By Barry H. Hendrix
The Thomasville High School Tigers football team defeated the Washington County High School Bulldogs 47-7 Aug. 14 in a Jamboree event at D.F. Anderson Field.
“Overall, I thought we were physical,” said Clint Anderson, THS Head Football Coach. “On offense, we really didn’t get to see enough snaps.” It was a credit to the Bulldog offense, that they had a long 20-play possession in the first half. “It took away a lot of the offensive reps (for the starters) that we were hoping to get in the game.”
There are always mistakes that can be corrected, but Anderson saw a lot of good things. “These guys are starting to really buy in to the scheme of what we do – their aiming points and their pad level and things that you teach every day.”
The coach credited the THS defense for their resiliency in keeping the Bulldogs out of the endzone. The Tiger defense stopped Washington County over-on-downs three times during the jamboree. Anderson applauded the effort of his defense and thought they tackled well.”
The pre-season event was an opportunity for THS coaches to see a large number of players in game action. “We got to see a lot of our young guys. That is really a positive. …It was great to see them have success.” Over the course of the season, with the tough 2026 schedule, younger players may not get as many opportunities on the field – except for the Junior High games.
There were long runs for the Tigers in the jamboree. “We had several guys that were able to finish their blocks and maintain their blocks throughout the entire play to the whistle,” he said. “That opened up some holes for our backs. I thought our backs did a really good job of being explosive and being difficult to tackle. That’s what we tell our backs: at least make one person miss every time to touch the football.”
Thomasville began the Jamboree scoring with a 35-yard touchdown pass from Christian Draper to Gunnar Lewis (7:09 in the first quarter).
The point after kick by C.J. Welch was also good.
C.J. Rowden scored a THS touchdown on a 15-yard run (3:51 in the first).
A Thomasville pass was intercepted by Washington County’s Christian Smith (4.3 seconds left in the first half).
The halftime score was Thomasville 14-0.
Steve Grayson scored for the Tigers on a 69-yard TD run (10:52 in the third).
Washington County’s Austin Atwood ran 20 yards for a TD (7:43 in the third). The point-after kick by Jackson Warrick was also good.
Hunter Norwood threw 17 yards to Jakeim Clarke for a touchdown (2:43 in the third). The score was THS 28-Wash. Co. 7.
Andraz Thomas ran 39 yards for Thomasville TD (1:13 in the third). The point-after kick was no good due to a bad exchange.
Thomas scored another TD with a 5-yard run (8:02 in the fourth). The point-after kick by Mayder Pop Pop was also good.
Jason McCall ran 40 yards for the final Tiger TD (4:30 in the fourth).
The point-after kick was no good.
The Tigers (Class 2A, Region 1) will next host the Leroy High School Bears (Class 1A, Region 1) in the regular season opener at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 21 at D.F. Anderson Field.
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“They (the Bears) are super talented,” Anderson said. The head coach of the Bears Chan Lowe is in his third season. “They have so many weapons on the offensive side (led by junior quarterback Jace Sellers). They are predominately a throwing team (but)…they always have a solid running game.
“…They do a really good job of distributing the ball to their athletes. Their athletes in space are good players.
“…Their defensive front is really good,” the THS coach said. “The linebackers understand playing downhill. It is going to be a huge challenge.” Fans should expect a competitive game for four quarters.
For a season opener, Leroy will be one of the strongest teams Thomasville will see this year. It will be an opportunity for the THS coaches to see how they measure up as they work to get better each week.
“The better the teams that you play, your deficiencies can be exposed. Are their any obvious things that will be exploited?” Hopefully, those deficiencies will not cost you a win, Anderson said. “I want to improve week-to-week.”