By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

He knew his time would come.

In the second half of last week’s state-playoff showdown against Cairo, Troup wide receiver Jamari Thrash had yet to make a catch.

Thrash remained patient, though, knowing that before the game was over he’d get an opportunity to make an impact.

He was right.

On a critical possession in the second half, Thrash made three catches for 67 yards, including a  6-yard touchdown reception that gave Troup the lead for good early in the fourth quarter.

Those were the only three catches Thrash made in the game, but they were huge ones that helped the Tigers beat the Syrupmakers 20-17 to advance to the Class AAAA semifinals.

Troup will visit Blessed Trinity on Friday with a berth in the state-championship game on the line.

Even when Thrash wasn’t making catches last week he was contributing as a blocker.

Most notably, Thrash provided a critical block on an 80-yard touchdown run by quarterback Kobe Hudson in the third quarter.

“Coach had me blocking for most of the game,” Thrash said. “When Kobe scored I had a key block on that. So, I know the running game will open up the passing game. I realize I have to be patient, and my time’s going to come.”

While Thrash’s numbers aren’t as gaudy as they were a year ago, he has still been extremely productive.

Thrash has 34 catches for 813 yards in 13 games, and he leads the team with 10 touchdown receptions, giving him 29 touchdowns over the past two years.

Last week’s touchdown catch by Thrash wasn’t thrown by Hudson.

Instead, it was wide receiver Ja’Rell Smith finding Thrash in the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown.

Hudson pitched the ball behind him to Smith, who threw the 6-yard scoring pass to Thrash.

Rather than attempt a field goal to make it a one-point game, Troup went for it on fourth-and-six, and that decision paid off.

The touchdown and the extra point gave Troup a 20-17 lead, which was the final score.

“We have a lot of confidence in our offense,” Thrash said. “To go for it on fourth-and-six and not kick a field goal, that shows how bad we want it. We really wanted to win that game.”

RUNNING STRONG: Troup beat Cairo thanks in large part to its ability to run the ball, which has been a hallmark of the offense this season.

Troup was primarily a passing team a year ago with quarterback Montez Crowe setting records, but the offense has been much more balanced this year.

Against Cairo, Kobe Hudson ran for 155 yards on 13 carries with the 80-yard touchdown, and Trey Williams had 16 carries for 62 hard-earned yards.

Hudson only completed seven passes, three apiece to Thrash and Smith, and he also threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to Joko Willis.

For the season, the Tigers have almost a 50-50 balance between running and throwing. The Tigers have thrown for 3,242 yards, with Hudson accounting for nearly all of that, and they’ve run for 2,908 yards.