Stroud coughed up four turnovers and allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown in the first half and spotted No. 1 Fairview a 49-13 halftime lead Friday night in the state quarterfinals at Moore.
The result was a season- ending 56-20 loss for the Tigers, who had won 10 games in a row.
It was the second year in a row that Fairview eliminated the Tigers. Last year, the Yellowjackets went on to win the Class A state championship.
“We shot ourselves in the foot way too many times in the first half,” Stroud coach Josh Presley said.
“We dug ourselves a hole and it’s hard to get out of the hole when you play someone as talented and well-coached as Fairview.
“Hats off to those guys. They played really well tonight.”
Stroud actually won the stats battle, putting up 319 yards of total offense compared to Fairview’s 301, and the Tigers ran 14 more plays.
But the four turnovers before halftime and five for the game were too much to overcome.
“I wish we could have a do-over in that first half,” Presley said. “I was very proud of the way they played in the second half.
“We could have easily started bickering and fussing at each other, but we didn’t. We played with class and character like we’re supposed to.”
Stroud finished with a 10-3 record and, like last year, won 10 in a row after losing the first two games to Chandler and Colcord.
For the Tigers’ seniors, it was a massive turnaround from their 1-9 record as freshmen.
“They worked really hard in the weight room and did everything we asked them to do,” Presley said of the seniors. “They will always have a special place in my heart.
“From a one-win season to two 10-win seasons. That’s a big difference.
“Through their leadership and all they’ve done the last four years, hats off to those guys.”
The Tigers’ scoring came on two touchdown runs from Dylan Baker in the first half and one from Trystan Baker in the second.
Stroud 7 6 0 7 - 20 Fairview 21 28 7 0 - 56 Stroud Fairview First Downs 16 17 Rushing (Att-Yds) 48-231 28-76 Passing (Comp-Att-Yds) 9-19-88 16-25-225 Total Offense (Plays-Yds) 67-319 53-301 Interceptions by 0 2 Fumbles-Lost 4-3 0-0 Penalties-Yards 6-40 7-59 Punts-Average 1-29.0 2-34.0 Scoring Qtr Time Team Play 1st 7:44 Fairview 1 yd run ((Bernard kick) 1st 3:06 Fairview 5 yd pass from Bernard (Bernard kick) 1st 1:06 Stroud D.Baker 1 yd run (Stewart kick) 1st :54 Fairview 78 yd kickoff return (Bernard kick) 2nd 10:40 Fairview 63 yd interception return (Bernard kick) 2nd 10:28 Fairview 26 yd fumble return (Bernard kick) 2nd 4:16 Fairview 14 yd pass from Bernard (Bernard kick) 2nd 1:23 Stroud D.Baker 1 yd run (kick blocked) 2nd :54 Fairview 51 yd run (Bernard kick) 3rd 2:51 Fairview 4 yd pass from Bernard (Bernard kick) 4th 1:42 Stroud T.Baker 4 yd run (Stewart kick) Rushing (Att-Yds-TD) Stroud Presley 17-55, D.Baker 11-79-2, Beck 8-56, B.Collins 6-11, T.Baker 5-36-1, Nichols 1-(6) Passing (Comp-Att-Yds-TD-Int) Stroud D.Baker 9-18-88-0-2, Beck 0-1-0-0-0 Receiving (Rec-Yds-TD) Stroud Nichols 4-61, Presley 1-9, B.Collins 3-12, A.Collins 1-6 Punting (Punts-Yds-Avg-Blk) Stroud Beck 1-29 Kicking (XPM-XPA FGM-FGA) Stroud Wright 2-2, 0-0 Interceptions (Int-Yds-TD) Stroud none Fairview Austin Houk 1-63-1, Brant Strader 1-15