money Thomasville, Ledford end Davidson County's run in NCHSAA football playoffs
Thomasville was perhaps a few yards away from advancing in the 1-A state playoffs Friday night but a fumble inside the 5-yard line midway through the fourth quarter was costly in what turned out to be a 19-14 loss to Draughn at Cushwa Stadium.
Jalen Thomas was racing toward the goal line after catching a Janhri Luckey pass only to be tackled at the 2-yard line and lost the ball, missing out on a chance to give the Bulldogs the lead.
The Wildcats then kept the ball for the remainder of the game, converting several third downs along the way, to secure their spot in the western regional semifinals next Friday. Sixth-seeded Draughn (12-1) plays at second-seeded Andrews next Friday.
THOMASVILLE'S BACK:Gillespie rebuilds Thomasville back into a high school football contender
RECORD SETTING:Ledford and record-setting QB Nate Carr cause plenty of problems
The third-seeded Bulldogs (11-2) got a 16-yard touchdown run from Shamon Smith in the first half but trailed 13-7 at intermission. The home team had the ball at the Wildcat 12-yard line but stalled on downs in the waning seconds of the first half.
Luckey hooked up with Keshawn Carpenter on a 34-yard scoring pass in the third quarter to give the Bulldogs a 14-13 lead. But Draughn answered with a double pass for a touchdown in the final moments of the third.
Thomasville's defense held the high-powered Wildcats to their lowest offensive output of the season by far. Draughn came in averaging 51 points per game.
East Lincoln 28, Ledford 7
The 12th-seeded Panthers saw one of their most successful seasons grind to a halt Friday night with a loss to East Lincoln in the third round of the 3-A state playoffs in Denver.
The fourth-seeded Mustangs (13-0) jumped out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead and held the visitors to a season-low in points. Ledford (11-2) managed just 51 yards rushing as a team.
Ledford's score came in the third quarter on a short run by senior quarterback Nate Carr, who wrapped up a record-setting career.
Carr finishes as the program's career leader in passing yards and accounted for an astounding 48 TDs this season (23 passing and 25 rushing). The Panthers' 11 wins are second-most in program history behind the 2018 team that finished 13-2 and lost to North Davidson in the 2-A regional final.
This article originally appeared on The Dispatch: NCHSAA Football Playoffs: Thomasville, Ledford lose in Round 3
