SHAKE AND BAKE: Trey Brenton had a solid game as he left defenders on the ground, while he strolled in for the touchdown.

THOMASVILLE — Though Thomas County Central started off slow in their opening drive, Friday night’s contest at Brooks County was yet another dominating performance by the Yellow Jackets. Central made it three games in a row with over 40 points scored with a 44-7 victory over the Trojans.

Trey Brenton got the Yellow Jackets off to a fantastic start with a short reception that he took 20 yards to the end zone on a beautiful run after the catch. Receiver Zamari Wilson followed that up with what could be the catch of the year to put the Jackets on the goalie. The Trojans stood tall, however, and Central was forced to kick a field goal.

A slow first quarter would end with Central up 10-0, but the Yellow Jackets kicked it into high gear, putting up 27 points in the second quarter. The running back room had a field day as Brenton, AJ Clark, and Ahmad Ponder all recorded a rushing touchdown in the quarter. Jaylen Johnson and Malachi Thomas would join in on the fun as Thomas made a highlight reel catch to end the first half with the Yellow Jackets leading 37-0.

It was a lopsided first half to say the least. Central was executing a very balanced attack with 177 passing yards and 83 rushing yards in the half. Meanwhile, the Central defense held Brooks County to just 28 yards in the air through the first two quarters. Even more impressively, the Trojans had negative three rushing yards in the half. The defense would go on to finish the game with 44 total tackles, four sacks, a fumble recovery, and only 56 yards of total offense allowed. A truly dominant performance.

The second half saw Central bring in their backups for some reps. The o-line continued to provide incredible support to the run game as Ponder punched it in quickly, making it 44-0.

To Brooks County’s credit, they didn’t give up. Later in the third quarter, the Trojans marched to the goal line off the back of an interception and reached into their bag of tricks. Lining up in a wildcat formation, the Trojan running back executed a jump pass for their first and only touchdown of the game.

As the horn sounded, the Yellow Jackets celebrated a 44-7 victory that ended a 53 year curse. It’s the first time since 1973 that Thomas County Central has beaten the Trojans at Brooks County. They took the loss with respect as well as the PA announcer said over the loud speaker, “To be the best you have to play the best and tonight, Thomas County Central, you were the best”.

Central will now look to this Friday when they will host Godby for the last week of non-region play.