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Hopes were high for Friday night’s homecoming game, as George Rogers Clark High School faced off against Bryan Station.

Unfortunately, while the halftime festivities were entertaining, the game on the field wasn’t to be for the Cardinals.

Bryan Station (4-3) was able to keep their punter off the field, as they wracked up a 50-7 victory over GRC (5-2).

The Defenders’ three losses this season have come to teams with a combined record of 19-2.

“They were better than us. I [have] got to do better as a coach. It’s plain and simple,” said GRC Head Coach Joe Chirico. “Everything gave us trouble, but we’re going to get better from them. We’re going to learn from them. We get [to] watch the film and see what we can do better at.”

On their opening possession, the Defenders were able to score on a 13-yard touchdown run by former Cardinal Jeremiah Mundy-Lloyd to grab an early 7-0 lead just over three minutes into the first quarter.

After a drive by the Cardinal offense stalled, Mundy-Lloyd again found the endzone.

This time, it would be a 4-yard touchdown run with just two seconds remaining in the opening period for a 13-0 lead.

He finished as the game’s leading rusher with 20 carries for 105 yards.

Coming back, the Cards would narrow the deficit.

Quarterback Tyleik Maxwell was able to break away from tacklers, scoring on a 15-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter.

However, Mundy-Lloyd and the Defenders’ running game – which piled up 161 yards on the offense – could not be slowed down.

He scored twice more in the first half to give Bryan Station a commanding 28-7 halftime lead.

Following intermission, during which seniors Kareem Guerrant and Marisol Lopez were named Homecoming King and Queen, the Cards’ defense was able to pressure the Defenders’ offense into a fourth down.

However, quarterback Trenton Cutwright (14-22; 250 yards; 3 TDs) found receiver JT Haskins Jr. (6 catches for 138 yards; 3 TDs) for a 37-yard touchdown pass to give Bryan Station a 34-7 advantage.

Two additional touchdowns by the Defenders produced the final scoring outcome of the evening.

Cumulatively, GRC finished with 180 yards, while Bryan Station finished with 411 yards.

For the Cardinals, Bryce Chestnut was the leading rusher with 10 carries for 50 yards, including a 28-yard bust that helped set up their lone touchdown.

Kalen Washington finished with nine carries for 30 yards, while Tyleik Maxwell ended the night 10-17 passing for 82 yards.

James Michael-Davis finished 3-4 passing for 16 yards with 1 interception, while Bryan Station also forced a turnover late in the second half after the Cards’ had driven into the red zone.

Hayden Heath and Ty Miller were leading tacklers in the game with six each.

“We’ve got to keep our heads up, can’t let one ball game decide the entire season,” said offensive line Coach Erik Mobley. “We [have] all got to learn from this. This is a mindset. One thing I was trying to [tell] the guys is that the season’s not over. We got another ballgame coming up Friday.”

The Cards will play in Richmond on Friday against Madison Central (6-1), who lost to eventual state champion St. Xavier in the Class 6A semifinals last season.

“We’ve got a great football team. We really do. We’ve just got to find a way to execute,” said Mobley.