Thomas, Nash Help Lead Dorman Past Byrnes

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>ROEBUCK |</strong> Dorman's clash with Byrnes was billed as a battle between two of the area's top running backs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Turns out, a player who did almost everything else was the difference-maker.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dorman's [player_tooltip player_id='1708614' first='Jabez' last='Thomas'] (pictured) had a stellar night all the way around as the Cavaliers took a 35-21 to move to 2-0 on the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"It's just being able to play any position the coaches ask me to," Thomas said of his versatility. "Being able to do anything and be anywhere on the field, wherever they need me, I'm there for it. And I want to help my team stay motivated and just get everything done the right way."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thomas didn't sell hot dogs at halftime, but that's about all he didn't do. Let's start with his most natural position, defensive back, where he had four tackles and a pair of crucial interceptions. We can move on to punt returns, where he fielded two for 73 total yards. He's the Cavaliers' QB in their short-yardage package, and he picked up 64 yards on nine carries, including an 8-yard touchdown that included a nifty stutter-step at the 2 and made it 14-7 Dorman late in the first quarter. And he showed off a new wrinkle on Friday: a 19-yard completion that kept the chains moving on a drive that tied the game at 21 on Dorman's first drive of the second half. The Cavaliers never trailed again.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I was kind of nervous," Thomas said. "I hadn't thrown a pass all season, and that first pass being completed, it was a great feeling."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That completion went to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820158' first='Dai'Shion' last='Watkins-Hymes']</strong>, who proved to be the Cavaliers' biggest downfield weapon of the night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1820158"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a926390c91a3"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Watkins-Hymes isn't a typical go-get-it guy, but he can absolutely do that. He's not a big, physical guy either, though he's got decent size.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What he IS is a guy who just routinely seems to work himself open. If that's running by you, that works for him. If it's using his body to crowd you and then making a play, he'll make that work as well. And if you need him to sit down in a hole in a zone and be a possession guy, that's fine, too. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Watkins-Hymes is good at all of it. And his steady improvement will make Dorman better.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Watkins-Hymes ended up with six catches for 57 yards on the night. Not spectacular, until you consider how crucial they all were. There was a grab over his head that dug Dorman out of a hole. The pass from Thomas set up the tying score. Every time the Cavaliers needed a big downfield play, they went to him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He was also a solid outlet for QB [player_tooltip player_id='1820160' first='Cooper' last='Patterson']. Patterson finished 10-for-15 for 78 yards, and did enough to keep Byrnes' defense honest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I missed one throw before the end of the half, but after that I felt like it was a solid game," Patterson said. "My receivers were making plays, and it was a great game. We knew that we'd have to make plays because Byrnes has a great defense and they were going to bring a bunch of guys down in the box."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Those highly regarded RBs showed up, too. [player_tooltip player_id='1664350' first='Nick' last='Means'] rushed for 66 yards and a score for the Cavaliers, while sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2106758' first='Carter' last='Nash'] had 54 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns - the game-tying 10-yarder that ended up with him dragging four guys to the end zone, and the one to ice the game with under two minutes to play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dorman's defense came up big as well. [player_tooltip player_id='1818138' first='Braeydon' last='Carson'] made it 7-0 Dorman with an interception return on the game's first play. Thomas had those two interceptions, and <strong>Gecoby Parks</strong> recovered a fumble. And in a tough, physical contest, <strong>Ja'Vaughn Deck</strong> came up with a couple of ferocious hits down the stretch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For a half, the game looked for all the world like it would be the running back showdown that was predicted. Byrnes struggled to find its footing out of the gate, but settled in under QB [player_tooltip player_id='463113' first='Gideon' last='Merhib']. He threw for 160 yards and two touchdowns, including a 61-yarder to [player_tooltip player_id='1271241' first='Chanin' last='Harris'] that made it 14-14 and loosened up the Dorman defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That allowed [player_tooltip player_id='1036721' first='Tre' last='Segarra'] to do what he does best - create havoc in the run game. Segarra finished with 14 carries for 97 yards, almost all of those after contact, and scored a TD. [player_tooltip player_id='1604062' first='Jacobi' last='Fuller'] added 33 yards on the ground for the Rebels.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Byrnes was stellar on defense in the first half as they built a 21-14 halftime advantage. <strong>Lamire Adams</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id='1615038' first='Emerson' last='James'] led the Rebels with eight and seven tackles, respectively. <strong>Gabriel Hinton</strong> had four stops, a tackle for loss, and helped make things miserable for Dorman in the middle of the line all night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->