By Steve Carter
TIFTON — Friday night’s Region 1-AAAAA football encounter between the homestanding Tift County Blue Devils and the Lowndes High Vikings has enough subplots to make the writers of “Lost” envious.
Along with the Warner Robins Demons, the two teams are tied for first place in Region 1-AAAAA, Tift has not defeated Lowndes since 1994, the Lowndes starting quarterback is Tift County transfer Christian Glisson, a win should guarantee either team a spot in the state playoffs and last, but not least, Tift head coach Jay Walls is 0-6 in his coaching career against Lowndes’ Randy McPherson.
With all of that, Walls is most concerned with his team’s chances of the school’s first region title since 1983.
“We want to win the region title,” said Walls. “That is our ultimate goal.”
To get the title Tift will have to go through a Lowndes team that has won two straight region titles, as well as state championships.
The Vikings started the year off strong as the state’s top-ranked team. However, there was a brief lull in the middle of the season that saw Lowndes lose at home against Central Gwinnett 11-7 and in a 1-AAAAA encounter against Houston County 31-14. Since then, the Vikings have rolled with wins over Valdosta and Colquitt County.
The 41-14 victory over the Colquitt Packers last Friday was delayed for one hour due to weather, but the delay did not have any effect on the Vikings.
“They looked very good against Colquitt,” said Walls. “They ran the ball very well in really poor conditions. Their guys just acted like it wasn’t even a problem. There was about an inch of water on the field.”
Lowndes ran up 332 yards of total offense against Colquitt, including 310 on the ground. Glisson was 2-for-2 for 22 yards in the game passing.
Running McPherson’s wing-T, the Vikings had two 100-yard rushers against Colquitt. Greg Reid had 116 yards on eight carries and three touchdowns, while Darriett Perry had 100 yards, and one score on 14 carries.
“They played their game, and the weather wasn’t really a big deal,” Walls said. “That’s a mark of a good team. You can’t let outside conditions affect your play.”
Walls feels like Lowndes’ open week, which came after the Houston County loss, came at an opportune time for the Vikings.
“I thought they looked very good against Colquitt, and they looked like they had improved against Valdosta the week before when I saw them play,” Walls said. “They got beat by Houston, and then they had an open week. I imagine they got some things straightened out during that open week.”
Currently the Vikings are in the same position as Tift. With a 3-1 region record, the Vikings only have to win their last two games to be league champions for the third year in a row.
“They are a very good team, and they have got a chance to win the region, so that is what really kind of scares me,” said Walls. “I know they are talking to their guys about ‘we have a chance to three-peat. We have got a chance to win the region three years in a row.
“They are going probably be pretty pumped up here Friday night. They will be fired up.”
Glisson has been the starting quarterback for the Vikings. The junior left Tift County at the end of the last school year and moved to Valdosta. Walls coached Glisson last season and thinks highly of him.
“Every time I see Christian I say hello to him and talk with him,” said Walls. “He is a good kid and a good athlete. We certainly wish him the best, and we want him to do well.
“But football is football. We want our defense to get after their offense. We want our defense to play well and play physical. But I will say this about Christian. He is an athlete, and he is a competitor, and he will make some plays. He will get after it. We are going to have to play well against ol’ No. 12 (Glisson’s number at Lowndes).”
While Glisson is a newcomer to the Lowndes squad, an old face is back for the Vikings, Devaris “The Bus” Leonard. The 5-foot-9, 260 pound senior defensive tackle missed time during the season with an ankle injury. He was severely missed, because he was an All-State performer for the Vikings as a sophomore and junior.
“He is a heckuva player, a great player,” Walls said of Leonard. “I heard coach McPherson make the statement that he is one of the best he has ever coached. And I am going to tell you that coach McPherson has coached some great players, so he is in good company.”
While the off week helped the Vikings, Leonard coming back from his injury was also a big boost to the Lowndes squad.
“I think he is a leader for them,” Walls said. “You can tell he plays with a lot of intensity and a lot of emotion. I am sure he gets them pumped up.”
While Leonard may be the Vikings’ emotional leader, Reid has been a leader on both sides of the ball. Not only has he been one of the Vikings’ leading rushers this season, he has also been a stalwart in the defensive backfield with a school record eight interceptions.
“It is not like the ball has been thrown right to him. He makes some really great plays,” Walls said of Reid’s picks. “He made a great one-handed interception against Valdosta. He also made a great interception against Colquitt.
“He is not a big kid, but he is super fast. He is tough and a competitor. He is the real deal.”
The Vikings will be a tough test for the Devils, but Tift also has a lot on the line as a win should guarantee Walls’ squad a state playoff spot.
“I don’t know. If we win, I think we are in,” said Walls. “I just haven’t had time to sit down and look at it. If we were like 2-3, I probably could sit here and tell you the scenario on how we are going to get into the playoffs, how we have to win and so-and-so has got to lose. But to be honest with you, I guess if we win we are in the playoffs.
“We just want to win the last two, so we can be champions.”
