STATE BOUND: Lawrence Rushes for 4 TDs, Thomas County Central Crushes Roswell in GHSA 5A State Semifinal
It’s safe to say there’s been plenty of buzz surrounding the GHSA 5A state semifinal between Thomas County Central and Roswell.
Originally slated for Dec. 5 but delayed six days while the GHSA fought an injunction by Hall Superior Court Judge Clint Bearden regarding the semifinal eligibility of 35 Gainesville football players the GHSA had suspended for their semifinal game against Langston Hughes, Thursday’s showdown between flying insects will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET at Jackets’ Nest Stadium in Thomasville.
Be sure to bookmark this page and follow along once the game begins for live scoring, highlights and updates as they happen in the live scoring section below once the game begins.
What’s not controversial is that the Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets (13-0) and Roswell Hornets (12-1) are two hot teams with championship potential.
Both teams enter on extended hot streaks. The Yellow Jackets have swarmed opponents all season, outscoring them 697-120. Their closest game was a 35-21 win against Lee County on Sept. 26. They beat Woodward Academy 49-19 in the quarterfinals.
The Hornets, winners of 10 straight, have outscored opponents 576-285. Their only loss was a 65-21 defeat to Buford on Sept. 5. They have been tested in close games, beating Walton 30-28, Gainesville 37-35, Milton 41-39 and Sequoyah 42-35 in the quarterfinals.
Roswell and Thomas County Central last met in the GHSA 6A quarterfinals on Nov. 25, 2022, with Roswell coming out on top 42-34 before falling in the semifinals to Gainesville that season.
Guided by senior quarterback Jaylen Johnson (147 of 213 for 2,280 yards, 35 touchdowns, 4 interceptions) and senior running back Christian Lawrence (167 carries, 1,534 yards, 21 touchdowns), the Yellow Jackets have amassed 5,576 yards of offense (2,825 rushing, 2,751 passing). Senior Rodney Dunbar (41 receptions, 679 yards, 11 touchdowns) and Jabari Watkins (46 receptions, 699 yards, 10 TDs) lead the receiving corps.
Thomas County Central’s defense has been dominant, with 142.5 of its 623 total tackles going for loss, including 41.5 sacks and 131 quarterback hurries. Senior defensive end Cam Brooks leads the team with 10.5 sacks and 34 hurries, while junior Issac Andrews and sophomore Prince Che share the team lead with 17.5 tackles for loss each. Brooks and Isaiah Andrews have 14.5 tackles for loss apiece.
Roswell’s offense has been more productive, totaling 6,187 yards (3,332 rushing, 2,855 passing). A trio of seniors in dual-threat quarterback Trey Smith (163 of 259, 2,681 yards, 26 TDs, 9 interceptions; 182 carries, 1,187 rushing yards, 22 touchdowns), running back Nick Peal (183 carries, 1,362 yards, 19 TDs) and wide receiver Wills Campbell (70 receptions, 1,336 yards, 13 touchdowns) lead the charge.
Their defense has 903 tackles and 110.5 tackles for loss, led by senior linebacker Brody Duffy, who paces the team with 136 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and 17 hurries. Junior Ian Foust leads the team with 3 interceptions.
1Q
2Q
3Q
4Q
Final
Roswell
14
7
0
7
28
Thomas Co. Central
14
7
14
14
49
Roswell received the opening kickoff.
TOUCHDOWN! Roswell struck first with a 75-yard pitch and catch from Trey Smith to wide receiver Wills Campbell to give the Hornets a 7-0 lead.
TOUCHDOWN! The Yellow Jackets responded with an 80-yard drive, capped by a Christian Lawrence touchdown to tie it 7-7.
TOUCHDOWN! Quarterback Trey Smith ran up the gut on a keeper and scored on a 10-yard run to give the Hornets break a tie and give the Hornets a 14-7 lead midway through the first.
TURNOVER ON DOWNS! Roswell’s defense stiffened and got a big stop at midfield to hand the ball back to its offense at the Yellow Jackets’ 49.
PUNT! With just under 3 minutes remaining in the first quarter, Roswell was forced to punt it back to Thomas County Central’s 11.
TOUCHDOWN! Jabari Watkins caught a tunnel screen from Jaylen Johnson and went 60 yards to tie the game 14-14 with 1:54 left in the first quarter.
PUNT! With 1:04 left in the first quarter, Roswell went three-and-out and punted it back to Thomas County Central’s 30.
SACK! Roswell’s Tyler Pressnall got a big sack on the Yellow Jackets’ first play after the Roswell punt.
End 1: Roswell 14, Thomas County Central 14
PUNT! Roswell forced another stop, and the Yellow Jackets punted it back to the Hornets’ 27 with 9:40 left in the half.
BIG PLAY! Dre Cousey beat a defender on a go-route, and Trey Smith hit him in stride on a big play down to the Yellow Jackets’ 18 with 8:27 left in the half.
TOUCHDOWN! Trey Smith scored his second rushing touchdown with 7:40 left in the half on a 3-yard run to break the tie and give the Hornets a 21-14 lead. The drive lasted six plays and covered 68 yards.
BIG PENALTY! Thomas County Central faced fourth-and-2 from its own 28, lined up to go for it, and coaxed Roswell to jump offsides to give the Yellow Jackets a new set of downs.
TOUCHDOWN! One play after sophomore tight end Gary Pringle caught a pass out of the backfield and rumbled to the Roswell 18, Jaylen Johnson dropped a perfect 18-yard pass to Rodney Dunbar with 4:21 left in the half to complete a nine-play, 80-yard drive and tie the game 21-21.
SACK! Defensive end, and Florida State commit, Cam Brooks sacked Trey Smith for No. 11.5 of the season to set up fourth down for Roswell.
FAKE PUNT! Roswell set up to punt on fourth-and-13, but a high snap was pulled down by Hornets punter Tyler Pressnall, and he ran down to the Yellow Jackets’ 39 for a first down.
PUNT! Roswell’s drive stalled at the Yellow Jackets’ 38, and Pressnall’s punt only netted 6 yards to the Thomas County Central 32 with 1:53 left in the half.
MISSED FIELD GOAL! On the last play of the first half, Thomas County Central attempted a 36-yard field goal, but the kick sailed wide left.
HALFTIME: Roswell 21, Thomas County Central 21
Halftime notes: Thomas County Central out-gained Roswell 326-250 through two quarters, including 136-56 rushing, in a tied game. The defenses settled down in the second quarter, but explosive plays, particularly in the first quarter, set the tone early.
Thomas County Central began the second half with the ball at its own 20.
TOUCHDOWN! Wake Forest commit Christian Lawrence scored his second TD of the night, racing in from 35 yards with 9:58 left in the third to complete a seven-play, 80-yard drive to give Thomas County Central a 28-21 lead, marking the Yellow Jackets’ first lead of the game.
PUNT! Thomas County Central’s defense got a big stop. Roswell punted it back to the Yellow Jackets’ 22 with 6:52 left in the third.
PUNT! Roswell’s defense, despite allowing 414 yards midway through the third, forced the Yellow Jackets to go three-and-out and got the ball back at its own 35 with 5:10 left in the third.
MISSED FIELD GOAL! With 2:41 left in the third, Roswell missed a bit wide on a long field goal, giving the ball back to the Yellow Jackets at their own 20.
TOUCHDOWN! With 18 seconds left in the third quarter, Christian Lawrence went 59 yards off the right end on third-and-18 to give the Yellow Jackets a 35-21 lead. It was his third rushing touchdown of the game.
End 3: Thomas County Central 35, Roswell 21
PUNT RETURN TOUCHDOWN! Thomas County Central sophomore DJ White returned a punt 50 yards for a back-breaking TD with 11:28 left in regulation. That’s 21 unanswered points for the Yellow Jackets, making it 42-21. A game that was close most of the first 2.5 quarters quickly started getting out of hand.
TOUCHDOWN! Roswell’s Trey Smith scored his third touchdown of the night on an 18-yard run to trim the deficit to 42-28 with 6:20 remaining in the game.
Roswell attempted a surprise onside kick, but was called for a penalty on the play and elected to kick it deep with 6:50 left.
TOUCHDOWN! Thomas County Central’s Christian Lawrence had himself a night. He cut to his left at the line of scrimmage and broke a 57-yard run with 4:10 left to make it 49-28. It was his fourth rushing touchdown of the game and his 25th of the season.
TURNOVER ON DOWNS! On fourth-and-1 from the Thomas County Central 2, Roswell attempted a pop-pass with 2:27 left in regulation and had the ball swatted away, giving the ball back to the Yellow Jackets.
FINAL: Thomas County Central moved to 14-0 and is headed to the GHSA 5A state championship game with a 49-28 victory, guided by a high-powered offense and four touchdown runs by Christian Lawrence.
