THOMASVILLE — Thomasville enjoyed its biggest win in the Richie Marsh era Friday night.
The Bulldogs are confident more are to come this season.
The Bulldogs moved one step closer to clinching their first region title since 2004, rolling through No. 3 Fitzgerald 28-14 in a key Region 1-AA contest at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
“It feels good,” senior linebacker Jermaine Johnson said. “We’ve just got to come back next week and get ready for the next game and take it game by game.”
Thomasville (6-2, 6-0) is riding a six-game winning streak and, like its previous wins, Friday night’s game was won at the line of scrimmage.
“They’ve got a bunch of fine linemen down there you know,” Fitzgerald coach Robby Pruitt said. “On defense, everybody talks about (Brandon Thompson), but (Quintez Hayes) is a heck of a player. They’ve got a great team. Coach (Richie) Marsh has done a great job with those guys.”
Hayes, Thompson and the rest of the Bulldogs’ defensive front pressure Fitzgerald quarterback Brad Taylor the entire game, forcing one interception and limiting the Purple Hurricane to just 187 yards on the ground.
“Our kids made big plays,” Thomasville defensive ends coach Tom Taylor added. “It really helps too when our fans get into it.”
The Bulldogs’ defense was on the field much of the second half and stiffened on back-to-back possessions when the Purple Hurricane forced a turnover.
“They kept us on the field,” Thomasville defensive coordinator Lamar Landing added. “We worked hard dealing with the sudden change that happened in the game.”
Despite committing four turnovers, Thomasville tallied 377 yards on the ground, led by Tyrone Williams’ 193 yards and three touchdowns.
The junior fullback torched Fitzgerald, as the Purple Hurricane committed to stopping quarterback Ken Dixon on the option.
Dixon kept feeding Williams and stormed for touchdown gallops of 9, 52 and 2 yards.
“The only offense I saw, to be honest was when I look up and somebody was running down the field, on a run,” Marsh added. “I hear everybody hollered and I looked out and somebody with their ears peeled back running.
“The kids and the assistant coaches are doing such a great job, and I’m just blessed I could be a part of it.”
Charles Hayes added a 71-yard jaunt in the first half as the Bulldogs built a 21-0 lead.
Thomasville’s last regular season road trip is next week at Randolph-Clay. According to Marsh, that’s all the Bulldogs are focusing on.
“To be honest, it gives us some confidence,” Marsh said. “That road’s tough. Next week, we’ve got a tough football game. We’ve got to find a way to get better Monday.”
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