THOMASVILLE – Thomas County Central will end the 2024 regular season at home on Friday as they take on Coffee in a game with major playoff implications.

The Yellow Jackets and the Trojans come into this game tied for second in the region with a 3-1 region record. While this game is not for the region title as many had hoped, the battle for second place is an important one. The winner of this contest will earn the right to host at least the first round of the playoffs.

For Central, their defense and ground game will be very important. This Coffee team is not a pass-first team. They are very run-dominant but can be effective in the pass game. The Trojans have no less than 22 rushing attempts in a game this season and average 40 carries per game. Meanwhile, they haven’t had double-digit receptions all year. 

However, as stated previously, that doesn’t mean the Trojans aren’t dangerous in the air. They have thrown for over 120 yards four times this season, they have 11 passing touchdowns and totaled 195 passing yards on four receptions against Lee County.

So, how does Central’s defense stop Coffee? Well, if you look at both the Lee County game and the Mainland game it becomes quite clear. Though the results were wildly different, both Lee and Mainland severely limited the Trojans offense and they did so by forcing them to throw. Coffee was held to 142 rushing yards against Mainland and just a single rushing TD. All but one of their rushers was held to under 3.5 yards per carry and none rushed for over 70 yards. Mainland didn’t shut down Coffee’s run game but they did limit it. That forced Coffee to throw more, leaving them with nine passing yards against Mainland and an interception. 

Lee did it even better than Mainland, all but shutting down Coffee’s run game. The Trojans had just 39 rushing yards against Lee, which forced them to throw. They threw 13 times, completing only four passes and, though Coffee finished with 195 passing yards and two touchdowns, they threw two interceptions as well. A team like Central can live with a few explosive pass plays.

For Central’s offense, it’s important to get the run game going. The Yellow Jackets will likely have success in the passing game. Coffee has given up over 120 passing yards in their last six contests where stats were reported. They gave up almost 200 to Houston County. But yards do not correlate to points as the Bears found out when they didn’t score a single touchdown.

The key for Central is the run game. The teams that have run the most against Coffee have had the most success. That is, of course, Lee County and Gadsden County. Gadsden lost just 27-14 but they rushed for 157 yards and scored twice on the ground. If it hadn’t been for two interceptions they could have really challenged the Trojans. Lee County, who handed Coffee their only loss of the season, dropped over 400 yards on the ground in that game and scored five rushing touchdowns. They were absolutely dominant, which opened up the passing game for 155 yards and a touchdown. Gadsden had similar success in terms of yardage as the run game opened up the passing game to give them 130 yards on eight completions.

If Central can establish the run early on, it will open up the pass game. Central’s Jaylen Johnson will have to be careful with the Coffee secondary, who have had nine interceptions this year, including four in their last two outings. But Johnson has been solid with the ball this year, with a 22-4 TD-to-interception ratio. He hasn’t thrown a single INT since the loss to Lee County.

Thomas County Central will face Coffee at home on Friday in a battle between reigning state champions. The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.