LaGrange High School (Georgia)

LaGrange High School, located in LaGrange, Georgia, United States, is a public secondary school serving around 1300 students in the Troup County school system. Founded in 1903, the school is notable for producing several collegiate and professional athletes and was the national champion football team in 1991.

The town and high school derive their name from a connection to the French soldier and statesman, the Marquis de La Fayette, who earned the love and respect of Americans through his service to the United States during the American Revolution.

Mascot

The school's mascot is recognized as being one of the most uncommon among high schools, the Granger.^[1] This leads people to ask, "What is a Granger?" The answer given is, "A Granger is a Champion!"

On the field, in the classroom, and in life, LHS students are champions. Determination, pride, and sportsmanship are the cornerstones of the Granger tradition. In its over 100 years of excellence, LaGrange High School has produced championship teams on all fields of play.

LaGrange is named for the home of the Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, a French citizen who came to America to support the Revolution. LaFayette, as a guest of the United States Government, made a "Farewell Tour" of the nation from September 1824 until December 1825. During this time he spent two weeks in Georgia with Governor George M. Troup (namesake of the county, town, and school) serving as his official host. He commented how much the community reminded him of his home "La Grange" (French, literally "the barn" but more colloquially a reference to a farm in general). To honor LaFayette the town adopted that name.

In France it is common to use the term "la grange" to indicate a farm, as barns are a common feature. In the melting pot of the United States the French term "grange" (with an anglicized pronunciation) came also to be used colloquially as a name for a farm, and later a granger became a term for a farmer, with this use most common in the US North and Midwest.

The school has never officially used the term Granger to indicate or describe the mascot as a farmer. The most probable origin is that the term was adopted for its alliterative effect with the name LaGrange.

Much like the use of the impossible-to-define term "Hoosier" for a person from Indiana, Granger is less a definitive mascot. Instead it is a nickname not only for the men and women of LaGrange High School, but also for their the standards of excellence, spirit, achievement, and loyalty.

Athletics

LaGrange High has produced professional athletes such as Mike Cameron, Dernell Stenson, Tony Stargell, Tyrone Poole, and Wesley Woodyard. Sports offered are tennis, football, cross-country, track and field, cheerleading, basketball, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, swimming, volleyball, wrestling, and baseball.

The baseball team had one state championship in 2004.^[2][3]

Lagrange High School football

The Lagrange football team has had 65 years of winning seasons since 1919. They have won many championship titles - 19 time region champions, 11 time state champions, and 1 time winner of the USA Today National Championship in 1991. The head coach of the football team is Dialleo Burks. The independently maintained football lagrangefootball.com^[4] has nearly six hours of video highlights.

As of the 2011 season the Grangers have a win/loss record of 598-277-26. After the 1991 season the grangers received the title of the number one team in the nation as ranked by USA Today. Since 1919 there has yet to be a losing coach to come through this program.^[5]

Lagrange vs. Newnan

The rivalry between the Grangers and the Newnan High Cougars goes back to at least 1908. The Grangers lead the rivalry 49-30-4. In 2005 the Grangers were defeated by Newnan high school to end a 29-game win streak which is the longest in school history. Newnan has grasped the past three meetings up through the 2009 season. In 2004 the Grangers opened up with the old time rivals for the first time since 1999. The preseason ranked #1 in 3A Grangers defeated the 5A preseason ranked #2 Cougars 35-7, to start off their undefeated state championship season in 2004. "The ‘04 LG team ranked in the Top-25 of five national polls at season’s end and as high as No. 9 in one poll with one of the finest teams in school history." ^[6]

Decade accomplishments 2000-2010

In January 2010 the Atlanta Journal-Constitution bestowed "Best of the Decade" awards to Georgia Prep Football Teams based on results. Lagrange won the following awards:

• Player of the decade: Trae Blackmon (2004)
• Coach of the decade: Steve Pardure (94-2010)
• Team of the decade: 2004 state championship team
• Overall program of the decade

Individual player awards went to;

• Joe Mansour (2009, K)
• Trae Blackmon (2004, LB)
• Braxton Kelley (2004, DL)
• Sam Olajubutu (2001, LB)^[7]

Ironman competition

The Ironman contest was started in 1986, Ironman has always been scored the same as it is today. 2008 is the second highest scoring Ironman ever, the highest being in 2002. Using the scores from 1994 thru 2008 here are some facts from those years. The highest average top ten score is 208.8 from 2002, 2008 is the second highest with 207.2, the third is from 2001 with 203.6. The highest individual scorer was Sam Olajubutu in 2001 with 232.^[8]

Fine arts

Band - ^[9] The LaGrange High School band is nicknamed "The Sound of Champions." Under the direction of Jarrett Farrell, the program has posted superior ratings in Concert and Marching during his tenure. The band performs at football games, pep rallies, civic parades, performance evaluation, and concerts. In an average school year the band program performs publicly 35 times.

Chorus - Recognized for their spring productions, the LHS choir was directed by Marty Davis who has served 17 years as the director of the program. The choir is under the direction of Katie Westbrook.

Drama - The Drama Department includes theatrical acting, stage managing, cinema, and an International Thespian Society chapter. Two plays and a competition piece are performed every year. Director John Riggs, MFA, heads the program. Alumni include Julian Gluck, President of the World Finger Jousting Federation.

Orchestra - A new addition to the Fine Arts Department, the orchestra program allows students who studied strings, privately or at West Side Magnet School, to continue their participation in a school ensemble. The string program made its concert debut at the Christmas Fine Arts Concert on December 11, 2008. The string program performed seasonal songs as well as the original version of Pachelbel's Canon in D. The program is directed by Jarrett Farrell.

Clubs and activities

• Academic Team
• Band^[10]
• Black History Program
• Chorus
• Communities in Schools
• Policy Debate
• DECA
• Drama
• FFA
• FCCLA
• Foreign Language
• Granger Entertainers
• National Art Honor Society
• National Honor Society
• National TECH honor society
• SAGE
• Service Club
• Step Team
• Student Council
• Yearbook

Notable alumni

• Mike Cameron, former professional baseball player (Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, Florida Marlins)
• John Johnson, NFL player
• Dernell Stenson, former professional baseball player (Cincinnati Reds)
• Bruce Thornton, former professional football player (Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers)
• Wesley Woodyard, professional football player (Denver Broncos)

References

External links

• LaGrange High School