LaGrange 30 Shaw 7

The Grangers came into Kinnett Stadium and defeated the Shaw Raiders in an improbable fashion, having only three penalties not counting a couple of late delay of game infractions.  The 30 to 7 victory gives LaGrange a 1-0 region record and some much needed confidence.

The Grangers opened the first half holding shot two or three and out, and getting the ball at the Raider 35 yard line.  Six plays later Benny Gray rushed in from two yards out in the two-point conversion made it 8-0 LaGrange.  Another Raider three and out give the Grangers the ball at the their own 36 yard line.  On the ninth play of the drive, Mon Denson found the end zone from 28 yards away . 16-0 LaGrange.  Shaw answered with a 12 play, 50 yard drive of their own, ending with a three yard quarterback keeper by Tyron Huff.  But LaGrange would respond with a 56 yard drive in 11 plays with Gray scoring again from the seven yard line.  23-7 Grangers. Shaw's next drive stalled when Dazmon Dunlap stripped the ball and Jeremiah Wright ran it to the 47. But Gus Golden was called in to punt and Shaw could not move the ball forward as the first half expired.

The two teams exchanged turnovers to open the second half, with Emmanuel Mann rumbling to the Shaw 26.  On that drive's fourth play, Benny Gray again found the end zone from five yards out.  30-7 Grangers.  Daz Dunlap created another Raider turnover on Shaw's very next play, and two teams kept each other off the scoreboard the rest of the game. LaGrange's last drive went 56 yards and milked 5:05 off the clock.

The Granger defense gave up a total of 14 points the last six quarters. The offense gave up one turnover in that same timeframe.  An excellent job going into Homecoming next week. By my math, LaGrange only needs three more wins to make the playoffs .  But the way they are coming together, don't be surprised if you see them win more than that.

Thomson 31 LaGrange 28

Friday's game with Thomson had many similarities to last year's game.  The home team came out to a big lead, the visiting team battled back, and the Grangers gave up three turnovers that led to three Bulldog scores. The result was the same with Thomson winning, this time 31-28 at the Brickyard.

LaGrange opened the game going three and out, but Thomson could not capitalize, turning the ball over on downs at the Granger 27.  Zach Giddens threw his first interception, but the Granger defense held firm, forcing the Bulldogs to punt.  Giddens' next pass was also intercepted, giving Thomson the ball at the Granger 20,  The next play saw Chris Tutt throw to Felton Hatcher for a touchdown.  7-0 Thomson.  A third interception gave Thomson the ball at the Granger 18.  Ricky Martineez kicked a 31 yard field goal and it was 10-0 Thomson.  After an exchange of punts, Wynton heard pitched the ball to Mon Denson, but he couldn't handle the pitch.  Quay Cummings picked up the bouncing ball and ran in for a Bulldog touchdown.  17-0.  LaGrange answered back with a 72 yard drive ending with a 41 yard touchdown run by Mon Denson.  17-6.  The Bulldogs responded with a 71 yard drive of their own and a 40 yard touchdown run by Leon Jones.  24-6.  LaGrange's last drive was extended by a muffed punt, and six plays later Tavone caught a seven yard touchdown pass from heard.  24-12 at intermission.

Thomson's opening drive of the second half went 72 yards and ended with a six yard touchdown run by Keonte Grissom.  31-12.  LaGrange answered with a 69 yard drive of their own, also ending with a six yard touchdown run, this one by Shevondre Maddox.  31-20 with the two point conversion pass from Heard to Dontavious Joiner.  Thomson would punt, LaGrange turned the ball over on downs o a fake punt, and Thomson would turn the ball over when Tay Glover stripped the ball and Dazmon Dunlap recovered.  But LaGrange would go three and out.  Thomson't next drive did not end in points, but they would chew up six minutes 35 seconds before missing a field goal.  The teams exchanged punts again and LaGrange's last drive went 93 yards in only seven plays.  A 12 yard touchdown run by Heard and a two point run by Khamani Barnes narrowed the Thomson lead to 31-28.  LaGrange would not get another possession.

Enough has been written about the non-football activities that happened on the field.  Two Grangers were ejected as were four Bulldogs.  They will likely be suspended next week.  As of this writing, no other players have been hit with a suspension.  We will know more Friday.

The Grangers were down 19 points and never gave up.  After the initial second quarter drive, the defense did not give up another point.  But giving up 17 points off turnovers proved to be too deep of a hole to come out of.  Now LaGrange starts the region schedule at Kinnett Stadium where the Shaw Raiders will be waiting.  Airtime Friday is 7:00 on WCJM 100.9 FM.  We'll see you there.

Harris County 38 LaGrange 27

Sometimes momentum swings like a pendulum. Sometimes momentum swings like a wrecking ball. After taking a 27 to 10 lead into the fourth quarter, the Grangers gave up 28 straight points to lose to Harris County for the first time 38 to 27 in Hamilton Friday night.

The Tigers' opening drive went 65 yards in seven plays and ended with a 22 yard touchdown run by Esaias Chapman. 7-0 Harris County.  After the teams exchanged punts, the Grangers got on the board with a 72 yard touchdown run by Wynton Heard.  The teams exchanged punts again and the Grangers got the lead with a 19 yard touchdown catch from Heard to Tavone Rivers. 14-7 Grangers.  The Tigers responded with a 13 play drive of their own that ended with a 39 yard field goal by Isaac Grimes. 14-10 Grangers.  A muffed kickoff gave the Grangers the ball at their own two yard line.  The Grangers would then go the full 98 yards in nine plays finishing it off with a with an eight yard touchdown catch by Quan Delaney.  20-10 at the half.

The Grangers punted to open the second half, but Harris County would fumble the ball away and DJ Towns would recover at the Harris County five.  Two plays later, a 4 yard touchdown run by Mon Denson extended the Grangers lead to 27 to 10 by the end of the 4th quarter.

The Tigers started the next drive at their own 34, and five plays later an 8 yard touchdown catch by Josh Stein closed the gap to 27 to 17.  A great kickoff return gave the Grangers the ball at the Tiger 20 yard line, but the LaGrange could not capitalize. On fourth down, Taylor Stanford missed a 41 yard field goal, and the score remained 27 to 17.  Harris County then engineered an 80 yard drive in 10 plays, ending with a 21 yard touchdown run by Keith Jenkins.  27-24 Grangers.  Heard then threw a long interception and the Tigers set up shop at their own 37.  Seven plays later it would be Jenkins again finding the end zone from 22 yards out. The Tigers went up 31 to 27.  A pick six by DJ Washington sealed the deal, and the Tigers would win 38 to 27.

This was Harris County's first win over Lagrange in their school's history.  Besides the talent wearing black and gold, the biggest reason for the loss was the inexperience of the team in knowing how to handle the momentum change.  Harris County scored a touchdown in their very first possession, then they scored a touchdown in each of their last four possessions.  Coach Branch said the Grangers have a lot of work to do, but they have an off week. So they will have plenty of time to work on what needs fixing.