MOUNT BERRY, Ga. – The LaGrange College football team concluded their best season in school history on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament with an 18-14 loss at Berry College, the number one team in the region, at Valhalla Field in Mount Berry, Georgia.
THE BASICS
Score: LaGrange 14, Berry 18
Records: Panthers 10-2, 7-0 USA South | Vikings 10-1, 7-0 SAA
DRIVE-BY-DRIVE
- The Panthers received the opening kickoff and immediately committed to their ground game with junior running back Tacaris Bozeman (Montgomery, Ala.) getting the first two handoffs. Facing a third and long, junior quarterback Henry Brodnax (Newnan, Ga.) hit junior running back Kolby Crawford (Douglasville Ga.) for a 27-yard completion on the outside. Three plays later, Brodnax found sophomore tight end Mychal Stillwell (Warner Robins, Ga.) through heavy coverage who forced his way to the Berry eight, setting up a first and goal. On third down, the Panthers drew a pass interference penalty, setting up a new first and goal from the two. Three plays later, Brodnax would take it in himself on a sneak as LaGrange took a 7-0 lead with 7:52 remaining in the first quarter.
- On their first possession, the Vikings started at their own 28 and drove in to Panther territory, getting bailed out with an offsides penalty on a fourth and three. Facing the same situation four plays later, Berry junior quarterback Andrew Hunter (Huntsville, Ala.) broke through for a 28-yard touchdown, followed by a successful two-point conversion by senior wide receiver Brendan Gray (Calhoun, Ga.) as the host Vikings went ahead 8-7.
- Facing a third-and-twelve on their ensuing drive, Brodnax went back to Stillwell for an 18-yard completion to the LC 30. Two plays later Stillwell would reach the 50 on another reception as the first quarter came to an end. On the second play of the second quarter, Brodnax went deep and was picked off by Berry senior cornerback Brycen Williams (Auburn, Ga.) at the Viking 10.
- On Berry's next drive, the LaGrange secondary went to work as the Vikings went three-and-out with LC senior cornerback Legend Doggett (McDonough, Ga.) breaking up the pass on third down. After a bad punt, Panthers got the ball back at the Berry 34.
- On the Panthers' first play from scrimmage, LaGrange freshman quarterback Kirk Scott (Richmond Hill, Ga.) torched the Viking defense for a 34-yard touchdown as LC went up 14-8.
- On their ensuing drive, the Vikings continued with their aggressive playcalling on fourth down with Hunter converting with a seven yard run on a fourth-and-one. Three plays later Berry senior quarterback Christian Lewis (Calhoun, Ga.) passed to senior wide receiver Nate Lyons (Smyrna, Ga.) for a 32-yard gain with Doggett saving the touchdown. A costly offensive pass interference call against the Vikings two plays later stalled the drive, however, as the Panthers defense forced the punt.
- With 5:42 left in the half, the Panthers turned to LaGrange junior running back Michael Hays (Jacksonville, Fla.) who needed just two carries to batter his way to a first down with 4:34 remaining. Later in the drive, Brodnax went deep on third down, but it was just out of the reach of the receiver's fingers along the sideline as the Black and Red were forced to punt with 2:55 left.
- With 1:00 remaining on the clock in the second quarter, LaGrange junior defensive end Anthony Lovett (Atlanta, Ga.) picked up the game's first sack on second down, forcing Berry to take a timeout. The Panthers forced Lewis to throw it away on the next play, and LC got the ball back with 46.3 seconds left on the clock.
- On first down, Scott exploded out of the backfield and down the sideline for a 38-yard rush before being forced out of bounds at the Berry 27 with 36.4 seconds remaining. On the very next play, Brodnax was picked off by Berry senior defensive back Chaz Pope (Spring Garden, Ala.) as the first half came to an end with LaGrange still leading 14-8.
- On the opening kickoff of the second half, Berry got a great return from senior kick returner Eli Warrington (Athens, Ga.) with a penalty tacked on, giving them a first and goal at the LaGrange 30-yard line. Four plays later the Vikings would find the endzone as senior running back Colby Sikes (Dacula, Ga.) capitalized on a fake for a 28-yard run as the home team went ahead 15-14 less than two minutes into the third.
- Trailing once again, the Panthers battled their way down the field, as Brodnax had another big pass to Crawford for a 27-yard completion into Vikings' territory. But three plays later Brodnax was sacked and LaGrange was forced to punt. Once again, however, the Panthers' defense stepped up, forcing Berry into a three-and-out.
- With Hays running out of the backfield, the junior running back carried the Panthers to the Berry 34 with a pair of back-to-back runs. Later facing third-and-ten, Brodnax escaped the pocket and scrambled for a first down to the Vikings 22. On the very next play, Scott would fumble on a keeper, giving the ball back to Berry.
- The Vikings drove deep into Panthers' territory as the third quarter came to a close, finally settling for a 31-yard field goal with 13:28 left in the fourth quarter to go up 18-14.
- Facing third and seven at their own 30, Brodnax hit Stillwell on a slant and he picked up just enough for the first down. The Berry defense stiffened, however, and LaGrange was forced to punt it away with 10:00 remaining in the game, still trailing by four.
- The Vikings' offense was driving on the Panthers when LaGrange senior safety Deon King Jr. (Vienna, Ga.), the team's leader in sacks and tackles for a loss this season, dropped the Berry quarterback for his first sack of the game on second down. Two plays later the hosts would go deep on fourth down, but the Panther coverage held and LC got the ball back with 6:38 to go and the season on the line.
- The Panthers went into the playbook on the first play from scrimmage as Crawford took a reverse and rushed for 20 yards to the Viking 44. The Scott kept it on a keeper, rushing left for a 17-yard gain. Two plays later LaGrange faced a third-and-two when Scott took the snapped and rushed to the right to pickup another first down. First-and-ten at the eleven, Bozeman was stuffed behind the line of scrimmage. Two plays later facing third-and-nine, LaGrange took a timeout with 2:06 left in the game. Scott took it on the keeper and setup a fourth-and-eight from the nine. Seeing the Panther formation, it was Berry's turn to burn a timeout with 2:00 remaining, taking the game to the two-minute warning.
- On the snap, Brodnax threw to Stillwell in the corner of the endzone, only for Williams to breakup the pass as Berry took over. A first down run by Hunter allowed the Vikings to run out the clock.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Brodnax threw for 129 yards on 11-of-16 passing on the day with two interceptions and rushing for one touchdown.
- Scott rushed for 125 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown.
- Lewis led the Vikings with 170 passing yards, throwing 14-of-22.
- Hays rushed for 41 yards on four carries while Bozeman added 16.
- Stillwell caught four passes for 66 yards while Crawford had two catches for 54 yards.
- Junior linebacker Dezmond Jones (Thomasville, Ga.) led the Panthers with seven tackles on the day.
- Doggett posted five tackles with a breakup while junior defensive back Keyon Stoutemire (Pensacola, Fla.) and sophomore linebacker Wyatt Tant (Hilton Head Island, S.C.) each had breakups.
- The 2025 season was a banner season for the Panthers, as they won just their second ever conference championship and reached the NCAA Tournament for just the second time. Their win at Framingham State was the first postseason win and school history and their ten wins this season was a school single-season record.
CONCLUSION
- Congratulations to head coach Wes Dodson and his entire program on a truly magical season.
For continuing coverage of LaGrange College Athletics, visit lagrangepanthers.com and follow the Panthers on Instagram ( @lagrange_panthers ), Twitter ( @lcpanthers ) and Facebook ( LaGrange Panthers ).
