THOMASVILLE — When the Thomasville Bulldogs traveled over four hours to face region four two seed Harlem, expectations arose. Many favored Harlem and Thomasville fans were hoping the Bulldogs could keep it close. What happened, however, no one could have predicted.

Thomasville got out to a quick start scoring 14 in the first quarter, more than they’ve scored in any first quarter since their 51-0 win over Columbus.

It was the Cam Hill and Cole Shaw connection that got the Bulldogs offense rolling. Hill hit Shaw for a 75 yard touchdown and, after a fumble recovery by the Bulldogs, Hill connected with the Mercer commit again to put Thomasville on the 15 yard line. Ant Anderson, who also had a huge day, ran it in from the 15 to give the Bulldogs a 14 point lead.

The Thomasville offense was riding high, especially Hill, Shaw and Anderson. Hill finished the game with 240 passing yards and a touchdown and Shaw had 152 yards receiving along with a receiving TD. Meanwhile, on the ground, Anderson led the Bulldog rushers with 2 touchdowns and 187 yards on just nine carries. He averaged over 20 yards per carry as the Bulldogs rushed for almost 300 yards.

“Offensively, I felt like we did a good job mixing up run pass,” said Thomasville head coach Jonathan DeLay. “It was a complete team game. Emotionally it was just one of those roller coaster games. You’re up, you’re down, you’re up, you’re down, but that’s what football is. You have to be able to handle the ups and the downs and it was nice to be able to be 1-0 so that we can have another opportunity at another one game season this week.”

Harlem would respond, however, scoring on a 60 yard drive that culminated with an eleven yard score on the ground by Harlem’s Corey Boyd. Thomasville took a seven point lead into the second frame.

The Bulldogs quickly responded to Harlem’s advances as Levonte Cole put points on the board, finding the end zone from eight yards out. However, a 40 yard touchdown pass and a successful two point conversion brought Harlem within six. Thomasville would take that six point lead into halftime.

Coming into the second half, Harlem made their presence know, forcing their way back into the game. Ethan Evangelista found Lee Williams on a nine yard pass to tie the game at 21 early in the second half. The PAT gave Harlem a one point lead, its first of the game.

Harlem forced a punt out of Thomasville, but the Bulldogs defense stood strong and forced a turnover on downs heading into the fourth quarter.

Anderson came up big for the Bulldogs once again as he started the final quarter of the game off with a 75 yard touchdown run. Thomasville decide to be aggressive and go for two, which was successful as Hill used his legs to put the Bulldogs up by seven. Harlem went on a quick two minute march. They made their way 59 yards to the four- yard line where Evangelista punched it in and tied the game at 29 with eight minutes to go.

Harlem forced a punt, but once again the Bulldogs defense was there to save the day. With four minutes left in the game, Thomasville was able to force a fumble and recover it on their own one yard line. The Bulldogs now had a chance to do what many only see in movies. Drive 99 yards in the final minutes of a playoff game for the game winning score.

“The intensity was real. But, they never lost that belief,” DeLay said. “When we got the ball back there and we’ve got to come off the goal line on that first play, it’s something we work every week and that’s our coming out play and we went out and executed it and broke some tackles and made a big play.”

Thomasville marched down the field and with just two minutes to go, Thomasville found itself just seven yards away from the go ahead score. But as the seconds ticked away, the Bulldogs failed to get into the end zone and found themselves going for the win on fourth down on the one yard line.

“We got there and I called timeout right before that fourth and goal play inside the one” said DeLay. “I said, ‘Guys, here’s the deal. You’ve got an opportunity to go do something great, but your opportunity is to go finish. You’ve got an opportunity to go finish this game. Finish this one game season.’”

And with under a minute to go, the Bulldogs handed the ball off to Leelend Chapman, who capped off the 99 yard drive with the go ahead score. Colby Hall knocked in the extra point and the Bulldogs led 36-29 with just seconds left on the clock.

Thomasville was able to make the tackle on the kickoff and forced a fumble on the ensuing possession and celebrated their epic playoff win.

“Well, it tells you a lot about your team and how mature they are. You’re up 14 and they score 15 unanswered and we are able to push it right back over the top again,” DeLay said. “They answer again and we made plays when we had to make plays. That’s what it’s about when you get to playoff time. You have to make the play that you have to make. You never know when it’s coming, but when it does arrive you have to be ready to make it. That’s what we were ready to do.”

Thomasville will now travel to Savannah where they will face 3A powerhouse Calvary Day.