CAIRO — Thomas County Central found its offense Friday.

The Yellow Jackets’ quest for a win also ended.

For the first time since its game against Hardaway last year in late October, the Yellow Jackets rushed for more than 100 yards (167). Curtis Brooks and James Davis each tallied touchdowns to power the Yellow Jackets to a 14-3 victory against Cairo.

“We didn’t run up and down the field, but we did control the chains and had some good drives,” Central coach Bill Shaver said. “The offensive line came off well. Eric (Dodson) made some good reads.”

Central (1-1) rushed the ball 41 times and tallied 11 first downs. Shaver believed the biggest improvement his offense made was in the trenches.

“The big difference was the offensive line came off the ball well. Coach (Bill) Wilhelm came in after warmups and said, ‘That was the best warmup we’ve had in a long time,’” Shaver added. “They were fired up. I’m just proud of them.”

Brooks paced the Yellow Jackets with 75 yards on the ground, including a 6-yard scamper in the second quarter that gave Central a 6-0 lead.

Davis, a sophomore who was inserted into the lineup, churned out 45 yards, including a late 22-yard touchdown jaunt in the fourth quarter that iced the victory.

Dodson credited his offense’s improvement to the week of practice it endured.

“Practice was very intense,” said Dodson, one of four new offensive starters this year for Central. “We just had to get that mesh going. I think we started to find some rhythm tonight. Things are starting to look up.”

Central’s defense was also key. It forced three fumbles and held Cairo to just one field goal. All four of the Syrupmakers’ second-half possessions finished inside Central territory.

“We’re not making the (plays),” Cairo coach Tom Fallaw said. “We’ve got to do something well. We ain’t doing anything well right now on either side of the ball, really. We’ve got to get back to what we do.”

Cairo’s (0-2) rushing attack was held in check by Central’s defense, finishing with just 74 yards. First-year quarterback Brian Walker was limited to 32 rushing yards while throwing for 138.

“They’ve got a great athlete at quarterback. He scrambled out of there and made some big plays on third down,” Shaver said. “We knew he was going to give us some trouble, but we didn’t let them get in the end zone. That was the big thing.”