Today’s interviewee is Thomasville coach Jonathan DeLay, whose team defeated then-No. 4 and previously unbeaten Dougherty 35-20 last week to clinch the Region 1-3A championship. DeLay, a Ringgold native, had been on Thomasville’s staff since 2017 and was the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator on last season’s Class 2A runner-up team. Thomasville got off to a 1-3 start, losing to top-10 teams Brooks County, Thomas County Central and Bainbridge, but has won five straight games, two against ranked in-region opponents.
1. What did your team do well that made the difference in beating Dougherty? “Going into the Dougherty game, we believed we had to make the quarterback [all-state junior Kameron Davis] throw and keep him in the pocket to be successful on defense. On the offensive side of the ball, we knew we had to run the football and win one-on-one balls downfield. Winning the special teams was our fourth goal; however, we fell short there, but we achieved the other three goals. We had four interceptions on defense. Jay Randall had two, and D.J. Thurman and Deltrioz Grimsley each had one. We rushed for 164 yards and one touchdown, and Cam Hill threw four TD passes, two to Jay Randall and one each to Cole Shaw and D.J. Thurman.”
2. What were your expectations for this season? On one hand, you had lots of graduation losses, you moved up in class, and there’s a coaching transition. On the other hand, you’re Thomasville. How did you see it? “In Thomasville, the expectation is always to win a championship. For us this year it has been about playing better each and every week. The Lord has blessed us with an amazing season so far. We have come from some low places, but it says a tremendous amount about the character of the kids in this program. We have faced a great deal of adversity, and they fought through it to get to where we currently are. Our goal is to continue to go 1-0 each week by playing to ‘Our Standard.’”
3. What’s the biggest difference between how your team is playing now versus the first month of the season? “We are playing with a tremendous amount of confidence right now. The kids are gelling with each other and the coaches so well. We are fully bought in to playing to ‘Our Standard’ in every practice and every game.”
4. Are there some things about being a head coach that surprised you, that you had to learn for yourself on the job? “Your phone never stops ringing. My favorite time of the day is going to practice and setting it on the speakers to play the music. I’m so thankful for this opportunity that the Lord has blessed me with. Seeing the transformation of this team has been so amazing. There is something divinely special taking place in Thomasville, and I am so thankful that I get a front-row seat to see what the Lord does on a daily basis.”
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