GAINESVILLE, Ga. – Lagrange won their third road game of the playoffs behind their dominant running game Friday night, knocking off North Hall at The Brickyard, 49-17.
Malachi Fannin-Render was the difference in the game, leading a rushing attach that totaled 396 yards on the ground. He ran for 264 yards on just seven carries, three of which found the endzone.
The Trojans were the first to score on a Blayde Carmona 21-yard field goal, but Fannin-Render answered back immediately with a 49-yard rushing score to give the Grangers a 7-3 lead. After forcing a punt, Lagrange came right back and got an 8-yard rushing score from Caydin Thomas to extend their lead out to 14-3.
The Grangers went on to score the next 35 points, starting with a 95-yard rushing score from Fannin-Render. He would have an 85-yard rushing score on the other side of an 88-yard passing score that pushed the lead to 35-3 at halftime before a 24-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter and a 7-yard rushing score on the first play of the fourth quarter.
North Hall kept battling as Cole Cable caught a 40-yard pass from Smith McGarvey and then a 24-yard passing score from McGarvey to Cole Lindlief, but it was too little, too late as the Grangers advanced to the semifinals.
Cable finished with six catches for 151 yards for the Trojans, while McGarvey was 16-for-29 for 252 yards through the air.
Lagrange will battle Jefferson next week for a spot in the Class 3A finals.
