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Tigers dismantle Escambia County
The game was hard fought and in question throughout the first half but the Tigers came up with a big play on defense at the close of the half and a big special teams' play at the beginning of the second half to take control of the game. "We beat a good team in a very physical football game," Tiger Coach Jack Hankins said. "Escambia County had a good plan and hurt us early but our guys responded in the second half the way a good football team should. You could tell we have been in big ballgames before. I thought our offensive line continued to get better and our defense stepped it up in the second half."
Leading the Tiger rushing attack in the game was Roya Campbell with 152 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries. He was followed by Alex Buford with 82 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries; Delvonte Harris with 73 yards and two touchdowns on six carries; and James White with 23 yards on five carries. Harris also added another touchdown on a 77 yard kickoff return. In the air Daniel Rogers was 7 for 17 for 56 yards and one touchdown. Leading the Tigers on the receiving end of Rogers' passes was Tysean Thompson with 2 catches for 30 yards and one touchdown and Shed Simmons with 2 catches for 17 yards.
Over on defense Mitchell Cowan, Josh Jackson and Jarrell Watters led the charge with 11 tackles each. Following them Courtney Campbell and Katrell Watters picked up seven tackles each while Scipio Tolbert had six stops and Alex Buford had five. Buford and Katrell Watters each contributed an interception while Tolbert caused a fumble, scooped it up and ran it 31 yards for a touchdown. Things got started in the game with the Tigers winning the toss and electing to defer to the second half. That put Escambia County with the ball at their 23 yard line following the opening kickoff. From there the Blue Devils were unable to get anything going in their first possession and punted giving Thomasville the ball at their 38 for their first possession. The Tiger offense got things going from there when Roya Campbell capped a 62 yard drive with a 49 yard scoring jaunt at the 9:01 mark of the first quarter. Harrison Lewis came on and added the extra- drawn first blood 7 - 0. Following the ensuing kickoff, which went out of bounds, the Blue Devils took over at their 35 and in short order answered the Tiger score. The touchdown culminating a 65 yard drive came on a two yard plunge with 6:01 to play in the first quarter. The extra-point was good and suddenly the game was tied at 7 - 7. Thomasville was unable to move the ball on their next possession and punted back to the Blue Devils. On the punt Tiger Jay Williams boomed the ball 50 yards backing Escambia County up to their seven yard line. Beginning in the shadow of their goal line didn't bother the Blue Devils though and they set sail on a 93 yard drive for points. The Thomasville defense stiffened once they reached the 11 yard line forcing a field goal attempt. The kick was good putting Escambia County up by three points but the Blue Devils decided to take the points off the board after a roughing the kicker penalty gave them a first down at the six. From there they scored a touchdown on their next play. The extra-point attempt was wide right but Escambia County was out front 13 - 6 with :06 left in the first quarter. Both teams failed to generate anything on their next possession but Thomasville got untracked again mid-way the second quarter when Alex Buford completed a 75 yard drive with a 19 yard dash for a touchdown. Harrison Lewis was on target again and the Tigers had regained the lead 14 - 13 with 4:52 to play in the second period. The Blue Devils answered the Tiger score just over a minute later when their tailback raced 56 yards for a touchdown with 3:46 remaining on the second quarter clock. Their two point conversion attempt fell short but Escambia County was on top again 19 - 14. After returning the ensuing kickoff to their 38 the Tigers marched down the field in typical wing-t style, moving the chains and burning clock, to position themselves for one more score before halftime. The touchdown came on a Daniel Rogers to Tysean Thompson pass that covered the final 25 yards of the 62 yard drive. Harrison Lewis nailed the extrapoint and Thomasville was back on top 21 - 19 with :38 left before intermission. One of the bigger plays of the game occurred a few seconds later when defensive lineman Scipio Tolbert got quick penetration and grabbed the Blue Devil quarterback in the backfield. During the collision Tolbert was able to knock the ball loose and then scoop it up and rumble 31 yards to pay dirt. Harrison Lewis tacked on the extra-point and the Tigers had grabbed the momentum going up 28 - 19 with :05 left in the half. If the play by Tolbert right before halftime wasn't enough to take the wind out of the Blue Devils' sails, the opening kickoff of the second half certainly did the trick. On the kick, Tiger side back Delvonte Harris gathered the ball in at the 23 and raced 77 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown. Harrison Lewis centered the extra-point and Thomasville was on top 35 - 19 with 11:44 remaining in the third quarter. Trying to find a way back into the game quickly, Escambia County took to the air on their next series only to have safety Alex Buford intercept a pass giving the Tigers the ball at their 48 with 10:40 remaining in the third period. The Tigers attempt to increase their lead ended a few plays later when they turned it back over to the Blue Devils at their 20. A couple of plays into Escambia County's next series the Tiger defense stepped up big again when linebacker Katrell Watters intercepted a screen pass and returned it to the Blue Devil 16, giving Thomasville great field position with 3:46 left in the third stanza. From there the Tigers scored in two plays with Delvonte Harris bolting in from 14 yards out. Harrison Lewis split the uprights again and the Tigers led 42 - 19 with 2:46 remaining in the third quarter. As the Thomasville defense continued to flex its muscles, limiting the Blue Devil offense, the Tiger offense scored two more times before the final whistle blew. Delvonte Harris picked up the first of the two scores with 11:36 left in the fourth quarter when he rambled 37 yards for a touchdown. Alex Buford added the final score on a 19 yard scamper with 7:26 to play and Harrison Lewis drilled both extra-points to make the final 56 - 19. Coming up this week the Tigers have the Southside of Selma Panthers coming to town for another important region game. A win by the Tigers in this week's show down would clinch the region championship. The Panthers, who always seem to have loads of talent, are in some ways an enigma. "We don't know exactly what to expect from Southside other than they are very fast and very athletic," Coach Jack Hankins said. "On offense they have run out of several formations and you can never be sure just which one they will be in. Defensively they are similar, in that they will show you multiple fronts throughout the game, hoping to mess up your blocking schemes. One thing we do know is that we need to continue focusing on getting better at what we do and things will take care of themselves."
The game between Southside and Thomasville is scheduled for Friday, October 19, at D. F. Anderson Field in Thomasville with kick off set for 7:00 PM.
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