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The LaGrange football team came through with their most impressive win of the season so far, erasing a 14-point deficit at halftime to stun Mary Persons 41-28 for their fifth win in a row. 

“We found out a lot about our football team tonight,” LaGrange coach Matt Napier said after the game. “We made some mistakes early and the guys never quit on each other. They believe in each other and they fought their tails off in that second half.”

Just about everything that could go wrong went wrong in the first half for the Grangers, who threw an interception, muffed a kickoff and let an onside kick be recovered. The offense did just enough to stay afloat, trailing 28-14 at halftime.

The game was calling out for a hero and one stepped up on both the offense and defensive side of the ball. Starting quarterback Dylan Barber made the first winning play of the game on a fourth down from the 10-yard line, scrambling into the end zone to cut the Bulldog lead to seven points with 2:36 left in the third quarter 

“It was just the spark that our team needed,” Barber said. “I’m so happy I could make that play tonight because we really needed it at that moment.” 

“I had a few different calls there and he came over to me and said ‘I want the ball in my hands,’” Napier said. 

Two minutes later Jay Mitchell made a play that would define the game. Jumping a route along the away sideline, intercepting the ball and returning it for a touchdown that would tie the game up. 

“Big time players make big time plays and Jay is a guy that had to sit behind some guys for a while but now he is getting his chance and I’m super proud of him,” Napier said. 

Mitchell took the ball into the end zone and only let the ball go to jump into the student’s section’s arms as Callaway Stadium bounced up and down. 

“It felt fake, it feels fake now,” said an ecstatic Mitchell. “It still doesn’t feel real, hasn’t sunk in yet, but it feels amazing to go out there and help the team get a win.”

LaGrange was not done there, scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to score a total of 27 unanswered points, all in the second half.

Barber would get the winning touchdown as he and senior running back Malachi Fannin-Render marched the Grangers down the field to start the fourth quarter. Barber would get the honors, punching the ball in from two yards out with just a shade over eight minutes on the clock.

“Things didn’t go right for us today, but we were able to make it happen in the second half,” Barber said. “Me and Malachi are leaders for this team and we had to step up and make some plays.”

The Grangers missed the extra-point which left everybody on the home side on pins and needles.

A defense that struggled in the first half looked like a completely different unit in the final two quarters, pitching a shutout. The Bulldogs drove the ball onto the Granger 36-yard line, looking for the go-ahead score with under five minutes to go in the game. The defense came through with a huge sack as Hezekyah Avery slammed the Mary Persons’ quarterback to the turf on fourth down.

“Credit to our defensive staff, who made some great adjustments in the second half,” Napier said. “Our guys showed up and listened and they came out ready to play in the second half.”

The Bulldogs would get the ball back inside their own 20-yard line with two minutes and change to go in the game, but the Granger defense was firing on all cylinders. Kayden Sutton intercepted his second pass of the game, taking it inside the 10-yard line.

“The defense didn’t get down on ourselves, we picked up our heads and came out here looking to make plays in the second half,” Sutton said.

The Grangers would punch the ball into the end zone on a 2-yard run from Fannin-Render to ice the game with under 90 seconds on the clock.

 

HOW IT GOT THERE:

The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair with home run plays on both sides. The Bulldogs took the opening possession right down the field, scoring a touchdown to go up 7-0 just over two minutes into the game and then proceeded to get the ball back on a muffed kickoff. Mary Persons drove down the field, but turned the ball over on downs at the Granger 3-yard line.

The Grangers would go 97 yards for a touchdown on the ensuing drive with 79 of those coming on the touchdown run from Fannin-Render.

One play later the Bulldogs had their lead back on an 80-yard touchdown strike.

Barber answered back just minutes later with a 69-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game at 14 all.

If the first quarter was back-and-forth, the second quarter was firmly dominated by the Bulldogs, outscoring the home team 14-0 in the period.

Mary Persons offense kept rolling, scoring on a 4-yard touchdown to take a 21-14 lead early in the second quarter. The Bulldogs converted an onside kick as they snatched a second possession away from the Grangers on special teams.

The Bulldogs were looking to go up two scores, driving inside the 5-yard line, but Sutton came through in the end zone with his first interception of the night.

“I’m just having a lot of fun playing with my guys right now and when I see the ball in the air I’m going up to attack it,” Sutton said. 

May Persons eventually did take a two-score lead on a short touchdown run with under two minutes to go in the first half. The Bulldogs intercepted a pass from Barber and had a chance to go up three-scored before half, but Young blocked a field goal that was returned for a touchdown, only for the return to get called back for a penalty, but still gave LaGrange a bit of momentum going into the break.

 

WHAT’S NEXT:

LaGrange improved to 6-2 on the season and played its final official home game of the season. The Grangers will play cross-town rival Troup next Friday at Callaway Stadium where they will be the away team.