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May 09, 2024

Yellow Jackets even up Rose City Rumble in 45

THOMASVILLE — For those who took a stroll through downtown on Friday night, there was no hustle and bustle that normally surrounds the shops of downtown Thomasville. It may have resembled a ghost

THOMASVILLE — For those who took a stroll through downtown on Friday night, there was no hustle and bustle that normally surrounds the shops of downtown Thomasville. It may have resembled a ghost town. But just a few minutes east, the entire town packed into the Jacket’s Nest for the Rose City Rumble.

Thomas County Central and Thomasville High School met on the gridiron Friday night as thousands of fans piled into Central’s stadium to watch their teams go at it. Central dominated the contest putting up a score of 45-7. The offense was buzzing and the defense was sniffing out the run like a bloodhound.

Central jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter when quarterback Jaylen Johnson connected with his favorite deep threat over the middle, tight end Malachi Thomas, to put the ball on the 13 yard line. Just a couple plays later, Johnson took a scramble in for an eight yard rushing touchdown. 7-0 Jackets.

THE FIRST OF MANY: Central’s QB Jaylen Johnson waltz’s into the end zone for his first touchdown of the game.

Bulldogs QB Cam Hill looked good early, making solid throws and getting Thomasville within striking distance. However, a missed field goal left zeros on the board for Thomasville, and as the game entered the second quarter the momentum shifted.

The only sack made by either team in the game came at the start of the second quarter as Central’s sophomore phenom Cam Brooks took down Hill for a loss. Central took over and began running the ball all over the Bulldogs. The fast pace of play combined with running back Trey Brenton running downhill like a freight train was too much for the Thomasville defense. After a near interception from Johnson, Brenton converted a run on a fourth and three for the Jackets and led the offense to its second score of the game on an eight yard rushing TD.

“He’s just consistent. He’s picking up where he left off,” Central head coach Justin Rogers said about Brenton. “He’s just a load to bring down. He’s just a back that truly gets better as the game goes on, I think you see that. You get tired of tackling him before he gets tired of running.”

The Bulldogs attempted to jump start some momentum on the ensuing drive as Hill connected with Jay Randall for a 39 yard gain, but a trick play on fourth down failed and the Bulldogs turned the ball over on downs.

The Jackets wasted no time and ran what looked to be the same drive as their last. They put the ball in the red zone with the exact same pass from Johnson to Thomas over the middle and Brenton finished the drive off with a 14 yard score on the ground. With 4:30 left in the half, Central led 21-0.

However, Thomasville wasn’t leaving the first half empty handed.

On the first play of their next drive, Hill connected with Cole Shaw, who led the Bulldogs in receiving yards for the day, on a short pass that Shaw took 65 yards to the house, cutting the Jackets lead to 14.

Central responded quickly with an explosive play of their own. A 61 yard dime to Tre’von Pringle for his second receiving touchdown of the game and the Yellow Jackets retrieved their 21 point lead.

As the second half began, it was clear that this was the Yellow Jackets game. The Bulldogs couldn’t stop their offense and the Jackets defense was impenetrable. Though Thomasville had mild success in the air, the Bulldogs were held to just 32 rushing yards. The Yellow jackets defense got into the back field with ease as they had seven defensive players with three or more tackles for a loss, including Walter Reddick who recorded seven.

Meanwhile, Johnson looked as good as ever. He looked comfortable in the backfield and Central’s o-line did a fantastic job of keeping the pressure off their young QB. Even when there was pressure Johnson did a great job avoiding it, stepping up in the pocket, and making his throws. He finished the game with 302 passing yards and three touchdowns. His progression from week one to week two was staggering.

“When you start getting more experience, he’s going to settle,” Rogers said. “You’re seeing it right in front of our eyes, him settling in and playing the position.”

Central continued to put the pressure on the Bulldog defense as Brenton hurdled a downed defender for another touchdown in the third quarter, making it 38-7.

However, this game did not come without its frustrations for the Yellow Jackets, the third quarter was rife with holding penalties that brought back multiple big plays. Though, the defense remained strong, forcing several punts in the quarter and stepping up when it counted most. The Bulldogs made several attempts for a momentum swing, including a fourth down conversion that would have given them life had it not been for the outstretched arm of Donnell Jester who broke up the pass.

Central put the exclamation point on the game with a 63 yard dot to Pringle for his third TD of the game, making it 45-7 before the forth quarter.

Though there was hype heading into the forth quarter, with both teams holding up four fingers and fans hooping and hollering, it felt more like a formality than anything else. Both teams traded punts, Central brought in their backup QB, and fans began to file out of the stadium as Thomas County Central’s victory was slowly cemented.

As the clock ticked to zero and the Central students began to sing “hey, hey, hey, goodbye” to the visiting Bulldoga, another chapter in this historic rivalry came to a close with the sound of the horn and a final score that read 45-7.

However, as students stormed the field and players clad in blue and gold celebrated, a perfect reminder of what this rivalry is all about played over the speakers. Mister Rogers “Won’t You be My Neighbor” rang out across the field. A perfect send off to this historic rivalry among friends, church members, business partners, and neighbors.

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