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Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the LaGrange Daily News’ football magazine, Pigskin, which is available now.

The high-flying Grangers are back on the map thanks to offensive guru Matt Napier. The former Callaway offensive coordinator is going into his fifth year in charge at LaGrange High and has the Grangers back where they belong after struggling for over half a decade before Napier’s arrival. 

Despite losing a large and talented senior class last year, expectations are high for the 2024 campaign.

“This is LaGrange High School, the expectations here are always going to be high. Not only from our community but from ourselves. I think the expectation is to put a championship-style program on the field and that’s what we’re looking forward to doing,” Napier said. “We’re losing several starters from last year on both sides of the ball, replacing about eight on defense and replacing about nine on offense. So there’ll be a lot of new Granger faces out there. But you know, I’m excited about those guys.”

Friday nights this fall will serve as a real chance for some young and inexperienced players to step up and fill some big shoes.

“There’s gonna be some new faces. I’m excited, these guys have been kind of working their way up through a program, building up through Coach (Marcus) Blandinburg at the middle school and the unbelievable job he does, coming up through ninth grade and JV program. So they’ve just been kind of waiting their turn, and have had success all the way up. Now it’s their time to shine,” Napier said. 

The Grangers lost just one member of its coaching staff from 2023. Assistant head coach Thomas Cox took a job elsewhere, but the majority of the staff is returning giving the Grangers a real sense of continuity. 

“We have a couple of new young coaches and moved some coaches around, but otherwise we are returning almost the entire staff,” Napier said. “I’m so thankful for those guys and we have had a great offseason.”

LaGrange will be transitioning from 4A to 3A this season. The Grangers will be playing in one of the largest regions in the state that will include familiar region foes like LaGrange, Fayette County, Trinity Christian and Whitewater as well as some new opponents, Sandy Creek, Spalding, Mary Persons and Upson-Lee.

“We are going to have to just take it one week at a time,” Napier said. 

“This is the type of region where you can’t overlook anybody. That along with our tough non-region schedule means we are going to have to focus and grow one week at a time.”

QUARTERBACK: 

Despite having three different starting quarterbacks in the last three seasons, the Grangers have gotten high-level play from all three including from Malik Kemp, who threw for 1,864 yards, ran for another 200+ and had 25 touchdowns in his senior season with the Grangers. That sort of production will be hard to match, but the Grangers will have just the man for the job.

Napier expects high-level play once again from the position as the team looks to start its fourth quarterback in as many seasons. Junior Dylan Barber, a transfer from Heritage High School has nearly limitless potential at the quarterback position in the eyes of his new coach.

“Dylan Barber is gonna be a great player for us. He’s a very athletic kid. He did really well in our Ironman competition among the top athletes in our football team,” Napier said. “He’s fast and can run around 4.4 in the 40, squats 400 lbs. and is just a great competitor from that standpoint, and is a college recruited at the quarterback position so we’re excited about him and what he can bring to our football team.”

In two seasons starting for Heritage, Barber threw for over 2,500 yards and ran for nearly 1,000 yards while scoring over 30 touchdowns. 

He is a true dual-threat quarterback, but his ability to stand in the pocket and deliver strikes will be a huge asset for the Grangers.

“He’s got elite speed and elite quickness. So we’re excited about every tool that he brings. He’s a true quarterback though,” Napier said. “He’s not just a runner. He’s gonna be a kid that can really do both and he will make some big throws for us.”

RUNNING BACK:

The Grangers are poised to have a true two-headed monster at running back with Malachi Fannin-Render and Caydin Thomas.

Fannin-Render came back from a major knee injury in the spring of 2023 to make an impact down the stretch for the Grangers. This was after he missed a large portion of his sophomore season with an upper-body injury. When he is healthy, Fannin-Render is a game-changer.

“He is one of the top competitors and I’ve ever had the opportunity to coach because his will to win and his work ethic is just different. It’s on a different level than the average 16 or 17-year-old and for him to have setbacks the last couple of years breaks my heart,” Napier said. “You’re gonna see him carrying the ball a lot for the Grangers this fall and looking forward to seeing him play and I will be praying for him each night that he continues to stay healthy and get to reap the harvest of the work that he’s putting in. He’s the type of guy that is easy to root for.”

The senior running back currently holds offers from Appalachian State, Georgia State and Coastal Carolina among others. In just three games last season, he racked up 355 yards rushing and a touchdown despite being nowhere near 100%. This was after he ran for 665 yards and six touchdowns in four games as a sophomore. 

The other half of the duo — Thomas — will be just a junior this season. He enjoyed a breakout year last season when he totaled 508 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. 

With the leading rusher from last season (Jonathan Keys – 532 rushing yards) out of the picture, expect Fannin-Render and Thomas to have an even bigger impact this season.

“Thomas opened the season as a starter last year against Carver Atlanta so he’s got plenty of experience,” Napier said. “He’s battling through some injuries right now but we’re looking forward to him being back better than ever.”

Thomas has also proven to be a solid pass catcher out of the backfield, hauling in two touchdowns a season ago. His ability in the passing game could be a real wild card for LaGrange.

Keys will be a big loss in the backfield but so will Gavin Barlow, who had elite track speed and was an excellent return man for the Grangers on special teams.

Hezekyah Avery, a junior transfer from Valley High School, will also get into the action in the backfield. Peyton Davis, a freshman, has turned some heads in the offseason and could find himself in the backfield rotation as well. 

WIDE RECEIVER:

LaGrange lost four of their five leading receivers from last year’s team, leaving just Denorayon Reid as the only returning wide receiver who played significant minutes. He was second on the team in receptions and yards, tallying almost 350 receiving yards and four touchdowns. 

Starting alongside Reid at wide receiver will be fellow senior Gryson Cockrell. Cockrell had just four catches for 93 yard last season, but that was because he was primarily a defensive player. The switch in position has Napier excited about what Cockrell can do on offense.

“Both of those guys are explosive players that have made plays for us in the past and I really believe that they’re going to be impact players for us again this year,” Napier said. 

Juniors Julian Jones and Kalvin Snowberger played sporadically at wide receiver last season and will get called upon to step up this season as upperclassmen.

“Both those guys have had unbelievable summers for us, catching a lot of passes at 7-on-7s against some of the very best defenses in the state,” Napier said. 

Torian Reeves, a senior basketball player, has joined the team for his final year with the Grangers and his large frame could have an impact at some point in the season.

Jardon Stringer, who has multiple SEC offers, is banged up heading into the season, but Napier is optimistic that he can come back and have an impact at some point in the season.

TIGHT END:

Parker Shattuck and Malachi Kemp made impacts on both sides of the ball last season, but their play at tight end was exquisite. Both are now on Division I college football rosters as the Grangers look for some fresh faces to fill the void left by their departures. 

It will be tight end by committee this season with Mason Calhoun, Jett Napier, Cam Kissun and Antonio Colton are all likely to see reps at tight end. 

OFFENSIVE LINE:

The Grangers will have some turnover along the offensive line as they lost All-State Jycel Mosley to Murray State and Jaden Ligon to the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

“I think that’s one of the biggest question marks on our team this year is how that group’s gonna stand up to the challenge and grow,” Napier said. “We’ve got some veterans Carson Shattuck and Clayton Reisinger have both played a ton of snaps for us as young players and now they’re taken over in that leadership role.”

Napier is still working out his best combination of five offensive linemen, but Shattuck and Reisinger are locks to get starts. 

“Carson is kind of the bell cow, he’s that guy up front,” Napier said.  

“He’s got an opportunity to be a guy that plays at the next level. He’s, he’s a great energy guy. He brings a lot of juice to our team, and in our football program.”

Noah Stargill, a sophomore, will see some time at center and could earn the starting nod there with a good few weeks before the season. Ivan Gomez took last year off from football but has returned to offer a big body up front for the Grangers. Junior Yazirick Dorsey played some guard for LaGrange last year and could earn a starting nod this season. Freddie Vaughn and Shawn Conley will figure into the equation at the offensive line as well.

“We have a lot of talent there, it’s just about getting these guys the experience,” Napier said.

DEFENSIVE LINE:

The defensive line will have some turnover with Parker Shattuck, the team’s standout defender last season, heading to play football at South Alabama. This will give Noah Outland even more of a chance to shine after enjoying a breakout season as a sophomore last year.

A lot of the guys starting along the defensive line will be players who have been sitting and learning for the last several seasons. Spencer Stroud, Nehemiah McLaughlin and Braylon Smith are all upperclassmen slotted to be bonafide starters for the first time.

“All these guys were in the tow deep last year and Spencer played a lot of reps for us,” Napier said. 

Isaiah Pink and Carson Shattuck will also be rotated in on the defensive line.

“It’s a big question mark defensively as far as depth-wise,” Napier said. “We’ve had a lot of good defensive linemen the last couple of years in those in spots and, and we’re looking for that depth now and we fully expect some of these young guys to step up too.”

LINEBACKER:

The linebacking core figures to be one of the strongest, if not the strongest unit on the team. The team’s leader on defense will likely be junior Noah Outland. After spending last season as a defensive lineman, the Grangers have moved him to SAM linebacker this season, where he will call plays.

“Noah Outland is going to be that guy for us on defense this season,” Napier said. “We have transitioned him to play linebacker now. He’s going to be special. He’s an elite talent.” 

Outland led the team with over 70 tackles last season while also contributing seven sacks and 15 tackles for a loss. The junior already holds offers from Appalachian State and Liberty University.

Seniors Harris Grace and Kayden Sutton, both starters on last year’s team, will be impact players. Grace was third on the team in tackles last season with over 50. Grace also had a monster 77-yard pick-six against Northside last season.

The Grangers like to rotate their linebackers in and out with Javier Easter a potential rising star.

“One of the most talented young players we have is Javier Easter. He’s a rising sophomore,” Napier said. “He is a 4.3 40 guy and he can power clean 275. He’s gonna play some outside linebacker for us.”

Hezekyah Avery, a junior, will rotate in at linebacker as well.

SECONDARY:

The back end of the defense will have some guys with experience. Jay Mitchell, a senior, will get the nod at one starting cornerback position. 

“Jay is a kid that has played a ton of special teams for us and has really been waiting his turn for a chance to start,” Napier said. 

Junior Mason Blandingburg is leading the competition for the other starting cornerback spot. Jardon Stringer, when healthy, will also play some corner, where he spent much of last season. 

While the cornerbacks are experienced, the safeties are not quite as versed in varsity football.

“Mason Boykin is going to be a young player playing some free safety that has done a great job this offseason to put himself in a position to compete for that job. He’s a really talented young player,” Napier said. 

Kayden Sutton, who is listed as a linebacker/safety hybrid will be roaming the field as well.

When the weather cools down and coaches are more likely to allow their players to play both ways, there is a chance senior wide receivers Denorayon Reid and Gryson Cockrell will see some time in the secondary, where they both started previously in their careers.

SPECIAL TEAMS:

The Grangers could have a kicker controversy in a couple of years as two of their talented special teamers are aces with their leg. 

Mason Calhoun handled kicking duties for the Grangers last year and will be taking on punter duties to go along with his kicking responsibilities this year.

He will be challenged by freshman Cooper Metcalf.

“Cooper Metcalf is a phenom rising freshman. He has got a strong leg, he’s ranked one of the top upcoming kickers in the state. He’s going to be a really special talent. You’ll be learning that name over the next couple of years,” Napier said. 

Kayden Sutton will handle long snapping duties while Javier Easter will return punts and kicks.