​Oct. 24—CADDO — East Lawrence missed out on its first home playoff game in six years with a 42-21 loss to Fayette County on Friday.”it hurts like crazy right now,” East Lawrence head coach Jamie Suggs said. “But I’m so proud of my guys. 
They’re a special group.”Injuries mounted for the Eagles as they allowed 21 points and turned the ball over twice late in the second half.Tied 14-14 late in the second quarter, star running back and linebacker Cayne McClure limped off and never returned to the field. After that, East Lawrence was outscored 28-7.With the Region 5 loss, East Lawrence will finish third in region and travel in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs. It marks the team’s first playoff berth since 2020.”Things don’t go your way and you just got to keep plugging,” Suggs said. “It’s gonna be tough now because we’ve got to go on a road. We cross with a very tough region. But life’s not easy; football’s not easy.”After McClure, three other Eagles were sidelined with injuries as Fayette County got going on the ground with over 250 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns.East Lawrence’s Bryce Young was a bright spot. He took over at quarterback and had more than 150 yards combined in the air and on the ground, with two rushing touchdowns.Despite their best regular season since 2020, East Lawrence has struggled in the second half of the season.Since Week 5, the Eagles are 1-3 but will finish off the regular season with a winnable game against winless East Limestone.”We wanted these guys to have a good senior year,” Suggs said. So next week’s all about them and about getting the win so they can finish strong here on their own field.”CADDO —