THOMASVILLE – The Region 1-6A championship will be up for grabs under the Friday night lights as Thomas County Central welcomes Lee County for inarguably their toughest test of the season. Lee enters this game 7-1 with their only loss coming by way of 7A powerhouse Colquitt County. The Trojans are coming off of a big 56-7 region win over Northside.

Meanwhile, the Yellow Jackets will look to remain undefeated this season and secure their eighteenth regular season victory in a row. If Central wants to keep their streak alive the defensive line will have to step up and play the best game they’ve played all season. Lee County employs a very run heavy offense and deploys three different running backs. However, their most dangerous is junior Ousmane Kromah. Kromah has been unbelievable this season. He averages 140.5 rushing yards per game and leads the Trojans in receiving yards. He also has 19 touchdowns on the season with 13 of them being on the ground. Simply put, he is dangerous and Central knows it.

“You gotta stop their running back and their running game. That’s them in a nut shell. It sounds real simple. It sounds real easy, but it is very difficult to do,” said Central head coach Justin Rogers. “They have an elite running back, they have a good o-line that blocks well. The Kromah kid is just one of the best backs I’ve ever seen.”

The Central d-line has been dominant against the run this season. They have held every team they have played, with the exclusion of Bainbridge, to less than 100 rushing yards and have held three teams to under 40. They also have allowed just a single rushing touchdown all year. 

However, the Yellow Jackets line is not impenetrable as Bainbridge demonstrated. The Bearcats Keenan Phillips is the only truly elite running back that Central has faced all year. Phillips found success against Central with 139 yards on the ground on 25 carries and he found the end zone. He also had a pair of receptions for 31 yards. In total, Central gave up 201 rushing yards in the Bainbridge game and that is something the Yellow Jackets can’t afford to do against a team like Lee County. 

Last week the Trojans put up almost 350 rushing yards on Northside and scored five TDs on the ground. The week before that they dropped 300 on Veterans and in their first region contest that put 370 on Houston County.

There does appear to be a chink in the Trojans armor, however, when it comes to their own defense. With the exclusion of Warner Robins whose stats are not available, Lee County has given up at least 111 passing yards in every game. They do have eight interceptions on the year, but that stat is bolstered by the Trojans five interceptions against 4A Hapeville Charter in week two. 

Lee County is clearly susceptible to the pass attack. They have given up 200 passing yards or more on three separate occasions, one of which was a 282 yard, three touchdown performance by Houston County. This is the same Bears team that Central held to 63 yards passing and scoreless just last week.

This means that the Yellow Jackets offense will likely need to flow through quarterback Jaylen Johnson, who looks more and more comfortable everyday. And with receivers Malachi Thomas and Tre’von Pringle, it will be a good day for the Jackets passing offense.

All in all, this could be one of the most exciting and explosive games of the year. Central is hungry for another region title. Last year was all about proving the doubters wrong. Now, it’s all about proving the supporters right. 

When asked what winning another region championship would mean for his team, Rogers said, “It’s just validation. I mean, this is why you give up your summers. This is why you go travel around and work and this is why you do everything is to play in big moments and big games. If you win region championship it gives you a one seed and you get to play at home for as long as possible. Playing here in the playoffs, that’s a big advantage.”

Central and Florida State legend Charlie Ward will be in attendance at the game to meet fans and sign autographs before he is honored before the start of the game for the 30th anniversary of his Heisman Trophy win. At 7:30 p.m. the battle for the region title between Thomas County Central and Lee County will begin.