vs
| 10/25/24 - Away | 41-31 W |
| 10/21/23 - Away | 27-0 W |
| 10/21/22 - Home | 42-21 W |
Thomas County Central has gone a perfect 3-0 against Houston County recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Yellow Jackets will be playing in front of their home fans against the Bears at 7:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Thomas County Central's defense heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They blew past Northside 70-0. The win was just business as usual for the Yellow Jackets, who after eight games remain undefeated this season.
Christian Lawrence produced another solid effort rushing for 125 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries, while also picking up 77 receiving yards and one TD. His longest reception was for an impressive 59 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per catch total. Jaylen Johnson was another key player, throwing for 168 yards and a pair of TDs while completing 81.8% of his passes.
Meanwhile, Houston County hadn't done well against Coffee recently (they were 1-6 in their previous seven matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. The Bears were the clear victors by a 45-21 margin over the Trojans. Given the Bears' advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia football rankings (they are ranked 18th, while the Trojans are ranked 89th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Thomas County Central better keep an eye on Austin Stinson. He was instrumental in Houston County's win, rushing for 142 yards and one score on only 11 carries, while also picking up 77 receiving yards and one touchdown. That's the most rushing yards Stinson has posted since back in November of 2024. Another player making a difference was Ryan Maxwell, who threw for 226 yards and a pair of TDs while completing 72.4% of his passes.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Houston County was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 202 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 162 rushing yards in five consecutive games.
Thomas County Central's victory bumped their record up to 8-0. As for Houston County, their win bumped their record up to an identical 8-0.
Friday's contest will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Lawrence and Colin Anderson. Lawrence just won't slow down this season and has run in 13 touchdowns while averaging 114.5 rushing yards per game. Anderson has been a dominant force too and has run in 8 touchdowns while averaging 107.4 rushing yards per game.
Thomas County Central beat Houston County 41-31 in their previous meeting back in October of 2024. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Bears' Antwann Hill Jr, who threw for 259 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for 36 yards and one score. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Yellow Jackets to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
