The Skinny
Coach Ashley Henderson takes over as head coach for the Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets this season. Henderson’s Valwood teams won 3 GISA state championships in his six seasons there. TCC is a program steeped in tradition. They’ve won five state titles and have only missed the playoffs once since 1991.
Going into the summer and fall, Coach Henderson knows one of the challenges and keys to success will be to “establish relationships and trust between players and new staff.”
TCC has traditionally been a run oriented offense. Last season the Jackets only threw for 325 total yards. Kalique Guyton returns for his sophomore year and looks to be the projected starter at QB for TCC.
We have good reason to believe that Coach Henderson may integrate the passing game into the mix this season; and if that is the case players such as TE Ben Wilhelm, and WRs Zendai Brooks and Dee Wyche could be in store for productive seasons.
Defensively, the Jackets will look to make improvements from 2017 as the team surrendered an average of 32 points per game. Jaylen Dunbar is poised to be one of the leaders for the unit. AJ Stephenson is also set to step up for the Jackets at the corner back position.
We asked Coach Henderson what game if any is circled on the calendar, he said the first game against Early County.
What does a successful season look like for Coach Henderson?
“Check back in 20 years and lets see what kind of citizens the players are,” he said.
There is little doubt that not only is Henderson preparing his players for this season, but also trying to prepare them for success in life. We look forward to seeing the new look Yellow Jackets in 2018 and beyond.
