Preview: Dougherty Trojans vs. Thomasville Bulldogs
Dougherty is 0-1 against Thomasville since October of 2022 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Dougherty Trojans will head out on the road to face off against the Thomasville Bulldogs at 4:00 p.m.
Last Friday, Dougherty was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 22-16 to Monroe.
Meanwhile, Thomasville got themselves on the board against Columbus on Friday, but Columbus never followed suit. They claimed a resounding 51-0 victory over the Blue Devils on the road. Given Thomasville's advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia football rankings (they are ranked 118th, while Columbus is ranked 387th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Thomasville's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Lavonte Cole, who rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown on only five carries. Cole's longest rush was for an incredible 71 yards. Anthony Hill, Jr. made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.
The team's defense also helped out by holding Columbus to a paltry 32 yards. A big part of that defensive dominance came down to Thomasville's ability to keep the quarterback under pressure: the team laid him out six times before it was all said and done. The heavy lifting was done by Detroski Kerbo and Rah'Darius McCoy who racked up four sacks between them.
With Dougherty's loss and Thomasville's victory, both teams now sport identical 4-4 records.
Dougherty lost to Thomasville on the road by a decisive 35-20 margin in their previous matchup back in October of 2022. Can Dougherty avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
