Lions survive Bulldog attack

GRANGER - The Granger Lions roar past the Iola Bulldogs with a 14-23 at the Lion’s stadium Oct. 6.

Iola (4-2, 0-1) and Granger (5-1, 1-0) were scoreless in the first quarter, with each team forcing turnovers.

The Lions scored first on an 8-yard pass from Chase Edwards to Jayven Diaz in the second quarter. A successful kick made the score 7-0.

Iola fought back with a 50-yard pass connection from Tyler Elliot to Kage Lee. The big pass set up Adrian Garrett 15-yard rushing touchdown. Chris Arzola connected on the point-after to tie the game, 7-7.

Granger answered on the legs of quarterback Chase Edwards, who carried the ball 25 yards to regain the lead. The kick failed, sending the Lions into halftime with a 13-7 lead.

The Bulldogs were poised to fight coming out of halftime. With Granger facing a thirdand- 17 in the third quarter, Cooper Morgan intercepts the Lion quarterback. Adrian Garett had two carries that allowed the Bulldogs to capitalize on the turnover. Elliot scored from a yard out. Arzola tacked on the extra-point to give Iola a 14-13 lead.

The battle between the Bulldogs and Lions continued. Granger scored on a 1-yard run and connected on the extra point to put the Lions back on top, 20-14, putting the Lions back in the lead 14-20. Granger extended their lead on a 25-yard field goal by Jose Valverde.

“We played really well in areas against the number 10 team in Texas,” Iola Head Coach Rex Sharp said. “We ran the ball well and gang tackled. We need to be more consistent on staying in front of the chains and not getting penalized to stop drives. Our district has three top-10 teams in it. I like how we are competing, and I think we have a great opportunity to be a playoff team.”

Iola hosts the Milano Eagles for homecoming Friday, Oct. 13. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.