Preview: Jonesboro Cardinals vs. Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets
The Jonesboro Cardinals will head out on the road to face off against the Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Jonesboro sitting on three straight wins and Thomas County Central on 12 (dating back to last season).
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Jonesboro walked away with it. In a tight contest that could have gone either way, they made off with a 32-31 victory over Glynn Academy. This was one game where the offenses had no trouble playing at a high level.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Jonesboro to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jamon Jones, who threw for 158 yards and three touchdowns. Jontavius Wyman was another key contributor, picking up 53 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Thomas County Central put the finishing touches on their ninth blowout victory of the season on Friday. They took their game at home with ease, bagging a 49-0 win over St. Pius X Catholic. Given Thomas County Central's advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia football rankings (they are ranked second, while St. Pius X Catholic is ranked 149th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Trey Brenton was his usual excellent self, rushing for 118 yards on only 13 carries. Malachi Thomas also helped out with an impressive 83 receiving yards.
Jonesboro has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 8-3 record this season. As for Thomas County Central, they have yet to lose a game at home this season, leaving them with a 11-0 record.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Jonesboro has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 151 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Thomas County Central struggles in that department as they've been even better at 187.3 per game. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other football content.
Jonesboro skirted past Thomas County Central 17-14 in their previous matchup back in November of 2015. The rematch might be a little tougher for Jonesboro since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
