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It is rivalry week. The 37th edition of the LaGrange-Troup football game is nearly upon us with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday night in what will be a packed house in Callaway Stadium. 

The rivalry dates back to 1968 when the two teams met on the gridiron for the first time with the Grangers earning a dominant 35-6 victory. Through the years, the rivalry has changed hands. It was dominated by the Grangers in the early years with LaGrange going 18-4 from 1968 to 2009. The tide shifted since 2010 with the Tigers going 10-4 against LaGrange in that span to close the all-time series record to 22-14 LaGrange.

Troup coach Tanner Glisson is 6-3 against the Grangers while LaGrange head coach Matt Napier is 2-2 against the Tigers. 

Despite the recent trend towards Troup, the Grangers have flipped the script the last two seasons, giving Troup its first loss of the season in 2022 in a 38-34 thrilling comeback that saw the Grangers punch their ticket to the playoffs before running away from Troup last season 23-7.

The Grangers come into this season’s game against Troup feeling as confident as they ever have under Napier. The team has won five games in a row, scoring 40+ points in every game during the win streak. It has been a potent mix of strong offense and elite defense.

Malachi Fannin-Render has been simply sensational this season. He is just shy of 1,200 yards from scrimmage with 22 total touchdowns. The senior running back is coming off a game against Mary Persons in which he turned 16 carries into 162 yards and two touchdowns. His most recent Division I offer came from Marshall.

Joining Fannin-Render in the backfield is junior starting quarterback Dylan Baber, a dual-threat player. Barber is coming off his best rushing game of the season in which he turned 14 carries into 196 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Granger comeback against Mary Persons.

The offense has been firing on all cylinders but so has the defense. The Grangers forced four interceptions against Spalding three weeks ago, six turnovers against Whitewater on homecoming two weeks ago and three last week against Mary Persons. The team also has two defensive touchdowns over the last three weeks. In the last three games, Kayden Sutton has four interceptions, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a defensive touchdown and can hardly be contained at the moment. 

Senior pass rusher Spencer Stroud is up to double-digit sacks this season. 

The Grangers also rely on their special teams as Fannin-Render has a punt return touchdown to his name this season and freshman kicker Cooper Metcalf has a strong leg.

Special teams can also be a weapon for the Tigers. McCarty Harrelson hit a career-long field goal of 53 yards earlier in the season and then hit a kick last week to send the Tigers to overtime against Trinity Christian. He then proceeded to hit the walk-off game-winner from just under 30 yards out to keep Troup’s playoff hopes alive. 

Troup is relying on its defense this season as its young offense adapts throughout the season. This is the second straight season that the Tigers have lost their starting quarterback for a significant portion of the season. Garrison Edwards went down in the third quarter against Whitewater earlier this season as sophomore Chase Mosley filled the void at quarterback. He has started the last four games, throwing for 371 yards and three touchdowns. Mosley is more of a pocket passer than Edwards but is learning to use his legs to his advantage in recent weeks.

The youth movement is apparent on offense as the team’s leading rusher and leading receiver this season are both sophomores. Javarris Warner has turned 89 carries into 621 yards and eight touchdowns this season. The sophomore has led the team in rushing in each of the past four games, eclipsing 100 yards in three of the four. 

Davis Moncus, Troup’s leading receiver, has 21 catches for 232 yards and two touchdowns. No other Tigers has more than 11 catches and 85 yards receiving. 

The defense is led by captains Amarius Perdue and Jayland Reed. The former is second on the team with three sacks and is a constant disruptor in the backfield. Reed has one of the team’s two interceptions this season alongside the senior running mate Tyreon Smith. Smith has been everywhere for the Tigers and leads the team with 10 tackles for a loss. 

Despite those three seniors taking on key roles, the youth movement is also apparent on defense. The team’s leading tackler (57) and sack artist (4), Skylen Straughn is just a junior. Sophomore linebacker KJ McQueen is enjoying a breakout campaign with 50 tackles and seven tackles for a loss.

The Tigers are entering must-win territory to get an automatic bid into the playoffs and not have to sit on pins and needles to see if they get an at-large bid into the postseason. Troup is currently 4-3 overall and 3-2 in region play. The Tigers sit at fifth in the region with the top four teams in the region getting automatic spots in the state playoffs. Despite having the same region record as Whitewater and Upson-Lee, Troup lost to both earlier in the season and subsequently will not win the tiebreaker. The Tigers close their season with a home game against Spalding — the team that eliminated them in the 2023 state playoffs — on Oct. 24 before taking on the undefeated no.1 team in 3A, Sandy Creek, on the road on Nov. 1.  

LaGrange is 6-2 overall and 5-1 in region play and will need to win just one of its final two games to secure a home playoff game. The Grangers will play Upson-Lee on the road on Nov. 1 in their regular season finale after a bye next week.