Dynamite Dozen: Mitchell County’s James Thomas bouncing back

CAMILLA — One way or another, James Thomas was going to make his presence known in Mitchell County’s rivalry game against Pelham last year.

A hyperextended knee kept Thomas on the sidelines for the season-ending showdown that determined the GHSA Region 1-1A champion. But Thomas, the team’s quarterback, was determined to find a way to stay involved.

“It wasn’t painful, but it was something negative,” Thomas said of the injury. “I had to flip it around and make it into a positive. Even though I was hurt, I tried to make it out to practice and, every practice that I could and every game that I could, keep the positivity around.”

Thomas went into coaching mode while he was out, helping his teammates get ready for the Eagles’ biggest game of the regular season.

He gave his teammates plenty of words of motivation.

“He was a big factor,” Thomas’ teammate, Malik Barnes, said. “He motivated us to push even harder. He really made us step up.”

Mitchell County beat Pelham to secure the region title. The Eagles then advanced to the Class 1A-Public quarterfinals, wrapping up their first 10-win season since 1999.

To Thomas, the attitude shown in the face of adversity meant quite a bit.

“I like being in a positive mindset when I’m around my team,” Thomas said. “I like to think that when things are going downhill that we’re going to come back from it. You’ve got to be in a positive mind so that everyone can stay focused and maintain what they’re doing.”

Thomas returns to the field this fall as a healthy dual-threat quarterback, a junior who is capturing some attention on the recruiting front. He’s a 2018 Albany Herald Dynamite Dozen selection, listed 46th among all Georgia juniors in the 247Sports recruiting rankings.

A 6-foot-2, 190-pound signal caller, Thomas passed for 1,026 yards and 10 touchdowns during the 2017 regular season while rushing for 887 yards and 16 scores.

He also had a solid year as a defensive back, recording three deflections, a 50-yard interception return and a fumble recovery.

“James is very versatile,” Mitchell County head coach Deshon Brock said. “He kicks and returns punts for us, as well. He’s just a very talented individual, and we’re blessed to have him.

“He’s worked very hard this offseason to add weight, put weight on the right way. He’s running around, flying around, and he has full command of the offense.”