Thomas County Central defensive back Devan Drew intercepts a Northside-Columbus pass as Yellow Jacket defender Ernest Harris hits a Patriot receiver on Friday at Kinnett Stadium.

The pressure is on.

While it is always Thomas County Central’s goal, Lee County’s potent offense could make it a necessity for the Yellow Jackets to score on every possession Friday night in the top 10 showdown.

“That’s always the case, when you face a dangerous offense, sometimes you have to match score for score,” Central coach Bill Shaver said as his Class AAAAA Yellow Jackets (6-1, 2-0 in Region 1-AAAAA) prepare for the No. 8 Trojans’ 8 p.m. visit to Thomas County Stadium.

“Our goal is always, ‘No turnovers. No punts.’ We were able to do that the other night. That’s always our goal on offense, although it is a tough goal to reach some games. But it’s one that if you play a good offense that is capable of scoring from anywhere on the field, you have to maximize your opportunities. And you don’t want to give them a short field, make them go a long way and earn their points. Because they are going to get some points and get some plays.”

Led by Ohio State commit Stephen Collier, the Trojans (6-0, 1-0) bring the region’s leading offense into the matchup of region contenders. Lee is averaging 36.3 points per game, while racking up 354.8 yards per game, which ranks third behind Harris County and Central.

See Wednesday’s edition for more details