Grapeland-Lovelady Rivalry Set for Next Messenger Game of the Week
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
GRAPELAND — The next Messenger Game of the Week will bring one of Houston County’s most familiar football rivalries to the field Friday night, when the Grapeland Sandies host the Lovelady Lions.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, in Grapeland.
Lovelady enters the non-district game ahead – after defeating Anderson-Shiro 34-14 on Friday, Aug. 28.
Grapeland will be looking to answer after falling to Elkhart 35-20 in its opener on Thursday, Aug. 27.
For Lovelady coach Jim Bird, the rivalry carries its own set of expectations regardless of what happened the previous week.
“There are a couple of things we can be guaranteed,” Bird said. “The first one is that Grapeland really wants to beat Lovelady, and the second one is that Lovelady really wants to beat Grapeland.”
Bird said rivalry games tend to erase records, momentum and recent results once the teams take the field.
“I think whenever you play these kinds of rivalry-type games or local games, you can throw out last week altogether,” Bird said. “You can throw out what’s been going on during the year, whether somebody won last week or lost last week. It doesn’t really matter. Everybody’s going to come with their best on that day.”
The Lions opened the season with a roster that Bird said included 19 players dressed for the varsity game. He said the team showed the effort and physicality he wanted to see, even while dealing with fatigue during the contest.
“We were proud of the kids’ fight and how hard they played,” Bird said. “That’s always kind of the thing we’re looking for more than anything: How hard are we playing? Are we providing effort? Are we being physical?”
Bird also acknowledged areas Lovelady will need to clean up, including too many penalties, particularly on special teams, along with mental mistakes.
Lovelady’s offense was led by its quarterback, who threw one touchdown pass and ran for three more. Bird said the quarterback managed the offense well and served as a threat in both the running and passing games.
Defensively, Bird pointed to Ryder Lovell as one of the Lions’ standouts. He also credited Isaac Chaisson and Isaiah Chaisson for their play in the secondary.
The Lions’ offensive line made adjustments during the game after seeing defensive looks the team had not expected, Bird said.
On the Grapeland side, coach Jordan Wood described the Lovelady Lions as a physical, tough and disciplined team under Bird. He said the Sandies will need to play a clean game to have success.
“We have to play a really clean game,” Wood said. “Coach Bird’s doing a good job over there. They’re a physical team, a tough team, a well-coached team, a real disciplined team.”
Wood said Grapeland’s focus will be on protecting the football, sustaining drives and preventing Lovelady from finding easy opportunities on offense.
“We’ve got to play a clean game, take care of the football, sustain drives, and then also make them earn their offensive plays as well,” Wood said. “It’s just whoever plays the cleanest game wins. That’s the way it always is when we play Lovelady.”
Bird said the rivalry is intensified by the fact that players from the two schools often know one another away from football.
“Everybody knows everybody,” Bird said. “Our kids know their kids’ names, and there’s a lot that’s a little more personal in those situations. That just kind of elevates the intensity of the game.”
Bird compared the atmosphere to a playoff setting, even though Friday’s game is a non-district contest.
“It’s as close to a playoff-game feel as you can get until you get to the playoffs,” he said. “That personal element kind of elevates everything because you’re playing people that you know.”
That familiarity will be part of the backdrop when the Sandies and Lions meet Friday night in Grapeland for the next Messenger Game of the Week.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
