BOOSTER STADIUM TO THE BENZ - How ‘bout them dawgs!
BOOSTER STADIUM TO THE BENZ
History has been made in Toombs County as the Toombs County High School Bulldogs football team has claimed the GHSA Class A Division 1 State Championship. This is the first title in the 38 year history of Toombs County High School. They had previously won a title as Lyons High School back in 1975.
Toombs finished the season with a 13-1 record, with their only loss coming to Savannah Christian in a game that they had opportunities to win. TCHS Head Coach Buddy Martin said of that loss, “The Savannah Christian game was a good thing for us. It kinda slapped us in the face, coaches and players alike. There were some things that I did not prepare our team for going in, and after that game, looking back, it was evident to me that we needed to adjust some things, work and really lock in. I asked out guys, ‘Are we going to sulk, are we going to hang our head, or are we going to get to work?’ And they responded, man, this is just such a great group of players, young men, and they just locked in after that. Getting to look back on it now, through all the emotions, just so proud of these kids, this coaching staff, this community, everyone was just on board for this.”
The Bulldogs travelled up to Atlanta to take on Northeast of Macon in the State Championship in Mercedes Benz Stadium last Tuesday. The Raiders of Northeast were a tough team, but the TCHS defense did their job in holding their star running back, Nick Woodford, to just 106 yards. He had combined over the previous two playoff games for over 700 yards, and had rushed for over 2,400 this season. The TCHS offense faced a tough and fast defense from the Raiders, but they were able to get the job done with TJ Stanley going 11-12 in the first half and then capping off the game with a nice run for the final score.
Mike Polke was the MVP of the game with an outstanding performance on all side of the ball. On offense he caught six passes for 103 yards and a touchdown, on defense he had an interception at a crucial time in the game, and he also ran a kickoff back 92 yards for a touchdown to take the momentum away from Northeast.
To start the game, the Bulldogs got the ball first. Toombs won the toss and decided to continued from page
take the ball first and try to jump out to a lead, but things did work out that way. Northeast’s defense has one of the best linebacker crews that Toombs had faced all year, and they played well.
The nerves were there for Toombs on the first possession as well as they went three-and-out, and were forced to punt the ball away.
On Nartheast’s first possession of the game they got a couple of big runs from their quarterback, Reginald Glover, and then capped off their drive with a 35-yard pass from Glover to Woodford for the first touchdown of the game with 8:54 left in the first quarter. But this is where the kicking woes started for Northeast. Toombs came through the line on the extra point and blocked the kick. That made the score 6-0.
Toombs started their next series at their 19-yard line, and got a big play on first down on a pass form TJ Stanley to Mike Polke for 22 yards. After a few good runs, a pass to Gavin Fletcher put Toombs at the NE 29-yard line. On the next play, Stanley hit Lagonza Hayward in the flat, Hayward broke a tackle and went in for the first touchdown of the game for the Bulldogs. Alex Otero drilled the extra point to put Toombs on top, 7-6 with 5:38 left in the first quarter.
From that point on, Toombs never relinquished the lead. Toombs defense did a good job on their next series as they forced a punt from Northeast after getting a couple tackles for a loss. It was a short punt from the Raiders as Toombs took over near midfield on their next drive.
Toombs started to get the ball moving, but a rare fumble from Fletcher gave the ball back to Northeast at their 38-yard line. The TCHS defense stepped up and forced a punt to keep the Bulldogs in front, 7-6. It was a good punt from the Raiders as Toombs took over at their 7-yard line.
Toombs then put together a big time drive as they went 93 yards to extend the lead. Justin Powell gave the Bulldogs some room as he picked up 9 yards on the first play as the first quarter came to an end. At the start of the second, runs from Powell and Dabvn Wadley continued to move the chains. A pass over the middle to Polke moved the ball to the Northeast 47-yard line, and then Stanley hit Polke in stride for a big 47-yard touchdown pass. Otero tacked on the PAT to put the Bulldogs on top 14-6 with 8:28 left in the first half.
But a short kickoff and a good return by the Raiders set them up at midfield. They moved the ball down the field, but an odd play gave the Raiders a big gain. Woodford fumbled the ball around the 25-yard line. It was tipped forward with Northeast recovering it all the way down at the 3-yard line. The TCHS Defense held well, but on fourth down they connected for a passing touchdown to close the lead to 14-12. They again missed the extra point as Toombs held onto their two-point lead.
That score changed quickly as Polke took the ensuing kick at the 8-yard line, and went up the left side, 92 yards for a big touchdown. Otero added the extra point to give the Bulldogs a 21-12 lead with 6:39 left in the first half. The big return ignited the large TCHS crowd that took the trip up to Atlanta for the game.
Toombs almost came up with an incredible interception with just over a minute to go in the half as Flectcher tipped a pass with Alex Scott coming up with the pick, but it was called back on a penalty. Toombs ended up taking over with just under a minute to go in the first half and they made the most of it. Stanley hit Hayward for a nice gain. Stanley then hit Justice Wilds for 29 yards down to the 10-yard line. Toombs added three more points before the end of the first half as Otero nailed a 25-yard field goal to take a 24-12 lead into halftime.
The third quarter turned into a defensive battle as both teams struggled continued from page
to gain traction. Northeast finally found the end zone on a 6-yard touchdown run, but Roy came through once again, blocking his second kick of the game to keep the Bulldogs ahead 24-18 heading into the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter of the game, the Bulldogs added two more touchdowns. The first came on a 12-yard run by Powell with 5:21 left to play. Otero added the PAT to give the Bulldogs a 31-18 lead. At that point Toombs began to feel the Championship in their grasp.
The final score of the game came on a 28-yard run by Stanley with 1:04 left in the game. Otero added the extra point to give the Bulldogs a 38-18 lead. Toombs held and took the win by that score to earn their first State Championship.
Stanley went 14-23 in the game for 217 yards and 2 touchdowns. He added 83 yards on the ground. Hayden Roy led the way on defense with 10 total tackles and 1 tackle for loss. With the final whistle, the Bulldogs celebrated a 38-18 win and the program’s first-ever state championship. The victory was a testament to the team’s grit, talent, and determination, guided by Head Coach Buddy Martin and his staff.
The Toombs County faithful, who packed the stands throughout the season, were once again a driving force, creating a home-field atmosphere in Atlanta.
Congratulations to the Bulldogs on their historic achievement, and to the Toombs County community for their unwavering support. This is more than a championship-it's a leg acy for the ages.
Coach Martin added, “This is a special group of young men. I am proud to be their coach. And what a community we have, they came out to support us in every way, all season long. We have the best community support and we are just blessed to have them behind us.
“Northeast was a really good football team, they did a great job changing things up, and we had trouble with them. There were some time that things didn’t bounce our way, but man, none of our guys hung their heads, they just kept fighting, and it worked out for us.”
Game MVP Mike Polke said, “We were ready for this. Everyone was hyped and we just kept pushing all through the game. My teammates all played their hearts out. We kept that 0-0 mind set throughout the game, that kept us fighting. Our coaches did such a great job this year, from practices during the hurricane, to getting us ready for this. And our community always shows out, I love our community.
TJ Stanley stated, “What a season, and to finish off like we did with the Championship, just a moment none of us will ever forget. These guys gave it everything they had, through all of the adversity, every play, and here we are, State Champions.
“I have to thank my teammates, the coaches, and our community. To everyone that came out all season long, we just love the support that we get.”
