Monroe falls to Thomasville despite second-half surge

ALBANY — A blocked punt and two fourth-quarter fumbles lost by the Monroe Golden Tornadoes killed any hopes Monroe had for a comeback Wednesday night despite a tremendous second-half performance from the Monroe defense.

The Thomasville Bulldogs won the region-opening game at Hugh Mills Stadium by a final of 25-14.

Thomasville scored two early first-quarter touchdowns to build a 13-0 lead, but in the second half, the Tornadoes pulled to within 19-14 and had all of the momentum after senior wide receiver Andrico Jackson snagged a pass out of the air between two defenders at the goal line. On Thomasville’s next possession the fired-up Tornadoes quickly shut down the Bulldogs and forced a punt. Monroe got the ball again and couldn’t move as the end of the third quarter approached. Monroe punted and pushed Thomasville way back down the field, but a penalty forced the Tornadoes to punt and this time Thomasville blocked the punt and took over at the Monroe 23-yard line.

The Tornado defense forced the Bulldogs to go for it on fourth down, but Thomasville scored a few plays later and extended their lead.

The Bulldogs got deep inside the red zone twice more in the fourth quarter after the two fourth-quarter fumbles, but each time the Tornado defense stopped the Bulldogs — once Monroe took over on downs and the second time Thomasville missed a 34-yard field goal attempt.

Monroe quarterback Corey Randle connected with Jackson for both touchdowns, but Randle’s brother Camryn had some impressive catches to keep drives going for the Tornadoes. Running back Jacobe McDonald also had some crucial runs to loosen up the Thomasville defense.

The loss drops the Tornadoes to 4-2 on the year and 0-1 in Region 1-AAA. Thomasville is now 3-3 on the year. Monroe will travel to Cordele next Friday night to face No. 6-ranked Crisp County and follow that with a matchup against cross-town rival and No. 7-ranked Dougherty.

Joe WhitfieldJoe Whitfield