By JD Sumner
Friday the Tift County Blue Devils took that big No. 1 that was hanging in the top spot in the state rankings and moved it over into their loss column after a tough trip up to Douglas and their 2006 introduction to Region 1-AAAAA rival Coffee County.
Believe it or not, sports fans, this could be a blessing in disguise for the old Blue Hats of Jay Walls.
Since Tift debuted at number one in both the Associated Press high school football poll and the coaches poll two weeks ago, the coaching staff has preached into every microphone and tape recorder that came their way about how poll rankings mean nothing and how the only thing that matters are the region standings, and, more importantly, how much tougher life was going to be now that they had that big blue and white bullseye on their backs.
They were all right.
Coffee came into Friday night’s game already a giant killer. The week before the Trojans eked out a 39-37 win over a tough Colquitt County team that up until then, shared the No. 1 spot in the state with Tift in the polls. And when they stepped onto the grass at Jardine Stadium Friday night, they had their sights set on decleeting another number one.
With the dust now settled and passion now giving way to reason here is why a loss to Coffee can be a good thing. A famous person said one time that the only real way to appreciate the unbridled joy of winning is to experience the hellish depths of defeat.
How true their words were.
After a tough, three-point loss to Coffee the Devils should be hungry to avenge their battered reputations. This week at practice they’ll play harder, think quicker than they have all season. And they better, if they hope to take a win with them when they leave Warner Robins Thursday night.
Facing them is an extremley tough Houston team that more than doubled up on the defending state champion Lowndes County Vikings 31-14 and handed one of Tift’s biggest rivals, the Colquitt County Packer Hogs, a sound 25-14 defeat Friday.
On paper, Houston, Tift and Coffee all look similar. Houston has the edge on offense, averaging just over 21 points per game in region play with Coffee next with 20 points and Tift with 15. On the defensive side of the ball, Houston has held region opponents to average of 12 points per game, with Tift next at 15 and Coffee bringing up the rear with 21.
In a region where the last-place team, Valdosta, has lost by four points or less in all its region contests, no one will make it to the playoffs unbeaten. The key for Tift, as I see it, is to continue to improve on the offensive side of the ball. A championship team doesn’t take sacks for loss yardage when it can throw the ball away or give a toss sweep to a phantom running back or drop catchable passes. If the big blue slobberknockers can smarten up a bit, there’s not a team in the region that can touch them.
Let’s not call it a loss, let’s call it motivation. Tift has the potential and the talent to hand Houston their second region loss and come back to Tifton ready for a demonic showdown against the Demons of Warner Robins at home.
