Powell football's bag of capable wide receivers seems to deepen every week.
The Panthers lost their top two pass catchers early in the season to injury. In their first Region 2-5A win over Halls, it was Jamerius Hollingsworth who stepped up.
Powell (6-0, 4-0 Region 2-5A) is now the leader for a repeat region title thanks to another sophomore wideout, Tashawn Thomas. Thomas found the end zone three times in a crucial 42-41 victory at Central (5-1, 3-1) on Sept. 24.
"We've seen him in practice," Powell coach Matt Lowe told Knox News. "We knew what he was capable of. He just needed opportunities. He needed reps."
Thomas caught four passes for 102 yards
and three touchdowns, including the game-winning score in the first play of overtime. Through Powell's first five games, he has six total catches and one touchdown.
"It was just, 'Kill,' " Thomas said about his mentality. "Both sides had to come out and show we're the ones. We just had to keep our composure and finish."
Powell quarterback Jaylon Benjamin loved having another option to target on his way to 267 passing yards and four touchdowns on 19-of-23 passing.
"He stepped up big when we needed him," Benjamin said. "He found open spaces in the defense, and my offensive line gave me time to deliver the ball."
Thomas, though, wasn't the Panthers' only threat. Their leading receiver DeZion Jackson returned for his first game since Week 2. He hardly skipped a beat with eight catches for 107 yards and a touchdown.
Jackson's presence was more than just another option for Benjamin.
"It didn't hurt any that the best decoy in Knoxville was back on the field," Lowe said. "Every time (DeZion) Jackson was on (Thomas') side, Tashawn caught a touchdown."
Both Thomas and Bejamin claimed Powell was the best team in the state. Lowe believes this win could fuel their confidence through the rest of the season.
"I think this validates who these kids are," he said. "I think it validates what fight they have inside of them. ... Tonight was one of those nights where we needed every one of them. We needed offense, we needed defense, and we needed special teams to make big plays. It wasn't all perfect, but our kids continued to fight, love on each other and make plays.'
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How Tashawn Thomas benefitted from 'best decoy in Knoxville' in Powell OT win
