THOMASVILLE —
A rivalry dating back to 1978 will be renewed Friday night.
Playing in its first home game of the season, Thomas County Central will host Colquitt County at Thomas County Stadium.
The two teams have played 28 times prior but haven’t clashed since 2007.
Central coach Bill Shaver is excited about the two programs meeting again.
“My first game ever coaching at Central was against Colquitt County,” Shaver said. “It’s always been, in my mind, a huge rivalry for us. Their fans like playing us. Our fans like playing them, just being 30 miles apart. I’ve always enjoyed every one of the Colquitt County games.”
Before the 2008 season, the teams had played 16 straight seasons. With region realignment two years ago, though, Central was forced to play eight Region 1-AAAA games, leaving Thomasville and Cairo as Central’s non-region opponents. This year’s new-look 1-AAAA features eight teams, allowing Central to schedule an extra non-region game.
“We were excited when our region had one less team,” Shaver said. “Actually, when we were looking like we were going to have a lot of teams, we were actually trying to sub-divide so we could play teams like Colquitt County and maybe Tift County and things like that, which we have some good rivalries with.
“We’re excited about having that game back on the schedule. It’s generally a good crowd for both teams, which is good for the program because that’s what fuels your program there, the gate sales.”
Both teams entered this season with high expectations. Central won the region last year and returned 22 seniors to a squad that advanced to the third round of the state playoffs. Colquitt County won 11 games last season — the most for the Packers in 10 years — and advanced to the state semifinal round in Class AAAAA. However, the Packers will bring an 0-2 record into Friday night’s game following a 65-35 loss to South Panola, Miss. Shaver is hopeful the Packers’ slow start does not deter fans from attending Friday night’s showdown.
“I would hope their fans are still excited about their team and will come down to Thomas County because they haven’t been down here in a few years and see how we can match up with them,” Shaver added.
Local Sports
Related Photos
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Former Thomas County Central running back Debrale Smiley battles for extra yardage against Colquitt County in this 2005 file photo. File photo
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