Grapeland Polishes Off Legacy, 63-35

Win Gives Sandies 10-1 Regular Season Record

By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter

GRAPELAND – The Grapeland Sandies took to the field on Friday night against an opponent very few people in East Texas had heard of. The team was is called the Legacy School of Sports Sciences Titans and they are based in Spring.

The Sandies were originally scheduled to play the Sabine Pass Sharks but when the Sharks cancelled their season in early October, it left Grapeland with two byes in the last three weeks of the regular season.

AD/Head Coach Wayne Mahaffey was able to set up a game with Legacy as a tune-up before the Sandies headed into the playoffs. And what a tune-up it was!

The two teams marched up and down the field in the first half as neither one could stop the other. When the horn blew at the end of the first half the score was tied 35-35. In the second half, however, the Sandies defense shutout the Titans as Grapeland pulled away to win by a final score of 63-35.

The Sandies opened the game with possession of the ball at their own 26. After a Josh Ackley run didn’t go anywhere, Grapeland QB Rick Frauenberger connected with Ackley on a wheel route and Ackley did the rest as he took the ball 74 yards for the game’s first score. Ackley added the XP and with 10:48 remaining in the first quarter, Grapeland led 7-0.

When the Titans got the ball, they went on a long sustained drive that ended with Legacy QB Quincy Ivory plowing across the goal line from two yards out. Nshimirimana Mohamed knocked the extra point through the uprights and with 4:31, Legacy had tied the game at seven.

If you thought Grapeland’s first score was quick, the second score was even quicker. The Sandies took over at their own 13 following the kick and on their third snap of the game, Frauenberger dropped back to pass and found BJ Lamb for an 87-yard scoring strike. Ackley converted the PAT and with 4:19 left in the period, Grapeland was back ahead 14-7.

On the ensuing kick, the Titans got a great return deep into Grapeland territory. Ivory picked up six and then found Sammy Keith for eight yards, down to the 10 of Grapeland. Ivory then picked up six and followed up with a four yard burst up the middle for his second TD of the quarter. The XP was good and with 1:30 still to play in the first, the score was tied at 14.

The Sandies’ next possession began at their own 30. After a Frauenberger incompletion, Ackley took a handoff, found the edge of the defense and rambled 55 yards to the Legacy 25. Two plays later Frauenberger connected with Keizion Ashford for 13 yards. With the ball at the 12, the Titans jumped offside and moved the Sandies up five yards. From there Ackley did the rest as he ripped off an eight yard score and added the extra point to make the score 21-14 with 11:45 left in the half.

Grapeland finally managed to stop Legacy on their next possession when Cooper Sheridan picked off Ivory at the 45. Once again the Sandies made quick work of things as Frauenberger and Lamb connected once again. This time it was from 40 yards out and made the score 27-14.

The Titans fought back however and moved the ball down the field quickly. Their drive ended with a two- yard Ivory plunge for six and after the extra point, Legacy trailed 27-21.

An interception of Frauenberger gave the ball rick back to the Titans at the Grapeland 25. D’Karius Whitley moved the chains as he picked up 11 yards on two carries and then Ivory tied the game at 27 with a 14-yard TD scamper. The XP by Mohamed was good and with 5:44 left in the half, Legacy now led 28-27.

The Titans’ lead didn’t last long, however. The Sandies took over at their own 34 and following a four yard completion to Javion Joseph and a two-yard Ackley run, Ackley found a crease in the defense which allowed him to sprint 58 yards to pay dirt. On the try for two, Frauenberger connected with Ackley and with 4:01 left in the quarter, Grapeland had re-taken the lead.

After the two teams exchanged possessions, via the punt, Legacy took over at their own 42 with time winding down in the half. Ivory connected with Reggie Brown for 10 yards and then kept it himself on back-to-back carries which netted 26 yards.

Ivory’s runs brought the ball down to the 22 with 15 seconds left in the quarter. Following an incompletion, Ivory found Brown in the end zone for a 22-yard TD pass with four seconds left until halftime. The extra point was good and as the two teams headed to the locker rooms, the score was tied at 35.

As the second half got underway, the Titans went on a long drive to move inside the 30-yardline of Grapeland. However, on fourth and six, Ivory was picked off by James Coleman who took the interception back 75 yards for a TD. Ackley knocked the extra point home and with 8:51 left in the third, the Sandies had recaptured the lead at 42-35.

Following a Legacy punt, Frauenberger connected with Tyrin Wiley for a 39-yard score to extend the Sandies’ lead to 48-35.

Following a turnover on downs by Legacy, the Sandies went to the ground as the offensive line began to dominate. Ackley, Ashford and Frauenberger moved the ball down to the Titans’ one and then Frauenberger plowed into the end zone to make the score 54-35. The Grapeland QB also converted the two-point attempt and with 8:47 left in the game, Grapeland now led 56-35.

An interception by Wiley gave the ball back to the Sandies at their own 30. Grapeland stayed on the ground and began to milk the clock. A 10-yard TD by Cadarian Wiley and an extra point by Ackley with 57 seconds left to play closed out the scoring as Grapeland picked up the 63-35 win and moved to 10-1 on the season.

After the game, Coach Mahaffey gave credit to Legacy QB Quincy Ivory.

“It’s hard to play against Cam Newton. It’s difficult. He ran the ball well and threw the ball well. He gave us some trouble. But, we agreed to play this one because we thought it would be a step in the right direction as we head into the playoff and I think it was,” Mahaffey said.

“We’re playing pretty well even though we had some injuries. We never slowed down. The guys that were in there did their job,” Mahaffey said.

The Sandies next game will be a Bi-District match-up against the Hubbard Jaguars in Athens on Friday, Nov. 16. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].