BREVARD, N.C. - The Brevard College football team (3-4, 3-1 USA South) used a 14-0 scoring run in the fourth period to defeat LaGrange College (1-5, 0-4 USAS), 24-10, on Saturday afternoon at Ives-Lemel Family Field.
Junior transfer Chancellor Lee-Parker busted off a 73-yard touchdown run to kick off the fourth quarter of play before fifth-year senior Dalton Cole punched in a four-yard rushing TD with 1:09 left to play to ice the victory for the Tornados.
Cole, a senior from Hendersonville, North Carolina, made his first start under center for the Tornados in two seasons on Saturday afternoon, as the converted wide receiver returned to the quarterback position - a spot where he earned accolades such as 2018 USA South Conference Rookie of the Year before leading Brevard to the 2019 Scotty Whitelaw Bowl. Cole totaled 234 overall yards in the contest, going 11-for-20 through the air with 127 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. The versatile senior changed the game with his rushing ability, logging 18 carries for a career-best 107 net rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground, supplanting his previous career-high set on September 21, 2019, vs. Christopher Newport.
Lee-Parker also contributed heavily to a Tornado rushing attack that totaled a season-best 294 yards on the ground. The junior transfer from Auburn, Georgia by way of Mars Hill University logged a career-best 98 yards on just five carries, including his 73-yard touchdown scamper early in the fourth quarter - giving him 200 yards and three touchdowns on the season. Dustin Stephens (42 yards) and Mitchell Yoder (41 yards) also contributed heavily to BC's stellar day on the ground.
DeShawn Curtis hauled in his first career touchdown, catching a pair of passes for 29 yards. Jaden O'Leary led all Tornados with two catches for 45 yards, while Grafton Petrie added a pair of grabs for 30 yards.
Senior placekicker Stamati Damalos made a 47-yard field goal in addition to three extra points. Freshman punter Joe Powell launched three punts for 127 yards (42.3 avg) while Cooper Hogan ran back three kickoffs for 92 yards with a long of 37.
The Tornados were stout on the defensive side of the ball, allowing a season-low 10 points while forcing a pair of Panther turnovers. James Woods and KJ Dagout led all BC defenders with eight and seven tackles respectively, while both of the transfer defensive backs secured their first interceptions at Brevard.
Freshman defensive lineman Obidiah Grimes totaled six tackles that included three tackles-for-loss, 1 1/2 sacks, and a forced fumble. Toby Naylor added five tackles, while Jerome Bass, Jake Hage, Montrell Stinson, and Wyatt Lankford added four tackles apiece. Grequenceo Coger Jr. logged his second sack of the season.
LaGrange was led by its quarterback Shedrick Lindsey, who went 24-for-42 with 243 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions. De'queze Fryer totaled seven catches for 89 yards and a touchdown, while JayDon Cooper led the rushing attack with 40 yards on five carries. Klynell Johnson led all Panthers with eight tackles, as Renardo Faust, Rashad King, and Roderick Kirkland picked passes off.
BC received the ball after winning the coin toss but was unable to get any momentum on the game's first drive as the Tornados went three and out. The Panthers opened up with one of their longest drives of the afternoon - a 15-play, 73-yard stretch - but the Tornado defense held firm inside the red zone to hold the visitors to a field goal attempt, as LaGrange opened with a 3-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
Cole busted off a 29-yard run on the ensuing possession followed by his 18-yard touchdown connection to Curtis that gave BC the lead, 7-3.
BC forced a Panther punt on LaGrange's next possession, but LC intercepted Cole to stall BC's next possession. LaGrange was unable to capitalize on the field position, missing a 39-yard field goal attempt, but the Tornados were unsuccessful on their 42-yard try on the very next drive, keeping the score 7-3 in favor of Brevard.
Brevard's defense forced another LaGrange punt before BC put together a 10-play, 50-yard drive that ended with Damalos splitting the uprights from 47 yards out to extend the Brevard lead to a 10-3 mark at the halftime intermission.
LaGrange got the ball to begin the second half, as Woods secured the first INT of the season for BC's defense. However, the Panthers were able to get the ball right back after forcing Cole's second interception of the day - this time in the end zone - to secure possession back.
Brevard forced yet another LaGrange punt on the next drive, as its defense stood tall once again, but the Panthers picked off Cole for the third time on the day and returned this one 47 yards inside the Brevard 20-yard-line, setting up an easy scoring drive that tied things up, 10-10.
Both sides were forced to trade punts on their next possessions, as the Tornados had the ball going into the fourth and final period of play. After Cole earned a first down with his legs, Lee-Parker followed suit with a 73-yard touchdown strike, springing past the Panther defense to give Brevard the lead back, 17-10, with 14:08 left to play.
The Panthers went three and out on their next two possessions as Brevard got the ball back with 9:38 left to play. Behind the legs of Cole, Lee-Parker, Stephens, and Yoder, Brevard put together one of its longest drives of the season (14 plays, 75 yards) - putting the contest on ice with a four-yard TD jolt from Cole to extend the lead to a 14-point margin, 24-10, with just 1:03 left on the clock.
LaGrange made a last-second effort to put points up on the board with a 46-yard drive, but a last-second throw to the end zone ended up in the arms of Dagout to clinch the conference victory for the Tornados.
BC outgained LaGrange 421-346, with a sizable 294-103 advantage on the ground. BC's defense forced six Panther punts and totaled three sacks, six tackles-for-loss, and two interceptions.
Brevard hits the road next Saturday, October 29 to take on Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee, with kickoff slated for 2 p.m.
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