Game of the Week: UMS vs Thomasville

THOMASVILLE, Ala, (WALA ) - The UMS-Wright Bulldogs travel to Thomasville for a region showdown with the Tigers in week three of First and Ten's high school football Game of the Week.  Many pick these two schools to finish atop 4A Region 1, so this could be a make or break game for either team.

Football isn’t just a sport at Thomasville High School, it’s a tradition- one that head coach Jack Hankins wants to see thrive, not just survive.  He calls on his players to ‘lay bricks’ for future generations, using sweat and hard work to keep the Tiger tradition alive.

“We just want to keep building what we’ve got," said head coach Jack Hankins.  "We don’t ever want to stop building and tear down.  We want to keep building and build this up.  Your tradition can carry you a lot of years, and we just want these guys to feel proud to be a Thomasville Tiger and to keep playing hard for Thomasville.”

Now, a familiar foe awaits a bit earlier on the schedule than usual. 

Led by head coach Terry Curtis, the UMS-Wright Bulldogs are coming to town, where they haven’t had a regular season win in eight years.

“It has just turned into a good rivalry, and this won’t be any different," said Curtis.  "A lot of the games we’ve won, we could’ve easily lost, and a lot of the ones we lost we could’ve easily won.  It’s just that kind of game, and going into their place- it’s a big region game for this early.”

And like a heavyweight bout, the opponents in each corner know each other well.  And on the field, there’s no love lost.

“They know how to get under our skin; we know how to get under their skin," said Bulldogs wide receiver T.J. Dixon.  "It’s just a nasty, gritty battle; we just know how to get after each other.”

Thomasville seniors like Erick Wilson plan to make it as hard as possible for UMS.

“We cannot lose because we’re the seniors, and we’ve never lost at home," Wilson said.  "So we just have to continue the tradition and keep it going.”

But Bulldogs defensive lineman Forbes Sirmon doesn't need to be told how important this game is.

“This game will decide how far we get in the playoffs, state title, all of that," Sirmon said.  "This is our deciding factor.  This is the number one game we need to win; this decides where we get in our region.”