THOMASVILLE — In 1976, Thomas County Central’s football team secured its first win against Thomasville at the Bulldogs’ home, Veterans Memorial Stadium.

On Friday night, the Bulldogs were able to bask in their own moment against the Yellow Jackets in their home, clinching all-time win No. 700 against their crosstown rivals with a 41-7 victory at Thomas County Stadium.

The Bulldogs’ win ties their all-time series with the Yellow Jackets at 25 wins apiece. It was the most lopsided victory for Thomasville in the rivalry since 1990.

“It’s kind of a culmination of everything we’ve talked about all summer,” Thomasville coach Zach Grage said. “I wish I was a part of all 700. I’ve only been here a year and a half but I know how it feels, the energy and the passion for this program. I told the seniors that they’ll remember this for the rest of their life. They’ll be able to walk around Thomasville forever and have their chest poked out a little bit because they know they took care of business on this field.”

After Central and Thomasville exchanged three-and-outs to begin the game, the Bulldogs were moving the ball. However, penalties negated big plays for them. Their luck began to change with 5:17 left in the first quarter, when Karey Lee picked off Central quarterback Deondre Sullivan on his first pass attempt, setting the Bulldogs up at their own 45.

Thomasville rode the turnover’s momentum, driving all the way down to Central’s 9-yard line. Running back Tan Gelin dove in near the left pylon, giving the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead with 3:10 left in the first.

Central began its best drive of the first half late in the first quarter. A 28-yard Sullivan run across midfield helped the Yellow Jackets get to the Bulldogs’ 36. That drive ended when Thomasville’s Charlie Thomas picked up a fumble and ran it the other way for a 64-yard touchdown, extending the Bulldogs’ lead to 14-0.

“Offensively, we didn’t have much rhythm all night long,” Central coach Bill Shaver said. “They didn’t do anything we didn’t practice. They just out executed, played better than we did and coached better than we did. They didn’t surprise us, we just didn’t execute.”

Despite the hot start, Thomasville had some missed chances. With 2:58 left in the third, a penalty nullified what would have been a 62-yard touchdown pass to Kevon Shy. The Bulldogs had nine penalties for 80 yards in the first half compared to Central’s one 15-yard penalty. They also had a lot of over and under thrown balls and dropped wide open passes. For the most part, the Yellow Jackets were not able to make their rivals pay for their mistakes.

Carl Blackmore, who broke a Thomasville record with a 53-yard field goal against Cairo last week, connected on a 45-yarder with 6:01 left in the first half before adding some more intrigue to an already historic night. As time began to tick below a minute before halftime, Thomasville had a prime chance for a touchdown deep in Central territory, but more penalties prevented that from happening.

Sent back to the Yellow Jacket 40, the Bulldogs called upon their kicker to break his week-old record. He delivered, shattering his mark set against the Syrupmakers with a 57-yard field goal towards Jackson Street.

“He’s phenomenal,” Grage said. “It’s nice to have him in your back pocket as a 2A school or any school for that matter.”

Central received the ball to start the second half, but a crucial mistake dug their hole deeper. After a three-and-out, a snap over the head of punter Dominic Scott gave Thomasville the ball at the Jackets’ 23. Two plays later, Trey Tillman scored from 13 yards out to extend the lead to a commanding 27-0.

After 14 and 30-yard runs from Carlie Dismuke and Jaylen Dunbar, the Yellow Jackets finally were able to get on the board. Imond Hobbs ran in from three yards out to cut Thomasville’s lead to 20-7, keeping hope alive going into the fourth.

The final quarter began after a 45-minute lighting delay, but the Yellow Jackets, who were in Thomasville territory to start the period, were not able to carry their momentum from the end of the third.

The Bulldogs put the game away with two scores in the fourth, a 55-yard Lee fumble return and a 13-yard touchdown pass from JT Rice to Pierson Weatherspoon.

Thomasville finished the game with 14 penalties for 135 yards. Tay Cooksey, Central’s key senior wideout, sustained an ankle injury in the first quarter and did not return.