Team football showing support for classmates during spring football game
Published on Monday, May 20, 2024 at 10:22 p.m.
The Troup football team was on the road to Newnan on Monday for their spring game, but it was far from business as usual as the Tigers lost 28-10. Following a tragic accident last Thursday involving five students, the team played, coached and watched with heavy hearts on Monday. Simply put, football was the last thing on anyone's mind on Monday.
On the field, Troup's defense was solid in the first half, but fell apart in the second half as the second unit was unable to maintain the level of production shown by the starters.
The team struggled even more offensively with the ball. With so many young players playing for their first national team, there were growing pains. The team lost a total of 17 starting pitchers from before the season.
Newnan took the lead midway through the first quarter with a 27-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown. Coach Tanner Glisson elected to kick a field goal on fourth-and-4 from the 13th inning, and the Tigers ultimately qualified. McCarty Harrelson takes the kicks and will be a real weapon heading into his second season as the starting kicker.
The Tigers led 7-3 until the Cougars made a big play and a short touchdown run to take a 14-3 lead with 1:10 left in the first half. These were the first goals conceded by the defense in the game.
The Cougars mounted a strong attack in the second half, dominating the reserves. With Newnan set to play in 5A and Troup in 3A next season, the Cougars were able to show off their depth in the second half.
The team finally reached the end zone on the final play of the game when John Derrius Williams completed a 24-yard run.
The Tigers will take to the practice field on June 3rd. The Tigers will scrimmage against Cedartown on August 2nd before heading to Villa Rica on August 16th to begin the season.
