Clint Thompson
THOMASVILLE — Revenge is sweet.
A region championship is sweeter, however.
Avenging last year’s blowout loss to Westside-Macon, Thomas County Central spotted the Seminoles a 10-0 lead on Friday before rallying to a 27-18 win and the Region 1-AAAA crown. It is the 11th region title in school history.
“We accomplished something that nobody ever gave us a shot to do in the beginning,” said junior defensive end Ray Drew. “They didn’t even give us a shot to have a winning season. For us to come out and win the region is a great feeling.”
Central’s eighth straight win snapped Westside’s eight-game winning streak. The Yellow Jackets claimed the region’s top seed in the upcoming state playoffs, which begin in two weeks.
“It’s unbelievable. You can’t even describe it in words,” Central junior quarterback Eric Dodson said. “After all we went through the first of the year, nobody gave us a chance.”
Dodson threw for 96 yards and two touchdowns while also running for a 20-yard score in the second quarter. His first passing touchdown may have been the key play in the game. Following a successful fake punt by Central (8-1, 7-0), Dodson hooked up with Julius Reese for a 67-yard bomb that cut Central’s deficit to 10-7 in the first quarter. Dodson credited his offense’s rushing attack with getting Reese the ball.
“When we hit them with the play-action, they weren’t expecting it,” said Dodson, who also hooked up with Eric Hollis for an 11-yard score right before halftime. “We went twins left over, and I looked the free safety off to the tight end and (Reese) was wide open. He made a great play to score.”
Dodson’s touchdown pass to Hollis put the Seminoles (8-1, 6-1) in a deficit for the first time this year. It was a hole they couldn’t get out of as Central built a 20-10 halftime lead.
“We just didn’t execute and they whipped us,” Westside coach Sheddrick Risper said. “They flat-out whipped us. They whipped us up front on both sides of the ball. They had the better team tonight.”
Central certainly had the better defense. The only touchdown it allowed was a fourth-quarter screen pass to Robert Brown for 63 yards. Westside was held to 67 rushing yards, forced to punt four times and sacked six times.
“We got a lot of pressure on them,” senior defensive end Caleb Heard said. “Me and Ray were coming off the edge. If we didn’t get them, we were flushing the quarterback back inside for the tackles to get them. We did really good tonight.”
Central coach Bill Shaver added, “What can you say about our defense all year long? They gave up one screen pass.”
The 18 points was Westside’s second-lowest output for the season.
“(Central) was well-prepared,” Risper said. “We knew what kind of atmosphere we were going to be involved in tonight. They took advantage. The crowd kept them in the game. They just played hard.”
It took 49 seconds for Westside to tally the game’s first score. An errant pitch by Dodson was scooped up by Marvin James for an 8-yard touchdown.
On Central’s next possession, Dodson was picked off by D.J. Green, giving the Seminoles the ball at the Yellow Jackets’ 10.
Of Central’s first four plays, two were fumbles and one resulted in an interception. Dodson admitted his nerves were getting the best of him.
“They were terrible. My stomach was just churning and churning. I couldn’t get it to stop,” Dodson said.
Once the nervousness ceased, Dodson led an offense that scored the most points on Westside this year. Curtis Brooks scored Central’s final touchdown in the third quarter on a 1-yard plunge. That drive started after Central recovered the second-half kickoff. It was one of two turnovers for the Seminoles.
“Once we got a little momentum, we just never looked back. We kept going,” Heard added. “Now, we’re region champs.”
Central’s regular season finale is next week at Bainbridge.
