The Fayette Falcons took a step backward Friday night with a 49-0 loss at Lewis & Clark Conference rival and  No. 5-ranked Westran.

Fayette coach Kole Hinton said his young team had a difficult time matching up to Westran’s size. “They were just bigger, faster, stronger than us. Especially up front which made our ground game hard to get going.”

But despite any size disparity, the Falcons struggled fundamentally all over the field. The discordance showed from the opening kickoff. Fayette elected to receive, but fumbled the kick and turned it over, setting up Westran for an early touchdown.

“They sent a lot of squib kicks toward us and we couldn’t figure out how to be athletic enough to grab the ball,” Hinton said.

The Falcons failed to gain much ground in their first possession. Westran then scored on its second drive to take a two-score lead early in the first quarter.

“We couldn’t get more than one or two first downs together,” Hinton recalled. “It was 14 to zip in the blink of an eye. We couldn’t get out of our own way or find a rhythm.”

Part of Fayette’s problem, according to coach Hinton, was some knee soreness experienced by starting quarterback Kaleb Friebe. The junior play-caller has dealt on and off with a score meniscus since last season.

Friebe is also Fayette’s third leading rusher. The sore knee meant that the week of practice leading up to Friday’s game was a little different as well.

“I think he got a little banged up toward the end of the Scotland County game,” Hinton posited. “I think he should be better for next week.”

Friebe sat out the second half after the Falcons went into the break down 42-0. In two quarters he completed seven of 12 passing attempts for 40 yards and an interception. On the ground, he scrambled three times resulting in a one-yard loss.

Freshman quarterback Ledgyr Conrow finished the game 4-for-6 for 39 yards and an interception.

But despite Fayette’s quarterback issues Friday, the running game was just as anemic, producing fewer than 100 yards. Fayette’s leading ball carrier, sophomore Carter Vroman, managed only 30 yards on six carries. He also made four passing receptions for 32 yards. The other half of Fayette’s one-two rushing punch, junior Micah Estes, picked up just 29 yards on three carries. He also caught one pass for 16 yards. Sophomores D’andre Kioh and Jaron Cross, and freshman Colten Cross, all combined for 31 yards on four rushing attempts.

Payton Oeth was once again a key target for the passing game. The tall sophomore made four catches for 23 yards. Jaron Cross had one reception for eight yards.

For Westran, the Hornets ran a crisp offense without many mistakes. Hinton said defensively his plan was to run two high safeties to minimize their passing game. But Westran had little problem passing or running the ball.

“They were pretty simple on offense. They just do what they do really well,” Hinton said. “We weren’t doing what we were coached to do and we were over pursuing.”

Friday’s matchup was the last ever between Fayette and Westran in the Lewis & Clark Conference. Fayette will leave the conference after this season to help form a new conference, the Central State 8, with L&C member Harrisburg. Neither Westran nor Salisbury accepted an invitation to this new conference.

Another L&C member leaving after this year is perennial powerhouse Marceline. The Tigers travel to Fayette on Friday for the final Lewis & Clark bout between the two longtime rivals. Marceline has gotten the better of Fayette over the past decades, winning 16 out of the 17 games. Fayette last defeated the Tigers in 2018. The Falcons nearly pulled off the win last year, but frittered it away, losing 14-12.

“We have to beat the teams that we can compete with,” Hinton said about preparing for Friday’s game against Marceline. “We have to understand that we can compete with these guys, and we belong in the conference, even though the score doesn’t show it against Westran. When we do things well, we look really good. When we do things bad, we look really bad. We have to be more consistent. I feel more confident next week, at least size-wise.”

Marceline (1-3) is coming off its first win of the season on Friday against Hogan Prep, 45-16. The Tigers opened the season with three straight losses, including a 28-20 loss at Harrisburg on September 8.

Friday’s game will be the first of three home games and will also be the first theme night of the season for Fayette. This week is Teacher Influence Night for Seniors. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.