Garrett was 2-of-3 passing; James Russell caught a 9-yard pass.
Dunbar held a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter, but 27 unanswered points by East throughout the next two and half quarters gave the Jags a 27-7 lead.
A 10-yard run by Thomas with 3:46 remaining in the first quarter capped a five-play, 68-yard drive and tied the game 7-7.
East took the lead with 5:56 remaining in the half on a 1-yard run by Garrett. It was the senior’s only carry of the night. The point-after attempt failed.
Garrett found Thomas on a 52-yard touchdown strike as time expired in the second quarter. The touchdown and point after gave East a 20-7 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.
“That was the game, I think,” Bowlin said. “If we go in (to the half) 13-7, (Dunbar) is going to come out fighting and ready to run. We come out of the locker room 20-7, go down, score and go up 27-7 ... that really puts a dagger in them ... I think that was the ball game. That really was the deal sealer as far as winning the ball game for us.”
Once back on the field, it didn’t take long for East to find the end zone for a fourth time. A big 22-yard run by Blake Hinkle set the Jaguars up in Dunbar territory at the 40-yard line, and two plays later, Thomas got free and rushed for a 40-yard touchdown.
Dunbar was able to break out of its scoring drought early in the fourth after a fumble set the Bulldogs up at the East 38. A 33-yard touchdown pass made it a two-possession game at 27-14 with 11:47 remaining.
East shut the door on any chance of a Dubar comeback when Thomas scored for the fourth time on a 15-yard run with with 3:11 remaining.
A touchdown by Dunbar with 46 seconds remaining made it a 14-point final.
Aside from rushing and total yards, Dunbar edged East in just about every offensive catergoy, picking up five more first downs, throwing for 175 yards and dominating time of possesion by more than five minutes.
The Jaguar defense forced two turnovers; Thomas had an interception and Brian Recktenwald recovered a fumble. For the third time this season. East held its opponent to 20 points or fewer.
“Some good things are happening with our defense, and we’re really getting after it,” Bowlin said. “We’ve got to continue to improve and stay healthy.”
East is on the road Friday at Bullitt Central at 7:30 p.m. The Cougars are 2-2 and have won back-to-back games.
