Leps Win Comeback Classic
In one of the biggest fourth quarter comebacks in La Grange football history, the Leps rallied from an 18-point deficit in the final period to stun previously unbeaten La Vernia 32-28 Friday.
Senior La Grange quarterback Caden Cooper threw for a whopping 337 yards Friday but used his feet to score the goahead touchdown with just 39 seconds in the game, running for a 16 yard touchdown.
“It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish,” said Cooper.
“This was one of the better wins we’ve had,” said La Grange head coach Matt Kates. “Golly. they (La Vernia) throw it and catch it really well. We knew they were good but we had a heck of a week of practice defensively ... Once you get momentum, it’s an unbelievable thing.”
After a Bravion Rogers interception, La Grange marched 69 yards in just a minute for the game winning drive. Then the La Grange defense held on for the victory, thwarting a last-second La Vernia try, with Adam Faske in coverage as a Hail Mary pass by the Bears fell incomplete in the endzone.
That final incompletion touched off a wild celebration for the Leps in front of their home fans, and improved the Leps’ record to 1-2 heading into this week’s homecoming game Friday at 7:30 p.m. against winless Taylor.
“We knew we could beat teams, but just hadn’t been playing as soundly as we could,” Cooper said. “Tonight we bounced back, didn’t put our heads down and kept playing.”
This game was wild from the start as La Grange took a 10-0 lead. Then La Vernia scored 28 unanswered points, before the Leps dominated the final quarter, scoring the final 22 points of the game.
This contest served as a kind of coming out party for Rogers, a La Grange sophomore.
He was talented enough to be the only freshman to make the varsity last season and has been a regular contributor for the Leps ever since, but Friday Rogers showcased the athleticism that will have him likely become a big-time college recruit.
“Send this tape to recruiters and it’s on,” Kates said of Rogers’ performance Friday.
Rogers caught eight passes for 209 yards, including a 49-yard touchdown from Cooper in the second quarter.
“Last year I didn’t know that much, I came into this season and I knew I had to do something,” Rogers said. “I got used to the speed and tempo.”
“He’s an athlete pure and simple,” Cooper said. “Every game he keeps getting better and better.”
But it was Rogers’ catch of a pass thrown by La Vernia that was his biggest snag of the night.
La Grange was still trailing 28-25 with less than two minutes in the game and La Vernia was facing a third-and-eight at the Leps 26 yard line. Rogers out-jumped a Bears receiver near the goal line and then returned the interception 28 yards.
Five plays later (one of which was a Rogers 34-yard reception) and Cooper was trotting into the endzone with the game-winner.
La Grange was it’s own worst enemy in this contest, losing five turnovers. That’s what mostly fueled La Vernia’s big third quarter surge.
But La Grange had just enough time for the comeback.
Down 28-10, La Grange trimmed the Bears’ lead to 11 when Joseph Mueller bulldozed a path for a Cooper 14-yard touchdown run with 9:23 left in the game.
A big tackle for a loss by Jakobe Wilkerson on a third- and-short got the Leps the ball back, and Ryder Imhoff made a one-handed snag of a Cooper pass and turned it into a 53-yard touchdown with 5:58 left in the game.
At that point, the Leps trailed just 28-25, setting the stage for Rogers’ interception and Cooper’s touchdown run to win it.
“We still have a lot we can clean up, but everybody just has to stay calm when bad things happen and not get frustrated because bad things are going to happen, but it’s how you respond to them,” Cooper said.
Other items of note:
• Back-up kicker Jackson Bundick played a big role in this one. With starter Hector Orona unavailable, Bundick nailed a 29-yard field goal to start the night’s scoring for La Grange and was also three-of-three on extra points.
• Both Faske brothers, Adam and Andrew, recovered fumbles in this one for La Grange.
• Grant Juno had an important sack of the La Vernia quarterback on the last play of the first half to keep the Leps ahead 10-7 going into halftime.
• La Grange quarterback Matthew Johnson, who has not played since suffering a concussion in Week 1, may be available this week.
La Grange 32, La Vernia 28
Scoring summary
First Quarter
LA GRANGE – 5:50, Jackson Bundick 29 field goal
Second Quarter
LA GRANGE – 9:45, Bravion Rogers 49 pass from Caden Cooper (Bundick kick)
LA VERNIA – Daryl Dulak 12 pass from Gage Lowry (Mason Roberts kick)
Third Quarter
LA VERNIA – 11:04, Cash Casas 39 yard interception return (Roberts kick)
LA VERNIA – 9:00, Jarrett Lubianski 3 run (Roberts kick)
LA VERNIA – 1:35, Koy Carpenter 50 pass from Lowry (Roberts kick)
Fourth Quarter
LA GRANGE – 9:23, Cooper 14 run (Bundick kick)
LA GRANGE – 5:58, Ryder Imhoff 53 pass from Cooper (Cooper run)
LA GRANGE – :39, Cooper 16 run (Bundick kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATS
Rushing – La Grange: D.J. Taylor 16-95, Caden Cooper 16-40, Jakobe Wilkerson 4-7, Bravion Rogers 3-7, Team 1-(-5), Ryder Imhoff 1-(-6); La Vernia: Hunter Kitsmiller 18-108.
Passing – La Grange: Cooper 16 of 27 for 337 yards with 3 INTs and 1 TD, Clay Wolff 0 for 1 with 1 INT: La Vernia: Gage Lowry 13 of 24 for 218 with 1 INT and 2 TDs.
Receiving – La Grange: Bravion Rogers 8-209, Ryder Imhoff 3-77, Dana Baker 3-28, Jordan Scott 2-23: La Vernia: Koy Carpenter 6-130, Daryl Dulak 7-88.
District 13-4A Standings
Giddings 2-1
Navasota 2-1
La Grange 1-2
Smithville 1-2
Gonzales 0-3
Cuero 0-3
Friday’s other scores:
Yoakum 27, Cuero 0
Mexia 38, Navasota 14
Giddings 46, Taylor 12
Shiner 41, Smithville 12
Fredericksburg 46, Gonzales 6
This week’s games:
Taylor at La Grange
Navarro at Cuero
Hargrave at Navasota
Smithville at Jarrell
Gonzales at La Vernia
Caldwell at Giddings