Fantastic Fifteen: Chuck LaGrange ready to lead

ALBANY — Sherwood Christian was losing 56-0 when a seventh-grader who wasn’t even supposed to be on the field caught a kickoff and raced the length of the field for the Eagles’ only touchdown.

Now, five years later, that same player is preparing for the biggest assignment of his football career.

Chuck LaGrange will replace record-setting quarterback Tripp Roberts while leading Sherwood Christian into a new era as the Eagles transition from 8-man to 11-man football.

“I’m really excited for the opportunity to play a different position and to lead the team,” LaGrange said. “I want to be able to help the team in any way I can.”

Sherwood athletic director Jay Flynt still remembers the day he realized LaGrange was special.

“I remember when Chuck was in seventh grade, we were at a middle school game in Vidalia and getting killed 56-0,” Flynt said. “The ball was kicked to Chuck — he wasn’t even supposed to be the guy on the field — and he caught it and ran it all the way back for a touchdown. It was the only time we scored that day.”

LaGrange didn’t begin playing football until he arrived at Sherwood Christian in the seventh grade. The son of Jon and Virginia LaGrange, he quickly developed into one of the Eagles’ top offensive weapons, rushing for more than 1,200 yards as a sophomore while helping Sherwood build one of the state’s premier eight-man football programs.

Now comes an entirely different challenge.

The Eagles have a new quarterback, a new offensive line and new receivers while adjusting to the wider field and different spacing of 11-man football. They also move into what many consider the toughest region in GIAA Class AA.

“It’s definitely going to be different,” LaGrange said. “We’ve got a whole new offensive line and new receivers. Plus now the field is wider since we are moving from 8-man to 11-man. There is more room, but there are also more players on the field, so the gaps to run through are smaller.”

Despite all the changes, LaGrange likes what he has seen throughout preseason practice.

“We have a lot of talent on this team — new faces but talented,” he said. “We’ve just got to adjust and work together and play together.”

Although quarterback is new territory, football itself isn’t.

LaGrange says what he enjoys most about the game hasn’t changed.

“I really love playing football,” he said. “I like the contact, the competition and being able to be with the team and my friends.”

He hopes football continues after high school and plans to play at the collegiate level if given the opportunity.

Before then, he’ll help lead one of the biggest transitions in Sherwood Christian history.

The Eagles open the season Aug. 21 at Central Fellowship Christian before hosting defending GIAA Class AA state champion Robert Toombs Academy the following week at Legacy Field.

Sherwood’s championship run in eight-man football is over.

Its next one begins with Chuck LaGrange.