TCHS Boys Into Elite 8; Girls Fall In Second Round
Courtesy of TCHS Sports Editor sports1advance@gmail.com
On Thursday night, the Toombs County Lady Soccer Dawgs traveled to face the No. 3 seed Thomasville Bulldogs in the second round of the GHSA State Playoffs. Despite a strong effort, the Lady Dawgs came up short, falling 2-0. The TCHS boys took on Lamar County on Friday and pulled out a close, 2-1, victory to punch their ticket to the Elite 8.
Girls
“We were down 1-0 at halftime, but I thought we played really hard in the first half,” said Head Coach Jeremy Moore. “The girls executed our game plan exactly as we had prepared, and their effort kept us in the match. We created several scoring opportunities throughout the game, but credit goes to Thomasville’s defense and goalkeeper— they made key plays when it mattered most.”
Toombs County conceded an unfortunate own goal midway through the second half but continued to fight until the final whistle.
“Even after the own goal, the girls didn’t back down,” Moore continued. “They kept pressing and working to create chances. I told them repeatedly after the match how proud I was of their effort. They didn’t shrink from the challenge and stayed competitive for all 80 minutes. I hope our underclassmen take this experience and use it as motivation going into next season.”
The Lady Dawgs’ season was marked by ups and downs, but highlights included a dominant firstround playoff win over Temple and a resilient effort in the second round. With a strong core returning, the future looks bright for Toombs County girls soccer.
Boys
The Toombs County boys soccer team punched their ticket to the Elite Eight for the third time in four years on Friday night with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Lamar County in the second round of the GHSA State Tournament.
The Bulldogs came out strong, dominating the first half and heading into the break with a 2-0 lead behind a pair of goals from senior Angel Morales. Just minutes into the second half, Toombs appeared to extend their lead to 3-0 when Alejandro Tinoco sent a shot past the Lamar keeper. The ball hit the inside of the right post and found the back of the net—only to be controversially waved off by the officials after an extended discussion.
The officials determined the ball had not crossed the goal line, citing no visible holes in the net. However, Toombs County Head Coach Jeremy Moore later checked the net himself and found a hole in the very spot the ball had gone through.
“I was really pleased with how we played in the first half,” said Moore. “I thought we controlled the match. We should’ve had more than two goals, but we limited Lamar to zero shots on goal in that half. In the second half, we had several chances early—including what I thought was our third goal. Jando beat the keeper, the ball hit the inside of the post, and went in. My players were celebrating, and theirs were visibly frustrated. It seemed clear. Somehow, the officials said it wasn’t a goal because the ball ended up behind the net, and they couldn’t find any holes. After the match, I checked myself and found one exactly where they had looked.”
Despite the disallowed goal, the Bulldogs held strong, allowing just one goal from Lamar County and securing the 2-1 win to keep their playoff run alive.
“Fortunately, that call didn’t cost us the match— it just made it closer than it should have been,” Moore added. “At the end of the day, we won. That’s the ultimate goal. But we’ve got to learn from that secondhalf letdown if we want to keep moving forward. I’m proud of this group for battling and earning their spot in the Elite Eight.”
This week the Bulldogs traveled to take on the Indians of Armuchee on Tuesday after presstime in the Elite 8. If they win that game they will play on Friday against the winner of the Model vs. Rabun County game.
