No one ever wants to lose to their rivals, especially in a region championship game.
It’s even worse when it’s a night full of “ifs, wouldas, couldas, and shouldas” as Thomson football coach Michael Youngblood described Friday night’s 47-35 loss to Burke County in a game that decided the Region 4-AA crown.
But if it’s any consolation, Thomson looks poised for a deep postseason run — and that’s saying something, considering how the season began with two straight losses.
This was the first loss for the Bulldogs since week two when they lost to North Augusta by a touchdown. This was also their first loss by more than a possession.
Bulldog in rare form
On the lighter side, star running back Anthony Jeffery rushed for 179 yards and four touchdowns in the contest, besting his Burke County counterpart A’merre Williams by six rushing yards, to finish off a stellar regular season with 1,120 yards on the ground and 19 touchdowns.
“I saw his heart. He carried us, he toted that tater for us [Friday night],” said Youngblood.
This is to say Thomson seems more than capable of accomplishing their championship goals, even if Friday just wasn’t their night. Youngblood said his team didn’t make the plays it needed to, to win the game, but it can’t be a thought anymore.
“That’s got to be over with,” said Thomson’s head man. “If it’s not, we will get sent home in the first round.”
Last year, Thomson made it to the second round before Toombs County came to town and dispatched the Bulldogs 41-30 in the Class AA playoffs.
Second season begins
Now, it’s time to turn the page to a new season.
Everyone has the same record now, and those 10 games no longer matter. What’s done is done and now everyone controls their own destiny.
The Bulldogs finished as the 12-seed in Class AA, and since they are in the top 16 of 32 teams, they will get a chance to host in the first round. The opposition will be Pike County (5-5, 1-4) from Region 2.
Pike’s best win came in week one over a now-5-5 Crawford County.
There are a lot of interesting storylines heading into the playoffs, but one of the most glaring is the fact that Thomson and Burke could match up three weeks from now, depending on how each team takes care of business.
Burke County will host Cook this Friday while Thomson hosts Pike County. Both first round playoff games begin at 7:30 p.m.
