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The Thomas County Yellow Jackets and the Bainbridge Bearcats middle school football teams split two thrilling contests this week as Thomas County won in seventh grade action 44-40 on Wednesday in Thomasville, while the eighth grade Bearcats won 16-14 on Thursday for Homecoming.

On Wednesday the Yellow Jackets scored 32 second half points in a wild shootout, behind a 5 touchdown performance by Quarterback Dee Reddick in a 44-40 comeback win.

Bainbridge took an 8-0 lead with 5:43 left in the 1st quarter, following a 13 yard touchdown run on a reverse play by Runningback Keymarion Cox, and a 2 point conversion run by Thomas Brenton.

Thomas County responded quickly with a 47 yard run by Quarterback Dee Reddick, with 4:31 left in the first quarter, but his conversion run failed and the Bearcats led 8-6.

With 1:58 left in the quarter Bainbridge Runningback Tashun Carter broke free on a 12 yard touchdown run, and Brenton’s two point conversion run extended the lead at 16-6.

Bainbridge took a 22-6 lead at 2:32 left in the first half as Brenton ran past the Yellow Jacket defense, for a 63 yard touchdown. the two point conversion failed as Bearcat Quarterback Daniel Pyles was tackled in the backfield.

Reddick wasted no time getting the Yellow Jackets back in the game as he broke free on a 50 yard touchdown run, but Jeremiah Robbins two point conversion run was stopped short and the Bearcats led 22-12.

With 23 seconds left until halftime Cox scored again for Bainbridge as he caught a 23 yard touchdown from Pyles, the two point conversion by Brenton failed and Bainbridge led 28-12.

Reddick scored on a touchdown on a 56 yard run, with 6:58 left in the third quarter, and Ahmad Ponders run for the conversion tightened the Bearcat lead at 28-20.

Carter scored again for Bainbridge, on a 2 yard run, with 3:05 left in the third quarter, but Thomas County’s Reddick countered with a 46 yard run, at the 2:37 mark on the clock and Robbins run for the 2pt conversion was good squeezing the score closer at 34-28 in favor of the Bearcats. 

At the beginning of the 4th quarter Cox again got free in the Thomas County secondary and scored on a 54 yard pass play from Pyles, but again the conversion run failed and Bainbridge led 40-28.

Reddick was instrumental in the final two scoring plays for the Yellow Jackets, as he scored on a 43 yard run with 6:36 left to play and flipped a toss pass in the backfield to wide receiver Lafabian Paytee who split the Bainbridge defense and scored from 35 yards out with 3:58 remaining.Robbins scored both conversions and Thomas County led 44-40.

Bainbridge moved the ball in position to regain the lead, but a mixup in the backfield on a fourth and one play failed and turned the ball over with under two minutes to play and Thomas County was able to run out the clock for the victory.

In the 8th grade game Bainbridge took the lead in the first quarter as Bearcat Linebacker Latravious Freeman hit the Yellow Jacket running back forcing a fumble and defensive end Mikel Kendrick scooped it up and rambled 36 yards for a touchdown. Running back Javon Cox then ran for the two point conversion and bainbridge led 8-0.

Thomas County cut the lead to 8-6 with 2:20 left in the first half, when Quarterback Dee Reddick scored on a 17 yard run, but the Bainbridge defense came up with a stop as a pass was broken up by defensive back Antavious Murphy at the goal line.

Thomas County took a 14-8 lead at 6:07 in the third as a Yellow Jacket running back scored from 1 yard away followed by a successful two point conversion run.

But the Bearcats stormed back to retake the lead as Freeman scored on a touchdown run up the middle from 3 yards out with 5:55 left in the game. Freeman then sprinted outside for the two point conversion.

The scoring play was set up by a dazzling 46 yard run by Cox.

In the dwindling minutes of the game Bainbridge held firm on back to back defensive series  as Kendrick intercepted a Thomas County pass to thwart one attack, while defenders Kuyler Burke and James Jackson tackled Reddick at midfield on a pass play to end the game.

Thomas County finished the 7th grade season undefeated, while the 8th grade Yellow Jackets only two losses came to the Bainbridge on their season.

The seventh grade Bearcats, 1-4 on the season, travel to Dothan next Thursday, while the undefeated 8th grade team, who are 5-0, play in Dothan in two weeks.