PHOTO BY RYAN JOHNSON Tyler Hayes leaps for extra yardage in the Thomasville Tigers football game against W.S. Neal Friday night. The Thomasville Tigers, playing in the friendly confines of D. F. Anderson Field, pitched a 58 - 0 shutout on the W. S. Neal Blue Eagles this past Friday, September 18. With the win the Tigers improved to 4 - 0 on the season, 3 - 0 in the region, and put a smile on Coach Jack Hankins face. "I was proud of our energy in the game," the Tiger Skipper said. "I thought we played with great enthusiasm and maintained our intensity throughout the game despite taking control early. Bottom line we went out and took care of business like we should have."

Indeed, from the opening kickoff to the final whistle it was a case of complete domination by Thomasville. On defense the tenacious and relentless Tigers held the Blue Eagles to only four first downs and 25 total yards of offense. On the flip side, the Tigers' opportunistic offense posted 16 first downs and ran up 302 yards of offense on their way to the lopsided victory.

PHOTO BY ARTHUR MCLEAN Mitchell Cowan (left) looks back for a defender to block as Charles Taylor (right) races to the end zone against W.S. Neal Friday night. Leading the charge on defense for the Tigers was Antwon Welch and Jamarcus Blackmon with six tackles each. They were followed by Zatrix Taylor with four tackles; Artemus Gaines and John Knight with three tackles each. In other big defensive plays Welch forced two fumbles; Tyler Hayes had a fumble recovery and an interception; and Gaines recovered a fumble and returned a blocked punt for a touchdown. In the sack department Welch had three while Mitchell Cowan and Brian Knight both had one.

Over on offense Alonzo Jackson led the Tigers in rushing with 58 yards and one touchdown on seven carries. He was followed by Charles Taylor with 57 yards and one touchdown on three carries, John Knight with 15 yards and one touchdown on one carry and James Jones with 15 yards and one touchdown on four carries. In the air Sean Skelton was 3 for 5 for 106 yards and two touchdowns. On the receiving end of Skelton's aerials were Tevin Pope with two catches for 89 yards and one touchdown and Jay Williams with one catch for 16 yards and a touchdown. In the kicking game Harrison Lewis was 5 for 5 and Cameron Dunegan was 2 for 2 in extra-points.

In the game, the Tigers won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half giving W. S. Neal the ball first. Following the kick off, the Tiger defense set the tone for the game when they steadily drove their guest back on three consecutive downs, forcing a punt on fourth and 27 from the Blue Eagle three yard line.

A heavy rush forced the W. S. Neal punter to shank the ball out of bounds at the Blue Eagle 23. From there the Tigers were in the end zone in short order on a 16 yard touchdown pass from Sean Skelton to Jay Williams with 8:19 remaining in the first quarter. Harrison Lewis added the extra- point and Thomasville led 7 - 0.

The Tiger defense got in on the scoring next when they tackled the Blue Eagle quarterback in the end zone for a safety with 6:56 remaining in the opening period. That raised the Thomasville lead to 9 - 0.

Following the free kick by the Blue Eagles, the Thomasville offense was striking pay dirt two plays later when Sean Skelton hooked up with Tevin Pope on a 49 yard scoring strike. Harrison Lewis tacked on the extra-point and the Thomasville lead was 16 - 0 with 5:29 showing on the first quarter clock.

With the Tiger defense playing lights out and holding the W. S. Neal offense to three and out and forcing another punt, the Thomasville offense appeared to be back in business again at their 46. A fumbled snap ended up in Blue Eagle hands however giving them the ball at their 46 with 1:57 to play in the quarter.

Using the old expression turnabout's fair play the Tigers had the ball back two plays later when Tyler Hayes fell on a W. S. Neal fumble at the Tiger 48. From there the Tiger offense cashed in again. It started on second and two when Sean Skeleton dialed up Tevin Pope's number on a 40 yard bomb that carried to the Blue Eagle four. James Jones punched it in from there with :21 remaining in the opening period. Harrison Lewis was on the mark and Thomasville led 23 - 0.

The Blue Eagles picked up their first and only first down of the half on their next possession when a roughing the punter penalty gave them new life at their 36. The joy was short lived however, as Tyler Hayes picked off a Blue Eagle pass two plays later and returned it to the W. S. Neal 15.

From there the Tigers added to their lead again when John Knight scampered 15 yards to glory land. Harrison Lewis split the uprights and Thomasville led 30 - 0 with 8:30 left in the second quarter.

Thomasville's defense set the table again on W. S. Neal's next possession when Artemus Gaines fell on a fumble at the Blue Eagle eight with 6:09 to play in the quarter. The Tiger offense punched it in from there with Sean Skelton diving in from one yard out to complete the short drive. Harrison Lewis was on target and the Thomasville lead stood at 37 - 0 with 5:23 left in the frame.

The Tigers weren't through though and following another stop by the defense found themselves in business at their 47. Charles Taylor took the honors this time when he rambled in from 43 yards out with 1:55 left. Harrison Lewis drilled another one and the Tigers had a 44 - 0 lead that they took to the locker room.

With the starters taking the balance of the evening off, the Tigers' second, third, and fourth units scored twice more in the second half. The first came at the 5:27 mark of the third quarter when Alonzo Jackson scooted in from 22 yards out culminating a 64 yard drive. Cameron Dunegan added the extrapoint and the Tigers were up 51 - 0.

It was the Tiger special teams that tallied the final points of the night when Artemus Gaines scooped up a blocked punt and raced into the end zone. Cameron Dunegan was on target again giving the Tigers their 58 - 0 final.

Up next the Tigers will step out of region play this week to play host to the Sumter County Wildcats. The game between the Thomasville Tigers and the Sumter County Wildcats is scheduled for this Friday, September 25, at D. F. Anderson Field with kickoff set for 7:00 PM.