Deuce Lawrence’s record-breaking 380-yard, five-touchdown performance was a fitting end to one of the most dominant seasons in Thomas County Central history.
Lawrence etched his name above Brooks County’s Omari Arnold (2021) and Johnson County legend Herschel Walker (1979) with the most rushing yards in a GHSA state championship. The senior led the Yellow Jackets to a 62-21 beatdown of Gainesville for the Class 5A title at Mercedes-Benz Stadium Wednesday night.
“I’ve got to put the team on my back,” Lawrence said. “It’s a team effort. I had just had to do my part, do my job.”
Lawrence also joined Arnold and Creekside’s Dexter Knox as the third player in GHSA history to score five rushing touchdowns in a championship game. Lawrence finished the season with 2,216 yards rushing and 29 touchdowns on 230 rushes.
It was the most lopsided championship game of the week and the second-highest scoring championship performance in GHSA history.
Lawrence’s senior class is part of a stretch where Thomas County Central earned two state titles and a 53-3 all-time record, making them the winningest class in program history.
Thomas County Central coach Justin Rogers knew the class was set for a memorable season back in January.
“We had a feeling we were going to be pretty good, now,” Rogers said. “We knew we had talent, and we knew we had a group of guys that loved each other and that wasn’t just talent.”
Thomas County Central, which tallied 667 yards of total offense, jumped out to a 14-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. Senior quarterback Jaylen Johnson connected with sophomore Gary Pringle for a 27-yard touchdown pass and ran in a score of his own from nine yards out to build the early lead.
Gainesville and Thomas County Central both scored once in the second quarter, and the Yellow Jackets took a 21-7 lead into halftime.
Thomas County Central took a 34-14 lead late into the third quarter when Lawrence took over. The senior ripped off touchdown runs of 71, 45, 20 and six yards in the final 16 minutes of the game to secure the blowout.
“I think (we) showed what South Georgia football is about,” Rogers said. “We’re still going to run that football, be able to establish the run, but still hit explosive passes and have a defense that’ll hit.
“Pun intended, we were swarming around out there.”
Thomas County Central was one of the teams affected by the GHSA’s postponement of the Class 5A semifinals, leaving them less than a week to prepare for the title game. The Yellow Jackets didn’t seem to be shaken, though, as they hammered No. 3 Roswell 49-28 in the semifinals to clinch a spot in Atlanta.
“I’m so proud of the maturity that they’ve had,” Rogers said. “Our slogan was ‘Whatever It Takes,’ and I think they did whatever it took.”
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