A catch made out of bounds in the end zone on the game’s final play was both a sigh of relief for Jefferson and disbelief for LaGrange. The #1-ranked Dragons (11-3) held on for a 21-13 win at Memorial Stadium, securing a date at the Benz for the 2024 State Championship.
Jefferson never trailed, but the Grangers (10-4) rallied and marched down the field in the final two minutes until the final horn sounded.
It was a tightly contested first half, as both teams combined for just three possessions in the opening quarter. The Dragons’ lone drive got them to the 27 before they turned it over on downs. After stopping LaGrange, Gavin Markey connected on a 57-yd pass play to Rett Hemphill, and Markey then ran the next play inside the 5-yard line. From there, Dallas Russell found pay dirt from 4 yards out for the 7-0 lead with 8:56 left in the second.
Jefferson had another solid drive that gave Taylor McCall a shot at a 42-yd field goal. The kick was on target but hit on the crossbar, leaving the home team up just 7-0 at the break. Markey was sidelined in the first series of the second half due to a foot/toe injury, but returned to action.
With just 1:12 left in the third, the Dragons added on with a 3-yd TD run by Markey. Things changed quickly though when LaGrange got a 49-yd TD from Dylan Barber to Torian Reeves, bridging the gap to 14-7 with 16 seconds to go in the third.
Markey led a 5-minute drive that ended with his second rushing score, this one from a yard out to regain the 14-point lead at 21-7 with 6:13 to go. It was far from over, as LaGrange scored less than a minute later on a 17-yd TD run by Barber.
Jefferson’s ensuing drive was stalled due to penalties, and LaGrange got the ball with 2:22 to play. They extended the drive with several small plays, penalties, and good clock management. The final play, as the horn sounded, was a pass to the end zone in which the ball was caught and ruled out of bounds by an eyelash, ending the game. Jefferson’s defense was special, limiting Malachi Render-Fannin, one of the state’s top rushers, to only a couple of big plays.
The Dragons will face Calhoun on Wednesday, December 18 in the GHSA State Championship.
