The Taylor Ducks’ early-season struggles continued Friday night with a 55-12 loss to the La Grange Leopards on Sept. 19, at La Grange. The defeat dropped Taylor to 0-4 overall as it continues to search for its first win of the season.
La Grange seized control early, opening the game with a quick touchdown drive to take a 7-0 lead. After a Taylor threeand- out, the Leopards added a 65-yard punt return for a score to make it 13-0. From there, the first quarter turned into a rout as La Grange scored four more times to carry a 41-0 lead into the second quarter. Taylor’s defensive line struggled to contain the Leopards’ rushing attack, giving up six total rushing touchdowns. Missed tackles allowed La Grange backs to consistently break into the second level and rip off big plays.
The Ducks had early chances to stay in the game but failed to capitalize. Sophomore quarterback Johnny Guzman overthrew a wide-open receiver on a potential touchdown pass in the first quarter, and a dropped snap inside the 10-yard line ended another promising drive.
Taylor finally broke through in the second half when junior running back Kavon Godwin powered in a 3-yard touchdown run to make it 48-6. After a goalline stand by the defense, the Ducks drove 97 yards on their best possession of the night. Freshman quarterback Jeremiah Caldwell capped the drive with a 25-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 48-12.
La Grange added a late touchdown to seal the 55-12 win as the clock ran in the fourth quarter.
Taylor will look to regroup when it returns home to face Manor New Tech on Friday, Sept. 26, at 7:30 p.m. as it seeks its first victory of the season. Next week’s game will be the District 13-4A-Division I opener for both the Ducks and Titans.
