Jackets fall 56-21 to Thomasville

The first quarter of Friday night’s Jeff Davis–Thomasville football game was like a horse race as the two teams raced up and down the field and left fans dizzy from the fast-paced action.
Forty-two points were scored in the opening stanza that ended with the homestanding Bulldogs on top 28-14. In the end, the Yellow Jackets couldn’t keep up with the Bulldogs as Thomasville led 49-14 at halftime and went on to a 56-21 Region 1, Div. 1 victory.
Thomasville improved to 5-1 with the win while the Jackets fell to 4-1.
The Yellow Jackets kicked off to start the game and, on the third play from scrimmage, the races began. Thomasville’s quarterback faked a handoff to his left and then sped up the middle of the field, untouched for 60 yards and a 6-0 Thomasville lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, Mark Durden returned the ball from his 15 to just across the 25 where he was hit, the ball popped into the air, a Thomasville player tipped the ball away and another Bulldog claimed the pigskin at the JD 23.
Two plays later, Thomasville scored from 9 yards out and, after the P.A.T. kick, the Bulldogs led 14-0 and the Jackets had not yet run a play from scrimmage.
When JD finally got possession of the ball, they put together a 9-play drive that reached the Thomasville 31. The top play in the march was a 21-yd. quarterback keeper by Durden. But the drive stalled and, on 4th-and-13, Fabian Valdelamar retreated into punt formation. The snap sailed over his head at midfield, he retreated to the Jacket 40 to retrieve the ball and then calmly booted a punt that was a downed at the Bulldog 6.
Six plays later, Jacob Laney tipped a Bulldog pass into the hands of J.J. Benjamin who gathered in the ball at the Jacket 35 and raced 65 yards down the home sidelines for a touchdown. Valdelamar kicked the extra point and the Jackets had cut the lead to 14-7.
But the excitement for the Yellow Jacket faithful was short-lived as, on the second play after the kickoff, a Bulldogs runner took the ball off the right side, broke three tackles enroute to midfield and then outran everyone to the end zone for a 70-yd. TD run, The kick made it 21-7.
Then the races really began. Durden took the Bulldog kickoff at his 8, raced up the middle of the field behind excellent blocking, broke into the open at the Jacket 45, and raced all the way to the end zone for a 92-yd. kick return. Valdelamar booted the extra point and it was 21-14.
The Bulldog kick returner took Valdelamar’s ensuing kickoff at the 20, dashed through an opening at the 30, slipped a tackle attempt at the 45, fought off another tackle attempt at the Jacket 35 and raced into the end zone for another score. The P.A.T. kick made it 28-14, still in the opening period.
The Yellow Jackets weren’t ready to quit. They then put together a 12-play, 76-yd. march, highlighted by a 23-yd. dash down the visitors sidelines by Laney.
The drive reached the Thomasville 4 yard line where, on 4th-and-goal, an option to the right was stopped short and Thomasville took over at their 8.
It took the Bulldogs only 4 plays to score, reaching the goal line on a 55-yd. run. The kick made it 35-14.
The teams then traded punts, with Valdelamar’s punt sailing 55 yards into the Bulldog end zone. On Thomasville’s punt, from their 16, a roughing the kicker penalty gave the Bulldogs new life. They then marched 69 yards in 4 plays to up the score to 42-14.
On the 1st play after the kickoff, bad luck struck again as the ball was batted away from Durden on an option attempt at the JD 30. A mad scramble ensued as both teams tried to coral the bouncing ball and the Bulldogs finally got the ball at the Jacket 7. They scored in 2 plays, making the halftime score 49-14.
Thomasville scored in 6 plays on its first possession of the second half and led 56-14.
On the kickoff, Durden had a good return out to the Jacket 44. From there, the Jackets scored in 5 plays with Ian Griffin having a 25-yd. run and Messiah Swinson running for 22 and 6 yards, the latter for the score, making the final 56-21.
Both teams emptied their benches to play out the remainder of the game with backup fullbacks R.J. Sims and Braylon Varnadore getting runs of 10 and 9 yards.
Score by quarters:
JDHS 14 0 0 7 -21
THS 28 21 7 0 -56