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Thomasville roars past Handley 49-12
Handley actually scored first in the game to take a 6 - 0 lead but Thomasville responded immediately and never trailed again. "I am very proud of the desire and effort we showed against Handley," Thomasville Coach Jack Hankins said. "Answering their first touchdown like we did was great. I thought we did well in all aspects of the game but I thought our defense really stepped up big. It was a big win for us." Leading the offensive ground attack for the Tigers was James White with 75 yards and one touchdown on seven carries. He was followed by Roya Campbell with 44 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries; Delvonte Harris with 30 yards on seven carries; and Alex Buford with 17 yards on three carries. Buford also had a big night on special teams returning a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown.
On defense the Watters twins led the charge with Jarrell recording nine tackles and Kattrell logging eight. Roya Campbell was next with six followed by the trio of Mitchell Cowan, Josh Jackson and James Jones with four apiece. In other big defensive plays Tacory Marshall and Scipio Tolbert both had a sack from their defensive line position. Josh Jackson and Jarrell Watters each had a fumble recovery and Courtney Campbell had an interception. Things got started with Thomasville winning the opening coin toss and electing to defer to the second half, giving Handley the ball first.
Responding just as a good football team should, Thomasville answered the Handley score on their first possession, driving 77 yards for a score. Roya Campbell tallied the touchdown on a 14 yard scamper with 3:40 remaining in the first period. Cameron Dunegan added the extra-point and Thomasville led 7 - 6. It was the Thomasville defense that took the spotlight next, when quick pressure by the defensive front forced an errant pitch that Thomasville's Josh Jackson pounced on at the Handley 42 with 1:34 remaining in the opening period.
It wasn't until late in the sec- ond quarter that either offense could manage to get things going again as the defenses for both sides seemed to settle in. Thomasville's offense cranked things up again first, scoring on a 78 yard touchdown pass from Daniel Rogers to Tysean Thompson with 3:23 remaining in the second quarter. Cameron Dunegan was on the mark with the extra-point and the Thomasville lead was 21 - 6. Not to be out done, the Handley offense got on track again as well following the Thomasville kickoff, driving 77 yards for a touchdown of their own. The score came on a one yard run on a fourth and goal situation. The two point conversion attempt fell short but the Thomasville lead had been cut to 21 - 12 with :55 remaining before intermission. What happened next, besides surprising the fans jammed into Anderson Field, probably set the tone for the second half. Tiger deep back Alex Buford caught the ensuing kickoff at his 10 yard line and weaved his way 90 yards for touchdown with :40 remaining on the second quarter clock . Cameron Dunegan's extra-point was on target and suddenly Thomasville had a 28 - 12 lead that they would take to the locker room. Taking up where they left off, Thomasville got the ball rolling again early in the second half when they took their opening possession 80 yards for a score. The touchdown culminating the drive came on Daniel Rogers' 32 yard strike to Tysean Thompson. Cameron Dunegan tacked on the extrapoint and the Thomasville lead stood at 35 - 12 with 9:31 left in the third quarter. The relentless Thomasville defense came up with another big play less than a minute later when a big hit on the Handley tailback dislodged the ball which linebacker Jarrell Watters recovered at the Handley 28. Taking advantage of the short field the Thomasville offense pounded it in from there with Roya Campbell picking up his third touchdown of the night as he blasted in from the one. Cameron Dunegan made it a perfect six for six giving Thomasville a 42 - 12 lead with 6:19 to play in the third stanza. Thomasville's final points of the game came early in the fourth quarter following a pass interception by Courtney Campbell with :50 remaining in the third period that set the Tigers up at the Handley 41. James White rambled 33 yards for a touchdown to cap the 41 yard drive. Harrison Lewis added the extra-point making the final 49 - 12. With the win Thomasville improves to 11 - 2 on the season and advances to the semifinal round of the playoffs where they will meet the 13 - 0 Central of Tuscaloosa Falcons who defeated Andalusia 47 - 7 in their quarterfinal game. The match-up between the Tigers and Falcons will be only the second time the two schools have played with the Tigers edging the Falcons 33 - 32 in overtime last year in the first round of the playoffs. "Tuscaloosa Central has a very good and experienced football team," Coach Jack Hankins said. "They have almost everyone returning from last year and are big and fast on both sides of the ball. On defense they are very aggressive and run to the ball well. Offensively they have excellent skill people and will probably be the best we've faced this year. We need to avoid turnovers and sustain drives when we have the ball so we can keep the ball away from them. It's a big game and one we need to play our best in to win."
The game between the Thomasville Tigers and the Tuscaloosa Central Falcons is scheduled for Friday, November 30 in Tuscaloosa with kickoff set for 7:00 PM.
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