LAGRANGE, Ga. – The LaGrange College football team is headed to Framingham, Massachusetts where they will play the Rams of Framingham State University on Saturday, November 22nd in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. The draw was announced Sunday evening during an NCAA selection show that the Panthers watched from Turner Hall on the LaGrange campus.
The Panthers of LaGrange (9-1, 7-0 USA South) reached the playoffs after putting together their best season since 2008, sweeping all seven USA South Athletic Conference games to claim the conference championship and with it the automatic qualifier to the NCAA postseason.
LaGrange has been led by their defense all season long. The Panthers boasted the number one overall defense in the USA South, as well as leading the entire nation in sacks per game and ranking second in team tackles for a loss.
Senior defensive back Deon King Jr. (Vienna, Ga.) leads the defense with 16 tackles-for-a-loss and 7.5 sacks this season, both team highs. King was named USA South Defensive Player of the Week earlier this season after a dominant performance over archrival Huntingdon College.
Sophomore linebacker Ched Smith (Macon, Ga.), last year's USA South Defensive Rookie of the Year, leads the Panthers with 61 tackles this season, to go along with six sacks, five quarterback hurries and two fumble recoveries.
Senior cornerback Legend Doggett (McDonough, Ga.) leads the Panthers' secondary, with four interceptions and six pass breakups this season. Doggett earned a conference Defensive Player of the Week award a week ago against Belhaven and was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week for his performance.
Junior quarterback Henry Brodnax (Newnan, Ga.) overcame adversity this season to lead the Panthers offense, as he threw for a USA South-best 2199 yards with 18 touchdowns. Brodnax peaked in the regular season finale at Southern Virginia on Saturday, throwing for 423 yards and a career-high six touchdowns in a dominant performance.
Junior running backs Michael Hays (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Tacaris Bozeman (Montgomery, Ala.) lead a powerful Panther rushing attack that finished second in the USA South. Hays (643 rushing yards, 4.6 per attempt) finished with five touchdowns while Bozeman (471 rushing yards, 5.7 per attempt) had six, earning a USA South Offensive Player of the Week award against Belhaven.
Senior wide receiver Ashton Bryant (Athens, Ga.) finished the season as the Panthers' number one wide receiver, totaling 29 catches for 533 yards and five touchdowns.
The Rams of Framingham State (7-3, 7-2 MASCAC) earned their place in the tournament by winning the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) championship, claiming the title via a tie-breaker.
The Rams were led offensively by freshman quarterback Michael Marcucella who ranked second in the MASCAC in yards per game and touchdown passes. Wide receiver Mathias Fowler finished the regular season first in the league in touchdown receptions and second in yards per game.
The game will be played a Bowditch Field in Framingham, Massachusetts. Kickoff time is 12:00pm.