By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

With quarterback Kobe Hudson slowed because of an ankle injury, the presence of running back Trey Williams became that much more important for the Troup Tigers in last week’s showdown against LaGrange.

Hudson, normally a dynamic runner, had that part of his game taken away when he injured his ankle during the first half against LaGrange.

Fortunately for the Tigers, Williams was there to pick up the slack in a 21-6 victory over the Grangers.

Williams ran for 124 yards on 21 attempts, good for an average of nearly six yards per carry, and he scored a touchdown.

In the second half after LaGrange got within eight points, Troup was able to regain control and put the game away thanks in part to Williams’ ability to churn out the tough yards.

“We started running better, started getting outside the zone, and it was opening up,” Williams said.

Williams is enjoying a big senior season that began with a 210-yard effort in an opening-night win over Ridgeland.

Williams leads the team with 943 yards on 136 attempts, and he has nine rushing touchdowns.

Williams has also made an impact in the passing game with nine catches for 88 yards.

Hudson is Troup’s second-leading rusher with 572 yards on 65 attempts, but he only had two carries for 14 yards against LaGrange.

While his mobility was restricted because of the ankle injury, Hudson still managed to make an impact on the game.

Hudson completed 10-of-16 passes for 225 yards with two touchdowns.

touchdown passes of 15 and 58 yards to Zy Varner.

TWO-WAY THREAT: In an effort to bolster a defense that has struggled at times, Troup head coach Tanner Glisson made Zy Varner a full-time defensive player last week.

Varner, Troup’s top wide receiver, started at linebacker against LaGrange, and he had a monster game.

Varner had 10 tackles with seven solo stops, and he had three tackles for loss with 2.5 sacks.

Varner made his presence felt on offense as well with touchdown catches of 15 and 58 yards from Kobe Hudson.

LaGrange was within eight when Varner caught a 58-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to help Troup put the game away.

DYNAMITE DEFENSE: The LaGrange Grangers found the end zone once in last week’s game, but it was mostly a suffocating effort by Troup’s defense.

Troup had 16 tackles for loss, and that included 14 sacks of LaGrange quarterback Charles Crawford.

Counting the negative yards on sacks, LaGrange finished with 110 yards, although it did score a touchdown on a 20-yard run by Kale Gibbs in the fourth quarter.

Troup’s leading tackler was senior defensive lineman Jeremiah Holston, who had 13 tackles including five for loss with 2.5 sacks, and he also had four quarterback hurries.

Defensive lineman Xavier Clarke had a big game as well with12 tackles, including a sack.

Also on the defensive line, Jordan Adams had 10 tackles with three for loss, Andy Boykin had six tackles with two sacks, and Royce White had a sack.

Linebacker Devon Hill had a huge game for Troup with 10 total tackles, including three for loss.

Fellow linebacker Zy Varner also had 10 tackles with three for loss with 2.5 sacks, and freshman linebacker A.J Tucker had nine tackles with a sack.

Luke Purnell, Troup’s starting tight end, played some at linebacker and had a forced fumble.

Among the players in the secondary, defensive back Jace Godwin led the way with five tackles.

COMING UP: Troup (5-2 overall, 2-1 in Region 5-AAAA) will visit Cedartown (3-4, 2-1) on Friday night, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.