LAGRANGE – They’re hoping this trip to Columbus goes better than their last one.

On Oct. 2, the LaGrange Grangers traveled to Memorial Stadium hoping to beat the Columbus Blue Devils and improve to 2-0 in Region 1-AAAAA.

Instead, the Grangers were held scoreless for three quarters, and they ended up losing to the Blue Devils 21-13.

On Thursday at 7 p.m., LaGrange will in Columbus once again, and this time the opponent will be the Shaw Raiders and the location will be Kinnett Stadium.

It’s a critical game for the playoff hopes of both teams.

LaGrange is 1-2 in the region and in desperate need of a win to stay in contention for one of the region’s four playoff berths.

Shaw is 2-2 in the region, and a win over LaGrange would greatly enhance its chances of making the playoffs.

This is LaGrange’s first game since it lost to Carver 51-50 in a thriller on Oct. 10.

That loss likely ended the Grangers’ hopes of winning a region title, and it also means they have precious room for error heading into their final three region games if they’re going to make it to state.

“We’ve kind of made our bed, now we have to play our way out of it,” LaGrange offensive coordinator Jay Floyd said.

Shaw’s most recent game was also against Carver, and it was one-sided.

While the final score was 33-22, Shaw trailed 33-7 before scoring a pair of late touchdowns to make the final score more respectable.

After falling behind 7-0, Carver scored five consecutive touchdowns before Shaw got a pair of fourth-quarter scoring passes from B.J. Knight, who also had a touchdown run in the first quarter.

Knight was 17-for-37 for 215 yards against Carver, but he also threw three interceptions.

Sydarrian Cobb highlighted Shaw’s running attack with 103 yards on 22 carries.

While Shaw limited Carver quarterback Jawon Pass to 92 passing yards, it gave up 240 rushing yards in the game.

LaGrange, meanwhile, will look to build on what it did offensively against Carver.

The Grangers scored seven touchdowns in that game, and they moved the ball with relative ease on the ground, and through the air.

The Grangers ended up losing to Carver, though, after taking a 28-0 lead in the first half.

After today’s game, LaGrange wraps up the regular season with a home game against Harris County on Oct. 30 and a road game against Northside on Nov. 7.

Reach Kevin Eckleberry at (706) 884-7311 or on Twitter @lagrangesports