THS continues to roll through 4A Region 1

The Thomasville Tigers continued their torrid pace this past Friday, October 9, when they traveled to Evergreen and handed the Hillcrest High School Jaguars a 60 – 8 defeat. In the game Hillcrest won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff which they returned to their 20. That was as far as they would go on that series however as the Tiger defense held them to a three and out forcing a punt on fourth and 11. That’s when the Tiger defense flexed their muscle as Artemus Gaines broke through the Jaguar punt protection to block the punt. Josh Jackson then scooped the loose ball up and raced to the end zone for the Tigers’ first points of the game. Harrison Lewis added the extrapoint and Thomasville led 7 – 0 with 11:03 still to play in the first quarter. The Jaguars let everyone know they weren’t simply going to roll over for the Tigers on their next series however, driving 76 yards for a touchdown. The score came on an eight yard run and was followed by a two point conversion to give Hillcrest an 8 – 7 lead with 4:24 to play in the opening stanza. The Tigers regained the lead a little over two minutes later when Michael Thornton galloped 40 yards to pay dirt with 2:15 showingon the first quarter clock. Harrison Lewis tacked on the extra-point and the Tigers were on top for good at 14 – 8. James Jones was the next member of the Tiger offense to put points on the scoreboard when he barreled in from one yard out to complete a 54 yard drive. Harrison Lewis nailed the extra-point and the Thomasville lead was 21-8 with 11:21 to play in the second quarter. Less than two minutes later the Thomasville special teams got in on the act when Tevin Pope returned a punt 60 yards for a score. The extra-point was no good due to a fumbled snap but the Tigers led 27- 8 with 9:53 to play in the second period. Just as they have done over the past several weeks, the Tiger secondary gave the Tiger offense good field position again with 8:00 to play in the second quarter on a Rayshawn Cairl interception that was taken in at the Jaguar 45 and returned to the 24. The turnover led to a 26 yard field goal by Harrison Lewis with 6:22 to play in the frame putting Thomasville out front 30 – 8. With the Tiger defense playing lights out now, the offense upped the lead again with 4:45 left in the first half when Michael Thornton rambled 45 yards for another touchdown. Harrison Lewis split the uprights and the Tigers led 37 – 8 at that point. That wasn’t the final points the Tigers would get in the first half however as Sean Skelton hooked up with Tevin Pope on a 14 yard scoring strike with :38 remaining. Harrison Lewis was on the mark with the extra-point giving Thomasville had a 44 – 8 lead at intermission. The Jaguars surprised the Tigers as the second half got underway pulling off a picture perfect on-side kick that they recovered at the Thomasville 43. That’s as far as they would get though as the Thomasville defense actually drove them back to the Tiger 48 where they were forced to turn the ball over on downs. From there the Thomasville offense pounded it into the end zone again with 5:15 to play in the third quarter. Michael Thornton culminated the drive with his third touchdown of the night which came on a one yard plunge. Harrison Lewis stuck the extrapoint again and the Tigers led 51 – 8. With the Tigers substituting freely at this point, the Thomasville offense found themselves with another golden opportunity less than a minute later when Zatrix Taylor fell on a Jaguar fumble at the Hillcrest 23 with 4:35 yet to play in the period. The Thomasville offense hammered their way to the one after the turnover but failed to punch it in, returning it to the Jaguars with 1:17 remaining in the third. If the offense couldn’t get it done the Tiger defense figured they might as well and recorded a safety on the Jaguars the very next play upping the Thomasville lead to 53 – 8. On top of the two points Thomasville got from the safety, Hillcrest was also forced into a free kick that the Tigers returned to the Jaguar 38. From there the Tigers got their final points of the night on a 37 yard scamper by Alonzo Jackson with :31 remaining in the period and the subsequent extra-point by Harrison Lewis. That brought the total to the 60 – 8 final. Up next, the Tigers, who are 7 – 0 on the season and 5 – 0 in the region, will remain in region play this week as they host their arch rivals, the Clarke County Bulldogs in this year’s edition of the “Backyard Brawl”. “We have a big rival game with Clarke County coming up this week and our attention is totally focused on it,” Tiger Coach Jack Hankins said. “They have a high powered spread-option offense and we will have to play good assignment defense and eliminate the big play to beat them.” The game between the Thomasville Tigers and the Clarke County Bulldogs is scheduled for this Friday, at D. F. Anderson Field with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
James Jones looks for yards in a recent game. Photo by Johnny Autery