A few Sandy Creek Patriots came back off the injured list and some Grangers fell victim to the flu during the week. When the game was over, the Grangers were just sick when they fell 42-7 at the Battlefield Friday night.
The Patriots opened the game with a 56 yard drive in eight plays that finished with a two yard touchdown run by Delvin Weems. 7-0 Sandy Creek. The teams exchanged punts and the Patriots found the end zone again. A 20 yard scoring pass from Cole Garvin to Jacari Brooks made it 14-0 at the end of the first quarter. LaGrange went three and out again and Sandy Creek went the full 85 yards for a touchdown. A 64 yard run by Weems made it 21-0 Patriots. Quan Delaney fumbled on the first play from scrimmage and Creek only needed 28 yards to get another score. They did in one play when Eric Swinney rushed into the end zone. 28-0 Patriots. After a Granger punt, Sandy Creek went 93 yards in only three plays. A 15 yard run by Swinney made it 35-0 at intermission.
The second half used a running clock. Creek drove down to the Granger 18 in nine plays when Corey Perkins intercepted Garvin's pass and he was finally brought down at the Patriot seven yard line. It took one play for Benny Gray to find the end zone. 35-7 Creek. The Patriots turned the ball over on downs, but on LaGrange's next possession, I saw the worst call all year. A screen pass to Perkins from Wynton Heard bounced off Perkins' hands and hit the ground. The officials said it was a fumble and the Patriots recovered. They drove 66 yards to the end zone when freshman Marvin Hubbard ran it in from seven yards out. Time expired with the #1 team in the state winning 42-7.
This leaves the Grangers in a tough position with the Troup game next. Win, and there will likely be a three way tie for the last two playoff spots between LaGrange, Troup and Alexander. Lose, and LaGrange will have to beat Carrollton and hope for a lot of help to make the playoffs. On paper, Troup should win. But I have seen games where Troup should have won, but LaGrange came out on top. I believe LaGrange can win. We'll see you at Callaway Stadium.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Friday, October 18, 2013
LaGrange 36 Fayette County 20
The Grangers avenged a loss last year to Fayette County by beating the Tigers 36 to 20 Friday night at Callaway Stadium. LaGrange remains one game behind the region leaders with three games left to play.
The Tigers opened the scoring with a 59 yard pitch from Daveion Nash to Montrell Kelley to take a 7-0 lead. The teams exchanged turnovers but LaGrange had to punt the ball away. Fayette turned the ball over on downs after a failed fake punt but the teams traded ineffective drives. The Grangers cracked the egg on the scoreboard on their first drive of the second quarter by going 62 yards. Benny Gray scored from four yards out and the two point conversion gave LaGrange an 8-7 lead. Desmond Harris recovered a fumble for the second time and LaGrange got points from it. A 52 yard pass from Wynton Heard to Tay Rivers set up a one yard touchdown plunge by Gray. 15-7 Grangers. Fayette responded with a 60 yard TD catch from Nash to Milan Astin. The teams would go to the locker room with LaGrange leading 15-14.
The Grangers opened the second half with a bang. On the first play from scrimmage, Mon Denson raced 65 yards to the end zone. 22-14 Grangers. Emmanuel Mann recovered a fumble but LaGrange could not get points. The defense held the Tigers to a three and out and the offense scored again. A 24 yard pass to Hayden Olive extended the Granger lead to 29-14. Fayette County returned the favor with a 41 yard quarterback keeper. LaGrange blocked the extra point attempt and it was 29-20. The Grangers got an insurance score when Heard found Quan Delaney in the end zone. 36-20 would be the final score.
The kicking game improved as Taylor Stanford was a perfect 4 for 4 in PATs. The defense found new playmakers as I called Desmond Harris and Dontavious Joiner's name more often than any other game.
Now LaGrange travels to The Battlefield to face Sandy Creek. The Grangers played toe to toe with Alexander and Alexander played toe to toe with the Patriots. LaGrange will have to play with no mistakes to beat the number one team in AAAA. I believe the Grangers have the talent and the coaching to win. But they will need to make the plays in all three phases to come out on top. Let's pack the stands and cheer on the Men in Blue.
The Tigers opened the scoring with a 59 yard pitch from Daveion Nash to Montrell Kelley to take a 7-0 lead. The teams exchanged turnovers but LaGrange had to punt the ball away. Fayette turned the ball over on downs after a failed fake punt but the teams traded ineffective drives. The Grangers cracked the egg on the scoreboard on their first drive of the second quarter by going 62 yards. Benny Gray scored from four yards out and the two point conversion gave LaGrange an 8-7 lead. Desmond Harris recovered a fumble for the second time and LaGrange got points from it. A 52 yard pass from Wynton Heard to Tay Rivers set up a one yard touchdown plunge by Gray. 15-7 Grangers. Fayette responded with a 60 yard TD catch from Nash to Milan Astin. The teams would go to the locker room with LaGrange leading 15-14.
The Grangers opened the second half with a bang. On the first play from scrimmage, Mon Denson raced 65 yards to the end zone. 22-14 Grangers. Emmanuel Mann recovered a fumble but LaGrange could not get points. The defense held the Tigers to a three and out and the offense scored again. A 24 yard pass to Hayden Olive extended the Granger lead to 29-14. Fayette County returned the favor with a 41 yard quarterback keeper. LaGrange blocked the extra point attempt and it was 29-20. The Grangers got an insurance score when Heard found Quan Delaney in the end zone. 36-20 would be the final score.
The kicking game improved as Taylor Stanford was a perfect 4 for 4 in PATs. The defense found new playmakers as I called Desmond Harris and Dontavious Joiner's name more often than any other game.
Now LaGrange travels to The Battlefield to face Sandy Creek. The Grangers played toe to toe with Alexander and Alexander played toe to toe with the Patriots. LaGrange will have to play with no mistakes to beat the number one team in AAAA. I believe the Grangers have the talent and the coaching to win. But they will need to make the plays in all three phases to come out on top. Let's pack the stands and cheer on the Men in Blue.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Alexander 33 LaGrange 19
Shaw 2010. Haralson County 2011. Fayette County 2012. Now Alexander 2013. These are road games LaGrange needed to win to gain a foothold in the playoffs. And even though LaGrange battled back to make the playoffs those three years, they find themselves in a hole with the toughest part of the region schedule ahead.
Alexander scored one touchdown in the first half, and took advantage of three Granger turnovers to win 33-19 in Douglasville. The two teams exchanged punts twice to open the first half. But in the waning seconds of the first quarter, Michael Land-Davis found the end zone from 50 yards out to give the Cougars a 6-0 lead. LaGrange answered with a five play, 68 yard drive that stalled inside Alexander's one yard line. The score remained 6-0 after LaGrange's 32 yard field goal attempt failed on a bad snap with no time left on the clock.
The second half was nothing like the first half. The Grangers scored when Mon Denson ran 30 yards for a touchdown. 6-6. Alexander answered with a 24 yard touchdown run by Davis. 13-6 Cougars. Benny Gray fumbled on the first play from scrimmage and the Cougars only had to go 35 yards. They did in four plays, one was a one yard TD run by Davis. 20-6 Alexander. Gray scored from 20 yards away to narrow the Cougar lead 20-13. But Alexander scored again on a touchdown pass from Baylor Whitfield. 26-13. LaGrange answered with a 70 yard touchdown run by Mon Denson. 26-19. Yet another touchdown run by Davis extended the Cougar lead 33-19. LaGrange returned the kickoff to the Cougar 17, but three plays later, Wynton Heard threw an interception in the end zone. A 70 yard drive going four and a half minutes gave LaGrange the ball at their own 9 after the ball went over on downs. But on the fifth play, Heard fumbled the ball away and the Cougars ran out the clock.
In the Chestatee game last year, Coach Branch talked about the Grangers "breaking Chestatee's serve." Alexander broke LaGrange's serve by causing three turnovers. In order for the Grangers to make the playoffs, they need to win two of the next four games. The opponents are Fayette County (who beat LaGrange last year), Sandy Creek (who won three of the last four state titles), Troup (who is better than last year) and Carrollton (the #2 team in the state). Definitely an uphill battle, but the games are played on the field.
Next week is Senior Night where the seniors will be honored. Also the 2003 State title team will also be honored. Let's pack Callaway Stadium and support the Grangers next week.
Alexander scored one touchdown in the first half, and took advantage of three Granger turnovers to win 33-19 in Douglasville. The two teams exchanged punts twice to open the first half. But in the waning seconds of the first quarter, Michael Land-Davis found the end zone from 50 yards out to give the Cougars a 6-0 lead. LaGrange answered with a five play, 68 yard drive that stalled inside Alexander's one yard line. The score remained 6-0 after LaGrange's 32 yard field goal attempt failed on a bad snap with no time left on the clock.
The second half was nothing like the first half. The Grangers scored when Mon Denson ran 30 yards for a touchdown. 6-6. Alexander answered with a 24 yard touchdown run by Davis. 13-6 Cougars. Benny Gray fumbled on the first play from scrimmage and the Cougars only had to go 35 yards. They did in four plays, one was a one yard TD run by Davis. 20-6 Alexander. Gray scored from 20 yards away to narrow the Cougar lead 20-13. But Alexander scored again on a touchdown pass from Baylor Whitfield. 26-13. LaGrange answered with a 70 yard touchdown run by Mon Denson. 26-19. Yet another touchdown run by Davis extended the Cougar lead 33-19. LaGrange returned the kickoff to the Cougar 17, but three plays later, Wynton Heard threw an interception in the end zone. A 70 yard drive going four and a half minutes gave LaGrange the ball at their own 9 after the ball went over on downs. But on the fifth play, Heard fumbled the ball away and the Cougars ran out the clock.
In the Chestatee game last year, Coach Branch talked about the Grangers "breaking Chestatee's serve." Alexander broke LaGrange's serve by causing three turnovers. In order for the Grangers to make the playoffs, they need to win two of the next four games. The opponents are Fayette County (who beat LaGrange last year), Sandy Creek (who won three of the last four state titles), Troup (who is better than last year) and Carrollton (the #2 team in the state). Definitely an uphill battle, but the games are played on the field.
Next week is Senior Night where the seniors will be honored. Also the 2003 State title team will also be honored. Let's pack Callaway Stadium and support the Grangers next week.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
LaGrange 58 Columbus 7
A dominant first half gave the Grangers enough of a lead so the mercy
rule would take effect in the second half. LaGrange scored on every
offense of possession and even one defense of possession before
intermission en route to a 58-7 win over the Columbus Blue Devils at
Callaway Stadium.
The Grangers' opening drive went 68 yards in seven plays, ending with a two yard scoring sweep by Tay Rivers. The second drive went 88 yards in seven plays, capped off by a 70 yard touchdown catch from Wynton Heard to Mon Denson. The third took one play, a 55 yard speed sweep by Rivers. The fourth drive brought out the punting unit. But Gus Golden used his arm, throwing the ball to Benny Gray for a 44 yard touchdown. 25-0 by the end of the first quarter.
The fifth drive went 75 yards in only four plays when Gray ran up the middle for 56 yards and the score. On the next Blue Devil possession, Mike Hardy picked off a Derrick James pass and took it back 75 yards for six points. LaGrange's last drive of the half went 64 yards with Gray running up the middle again for 40 yards and again crossing the goal line. 46-0 at the half.
The Grangers' first drive of the second half saw freshman quarterback Ahmad Ogletree go 25 yards on a keeper. 52-0 LaGrange. The teams exchanged punts and Columbus finally got on the board. A 64 yard pass from Brandon Maple to James Traylor, one of only four seniors on the roster, and it was 52-7. Both teams turned the ball over on downs, but LaGrange would then recover a Blue Devil fumble. The Grangers finished the scoring with a 28 yard touchdown run by sophomore Kimani Barnes and the final was 58-7.
Eight straight possessions with a touchdown and no turnovers for LaGrange. Plus no one got hurt. Now the Grangers make the trip to Douglas County to face the Alexander Cougars. I'd love to see a big crowd make the trip and cheer on the men in blue.
The Grangers' opening drive went 68 yards in seven plays, ending with a two yard scoring sweep by Tay Rivers. The second drive went 88 yards in seven plays, capped off by a 70 yard touchdown catch from Wynton Heard to Mon Denson. The third took one play, a 55 yard speed sweep by Rivers. The fourth drive brought out the punting unit. But Gus Golden used his arm, throwing the ball to Benny Gray for a 44 yard touchdown. 25-0 by the end of the first quarter.
The fifth drive went 75 yards in only four plays when Gray ran up the middle for 56 yards and the score. On the next Blue Devil possession, Mike Hardy picked off a Derrick James pass and took it back 75 yards for six points. LaGrange's last drive of the half went 64 yards with Gray running up the middle again for 40 yards and again crossing the goal line. 46-0 at the half.
The Grangers' first drive of the second half saw freshman quarterback Ahmad Ogletree go 25 yards on a keeper. 52-0 LaGrange. The teams exchanged punts and Columbus finally got on the board. A 64 yard pass from Brandon Maple to James Traylor, one of only four seniors on the roster, and it was 52-7. Both teams turned the ball over on downs, but LaGrange would then recover a Blue Devil fumble. The Grangers finished the scoring with a 28 yard touchdown run by sophomore Kimani Barnes and the final was 58-7.
Eight straight possessions with a touchdown and no turnovers for LaGrange. Plus no one got hurt. Now the Grangers make the trip to Douglas County to face the Alexander Cougars. I'd love to see a big crowd make the trip and cheer on the men in blue.
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