Some losses hurt more than others.

For Thomas County Central, its game on Nov. 9 against Harris County was a crushing defeat. Not only did the 18-12 loss cost the Yellow Jackets the Region 1-AAAAA title, it dropped Central into one of the toughest playoff brackets in the state.

The Yellow Jackets paid for it with last Friday’s 45-17 defeat to top-ranked Northside-Warner Robins in the second round of the playoffs, ended their season at 9-3.

“We know we’re a better team than Harris and Harris is still playing,” Shaver said. “This was a tough bracket to get in. You knew you had to play Northside-Warner Robins at their place. They’re tough to beat here. They’ve pretty much, all year long, been the odds-on favorite with all the seniors they had coming back from last year.

“It was a tough card to be drawn. Our guys gave it a good fight.”

See Thursday’s edition for more details.