ATLANTA, Ga. (WTOC) – For the first time in school history, Toombs County football has won the state championship. The Bulldogs beat Northeast 38-18 in the Class A Division I title game on Tuesday and are bringing the trophy home to Lyons.
Seniors TJ Stanley, Lagonza Hayward, and Mike Polke played key roles in getting the win. The trio accounted for four of the Bulldogs’ five touchdowns on the day. All three are headed off to play in college next season, but first, they had a mission to go out on top in high school.
“They’re our leaders,” said head coach Buddy Martin. “Those guys compete every day. they show up every day. Those three don’t have a bad day. And what’s awesome is there are ten more you could add to that. Those (three) are the ones going to play big-time college football, but there are guys that show up every day and work. That’s what you love about high school football. You’ve got to have those guys that show up and work, and they’re good high school football players that re playing because they love the game. But yeah, those three — they’re our leaders. They propelled us, they led us, and they played great here tonight.”
“We set the bar — the new standard,” said Hayward, a safety and wide receiver for the Bulldogs. “We let the young bulls know this is the standard at Toombs County now.”
With the win in the title game, the Bulldogs finish the season with a 13-1 record — their only blemish coming against Savannah Christian in a game that decided the region. In those 13 wins, Toombs County won by an average of nearly 35 points, and their smallest margin of victory came in Tuesday’s championship, where they still won by 20.
“It’s awesome,” said Stanley, the Bulldogs’ quarterback. “That’s the best way to go out. I’m so excited. I’m about to go take a thousand pictures in that locker room.”
“When you’re in the middle of it, you’re working to try to get better, you’re working to try to lead a group of 63 men and 12 coaches and make sure you’ve left no stone unturned to go be the best you can be and go win the game,” said Martin. “Now that it’s over, we’ll take some time to really look back and enjoy it.”
Copyright 2024 WTOC. All rights reserved.
