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Demopolis falls to Thomasville in opener

Jeremy D. Smith , , ,
Logan McVay looks for blockers on a run against Thomasville.
Logan McVay looks for blockers on a run against Thomasville.

Miscues plagued Demopolis throughout the night Friday as it fell 18-14  in its season opener to Thomasville.

“It was a tough, hard-fought ball game where we missed a couple of the opportunities we should have had,” Demopolis coach Tom Causey said. “Thomasville made the most of a couple of opportunities and that was the different in the ball game. It was four points.”

Thomasville fumbled the ball four times and saw two punt attempts turned into massive losses that set Demopolis up on the doorstep of the end zone.

The first of those special teams errors allowed Demopolis to run two plays and cover five yards, scoring on a 2-yard touchdown run by Jayjerrin Craig with 6:06 left in the first quarter.

Erin White (72, bottom), Drew Jones (34), Matt Dauphin (35) and Rahmeel Cook (top) take down a Thomasville runner.
Erin White (72, bottom), Drew Jones (34), Matt Dauphin (35) and Rahmeel Cook (top) take down a Thomasville runner.

With 2:19 left in the opening quarter, Trevor Wilson busted around the left side and sprinted down the sidelines for a 69-yard touchdown run that cut the Thomasville deficit to 7-6. Tyler Colburn blocked the extra point to preserve the one-point lead.

Thomasville got its second score of the game when Byran Hosea punctuated an eight-play, 62-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run. The conversion attempt failed, leaving Thomasville up 12-7.

Demopolis appeared to take the lead in the third quarter when Craig seemed to punch the ball over the goal line. The ball popped loose on the play and ultimately made its way into the hands of Thomasville’s Tyshaun Hayes in the end zone to give the visiting Tigers possession and a touchback.

Demopolis went for a fourth-down conversion early in the fourth quarter, failing in the effort and leaving Thomasville 25 yards from paydirt. Hosea cashed in on the chance with a 24-yard touchdown to push the lead to 18-7.

Davontae May wraps up a Thomasville runner.
Davontae May wraps up a Thomasville runner.

Demopolis pulled itself back into it with 4:13 to play when Logan McVay hit Seth Aiken for a 34-yard strike. McVay then punched it in from a yard out.

“I’m proud of our guys fore battling,” Causey said. “They never quit playing and gave us a chance to win there at the end.”

Wilson led the offensive effort for Thomasville with 143 yards on 19 carries. Colburn led Demopolis with 15 total tackles, five tackles for loss, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a blocked kick.

Drew Jones (34) and Matt Dauphin take down a Thomasville runner as Marcus Wright (26) closes in.
Drew Jones (34) and Matt Dauphin take down a Thomasville runner as Marcus Wright (26) closes in.

Demopolis must now turn its attention to region foe Calera, a team it will face on the road next week.

“We’ve got to come back, re-focus and get this region win,” Causey told his team following the loss.

Thomasville finds itself 2-0 headed into region play after beating rivals Sweet Water and Demopolis in consecutive weeks..

“It’s got to give us great momentum going into the region games now,” Thomasville coach Jack Hankins said. “We’ve just got to keep getting better. We’ve got a lot of improving to do.”