VALDOSTA —
While the Tift County Blue Devils will not be representing Region 1-AAAAA in this year’s state playoffs, the Devils will have something on their league brethren.
After Friday night’s 10-7 of the Lowndes High Vikings, Tift became the only team to defeat the region champions during the regular season.
It was a nailbiter, as the lue Devils saw their 10-7 lead in jeopardy after having to punt it away to the Vikings with 2:35 left to play. The Vikings managed to drive close enough to attempt a 46-yard field goal and knot things up, but Jed Solomon's kick fell just short and the Blue Devils took down the Region 1-AAAAA champions and gave head coach Jay Walls his 100th career win.
Although the game will end the season for the Blue Devils, the win echoes a statement of pride for a team that refused to end the season without a region win.
Wasting no time getting on the board, Tift took their second drive of the night down the field to set up kicker Griffin Martin with a 40-yard field goal that gave the Devils a lead that they would keep the rest of the night.
Tift then forced Lowndes to a three-and-out for the third time of the night before potential tragedy struck when Gerald Pledger muffed the punt and set up the Vikings first-and-ten on the Blue Devil 24-yard-line.
The Blue Devils held firm, however, when senior Keavon May intercepted Cole Parker three plays later to stop the Viking scoring threat.
Tift's offense then went back to work, riding both the arms and legs of freshmen quarterback, Tadric Jackson. Jackson opened the drive with a 48-yard run and then found Jakevin Jackson for a 27-yard reception on the next play, setting up the Blue Devils just one yard away from the Vikings endzone.
The Blue Devil signal-caller, Jackson, punched it in on the next play to give Tift a 10-0 lead with 8:03 left in the half.
Both teams battled defensively then, taking control of the game and allowing for little offensive success.
With 2:47 left in the half, the Blue Devils made one of few first-half mistakes when a pitch from Jackson to Rashad Daniels fell to the grass and was gathered up by the Lowndes defense on the Blue Devil 13-yard-line.
Four plays later, running back Mike Moore found the endzone from 6 yards out to bring the Vikings to within three at 10-7.
Defense took over for good in the second half and although Lowndes managed a couple of field goal attempts from 37 and 46 yards, the Blue Devils held firm and shocked a disapointed crowd at the Concrete Palace.
Although physically the loss has no effect on a Lowndes team that will host the first round of state playoffs in two weeks, statistically the loss marked the first time in the last 29 attempts that the Vikings have lost at home.
Leading the defensive attack for the Blue Devils was May, who had eight tackles and a pivotal interception that ended an early Viking scoring threat. The Blue Devils defense held the Vikings to just 168 yards of total offense.
Offensively, the Blue hats in Martin Stadium are all tipped to Jackson, the Blue Devils' freshman quarterback.
Jackson managed 188 yards through the air, completing 15 of 29 attempts.
While Tift's season may be over, a monumantal win over Lowndes will guarantee smiles for seniors who walked off the field last night for the last time as a Blue Devil.
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TIFT COUNTY FOOTBALL HELMET
Blue Devils shock Vikings, 10-7
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