Tigers end year with 28-14 win

Photo/Jeff Mills Senior Reginald Wade runs over defenders to pick up a first down for Troup in its 28- 14 win over Garrison. The Tigers have had an up-and-down season, but finished the year with two big wins.

With players and fans celebrating senior night, the Troup Tigers varsity football team ended its 2007 season on a high note, defeating the Garrison Bulldogs 28-14. Winning its last two games of the season leaves the Tigers with a 3-4 district record (4-6 overall).

Three dif ferent Tigers scored in the win, Troup establishing itself early and holding off a Bulldog offense that outpaced the home team in total yards, 377-330.

Troup's special teams garnered the first score, with Chris Lepelley picking up a blocked punt and returning it for a touchdown. Quarterback Ryan Nichols hit Jeremy Richardson for the two-point conversion to give Troup an 8-0 lead at the 9:55 mark.

Garrison's second possession, following Chris Malone's kick, yielded similar results. Going for a fourth-and-two from Troup's 27-yard line, the Bulldogs mishandled an option and turned the ball over.

Photo/Jeff Mills Sophomore Der'rick Thompson evades the grasp of a Garrison defender and looks outside to pick up some ground yardage for the Tigers.

Troup took over at the sevenminute mark and used the talents of Der'rick Thompson, Thacher Riddle and Reginald Wade to move the ball into Bulldog territory. On first-and-10 from the Bulldog 40, Chris Lepelley got loose for a 30-yard gain, setting up Wade for a 10- yard TD run.

Nichols hit Chris Lepelley on the two-point attempt, but a flag against Troup nullified the score. On the second effort, the Tigers fell short on the extra point pass and settled for a 14-0 lead with 4:10 left in the first quarter.

The Bulldogs set up on their own 31 following the kickoff and quickly worked their way into Tiger territory. Following a quarterback sack by Riddle, the Tigers were hit with a personal foul penalty that advanced the Bulldogs to the Troup 25 as the first quarter ended.

On the first play from scrimmage in the second, the Bulldog ball carrier recorded a 19- yard TD run. With the extra point, the Tiger lead narrowed to 14-7 at the 11:53 mark.

Pictured are some of the members of the Tiger football team's senior class and their parents and escorts. Photo/Jeff Mills

The Tigers advanced into Bulldog territory on their next possession, but the drive stalled and Troup was forced to punt. Garrison set up on its own 20 following a touchback on Adam Voigt's punt.

The Bulldogs quickly picked up a first, but then turned the ball over on a fumble.

Taking over on the Bulldog 28, the tandem of Wade and Thompson moved the ball down to the 11, where Wade did the honors for his second TD of the night. Nichols hit Richardson for another two-point conversion and the Tigers went up 22- 7 with 3:32 left in the half.

The Bulldogs had one last possession before the break, but the Tiger defense met the challenge.

Advancing the ball to the Tiger 23, Garrison was hit with two QB sacks by Joseph Noyola and Riddle, backing the ball up to the 36. Faced with a fourthand 23, the Bulldogs completed a short screen pass but failed to pick up the first down.

Troup took over on its own 30 with 29 seconds left and looked like they might score again when Wade broke a 33-yard to get to the Bulldog 35. Following a timeout, the Tigers took two strikes at the end zone before completing a pass to Wade who was brought down short of the goal line, ending the half with the Tigers leading 22-7.

The Tigers opened the third quarter with another scoring drive, this one culminating with a TD rumble by Riddle. The twopoint effort failed, giving Troup a 21-point advantage with 8:02 left in the third.

The Bulldogs struck back on their next possession, moving the ball from their 15-yard line down to the Tiger 43. A Garrison ball carrier broke loose and advanced down to the Troup 12- yard line before being knocked out of bounds.

Faced with a third-and-seven, Garrison struck gold on a TD pass and successful PAT to make the final score 28-14 with just over four minutes left in the third.

Although neither team managed a score in the fourth quarter, both teams continued to move the ball and advance into opposing territory before coming up short or committing a turnover.

Troup's Wade ended the night with 124 yards rushing and two TDs to lead the Tigers to the season-ending victory.

"I just can't say enough about our kids -- what good kids they are, how good their attitude is, how good their work ethic is," said head coach John Eastman. "This has been a year of ups and downs, and really whatever could go wrong has. But our kids have played hard all year, and played and never quit. They came back every week and just battled. And our kids and our coaches were still having fun up until the last day."

Eastman cited injuries as a key factor in his team's struggles this year, as well as missed opportunities in a few games that could easily have seen the Tigers 7-3 instead of 4-6.

"In 2004 when we played for the state championship, we got every break along the way. Unfortunately this year, we didn't get the breaks," he said.

Heading into the '07 season, Eastman knew the team would be challenged to fill the shoes of All-State running back Chris Davis, but of equal importance was the youth of the defensive secondary.

"In terms of our secondary, I feel like our kids came on and played extremely well at times, and other times looked inexperienced," said Eastman, who also lost an All-State defensive player in Nick Harrison.

"We're a very young team on the verge of being pretty good. The last two games showed that," he added. "We played two really good football games to end the year."

Statistics:

Rushing: Troup 28-262, Garrison 43-266; passing: Troup 3- 9 68, Garrison 8-16 111