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Turnovers do in Tigers against CCHS
Clarke County got the points they needed for the victory on two big plays in what was otherwise a defensive struggle between the two teams. "It was a very physical game between two good football teams," Tiger Coach Jack Hankins said. "You can't turn the ball over four times and get a punt blocked and expect to beat a good football team. We have to give them credit, they made the plays and took care of the ball and we didn't. It's as simple as that." With the win the Bulldogs finished the regular season 10 - 0 completing their first perfect regular season in school history and their first undefeated season since 1958 when that Bulldog squad ended the year 9 - 0 - 1. The win also gave Clarke County their 29th win in the 94 game series that dates back to 1917.
Both teams finished the year with 7 - 0 records in region play and will be hosting first round games in the AHSAA State Playoffs which are set to begin this week. The Tigers who claimed the 4A Region 1 crown will be hosting the Beauregard Hornets who finished as the fourth seed in 4A Region 3 while the Bulldogs who claimed the 3A Region 1 crown will be hosting the Beulah Bobcats who finished as the fourth seed in 3A Region 3. In the game, the Tiger offense accumulated 188 total yards of which 170 came on the ground. Leading the Thomasville rushing attack was Delvonte Harris with 57 yards on 10 carries followed by Roya Campbell with 52 yards on 10 carries; Alex Buford with 38 yards on nine carries; and James White with 23 yards on six carries.
On the defensive side of the ball the Tiger charge was led by the Watters twins with Kattrell logging 10 tackles and Jarrell picking up nine. Other defensive leaders included Roya Campbell with six tackles and Alex Buford with five tackles and a blocked extra-point attempt. Things got started with Thomasville winning the opening coin toss and electing to defer to the second half, giving Clarke County the ball first. On the opening kickoff the Bulldog return carried to the 20 yard line where they set up shop for their opening possession of the game. It was at that point that things began to happen. Following a first down run that was ineffective, the Bulldogs attempted to go to the air on second down. The quarterback attempting to elude the Thomasville rush was called for intentionally grounding the ball in the end zone resulting in a safety that gave the Tigers a 2 - 0 lead with 11:00 to play in the first period. On the ensuing free kick Thomasville returned the ball to their 45 yard line giving them excellent field position to begin their first possession. A five yard penalty against the Bulldogs made the situation even better with the Tigers facing a first down and five. But that's when the carnage began for the Tigers. After a nice gain on the next play the Tiger running back fumbled and the Bulldogs recovered at their 34 yardline snuffing out what looked to be a promising Tiger drive. The teams exchanged punts on their next two series with the Bulldogs taking possession following the Tiger punt at their 39 yardline. That's when lightening struck for the Bulldogs as quarterback Tyler Walker hooked up with wide receiver Dewayne Owens on a 50 yard bomb that put Clarke County in the lead. The extra-point attempt was good and Clarke County led Thomasville 7 - 2 with 5:42 to play in the first quarter. It was all defense for the balance of the first period and up until mid-way the second quarter with each defensive unit basically controlling their opponent's offense on every series. It was the Thomasville offense that looked to be headed for pay dirt at that juncture driving the ball down inside the Bulldog 10 where they had a first and goal at the three yardline. A first down run netted a yard putting the Tigers at the two. The roof fell in for the Thomasville on the next play however when an ill advised pass was intercepted by the Bulldogs in the endzone slamming the door on the Thomasville drive. That was the last threat by either team in the first half, allowing the Bulldogs to take a 7 - 2 lead to the locker room as the Tigers grimaced over what might have been. The third quarter proved to be shoot yourself in the foot time for the Tigers with them allowing the Bulldogs to break through and block a punt near midfield on their first series of the second half and then seeing two potential scoring drives ended by another fumble and an another interception. The fumble came with 4:23 to play in the third quarter with the Bulldogs recovering the Tiger miscue at their 31 while the pass interception occurred with 1:18 remaining in the period with the Clarke County defender grabbing the errant pass at the Bulldog 16. The fierce battle between two rivals continued through most of the fourth quarter with the Bulldogs finally sealing the win with 3:38 left in the game when Timothy Barnett found a crease in the Tiger defense and raced 73 yards for a touchdown. Alex Buford blocked the extra-point attempt but the Bulldogs led 13 - 2. That's the way it would end up with the Tigers not able to Luck Marengo score on a late drive as quarter wound down to a close. With a first round playoff game this week staring them in the face, Coach Jack Hankins knows he must get his Tigers' to put the loss to Clarke County behind them and focus on what lies ahead. "As tough as losing that game was for us, we can't waste our time dwelling on it," Hankins said. "We need to get focused on the playoffs and our first game with a senior laden Beauregard team. They are very well coached and will bring a very big and physical team to Anderson Field. They have an outstanding running back and will throw multiple sets at us on offense. As for their defense, they're big across the front and attack the ball real well. We will need to be at our best in every phase of the game and have a very big and vocal Thomasville crowd behind us when we play them."
The game between the Thomasville Tigers and the Beauregard Hornets is scheduled for Friday, November 9, in Thomasville at D. F. Anderson Field with kickoff set for 7:00 PM. Ticket prices for the game, as established by the AHSAA, will be $7.00.
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