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Three blocked punts vault Tigers to victory
Early in the game a bad snap on a punt attempt went to the ground. Tiger punter Cameron Dunagan picked it up and began moving forward. After three yards he fumbled the ball. Delvonte Harris scooped it up for the Tigers and picked up the first down. From there the Tigers drove to the Hornets' 10 yard line where Dunagan got the first points of the night on a 27-yard field goal that put Thomasville out front 3-0 with 4:32 to play in the first quarter. The Tigers wasted little time taking advantage of a short field with Roya Campbell finishing the scoring drive with a 1-yard plunge with :37 left in the opening period. Dunagan added the extra-point and Thomasville led 10-0. The jubilation on the Thomasville side line was short lived however as the Hornets returned the ensuing kickoff 70- yards for a touchdown. Their extra-point attempt was good and with :26 left in the quarter the Thomasville lead had been cut to 10-7. Things remained that way until the 6:19 mark of the second quarter when a Tiger fumble at the Beauregard 18 seemed to fire up the Hornets. Taking over there, the Hornet offense drove to the Thomasville 28 yard line where they kicked a 35 yard field goal to knot the score at 10-10 with 1:54 left in the second quarter. To add insult to injury, on the ensuing kickoff the Hornets tried an onside kick that the Tigers fumbled giving Beauregard the ball back at the Tiger 44 with 1:50 to play in the half. It was the Tiger defense's turn to step up and be counted at that point. They shut down the Hornets on three straight plays forcing the Hornets into a fourth and 16 punting situation. Just as he had done earlier in the game Tiger defender Courtney Campbell broke through the Hornet punt protection and blocked the punt giving Thomasville the ball at the Beauregard 32-yard line with :42 left before intermission. The opportunistic Tigers didn't let the golden opportunity pass them by and scored with :19 remaining when Alex Buford hooked up with Shed Simmons on a 24-yard touchdown pass. Dunagan drilled the extra-point and the Tigers took a 17-10 lead to the locker room. The Tiger offense got cranked up on their second possession of the half when R. Campbell darted in from 4-yards out with 6:21 to play in the third quarter. Dunagan was on target with his extra-point and the Thomasville lead stood at 24- 10. Lightening struck again on the Hornet's next possession when Courtney Campbell blocked his third punt of the night giving Thomasville the ball at the Beauregard 49-yard line. From there the Tigers made his efforts pay off driving the 49 yards to pay dirt. R. Campbell culminated the drive with his third score of the night barreling in from 3-yards out. Dunagan's kick was on target and with 11:30 to play in the fourth quarter the Tigers were on top 31- 10. After stopping the Hornets on four downs at the Thomasville 48 the Tiger offense went back to work and got on the scoreboard one final time when R. Campbell picked up his fourth touchdown of the night on a 16-yard scamper. Dunagan remained perfect on extra-points and Thomasville led 38-10 with 4:24 remaining in the final period. The Hornets did manage to score one more time late in the game on a two yard run with 1:00 to play. Their extra-point was good making the final 38-17. Leading the Tiger attack on offense was Roya Campbell with 96 yards rushing and four touchdowns on 12 carries. Following him was: Alex Buford with 79 yards on eight carries; Delvonte Harris with 62 yards on seven carries; and James White with 52 yards on 11 carries. Over on the defensive side of the ball Jarrell Watters led the charge for the Tigers with eight tackles followed by Josh Jackson and Kattrell Watters with six tackles each. Courtney Campbell blocked three punts in his roll on special teams. With the win the Tigers improve their season mark to 9-2 and will move on to the second round of the state playoffs where they will host the 9-2 Fayette County Tigers. Fayette County defeated Daleville 48-21 last week to advance to the second round.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Anderson Field.
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