THOMASVILLE — After a 49-0 shut out over St. Pius, the Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets will be looking to dominate once more as they get set to take on the Jonesboro Cardinals in round two.

It’s entirely possible however that this will not be a blow out as Jonesboro has made a habit out of playing close games. The Cardinals are currently on a three game win streak with each game being decided by six points or less. Jonesboro won their last two regular season games 28-26 and 36-30 and just last week beat Glynn Academy 32-31 in an epic first round match up. This should work in the Yellow Jackets favor.

There’s no doubt that the Cardinals starters have been grinding out these close wins, playing most snaps of very physical games. Meanwhile, many of Thomas County’s starters exited the St. Pius game early in the third quarter. The Yellow Jackets are not only confident and rested, but their number twos got some valuable playoff reps and played very well.

If Jonesboro wants to pull off the upset, they will have to do it off the back of their quarterback Jamon Jones. Jones shared the quarterback position with Jontavius Wyman for most of the season, but has been QB one for Jonesboro in their last three games. In those three game he has completed 51 passes on 75 attempts for 791 yards and 10 touchdowns. For reference, before being named QB one Jones threw eight touchdowns in as many games. Jones has clearly come into his own and will be what drives this Jonesboro team.

Luckily for Thomas County Central, they have one of the best defenses in the state. The Yellow Jackets defense has recorded five shut outs this season and have not allowed more than 24 points in any game. That stifling defense and disruptive d-line combined with a powerhouse offense has made Central the number two team in the state, according to Maxpreps.

There is very little doubt that on Friday night the Yellow Jackets will punch their ticket to the third round, however, they are certainly not overlooking the Cardinals. Overlooking any opponent in the playoffs is an easy way to get sent home early.

Thomas County Central will take on Jonesboro in the Jackets Nest on Friday night at 7:00 p.m.