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Thomasville wins in the 'ring of tigers' Much to the delight of Head Coach Jack Hankins, his Thomasville Tiger football team scored quickly and often in their game with visiting Choctaw County last Friday, Sept. 29. "I was very pleased with the way we came out and took care of business early against Choctaw County," Hankins said. "We had a good week of preparation and it carried over into the game Friday night. I thought we played well in almost every phase of the game and extremely well on defense." The Tigers played well indeed, pretty much putting the game away by halftime having scored all 55 of their points in the first two quarters. It was a combination of the defense stifling Choctaw County's offense and the Thomasville offense taking advantage of every opportunity. Thomasville's special teams also contributed greatly to the team's first half success blocking two punts, tackling the kicker on a muffed snap, and getting a hand on two more that went for very short distances. It all got started with Thomasville taking the opening kick off and returning it to their own 37-yard line. From there Thomasville was in the end zone in short order with Delvonte Harris scoring on a 1-yard plunge with 10:19 remaining in the first quarter. The extra-point attempt by Cameron Dunagan was wide but Thomasville led 6-0. With the Thomasville defense shutting down the visiting Tigers on three plays in their first possession, the stage was set for the special teams to get in on the act with one of their big plays. Possibly worried about the intense Thomasville punt rush, the punter from Choctaw County fumbled the snap and was tackled at the 9-yard line. From there the efficient Thomasville offense was back in the end zone in one play as Alex Buford scooted in from 9 yards out. Henrique Aguiar came on and split the uprights with the extra-point and Thomasville led 13-0 with 8:36 remaining in the first quarter. Choctaw County's second set of downs was very much like their first with the Thomasville defense smothering them on three straight plays. Once again the Thomasville punt rush was just too much to handle, blocking this kick and setting the Thomasville offense up at the visitors' 21-yard line. And just like it was in the series before, the Thomasville offense wasted no time capitalizing on the mistake with fullback James White dashing 21 yards for Thomasville's third score. Aguiar was on the mark again and the Tigers had extended their lead to 20-0 with 7:02 yet to play in the first. Things weren't a whole lot better for Choctaw County on their next series although they did manage to get a short punt off following another three plays and out by their offense. Staring at the Choctaw County 33 following the short punt, Thomasville was on the scoreboard again with 3:33 left in the first quarter when James White barreled in from 6 yards out. Aguiar's kick was true and the Thomasville lead stood at 27-0. On the ensuing kick off Choctaw County returned the ball to their 28 and set up shop for their third offensive series. This possession was even shorter as Thomasville's Alex Buford picked off a pass on second down putting the Thomasville offense back in business at mid-field with 3:13 remaining in the first quarter. From there the offense quickly covered the 50 yards to pay dirt culminating their drive on an 8-yard Jake Overstreet to Kenny Sanders touchdown pass. Aguiar tacked on the extra-point and the Thomasville lead was 34-0 with 1:36 remaining in the first stanza. The Thomasville offense had a short field to work with one more time before the first quarter ended getting the ball at the Choctaw County 26 on a Daril Jackson interception with :43 remaining. Although they weren't able to knock it in before the quarter ended they did add to their lead early in the second quarter when Delvonte Harris picked up his second touchdown of the night blasting in from 4 yards out with 11:56 to play in the second quarter. Once again Aguiar was on target and Thomasville had increased the lead to 41-0. With the Thomasville defense countering every move the boys from across the Tombigbee tried to make, the Tiger offense got one more shot before the second period ended. Taking over at their 42 they covered the 58 yards to pay dirt in five plays with James White scampering in from 25 yards out for the six points. Aguiar's streak continued upping the Thomasville lead to 48-0 with 6:43 left to play before intermission. The final Thomasville score of the half and ultimately the game came with 3:52 yet to play in the half when Brian Knight broke through the Choctaw County punt protection and blocked another Choctaw County punt. Not only did he block it but he fell on it in the end zone for a Thomasville touchdown. Aguiar made it 7-of-7 on extra-points and Thomasville led 55-0 as the teams headed to the locker rooms. Except for a score and a twopoint conversion by Choctaw County late in the fourth quarter, the second half was pretty uneventful as Thomasville substituted freely. Leading the Thomasville rushing attack that piled up 234 yards and accounted for six touchdowns was James White with 72 yards and three touchdowns on five carries. Delvonte Harris followed him with 69 yards and two touchdowns on six carries while Alex Buford had 35 yards and one touchdown on four carries. In the air Jake Overstreet was 3- for-4 for 44 yards connecting with Kenny Sanders on one pass for 8-yards and a touchdown, Shed Simmons on one pass for 17 yards and Tysean Thompson on one pass for 19 yards. Over on defense Scipio Tolbert led Thomasville with eight tackles followed by the trio of Jeremy Borden, Justin Smith and Brady Sullivan with seven each. Other outstanding defensive plays came from Alex Buford and Daril Jackson with interceptions and Brian Knight with a punt block and recovery for a touchdown. As the Tigers get back into regional play this week, they will be hosting 5-0 T. R. Miller in a showdown for the Region I lead. This Miller squad is much like those that Tiger teams have had to deal with in years gone by. "As you might expect the T. R. Miller team we will see come to Anderson Field this Friday is reminiscent of all those Thomasville has seen in the past," Coach Jack Hankins said. "They are well-coached, very disciplined and consistent on offense and aggressive on defense. Add to that their great special teams' play and you can see why we will have our hands full." Much like it has been practically every week for the Tigers, this Miller team will be larger than Thomasville on both offense and defense. "Once again we will be outsized," Hankins said. "They have a good 215 lb. fullback that will be running behind an offensive line anchored by two 300 pounders. If we plan to beat them we will have to take care of the football better and play our best game of the season."
Kick off for the game is set for 7 p.m. this Friday, October 6 at D. F. Anderson Field.
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