It’s almost unfair to talk about the Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets these days. It’s not that they’re not good. And it’s not that they aren’t deep and talented. It’s just that you can’t discuss the Jackets without mentioning him.
By him, we’re referring to Adam Choice, TCC’s former quarterback who rewrote the Yellow Jackets’ record books and had college coaches throughout the country salivating at the thought of having him in their backfields. For the last several years, the Yellow Jackets have been more than just Adam Choice. But he’s been the face of their team, so much so that now, a season after he played his final down at Thomas County Central, we’re still talking about him. He’s still there. And he won’t go away.
When Choice left, he took most of the offense with him. Last year’s Yellow Jackets looked as much like as a sure thing to win a state title as there was. Choice averaged over nine yards per carry. The offense set a school record in rushing yards per game, fewest punts, and fewest turnovers. They were a juggernaut, taking Valdosta to the brink early in the year before losing by just four points, and demolishing everyone else (with the exception of Harris County and Richmond Hill).
During the Harris County game, which TCC lost by three points, Choice went down with a well-publicized shoulder injury that ended his season. After being at the top of the heap all year, the Jackets lost their final two games. It was almost tragic the way the year ended, one that left every coach, player, and fan asking that most futile question: “What if?”
This season, head coach Bill Shaver and his team are trying to answer that question and a whole lot more. TCC has an experienced and formidable defense. Graduation, however, gutted the offense. Choice and nine other starters are gone, leaving a tremendous void, not just at quarterback, but throughout the entire offensive unit.
So how are the Jackets’ coaches handling what should be a transition year? By picking up where they left off last season. At the time of this writing, TCC is 3-1 with the sub-region schedule looming. Once again, their only loss came to the Valdosta Wildcats. Other than that, they haven’t really been tested.
“We came in with a bunch of question marks,” said Coach Shaver. “We had to make some changes to match the personnel we have. We’re throwing the 
ball a lot more. We’ve thrown more in four games this year than we did for the entire season last year.”
The offense is still the split-back veer – the same offense the Jackets have run during Shaver’s 20-plus years at TCC as both an assistant and head coach – but this year’s quarterback is better with his arm than he is with his legs, which allows them to throw more. Quarterback Eli Taylor has a completely different style of play than Choice, but he has shown that he can lead the Yellow Jackets’ offense just as effectively.
“This is completely different for us. Before Adam we had Eric Dodgson, who’s a three-year starter at Shorter College. He was a run-first guy, as was Adam. But now we’ve got Eli, who throws the ball very well. We’ve always had those packages in our offense; we just haven’t had to use them,” said Coach Shaver. “There are some negatives to throwing the ball – three things can happen when you put it in the air and two of them are bad – but it’s helped us open up the offense a bit.”
As the Yellow Jackets get set to begin sub-region play, they are doing so in a different classification for 2014. They have moved from 5A down to 4A and are playing in Region 1. Opponents include Monroe, Albany, Cairo, and Crisp. That’s quite a change from where the Jackets have played in the past.
“The biggest thing this year is the lack of travel. For the last six years, we’ve traveled extensively. And it’s not just football; it’s all of our teams,” said Coach Shaver.
Last season, Thomas County Central played schools in the Columbus area, including Harris County. In many cases, athletes had to miss entire days of school to get to games. It was tough on the players, the coaches, the teachers, and the fans. The superintendent petitioned the Georgia High School Association to allow TCC to drop down to Region 1-4A because of the travel demands. The GHSA granted the request and now the longest road trip the Yellow Jackets have to make is to Sylvester. “At least for the next two years, those issues have been resolved,” said Coach Shaver.
It’s a new era at Thomas County Central. There are plenty of unknowns and tons of questions that remain to be answered. Coach Shaver, however, is more than ready to find some answers. That’s what coaches do. To a degree, every year is one of transition and change, each one wrought with its own set of unique challenges and obstacles. This year is no different, and Coach Shaver is more than up to the task. Despite all the uncertainty, his team is doing what all of his teams have done – go out every Friday night and win football games. And that’s probably not going to stop over the last half of the season.
Coach’s Corner/South Georgia/November 2014
Bill Shaver
Thomas County Central High School
Thomasville, Georgia
Robert Preston, Jr.
Yellow Jackets’ head coach discusses new region, rebuilding the offense
