While Thomasville has dominated this series for many years, It was not
always that way. Clarke County won nine of the first twelve meetings between
the two schools but has found little success since that time. Thomasville
won fifteen games in a row between 1979-1993 and fourteen of the past
fifteen
games.
That has not stopped
Clarke County from getting a few upsets over the years. In 1932 a 4-3-1 the
Bulldogs managed a 12-12 tie with the Tigers to hand them the only blemish
on an otherwise perfect season. In 2002, once again the Bulldogs (4-5) upset
Thomasville 2013 to hand them a season ending loss.
The teams first played in
1917 when they met three times in that initial season. The Bulldogs took two
of the three games a the series was born. They have played almost every
season since with a few gaps here and there. All told, they have met a total
of 101 times making this one of the oldest rivalries in the state.
In 2007 Clarke County team defeated the Tigers 13-2 to wrap up a perfect
10-0 regular season. The Tigers were 8-1 entering the game in what was an
epic battle in the long running series. Clarke County won a state
championship in 2021 but fell to the 5-6 Tigers in a hard fought game by the
score of 15-14.
The game has come to be
known as the Backyard Brawl since the schools are only thirteen miles apart
on Hwy. 43.
Total Meetings: 109 Series Record: Thomasville leads 71-30-8 Home Record: Thomasville: 30-9-1
Clarke County: 11-26-2 First Meeting: 1917, Thomasville 0, Clarke County, 28 Last Meeting: 10/31/2024, Thomasville 56, Clarke County,
7 Longest Winning Streak: Thomasville 15 (1979-1993), Clarke County 5 (1919-1924) Biggest Wins: Thomasville 56-7 (2024), Clarke County 50-7 (1996)
Biggest Upsets: 1932 - Clarke County (4-3-1) tied
Thomasville (8-0-1) 12-12
2002 - Clarke County (4-5) upset Thomasville (8-1) 20-13
