards for a touchdown.

“Carter is great with the ball in his hands. But he’s probably one of the best blockers we have, too,” Hinton explained. “Sometimes, you have to live and die by your second guy running the rock and let Carter take over as a blocker. And that’s what he did. He led the way for Micah.”

Estes then crossed the goal line again for the two-point conversion, making the score 26-14.

A dozen points would separate the two teams at halftime. It wasn’t until late in the third quarter that Harrisburg would again widen the gap. With 4:57 on the clock, Combs scored an 11-yard rushing touchdown to put the Bulldogs in front 30-14.

Another 11-yard scoring run by Harrisburg, this time from Sager on the second play of the fourth quarter, gave the Bulldogs a commanding lead. A two-point conversion run by junior Riley Robinson made the score 38-14.

After a slip by Friebe on the ensuing kickoff return, the Falcons were pinned down on their own 4-yard line. A facemask penalty gave Fayette some breathing room, moving the ball beyond the 20-yard line.

The Falcon offense showed signs of life on the long drive. Fayette converted another fourth down when Conrow connected with Vroman on a 10-yard pass. With 6:11 left to play, the Falcons were knocking on the door of scoring another touchdown. But an interception by Combs in the end zone snuffed out the long drive with a turnover.

Hinton claimed responsibility for the interception, citing poor play calling. “That was a bad call by me. That was just a terrible call.”

Harrisburg would score once more on another long run from Sager, outsprinting the Fayette defense for 55 yards. A two-point conversion score by Robinson made the score 46-14.

Fayette had one final chance to score but turned the ball over on downs. The Bulldogs ran down the clock in last few minutes of the game to walk away with their third straight win over the Falcons.

Combs had another fantastic night, completing seven of 10 passing attempts for 191 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, he racked up 129 yards and two touchdowns on 10 rushes.

“He has turned a corner athletically and as a leader. I can’t praise him enough,” Claas said about his senior quarterback. “He’s willing himself to get it done. It’s been great to see him grow into that.”

Ott was the chief recipient of Combs’ powerful left arm, hauling in four catches for 142 yards and a touchdown. Robinson made three grabs for 49 yards.

The Bulldogs continued to dominate on the ground, racking up 309 yards rushing. Sager again led the way with 179 yards on 20 carries with three touchdowns.

The Harrisburg defense had another fine night as well. Victor Shouse led the way with a game-high 15 tackles (4 solo), followed by Austin Darwent with 11, and Robinson with 10, including four tackles for loss.

For Fayette, Vroman again led the offense, rushing for 156 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Estes added 38 yards and one score on 17 attempts. Jaron Cross picked up 24 yards, including a 15-yard gain, on six carries.

Behind center, Conrow completed seven of 14 passes for 45 yards and an interception. Vroman and sophomore wide receiver Colton Cross each made two catches for 11 yards to lead the receiving game.

Vroman was Fayette’s strongest asset on defense as well, leading the team with 11 tackles (6 solo), including two for losses. Wood added seven takedowns (4 solo), two of which were behind the line of scrimmage. Colton Cross added five with a fumble recovery, followed by Jaron Cross with four.

Both teams conclude the regular season on Friday with opportunities to win. Harrisburg hosts Linn (1-7) for Senior Night. Fayette travels to Russellville, bent on retribution for coughing up a lead only to lose by four after failing on two-point conversions in the first round of districts last season.

“If we play sound defense, we’ll be fine. Last year, we didn’t,” Hinton said about Friday’s closer at Russellville. “Carter had 150 yards that first half last year before he got hurt. Micah ran for 100 yards. The difference came down to making two-point conversions.”

The Indians are 3-5 overall and 1-4 in the CS8, also having beaten Linn. They fell to Harrisburg 55-14 two weeks ago and were trounced 60-0 by Tipton on Friday.

Harrisburg hopes to win easily on Friday before getting a week off with a first-round bye in the Class 1 District 2 playoffs. The Bulldogs are currently fourth in district standings with 34.84 points. The teams that finish seventh through 10th will face off next week in play-in games.

Claas said he really likes the point system in determining playoff standings because it avoids voting. “There’s no politics and nobody gets screwed over. I like that it is consistent,” he said.

He said having a bye week will give his team a chance to heal up before beginning playoff football. “We’re actually playing fewer kids than we played last year because we’re so young in terms of snaps. So, at this point in the year, getting a week off and being able to lighten the load and let our guys recover, going into the biggest part of the season, I think it will be huge.”