Oak Grove football excited for postseason after Union Parish victory

FARMERVILLE — Perseverance has been a key component of the Oak Grove Tigers football team in 2026.

The Tigers consistently challenged themselves all year long in their return to Division IV nonselect. After making back-to-back quarterfinals in D-III nonselect, Oak Grove took its lumps playing against Franklin Parish, Mangham, Sterlington and Ouachita Christian the first half of the season. The Tigers faced another tough team in Union Parish, which made the D-III nonselect semifinals last fall.

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In a back-and-forth contest, Oak Grove defeated Union 28-26 on Thursday, Nov. 5, at Doc Elliott Stadium. Following a tough loss two weeks ago at Caldwell, the Tigers finished the job this time around against the Farmers with two goal-line stands.

Union scored late but was stopped short on the game-tying two-point conversion. Oak Grove bent but didn't break.

"You can't put enough words into it," Tigers coach Ryan Gregory said on the win against the Farmers. "We've been through a lot this year. We went through a lot in that game, but we overcame a lot of stuff. I'm just really proud of these guys."

Like Oak Grove, Union had a loaded nondistrict schedule with LHSAA champion Haynesville, runners-up North DeSoto and Calvary Baptist and quarterfinalist Alexandria. The Farmers lost their first five games of the season before winning four straight heading into the contest with the Tigers.

Oak Grove (5-5) and Union (4-6) traded turnovers in the first half, but the Tigers got on the board first as sophomore James Gregory found wide-open senior Bryson Reeves for a long score.

"Bryson used to play receiver. I used to play quarterback in junior high," James said of the trick play. "For the last regular-season game of the year, it was definitely special."

Oak Grove has dealt with multiple injuries this fall, including senior Brodie Duff going down for the year at Mangham. James is among the Tigers' top players this season as an underclassman.

"I've got to take care of my business when I need to," James said. "I want to do the best for these seniors as I can and give it (my) all for them. … My dad is the head coach. I've been around them since they were freshmen. I've been close with them for a long time, and it really means a lot to me."

Reeves threw two touchdown passes to junior Eli Layton while seniors PJ Hill and Gaige Smith also made clutch plays. Hill had a long run toward the goal line during the fourth quarter to set up Layton's second touchdown of the night.

"We have a really small (senior) class this year," Reeves said. "We're probably the smallest class to ever come through Oak Grove in quite some time. It just makes us better. It just makes us push harder."

Union will host a D-III nonselect first-round game next week. Sophomore Jaylen Jenkins rushed for two touchdowns in the second half; senior T.J. Wallace and junior Chance Hopson were more solid options in the Farmers' ground game.

Oak Grove also looks forward to hosting a first-round playoff contest and its fans packing Vic Dalrymple Field. The Tigers enjoyed the opportunities of facing teams they haven't played in a while during this regular season, such as Union and Caldwell. The sky is the limit for Oak Grove, which won D-IV nonselect championships in 2022 and 2023.

"I have faith in us," Hill said. "I feel like this game (against Union), it's going to set us right for the playoffs. We needed this."

This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: Oak Grove football excited for postseason after Union Parish victory