THOMASVILLE – No one expected it, but Thomasville vs. Worth County on Friday night was a battle for the ages. A back and forth contest that saw some unreal offense, some very real frustration, and momentum swing after momentum swing.
The Bulldogs started off a bit slow with multiple stuffed runs, but quarterback Cam Hill opened it up with a big pass to Rex Schofill to put Thomasville inside the 20. Ant Anderson would finish off the Bulldogs’ opening drive with a 14-yard scamper into the end zone, giving the Bulldogs an early lead.
Worth responded on the ensuing drive as running back Kaden Chester, who became a real problem for Thomasville in this game, tied the game on a long touchdown run. Both offenses would stall out for much of the first frame until the final second ticked off the clock. On the last play of the first quarter, Thomasville went for it on fourth down and three and Hill found Nigel Pittman on a short pass for the first down.
Thomasville started the second quarter with an offsides penalty, something that would become a theme for the Bulldogs and would ultimately limit the offense. The Bulldogs went for it again on fourth and seven and this time couldn’t convert, handing Worth County the ball on downs.
Chester continued to be a menace to the Thomasville d-line with two big runs culminating in a touchdown that gave the Rams the lead. He would go on to finish the game with 89 yards on 14 carries for two touchdowns. Worth’s extra point would bang off the post, giving the Rams a 13-7 lead and leaving the door open for Thomasville.
The Bulldogs would capitalize on the missed PAT as Leeland Chapman took over on the ensuing drive. Chapman would bulldoze through on four carries that ultimately finished with him in the end zone. A made PAT gave the Bulldogs a one-point lead that would become the story of the second half.
The offense began to stall in the second half as neither team could gain the upper hand. Thomasville, specifically, had a major problem with penalties. At the end of the game, the Bulldogs flag count would end up in the double-digits, mainly from offsides penalties and pass interference calls. The Rams would break free of the Bulldogs’ defense as quarterback Lyndon Worthy, who finished the game with 21 completions for 270 yards and two touchdowns, found Jayden Farley on a 36-yard dot to the end zone. After a failed two-point conversion, the Rams led 19-14 with 5:15 left in the third.
Thomasville then changed their approach a bit, slotting Lavonte Cole in the Wildcat formation. It worked well as Cole took a run 37 yards out towards mid-field and THS picked up two first downs in just three plays. It was a phenomenal response from Thomasville as Cam Hill later found Si Wilson in the corner of the end zone and the Bulldogs took a 20-19 lead into the fourth quarter.
The final frame started all Thomasville as Schofill opened with a blocked punt that he recovered at the ten-yard line. It took less than a minute for Cole to punch in the score and make it an eight-point game. Thomasville was able to put some drives together in the fourth but was unable to find the end zone. Worth, on the other hand, brought themselves back from the brink on a long drive that finished with Worthy finding D’ontae Fulton for the touchdown. They would fail a two-point conversion once again, leaving the score at 27-25 Thomasville with seven minutes to go. The defense stepped up on both sides, shutting down offenses that felt like they had scored all night.
However, it was Worth County’s last drive that did the Bulldogs in. Penalties truly ruled this day for Thomasville as they had the Rams on the ropes. A fourth and seven out of field goal range. But an offsides call and a pass interference call put the Rams in the red zone and with five seconds left and inside the ten-yard line, Worth sent out their field goal unit for the win. Rams freshman kicker Brody Hancock sent the winning field goal through the uprights for a Worth County 28-27 victory.
With this loss to the Rams, Thomasville now sits at 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the region. They are currently alone at second in the region with Fitzgerald in first at 2-0. Thomasville will face Fitzgerald this Friday in an away game with major region implications.