THOMASVILLE — Thomasville entered Friday night with a three-game playoff losing streak. After the first drive, however, the Bulldogs were poised to advance to the second round.
Thomasville (9-2) took the opening kickoff, drove 82 yards on 15 plays — capped by a two-yard touchdown plunge by Ken Dixon — and cruised to a 24-0 rout of Laney in the Class AA playoffs.
“It shows how much our kids understand this offense,” Thomasville offensive coordinator Matt VerSluis said. “Ken does a great job leading it. The offensive line is unreal. I’ve said that 100 times but they really are.
“The backs did a good job blocking tonight on those long drives.”
The drive was highlighted by five first-down conversions, including one by Charles Hayes on the first play of the game, a 15-yard scamper.
Laney coach Lemeul Lackey added: “We’ve been playing pretty good defense all year and they were able to grind it out a little bit and just keep the ball from us. I thought if we had a couple of more chances here early in the half, we could get something going, but we didn’t and they did.
“My hat’s off to coach Marsh and his staff. They did a good job.”
n THOMASVILLE DEFENSE RISES UP — While Thomasville’s offense moved the ball effectively in the first half, it struggled in the second half, losing a pair of fumbles.
The Bulldogs’ defense responded, however. Laney threw a pair of second-half interceptions and was constantly pressured by Thomasville’s defensive front.
“They did early in the ballgame,” Lackey said. “A couple of kids up inside were a little bit qucker than what we thought they were. We just weren’t able to sustain any of the blocks.”
The Bulldogs’ highly recruited defensive tackle Brandon Thompson was one of those responsible for the Wildcats’ ineffectiveness passing the ball. He recorded a pair of sacks and nearly blocked a punt in the second half.
n RUSHED FIELD GOAL — Thomasville hit a field goal at the end of the first half but it didn’t come without dramatics. Without a timeout and time winding down, Thomasville had a third-and-goal from its 4-yard line. Dixon danced around in the backfield, looking for an open receiver but tucked it under and dashed toward the goalline. He was tackled short of the end zone. Thomasville rushed its special teams on to the field and with 1.7 seconds remaining, the Bulldogs were called for a false start. “You almost want to have that in your playbook,” Thomasville coach Richie Marsh joked.
“It allowed us to get our field goal team on the field.”
After the penalty, Daniel Anders booted a 25-yard field goal.
n TICKETS GO ON SALE — Reserved seat tickets for Thomasville’s second-round playoff game against Savannah Christian will go on sale Monday and Tuesday at Thomasville High School.
They will be on sale from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Local Sports
Opening drive propels ’Dogs to ninth straight win
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