Leps Light Up the Scoreboard for First Win of the Season

The Leopards treated a big homecoming crowd to an offensive showcase Friday that earned La Grange its first win of the season.

La Grange and Splendora combined for 110 points and nearly 1,000 yards of offense before the Leps prevailed 6347.

“We’re really excited,” said new La Grange head coach Kyle Cooper, who was celebrating his first win at the school after an 0-4 start. “The kids have been working hard for this one. Obviously we would have liked to have it earlier, but it’s great to do it on homecoming in a town like La Grange, Texas where football is so important.”

Those 63 points were the most the Leps had scored in a decade, since a 63-13 district win over Smithville in 2013.

“We want to play fast and wear people down and we were able to do that tonight,” Kyle Cooper said.

La Grange junior quarterback Clayton Cooper was a big part of getting his dad his first win as Leps head coach.

Clayton ran for a teamhigh 138 yards and two touchdowns and he also threw for 203 yards on 18 of 23 passing with three touchdowns through the air.

“I feel like tonight we showed who we can really be,” Clayton Cooper said. “Being 0-4 didn’t feel good. We had to come out here and turn our season around.”

For the first four games of the season Clayton Cooper and senior Bennett Barber had alternated series at quarterback, but Friday the job was Cooper’s.

“Getting ready to go into district it was time to make a decision,” Kyle Cooper said of the QB battle.

At one point Clayton Cooper completed 13 passes in a row Friday.

The Leps also had a big game from junior Le’Kayvion Broussard, who carried the ball 26 times for 135 yards and three touchdowns.

“We’ve been playing some good teams ... but we hadn’t gotten a win in a while. I don’t like losing,” Broussard said.

La Grange’s Jeremiah Dillard scored his first varsity touchdown and rushed for 55 yards. Lep receiver Julian Sherman had seven catches for 104 yards and two touchdowns Friday, and Thai Scott caught a touchdown.

“All gas, no brakes,” Sherman said. “Each game we’re getting more used to this offense.”

The La Grange defense allowed 445 yards of offense to Splendora, but they made stops when they had to.

The Leps picked off Wildcat quarterback Robert Lubbers four times. Cordale Knapik snagged two, Austin Roe got one on a two-point conversion try. After that La Grange scored twice to take a 56-33 lead.

But Splendora (1-4), aided by a successful onside kick, cut the Leps lead from 23 to just nine points with three minutes left in the game. But La Grange orchestrated a 51-yard drive capped off by Broussard’s third touchdown run with 48 seconds left in the game.

Max Dixon then grabbed an interception with 25 seconds left in the game to seal the win for the Leps.

“It was part of our game plan, reading that QB’s eyes, and he led me where I needed to be every play,” Knapik said. “Those (interceptions) were huge for Knapik and the defense,” Kyle Cooper said.

Now La Grange (1-4) has an off week, as does the rest of District 12-4A. Then district play begins Oct. 6 as La Grange travels to Smithville (1-4).

“This was pretty big, it will get our confidence up and let us know we can play at this level every game,” Knapik said. “We’re going to fight to the end.”