By Kevin Eckleberry

Sports Editor

If Wednesday night was any indication, the future for the LaGrange and Troup football teams looks awfully bright.

Gardner Newman and Long Cane middle schools got together at Callaway Stadium Wednesday night to determine the county championship, and the young ballplayers put on a show.

There were electrifying plays, big hits, and plenty of action to keep the big crowd entertained.

In the end, it was Gardner Newman doing enough to take a 22-15 victory that secured the county title.

Long Cane led 7-0 early, but Gardner Newman scored 22 straight points before the Cougars scored a touchdown with 30 seconds left to make it closer.

The win closed a successful season for Gardner Newnan, whose coach said some hard work in the summer helped lead to this moment.

“We started out this summer. I had a weight program at the recreation center, and we had like 25, 30 guys show up every other day,” Michael Woodard said. “That told me right then and there they wanted to get better.”

Long Cane coach Jeff Benefield said he was proud that his players kept fighting until the end, but that they made a few too many mistakes.

“You miss a block, you go the wrong way, and that makes the difference,” Benefield said. “It’s just a play here or there.”

The Cougars brought their fans to their feet early, with quarterback Tycorey Gilbert beating the Mustangs’ defense for a long touchdown run, and the extra point made it a 7-0 game.

The Mustangs came right back, with Daryl Dunlap taking a screen pass from quarterback Zach Giddens and sprinting 45 yards for the touchdown.

The conversion failed, leaving Long Cane up 7-6.

The Mustangs took the lead later in the quarter when, on a fourth-down play, Benny Gray took a handoff from Giddens and went 36 yards for the score.

Gray’s conversion run gave the Mustangs a 14-7 lead.

The Cougars threatened in the second quarter, with Sammy Smith coming up with a nice catch in traffic to put the ball in Gardner Newman territory, but the Mustangs made a fourth-down stop to get the ball back.

Long Cane’s Chris Howard picked off a pass right before the half to make sure it would remain a 14-7 game.

Early in the third quarter, the Mustangs padded their lead when Daquarious Denson showed off his speed with a 72-yard touchdown run.

Giddens’ conversion pass to Dunlap gave Gardner Newman a 22-7 lead.

It remained a 15-point game until the final minute when Gilbert and Howard hooked up for a 72-yard touchdown with 34 seconds remaining.

Howard got behind the defense, and Gilbert threw a perfect pass, hitting his receiver in stride.

Gilbert then completed a conversion pass to Smith, and the Cougars were down 22-15.

The Cougars’ hopes ended, though, when an onside kick attempt failed, and the Mustangs were able to run out the clock.