DASHER — It took a defensive stand for the Georgia Christian Generals to secure their first win last week.

They found themselves in a similar position against a driving Lanier Christian Academy offense on Saturday afternoon.

GCS held a touchdown advantage when quarterback Daniel Eppling rolled left from the Generals’ 21 with the clock ticking below 30 seconds. Dante Sacco, a freshman, met Eppling and stripped the ball away. Sophomore Grant Copeland scooped the ball and returned it down the right sideline for a 79-yard score, insuring the Generals a 36-22 victory.

“We practice it every day, scooping and scoring, so it was just instinct and I went and grabbed the ball and took it to the end zone,” said Copeland, whose insurance run helped GCS notch its second straight win, improving the team to 2-1.

Sacco switched from his usual cornerback spot to the defensive line on the Lightning’s final drive, adding pressure on the edge.

“He ended up getting a hand on the quarterback as he was throwing the football and really just forced a fumble there as (Eppling) tried to fight through it,” GCS coach Crosby Tuck said. “Then, Grant Copeland did a good job of scooping it up. Could have gone down, but he saw all that grass and I think he wanted the touchdown, himself.” 

Lightning coach Jerious Norwood, a former Atlanta Falcons running back, had his team running multiple defensive looks, just as Tuck and the Generals expected.

“They do an exceptional job mixing things up,” Tuck said. “Some of the blitz packages they have, the way they’ll roll linebackers from side to side and pull the string with them. They even have some safeties that will walk up late from time to time.

“They do a good job of putting pressure in every gap, on one side and creating one extra through that that makes it tough to block.”

Kickoff was moved up 30 minutes in an effort to finish before approaching rain arrived. That plan didn’t work out so well, as rain poured throughout the third period and dissipated into a drizzle in the fourth. Still, the game played out without interruption.

Blaine Cooper’s scoring run gave GCS an early edge before Eppling found Alec Hughes for a LCA touchdown 2 minutes later. The Lightning missed the extra-point try, however, and the home team maintained a 7-6 lead.

Will Copeland scored on a QB keeper with 2 minutes to play in the opening quarter.

LCA tied things at 14-all after a seven-play, 49-yard drive was capped by Jeremiah Bonds’ 32-yard scoring run and Mitchell Long’s 2-point conversion run.

Logan Hornsby kicked a 20-yard field goal to end a 10-play drive, putting the Generals ahead for good at 17-14 with 3:37 left in the first half.

Cooper intercepted an Eppling pass and then punched in a 5-yard run to boost GCS ahead 23-14 at the half.

UP NEXT

The Generals host Life Christian on Friday.