Thomasville routs Dublin, clinches spot in quarterfinals

Published 11:27 pm Friday, November 17, 2017

THOMASVILLE — Thomasville was able to get a first-round win against Jeff Davis last week, but coming out of that game, it still felt like it was missing the kind of execution it needed to really make it far in the 2017 postseason.

Problem solved.

The Bulldogs started fast offensively and drove the field with ease all night, pulling away late for a 44-22 win over Dublin at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Friday.

It was the first win for the Bulldogs against the Fighting Irish in the playoffs. The 2017 Thomasville team now sits at 12-0, becoming only the third squad in school history to reach that mark.

“I’m very, very proud of the kids,” Thomasville coach Zach Grage said. “Last week it was either a lack of preparation of a lack of something. I think we fixed it this week. From the first round to the second round, I’m very happy.”

Thomasville began the game in familiar fashion, with its powerful offense driving 72 yards in just under three minutes. Tan Gelin gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the game, running into the end zone for a 33-yard touchdown with 9:14 left in the first.

After the ensuing kick, Dublin made its own noise. On the Irish’s first play from scrimmage, quarterback Rodriguez Martin found a wide open hole to his left, and ran across midfield for a 62-yard run to the Thomasville 18. However, Dublin was not able to take advantage of the early chance, as the Bulldogs’ Karey Lee picked off a Martin pass in the end zone and returned it to the Irish 49.

The Bulldogs went right back to scoring, driving the length of the field on their second straight possession. Gelin ran in from 12 yards out to give Thomasville a 14-0 lead with 3:33 left in the first quarter.

On its next possession, Dublin appeared to be stopped again on a three-and-out, but a defensive pass interference penalty on Thomasville gave the Irish new life. Dublin’s Tyler Strickland gave his team a much-needed score two plays after the costly penalty with a 60-yard touchdown scamper, cutting the Thomasville lead to 14-7 with 1:39 left in the first quarter.

Thomasville could not get a first down on its next possession, which led to another quick Dublin score on a long run, courtesy of Montarian Carswell. With 11:06 left in the second quarter, the game was tied 14-14, and Thomasville was looking to shake off the sudden shift of momentum.

“We gave up those two big runs, but that’s Dublin,” Grage said. “You’re not going to play any cupcakes from here on out. It was always cutbacks. We had the front side locked down, it was just our back side pursuit. Our defensive staff’s halftime speech was going out to our practice field, and they went out and did tackling drills and went after it. I’ve never seen that before, but I loved it.”

The Bulldogs took the lead back with 8:31 left before halftime, with Carl Blackmore connecting on a 22-yard field goal, his first of three made kicks on the night. After stopping Dublin on a turnover on downs with 3:08 left in the first half, Thomasville quarterback JT Rice found receiver Tyler Knuckles on a well-executed screen pass, leading to a 49-yard score to put the Bulldogs up 24-14. They had a chance to get more points with under a minute left until the half, but a Rice interception in the end zone ended the threat as time ran down.

Dublin took the second half kickoff, but two plays into their drive, Thomasville’s Marc Davis recovered a fumble to give the Bulldogs good field position. The Bulldogs were able to move the ball on their first two drives of the third quarter, but were limited to 49 and 39-yard Blackmore field goals.

Trey Tillman and Charlie Thomas came through for game-sealing 20 and 22-yard rushing touchdowns at the end of the third and start of the fourth, respectively. Dublin’s Jermaine Cooley added a 22-yard touchdown run for his team’s only points of the second half with 3:53 left in the game.

Rice finished the game 16-of-27 with 222 yards passing. Tillman and Gelin rushed for 63 and 76 yards, respectively.

“The offensive line did a great job tonight opening holes for the backs,” Grage said. “The backs ran hard. We didn’t really have to use JT a whole lot. He was just solid.”

Thomasville will host Heard County next week. The game will mark the Bulldogs’ first appearance in the state quarterfinals since 2010.