THOMASVILLE, Ga. — When new Thomas County Central head coach football Ashley Henderson arrived last spring, he promised the Yellow Jacket fans would see an entertaining brand of football that would feature his version of ball control — meaning many players contributing to the offensive attack. 

Based on the results of his first game at The Jackets’ Nest Friday night, the new head coach has held true to his promise. 

In front of an impressive packed home grandstand at the stadium and with Super Bowl winners Danny Copeland and Myron Guyton serving as honorary captains, 13 different Yellow Jackets either ran or caught the ball for the Central offense, and a swarming Yellow Jacket defense kept Early County’s Bobcats on their heels throughout the night as Central won the opening game of the 2018 season by an impressive 33-7 score. 

“I was very pleased with the way our team hustled tonight,“ Henderson said after the game. “The offense took advantage of some opportunities, and the defense really got after it. I’m pleased all the way around, although we know we can play better.“ 

The Yellow Jackets started the night scoring with a short touchdown pass from senior quarterback Adam Tedder after an Early County turnover deep in Bobcat territory. On Early’s next offensive series, Central defensive back Jatonee Thomas stepped in front of an Early pass and ran the interception back for a 54-yard touchdown return. Midway through the first quarter, Central had electrified the home crown with a 14-0 lead.

In that first quarter, the Yellow Jacket fans saw their team complete a flanker reverse pass, threaten faking a punt, and an attempted onside kick.

“We said we were going to dictate the tempo of the game, and that’s what we’re going to do,” Henderson stated. “We’re not out here to hold something back.” 

Early got on the board in the first with a 54-yard Aaron Yarbrough touchdown run, which was by far the biggest play of the night for the Bobcats. After that play, TCCHS held Early to 86 yards for the night and only six first downs.

“Our defense really got after it,” Henderson observed. “I was pleased with what I saw from those players, and very happy with the job our coaches over there did getting them ready to play.” 

The Bobcats committed 10 penalties on the night, and had several mishandled or poorly executed snaps that helped the Yellow Jacket cause, including one snap fumbled by the quarterback in the Early end zone that was recovered by Central’s Alkevius Bryant for a touchdown. 

“Any time your defense can create a couple of scores, that’s normally going to be a pretty good night,” Henderson added. “Our defense is really swarming around the ball and that’s going to create some mistakes, which is what happened tonight.”

Tedder was 7 for 12 passing the ball for the night for 65 yards and two touchdowns. His punting was also a factor as he boomed several kicks for 45-plus yards in the second half. For the night, Central totaled around 145 offensive yards, but was effective in creating points from the Early County miscues. Sophomore running back Dondell Green also had a touchdown. 

“Our offense had one turnover tonight, and that was with a lot of our guys off the bench mopping up there at the end of the game,” the Yellow Jackets head coach said. “We rotated a lot of players in and out of the game through the night to try to get some guys some experience and keep them fresh, and our conditioning definitely was a positive factor in this one. The work our players put in over the summer made a difference here tonight.” 

With the win, Central will now look forward to its annual rivalry game with the Thomasville Bulldogs. With the lopsided 41-7 loss to the Bulldogs last year, the series record currently stands at 25-25. 

“We’re looking forward to the opportunity,” Henderson concluded.