Thomasville linebacker Quinton Jones, left, and defensive back Charlie Thomas, right, pose at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Wednesday. 

THOMASVILLE — Thomasville’s football team is a squad with some talented young players on the rise, and two of them recently served as ambassadors in the upper part of the state.

Bulldog juniors Charlie Thomas and Quinton Jones both participated in high school football all-star games last week, and both learned much more than just nuances about the sport they play. Thomas participated in the Rising Seniors Junior Bowl game, while Jones played in the Georgia Elite Classic.

For the program as a whole, it meant a lot to have representation in rosters mostly filled by teams north of Macon.

“It’s great to get recognition from your peers,” Thomasville head coach Zach Grage said. “Both games are similar and kind of compete for talent. It’s good to get Thomasville on the map and foster relationships with the North Georgia teams.”

For both players, football was a big component, but the importance of the right choices in life was also a huge topic of conversation. For both of them, it was the first thing that came to mind while reminiscing on their trips.

“We had a lot of speakers,” Thomas said. “They spoke to us about how football is fine and all, but they talked a lot about life after football, college, and getting your grades, stuff like that.”

As for the games, both Thomas and Jones received action against some of the best crop of players in the state. Not many were from South Georgia, so there was a little bit of a disconnect, but both wanted to represent their school well.

“It means a lot that I was selected,” Thomas said. “I had to represent in a good way. It was always in the back of my head that I wanted to do good and not bad. I didn’t really know anybody, so I just had to be classy on and off the field and carry myself in a good way.”

That didn’t mean they couldn’t meet some people. Jones was able to rub elbows with a couple of fellow defenders, as well as a player he played against.

“I met Lowndes County’s quarterback,” Jones said. “He was a stud. I met a linebacker and a DB from Thomson. Those are the ones that stood out to me.”

The games themselves were full of healthy competition in stadiums that were much bigger than the one back home. Thomas, a defensive back, totaled two tackles during his game, which took place at Mercer University’s field in Macon.

Jones racked up three tackles at linebacker, playing at McEachern High School in the suburbs of Atlanta, at the largest high school football stadium in the state.

Both took away different lessons just by watching their peers, as well as from the time they spent during practice and at the games.

“It was really exciting,” Thomas said. “You get the watch the kids that are real good. You get to play against them, and that’s fun too. I learned a lot from the DB coach. He taught us a lot about eyes, hands, how to move.”

“There were a lot of high caliber offensive stars,” Jones said. “I got to learn a lot just by watching the other guys. It was fun, but it was easier than I thought it would be.

“I learned that size doesn’t matter. You can be big, but it’s really about heart. You’ve got to go out there and play.”