Lawrence fourth-grade Gorilla Blake Murray holds the title trophy after his team beat the Baldwin Bulldogs, 6-0.

There’s nothing like excitement to keep the mind of off pain.

For Lawrence Youth Football Gorilla Blake Murray, there was some of both.

On Sunday at Youth Sports Inc., Murray and the Gorillas found themselves ushering a game winning drive against the Baldwin Bulldogs for the fourth-grade championship.

The Gorillas would prevail with a game-winning touchdown, but not before Murray, one of the team’s four captains, was given a bit of a jolt.

With time winding down in regulation, Murray went for a tackle on a Bulldog player, but came away with something else – a loose tooth.

“I didn’t hurt a whole lot,” Murray said. “But it’s the first time I’ve been injured this year.”

Given the circumstances, there were more important things to worry about other than a tooth.

“It really didn’t bother me too much,” Murray said. “I was pretty excited out there.”

Murray regrouped from the hit and came off the field. To his surprise the tooth was still in his mouth, but not for long.

“It didn’t come out right away,” Murray said. “But it did when I came over to the sideline.”

When the tooth finally came out, it was Murray’s cue to return to the field.

The Gorillas kept their drive alive and Murray and his teammates came through with a score with only minutes to go.

“It was really exciting,” Murray said. “It was real tough game.”

Although the championship’s fireworks came on offense, where Murray helped block, defense was where he really liked to be.

The captain helped on the defensive unit Sunday as his team had to come together in the final minute.

After the go-ahead touchdown, the Gorillas stopped a last ditch effort by the Bulldogs to drive down the field as time wound down.

Those kind of plays were what Murray said he liked best.

“It feels good to go out there and make a big tackle,” he said.

Murray’s teammates held their own on defense throughout the day, while the Bulldogs returned the favor in the hard fought game until that last Gorilla drive.

As the game medals were handed out to each player and the Gorillas applauded the Bulldogs for their effort, Murray got a chance to hold the championship trophy.

And even with the extra space between his teeth, the captain couldn’t help but smile.