By Steve Carter
WARNER ROBINS — Charlie Edwards came through in overtime for the second time this season and gave the Tift County Blue Devils a 20-17 victory over the Houston County Bears in a Region 1-AAAAA football game.
Tied at 17-17 going into overtime, the Tift County defense finally figured out a way to stop the Bears’ Eric O’Neal. The Houston senior entered the extra session with 193 yards rushing on 28 carries. At that point, O’Neal had been the majority of the Houston offense as the Bears had only put up 254 total yards.
Even with all of that Tift held O’Neal to -6 yards rushing on two carries in the first overtime. Houston’s other play on a third-and-16 was an incomplete Jeff Thompson pass.
The incompletion forced a 39-yard field goal attempt by Michael Thompson that was wide left.
Tift took over on its first overtime possession and Charlie Edwards nailed a 32-yard field goal on the first play to give the Devils a 20-17 victory.
Tift opened up a 10-0 lead in the first half on a 45-yard field goal by Edwards with 8:30 left in the first quarter and a 4-yard touchdown pass from Sean Baxley to Anthony Holloway with 5:29 left in the first.
The second score was set up on a 40-yard punt return by Randy Parker.
Houston answered with a 17-yard O’Neal touchdown run with 7:33 left in the second and a 21-yard field goal by Thompson with 18.3 seconds left in the first half.
The game remained 10-10 until the fourth quarter when Tift’s Justin Wilson recovered a fumbled Houston punt on the Bear 45. Five plays later, Baxley hit Marvin Chaney for a 9-yard touchdown pass. Edwards’ point after made the score 17-10 with 8:55 left in the game.
Houston then duplicated the Tift score when the Devils’ Israel Troupe fumbled a punt. Houston’s Chris Prewitt recovered, and the Bears had the ball on the Tift 45.
Nine plays later, Jeff Thompson scored from one yard out and following Michael Thompson’s point after, the score was 17-17.
The teams traded possessions until the overtime.
Tift is now 2-1 on the year in Region 1-AAAAA play with both wins being overtime affairs, the other was a 10-7 victory over Valdosta. Houston dropped to 2-2 in the league.
Baxley was 15-for-19 passing for 106 yards in the game for the Devils. Kaream Hess had 11 rushes for 55 yards and three catches for 16 yards. Troupe had six catches for 44 yards and two rushes for 18 yards.
The Devils will be back in action Friday at home against Warner Robins.
