By Kevin Eckleberry

kevin.eckleberry@lagrangenews.com

LAGRANGE – The Lafayette Christian School Cougars hung tough with one of the state’s elite teams, but Crisp Academy pulled away in the second half for a 60-34 victory.

The Cougars fell to 0-4, but head coach Nate Shaw was pleased with the effort.

“They’re one of my favorites to play for the state championship,” Shaw said. “They’re a gritty team. They’ve got some athletes. So we just flat out told the guys, this is a really, really good team, and you’re going to have to play better. Quit hanging your head because you’re young. It’s not an excuse. You’ve got to go out and play, and we really did that. We were proud of how they played despite the loss.”

Junior quarterback Landon Whitley had 22 carries for 174 yards with a pair of touchdowns, and he completed 6-of-12 passes for 134 yards with two touchdowns.

Whitley’s scoring passes went to Cason Firth (47 yards) and Nathan Hudson (19 yards).

Jacob Lueken added a 10-yard scoring run.