Aidan McPherson rushes for 266 yards, 6 TDs as Thomas County Central beats Lee County

LEESBURG — Aidan McPherson had rushed for 261 yards in Thomas County Central’s first four games.

Friday night, against the No. 2-ranked team in Class 6A, he ran for 266.

And six touchdowns.

McPherson turned one big play after another into a career night as No. 1-ranked and defending state champion Thomas County Central beat Lee County 49-26 before a sold-out crowd at Trojan Field.

The Yellow Jackets’ transfer quarterback was particularly devastating once he reached the edge. Lee County defenders repeatedly got hands on him, but one tackler often wasn’t enough to bring him down. McPherson scored on runs of 12, 65, 38, 1, 37 and 16 yards and also threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to JD White, accounting for all seven Thomas County Central touchdowns.

“They are a really good football team,” Lee County coach Dean Fabrizio said. “Aidan McPherson is a very special player. When you add him to what they already have, it makes them even better.”

But for all of McPherson’s brilliance, Lee County will look back at several moments when opportunities disappeared and Thomas County Central capitalized.

A promising drive inside the Yellow Jackets’ 5 ended without points. Thomas County Central recovered an onside kick. The Trojans threw two interceptions.

And then there was one second.

The night began competitively.

After Lee County went three-and-out on its opening possession, Thomas County Central went to its hurry-up offense and McPherson finished the Yellow Jackets’ first drive with a 12-yard touchdown run.

Lee answered.

The Trojans gambled on fourth down with a fake punt and converted. Quarterback Cohen Lawson connected with Tyler Henderson across midfield, and Lawson, Quay Sheard and Jordan Bush kept the drive moving on the ground. Bush eventually took a Wildcat snap and powered 15 yards up the middle for a touchdown.

The extra point was blocked, leaving TCC ahead 7-6.

That one-point margin lasted only two plays.

McPherson broke loose for a 65-yard touchdown run to make it 14-6.

Still, Lee County appeared poised to answer again. Sheard ripped off a long run to the TCC 23 late in the first quarter, and Bush eventually carried the Trojans inside the 5.

That’s when the drive unraveled.

An illegal substitution penalty pushed Lee backward, Lawson was sacked at the 20, and Bush was stopped on fourth-and-goal.

Instead of potentially pulling within a point, Lee County soon found itself down two touchdowns. McPherson connected with White for a 45-yard score, with White breaking multiple tackles on his way to the end zone.

Then came one of the game’s pivotal plays.

Thomas County Central recovered an onside kick.

The Yellow Jackets quickly cashed it in. Facing third-and-long, McPherson escaped for a 38-yard touchdown and the lead had suddenly ballooned to 28-6.

Lee County immediately answered when Destin Bell took the ensuing kickoff back for a touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, but the Trojans were within 28-12.

The Lee defense then came up with a stop, and a TCC field-goal attempt missed. But the opportunity disappeared when Koby Carnage intercepted Lawson.

Thomas County Central drove back toward the goal line, setting up the most unusual sequence of the night.

With four seconds remaining in the half, McPherson tried to score on third-and-goal from the 1. Lee County stopped him short and the clock reached zero.

Fabrizio and the Trojans began heading toward the locker room, believing the half was over.

Then they were called back.

Fabrizio said he was told Thomas County Central had called timeout with one second remaining. Lee County returned to the field, the Yellow Jackets lined up for fourth-and-goal and McPherson scored on the final snap.

Instead of 28-12, Thomas County Central went to halftime leading 35-12.

The Yellow Jackets picked up right where they left off after the break.

Facing third-and-17 from the Lee County 37, McPherson got outside again and raced 37 yards for another touchdown. It was 42-12, and what had begun as a showdown between the state’s top two ranked teams was threatening to get away from the Trojans.

Lee County didn’t let it.

The Trojans began playing some of their best football of the night.

Their first attempt to answer ended when Gary Pringle intercepted Lawson, but the Lee defense responded by stopping Thomas County Central on downs. This time the Trojans took advantage, driving for a Bush touchdown on fourth down. Bush then found Carter Blackwell for the two-point conversion to cut the lead to 42-20.

After another defensive stop resulted in a missed 50-yard TCC field-goal attempt, Lee County came again.

Lawson found Blackwell for a big completion, scrambled into Yellow Jackets territory and connected with Sheard to move the Trojans inside the 10. Bush finished the drive with his third rushing touchdown of the night.

Suddenly, it was 42-26.

“We played much better at the start of the second half and got ourselves back into the game,” Fabrizio said. “But we just wore ourselves out late in the game. Just too many plays on defense.”

McPherson made sure the comeback went no further.

With about 10 minutes remaining, he broke loose for a 16-yard touchdown — his sixth rushing score of the night — to push the advantage back to 49-26 and effectively put the game away.

Bush led Lee County’s rushing attack with 85 yards on 16 carries and three touchdowns. Lawson completed 14 of 20 passes for 181 yards, but the Yellow Jackets intercepted him twice and sacked him at least four times.

The onside kick and two interceptions were especially costly against an opponent that didn’t need much help creating offense.

McPherson’s final rushing total told much of the story. After gaining 261 yards on the ground over Thomas County Central’s first four games, he surpassed that total in one night against the Trojans.

Lee County had its chances. It moved the football. It fought back after falling behind by 30. But against the defending state champions, the Trojans couldn’t afford the empty possessions and turnovers that helped put them in that hole.

“I thought we moved the ball well at times against them and then other times we didn’t,” Fabrizio said. “To beat a team like Thomas County, you have to up your level of execution and we weren’t able to do that.

“We will learn from it and move on.”