Gerald Thomas III | Special to the TimesBrooks County quarterback Ni’Tavion Burrus (2) lines up for the the snap during a game against Thomas County Central on Friday in Quitman.

QUITMAN –– The Brooks High School Trojans regained their winning ways Friday, handing the Thomas County Yellow Jackets their first loss of the season in a 38-22 victory.

The Yellow Jackets received the ball first.

On their first drive, they were able to get the ball down to the nine-yard line before they were held up by the Trojan defense, forcing them to settle for three. 

The Trojans then scored 23 unanswered on four big scores, two each on both sides of the ball.

After Ni’tavion Burrus could not find a receiver down the field, he scrambled up the gut before cutting outside for a 74-yard score. 

The Yellow Jackets then got a chance to regain a lead before being pinned back to their own 15-yard line.

On fourth down, punter Conner Sadler fumbled the snap and tossed it to the back of the endzone for a safety that would put the Trojans up 9-3. 

The Trojans then received the safety kick and drove the ball down to the five-yard line before running back Omari Arnold fumbled the ball into the end zone, which the Yellow Jackets recovered for a touchback. 

The Yellow Jackets were forced to punt on the drive.

Once the Trojans got the ball, Burrus fumbled a shotgun snap for 14 yards.

Burrus quickly made up for his mistake.

With receiver Raquan Manning streaking down the field, Burrus found him for a 75-yard touchdown reception, putting the Trojans up 15-3 two plays later.

The Trojans defense continued their stout ways.

Outside linebacker Devin Edwards sat on a pass to intercept Kalique Guyton for a 55-yard return.

Head coach Maurice Freeman then called for his offense to run a quarterback keeper, which extended their lead to 23-3 with six minutes left in the second quarter.

“The guys were doing their job, following instructions, and being willing to play,” Freeman said. “It just panned out for us.”

Making a drive to score before the half, Guyton tried to find his receiver in the end zone, but instead found Edwards once again to end the half.

The Trojans received the kickoff to begin the second half but fumbled, setting up the Yellow Jackets at the 18-yard line. 

The Yellow Jackets drove the ball to the one-yard line, where the Trojans defense remained stiff until fourth down when the Trojans advanced the extra yard to score the touchdown. 

The Trojans quickly responded after failing to secure the goal line stand.

Omari Arnold took the kickoff and made the most of it, dashing to the endzone for an 80-yard return to put the score at 31-10 at the end of the third quarter.

Scoring then stalled as both teams could not move the ball. 

This was until Burrus capped off a lengthy drive with a five-yard scramble, raising the Trojans’ lead to 28. 

The Yellow Jackets tried to put up a late fight but couldn’t get enough scores before time expired. 

Guyton tossed a pass to receiver Adam Hopkins for a 45-yard touchdown to bring their deficit to 16.

For the final score of the game, Guyton found Trey Huewitt in a seam to complete a 33-yard touchdown pass.

“We tackled people tonight for a change and had the same energy,” Freeman said. “We’ve been in the lead in every game we’ve played this year and this time we didn’t make the mistakes in the end.”

Next Friday will be the Trojans’ homecoming game as they will face off against the 1-3 B.E.S.T. Eagles. 

Freeman wants his Trojans to stay focused.

“We want to continue to win in order to get ready for region play.”

The game will kickoff at 7:30 p.m. at Veteran’s Stadium on Oct. 4.