By Steve Carter
TIFTON — After suffering their first loss of the 2006 football season Friday night, 23-20 at Coffee High, the Tift County Blue Devils went back to work Monday in preparation of another Region 1-AAAAA foe, the Houston County Bears. Tift will play Houston Thursday night at McConnell-Talbert Stadium in Warner Robins.
“This is no time to feel sorry for ourselves,” Tift head coach Jay Walls said. “We are a little disappointed, mad and angry, but we have to step it up now and get after it during practice.
“That was our motto for the day, ‘Step It Up.’”
With the Devils playing Thursday, Tift went through a three-hour workout Monday.
“We went a little longer due to the short week,” Walls said.
While Tift is still hurting mentally from last Friday’s game, physically the only Devil hurting is Lanarius McKinley who injured his shoulder against Coffee.
“He practiced today and he was fine,” Walls said. “Everyone else is in good shape. We are pretty healthy.”
Walls also announced tickets are on sale at the high school office for Thursday’s contest.
Adult tickets are $7 and are available until Thursday. Student tickets will be sold Wednesday and Thursday and are $5 apiece. All tickets at the gate are $8.
For more information about the tickets, contact Janice Dean at the high school.
In other Tift County sports news, the Lady Devils softball team found out Monday they will face off with the Newnan Lady Cougars in the first round of the state Class AAAAA South Sectionals in Dublin Friday.
The Tift-Newnan game will be at 6 p.m. with the winner facing the Groves-M.L. King winner at 8 p.m.
