When I first came to Thomasville, I won’t lie, I had never been into high school football. I grew up in Mississippi where high school football falls to the way side to make room for Ole Miss and Mississippi State. I loved my high school and I will always have a soft spot for the Madison Central Jaguars, but I never truly followed high school sports. So, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew I would see some cool moments, maybe see a kid or two who would go on to play college ball and enjoy some fun games. What I did not expect was to see some the greatest football I’ve ever seen.

South Georgia is just different. The fans are different, the players are different and the atmosphere is different. For five months I had a sideline seat to watch some of the best athletes play some of the best football I have ever seen. I saw four hour thrillers, I saw dominant blowouts, I saw comebacks and record breaking performances. I was in the middle of it all for the Rose City Rumble, the loudest and most packed out football game I’ve been to since the Egg Bowl.

I’ll tell my kids about Rodge Waldrop’s 698 yard, nine touchdown performance against Deerfield-Windsor. I’ll tell them about Malachi Thomas catching a touchdown pass off his shoelaces. I’ll tell them how Cole Shaw dominated defenses. I will certainly tell them about an undefeated season that ended in the Benz with Caleb Anderson holding a title over his head.

This football season has been unlike any professional or college season I’ve ever experienced and it should be noted that I’ve experienced a lot of great football in my 25 years. I watched Eli Manning at Ole Miss, Dak Prescott at Mississippi State, I watched the Saints breathe life into New Orleans after Katrina with a Super Bowl victory and I was in the building when Tim Tebow played his last college football game for the Gators. But, none of that compares to this high school football season in Thomasville, Georgia.

It may sound like I’m stretching the truth for dramatic effect, but every word is genuine. Between watching these games on the sidelines, expanding my knowledge of the game, getting to know the amazing coaches in this city and watching these boys become men in front of my eyes, it’s truly something I’ll never forget. You don’t get that on tv or from being a fan.

Being on the sidelines as the Yellow Jackets clinched their first State Championship since ’97 and seeing the smiles on the kids faces, it was truly something I’ll never forget.

It has also been a joy to watch this community as Thomas County Central blazed through this historic season. As I said, I love my Madison Central Jaguars and we tailgated and packed out home games, but the sense of community never seemed to be there. Thomasville is the complete opposite.

This town is built off the backs of 16 and 17 year kids, who put their heart and souls into this game. The amount of overwhelming support the Yellow Jackets got from start to finish was truly remarkable to see simply because it’s not like this anywhere else.

So, thank you Thomasville for making the years of school and struggle worth it. There is no where I’d rather have be during high school football season. As I told coach Rogers, I picked a good time to come to Thomasville.