Leps Bash Buffaloes 63-7, Clinch Playoff Berth
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Top left: Da’von Giscome lowers his head to fight for extra yardage Friday. Top right: Mason Kleiber picks his way through the Giddings defense on his way to a 38-yard touchdown reception. Bottom left: Oliver Gunn and Le’Kayvion Broussard join forces to make this tackle Friday. Bottom right: La Grange’s Max Dixon leaps high to bat away this Giddings pass attempt. Photos by Jeff Wick
La Grange and Giddings have been playing each other since 1916 in one of the oldest high school football rivalries in the state.
Friday, the Leps demolished the Buffaloes 63-7 in the most lopsided La Grange win in this rivalry in 50 years. After trailing 7-0, the Leps rattled off 63 unanswered points.
“That scoreboard, we lit it up,” said La Grange senior Le’Kayvion Broussard, who caught a 49-yard touchdown pass and also had several tackles on defense.
“I’m proud of our kids, they were able to come out and make big plays,” La Grange head coach Kyle Cooper said. “They didn’t panic there at the start, stayed the course. Defense made adjustments and got after it.”
It all amounted to the biggest win for La Grange in this series since 1974 when the Leps beat Giddings 69-2.
The victory clinches a playoff spot for the Leps who are now 6-3 overall and 2-2 in district.
The loss eliminated Giddings (2-7 overall, 1-3 in district) from playoff contention “Our season was on the line,” said La Grange senior quarterback Clayton Cooper, who accounted for five touchdowns, two rushing and three passing. “We have a bunch of seniors who are really passionate about the game. It was win or go home.”
Friday’s win avenges a 23-21 loss to Giddings last season.
“Ever since last year, when we took a bad loss to them, we’ve been waiting for this moment,” said La Grange senior defensive back Max Dixon, who had an interception and converted a fake punt with a 22-yard scramble.
The victory Friday was the sixth of the season for the Leps, who have now doubled last year’s win total when La Grange was 3-8.
“These guys have worked their tails off since last December,” Coach Cooper said. “I’m excited about where we are as a program, and excited these guys are getting to see it pay off.”
La Grange heads into their season finale at home Friday versus Sealy (6-3 overall and 2-2 in district) with a chance to improve their playoff seeding with a win.
After last Friday’s win the Leps head into this week with a lot of confidence.
Against Giddings, Clayton Cooper ran for two touchdowns and threw TD passes to Mason Kleiber (38 yards), Dwodney Thompson (36 yards) and Le’Kayvion Broussard (49 yards).
Da’von Giscome ran for three touchdowns and a gamehigh 159 yards, and back-up quarterback Eli Gillum scored on a 40 yard run.
Altogether the Leps offense amassed a season-high 624 yards of total offense.
Leps kicker Taylor Cook was perfect on all nine extra points.
“This was a great game, I gave it everything. I’m just glad to be going to the playoffs with my team and excited to see how far we can make it,” Giscome said.
Meanwhile the Leps defense really buckled down after that first drive, limiting Giddings to just 292 yards of total offense. La Grange also had four takeaways.
“We started reading our keys, playing a lot more physical, and we took off,” Dixon said.
This was the 107th meeting between these two schools dating back to 1916. There are a handful of years these two teams played one another twice in a season.
In a bizarre start to the game, Giddings actually led this one 7-0 after the first quarter. The Buffaloes marched 61 yards on the game’s opening drive and capped it with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Prestyn Cantrell to Gunnar Fromme.
Then Giddings forced a three-and-out on the Leps’ first possession of the game.
But, boy, did things change from there.