Class 5A Blog: A bit of a shake-up on Friday, but top-ranked Thomas County Central, Roswell rolled

The top-ranked team in the class, Thomas County Central, took care of business by defeating No. 3 Houston County Friday. The surprising part of the victory wasn’t that the Yellow Jackets won, they were heavily favored and have been ranked No. 1 all season, but the way they did it. A 31-7 drubbing which sent then-No. 3 Houston County down to No. 6 this week.

Running back Christian Lawrence ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns, while Rodney Dunbar dominated in the passing game, catching eight passes for 154 yards. The defense shut down the Bears’ offense, holding Houston County quarterback Ryan Maxwell to a career-low 128 passing yards and a career-high three interceptions. The win secured the Region 2 title for the Yellow Jackets. Next week, the Bears will face Lee County in a game that will decide the No. 2 seed in the region.

For the second year in a row, Roswell upset Gainesville, 37-35, giving themselves a chance to win the Region 7 title on Friday night against rival Milton. The Hornets’ quarterback Trey Smith had the game of his life, throwing for 274 yards and rushing for 97 yards with four touchdowns. Receivers Willis Campbell and Dre Cousey each topped 100 yards on the night, taking advantage of the Red Elephants’ secondary.

On defense, the linebacker duo of Brody Duffy and Tyler Pressnall combined for 25 total tackles and three tackles for loss, slowing the Gainesville offense just enough to come away with the win. Roswell faces a tough task this week against Milton with the region title on the line. The 71st meeting between the programs carries familiar stakes, as it has for much of the past decade, with both teams ranked for the fourth time in the past five matchup. While Roswell leads the all-time series 38-31-1, the Hornets have lost six straight dating back to 2019. Friday’s game will be the biggest yet in head coach Johnathan Thomas Short’s one-year tenure.

Class 5A Top 10 Schedule

No. 1 Thomas County Central travels to Coffee.

No. 2 Hughes travels to Lovejoy.

No. 3 Roswell hosts No. 5 Milton.

No. 4 Gainesville on Bye.

No. 6 Houston County hosts No. 9 Lee County.

No. 7 Seqouyah travels to Creekview.

No. 8 Jackson County hosts Habersham Central.

No. 10 Rome hosts Kennesaw Mountain.

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