Leps Fall in Regular Season Finale to Cuero
La Grange could have won the District 12-4A football title Thursday by defeating the Gobblers.
And while the Leps put a scare into No. 3-ranked Cuero early, keeping the game tied 7-7 at halftime, the Gobblers eventually ran away with this one 49-7 in the regular season finale for both teams.
Cuero rushed for 475 yards and broke the game open with 35 unanswered points in the third quarter.
“We tackled in the first half and didn’t tackle in the second half,” said La Grange head coach Matt Kates. “But they are tough.”
The Leps (5-5 overall and 3-2 in district) now turn their attention to the playoffs, where they are the No. 3 seed out of District 12 (thanks to Giddings’ upset of Gonzales).
La Grange will play Madisonville (6-4) Thursday at 7 p.m. at College Station High School. The winner of that game advances to play the Bellville/West Orange-Stark victor.
“If we go out and play like we played the first half tonight, we can play with anybody,” Kates said.
Against Cuero the only time the Leps were able to get on the scoreboard was in the second quarter on a 27-yard pass from Bravion Rogers to freshman tight end Oliver Gunn 2:59 before halftime.
Rogers sprinted to the right and with the Cuero defense expecting him to run the ball, he lofted it to a wide-open Gunn.
“We actually had scripted that for the first play of the game and had a little slip up, but we found another opportunity to use it, and it worked to perfection,” Gunn said. The play was just another example of the big impact Gunn has had on the varsity this season, despite being the team’s only freshmen. He is also a starting linebacker.
“I’m having the time of my life,” said Gunn, who is the nephew of Tye Gunn, who quarterbacked the Leps to the 2000 state title. “These guys are my brothers and they have taken me under their wing and done everything they can to make me feel comfortable. It’s a big family.”
Gunn’s TD sent the Leps into the break tied 7-7 with a Gobblers team that has been blowing everybody out lately.
“There was a lot of belief in that locker room at halftime,” Kates said.
“We were excited, but we got a little too complacent against these guys and they showed us who they were in the second half,” Gunn said.
The Gobblers (9-1) ended up having three different players rush for over 100 yards – Tycen Williams (151 yards), Zyler Jones (112 yards) and Jeremiah Wilson (106 yards).
The Leps only managed 164 yards on the ground, led by Jakobe Wilkerson’s 94 yards. La Grange only had 34 yards through the air.