Class 3A Blog: No. 10-ranked Troup upends No. 4 LaGrange; top-ranked Peach, No. 2 Sandy Creek cruise; underappreciated Douglass blanks No. 8 North Clayton

If there is one thing certain after Friday night, it is this.

Region 2 is tough.

If there’s another thing that is certain, Douglass-Atlanta (6-2, 4-0) seemingly has been overlooked in the Score Atlanta football poll. The Astros upended No. 8-ranked North Clayton (7-1, 4-0) 42-0 at home.  

But back to Region 2.

The league features No. 2* Sandy Creek, No. 4* LaGrange and No. 10* Troup, who had a statement-making 38-24 victory Friday on the road against LaGrange.

(* rankings entering the week)

Troup (8-0, 6-0) handed LaGrange its second league loss in a key Region 2-3A matchup to remain tied with No. 2 Sandy Creek (8-0, 6-0) in the standings. LaGrange’s other loss was to Sandy Creek (23-7 on Aug. 29).

Troup’s victory, which will certainly have playoff seeding implications, was fueled by an overpowering run game and stifling defense.

Leading 35-21, a field goal from McCarty Harrelson with seven minutes left in the game put it out of reach for LaGrange.

Davis Moncus opened scoring for Troup with a touchdown run early in the first quarter, and a run with five minutes left put Troup ahead 14-0. LaGrange quarterback Dylan Barber cut into the lead early in the second quarter with a five-yard touchdown run. The LaGrange defense forced an interception which set up Caydin Thomas on a run to tie the game with three minutes remaining before halftime.

Blaize Bell regained the lead for Troup with a run with less than a minute left in the first half. The Troup defense expanded the lead to 28-14 on a 70-yard interception returned for a touchdown with nine minutes left in the third quarter. A 7-yard touchdown run put Troup ahead 34-14 late in the third quarter. LaGrange scored on a run with 10 minutes left in the game, leaving the Grangers trailing 35-21.

Sandy Creek stumbled early but had little issues in its 62-21 victory against Whitewater (3-5, 2-4). The Patriots were nursing a 27-21 lead at the half, before expanding the lead with a 21-0 effort in the fourth quarter.

Top-ranked Peach County moved to 8-0 and 3-0 in Region 1 after beating Bainbridge 42-7 and the Marquis Westbrook era is well underway in his third season at the helm. The victory marks the first time Peach is undefeated through eight games since 2014 when Peach went undefeated in the regular season and then lost to Appling 14-7 in the first round of the playoffs. Last season, the Trojans were a championship favorite before falling to Calhoun 38-28 at home in the quarterfinals.

Westbrook took over in 2023 and led the Trojans to a 4-7 record and first-round exit in his inaugural season in Fort Valley. Last year’s quarterfinal exit with a youthful team gave the program the experience it needed for a championship coach. Prior to Peach County, Westbrook led Warner Robins to state championship victories in 2020 and 2021 with a loss in the title game in 2022.

Class 3A Top 10 other results

3. Calhoun def. Gilmer 49-22

5. North Hall def. Lumpkin County 35-12

6. Jefferson rested.

7. West Laurens def. Hepzibah 42-7

8. North Clayton lost to Douglass-Atlanta 42-0

9. Stephenson def. Riverdale 63-20

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