Thomasville quarterback Ronnie Baker (4) pulls out of the grasp of a Fitzgerald defender. 

THOMASVILLE — It might have been the best interception Tucker Pruitt’s team has thrown.

Thomasville’s Evan Wynn made a leaping grab of Demorris Goodwin’s pass to Chance Gamble near the Bulldogs’ goal line with 9:31 to go in the game. The officials rules Wynn came down just inside the field of play.

On the next play, Fitzgerald’s defense swarmed Ronnie Baker in the end zone for a safety, and the Purple Hurricane took the resulting possession after the free kick for a go-ahead score and a 29-28 win Friday at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

With the win, the Purple Hurricane, 9-0 overall and 4-0 in the region all but assured themselves of the Region 1-AA championship. 

“Probably not,” Pruitt said if he’s had a more fortunate interception his team has thrown. “That worked out really good for us. But I’m just so proud of our kids. They just never quit.”

After stalling at the Fitzgerald 41 with 4:09 to go, the Bulldogs punted away. They never got the ball back. 

On fourth-and-1 at his own 34, Pruitt sent out the punt team, then called timeout. He sent the offense back onto the field. 

Mario Clark, who ran the ball 17 times in the second half, including the go-ahead 2-yard run, barged his way for three yards and a first down.

“I said if we’re going to go down, we’re going to go down swinging,” Pruitt said. “The kids wanted to go for it. We’re always going to be aggressive and try to win the game. If you can’t get a yard, you deserve to lose.”

Pruitt said he was concerned when the Bulldogs got the ball back after Clark’s score with 5:32 remaining in the game.

“We didn’t stop them all night long,” he said. “Give them a lot of credit —(quarterback Ronnie Baker) was unbelievable. We couldn’t hem him up.”

But Thomasville, which had 46 plays in the first half, 33 of them runs, had just five snaps on offense for the entire fourth quarter. 

Ricky Fulton’s 1-yard run with 26 seconds to go in the third capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive and gave the Bulldogs (5-4, 3-1) a 28-21 lead. 

Fitzgerald struck first, and struck early. On the game’s second play, Chance Gamble outraced the Bulldogs defense for a 69-yard score. 

Thomasville had the ball on Fitzgerald’s side of the 50 on its first two possessions but came away empty. The Bulldogs’ third such possession was set up by Deldrick Hill’s tip and interception. That turned into Baker’s 10-yard run up the middle with 1:03 left in the first quarter. 

On its next two drives, the Bulldogs were 6-of-6 on third downs, getting two Fulton touchdown runs to take a 21-14 lead. 

The Purple Hurricane drove to the Bulldogs 10 just before the half, but Wynn wrenched away an interception on the final play to end the threat.

“We played like crap,” Pruitt said. “On offense, we had three turnovers. Defense, we played like crap the whole team. But you’ve got to give them credit. They played with a lot of heart and they refused to lose, and somehow, some way, they believed we were going to find a way to win, and we did.”

Clark, who had a 31-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, tied the game at 21-21 with his 1-yard run with 4:02 to play in the third.   

For Pruitt, Friday night’s win was the culmination of four years of work. 

“This is huge,” he said. “This is my fourth year, and these seniors have been with me the whole time. It was time for a region championship. I’m just so happy for them. This group has been through a lot, from 4-7 their freshman year to a region championship. I’m just so proud of those kids and the fight that they showed tonight.”

Thomasville travels to Berrien on November 13 for its regular season finale.