TIFTON —
With a dominating defensive performance, the Tift County Blue Devils defeated the Worth County Rams, 27-7, in a Friday night football game at Brodie Field.
The Rams came into Tifton having averaged nearly 33 points per game this season. But Tift held the Rams to 133 total yards of offense on the night, and one late score that was aided by a roughing-the-passer penalty and a great catch.
However, the outcome of the game may not have been as important as an injury that occurred with 11:52 left in the game.
Tift’s Jakevin Jackson was knocked out of bounds after catching a Tadric Jackson pass at the Ram 20. On the play, Tift cheerleader Becca Hasty was struck and ended up having to be carried off the field on a stretcher. There was no report on her condition at presstime, but the game was delayed as both teams left the field due to the injury.
Tift only managed 187 yards of total offense on the night, but the Devils took advantage of big plays and strong early running by Rashad Daniels.
The game was scoreless until there was 7:57 left in the second quarter, when Daniels went in from 13 yards out to end a 6-play, 61-yard drive. Griffin Martin’s point-after made the score 7-0.
Later in the half, Tift’s Demetrius McCray blocked a punt by Worth’s Chris Ford that was recovered by the Devils’ Javion Richardson on the Rams’ 11.
Three plays later, Romaz Jones went in from eight yards out for a touchdown. The point after was no good and Tift went into the half up 13-0.
With 5:57 left in the third quarter, Tift’s Gerald Pledger intercepted a pass by Worth’s Will Peacock and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown. After the point after, Tift was up 20-0 at that point.
Tift’s next drive, the one which saw Hasty injured, went 12 plays and 70 yards. Tadric Jackson scored on a quarterback sweep to the right side from eight yards out for the touchdown. That made the score 27-0 with 8:49 left.
On Worth’s next drive, the Rams finally scored as Ellis Anderson went in from 11 yards out to end a 11-play, 83-yard drive. The big play of the drive other than the roughing-the-passer penalty was Trey Frager’s 23-yard reception that bounced off of his hands to the hands of a Tift defender and back into Frager’s hands. That play also put the Rams over 100 yards of offense on the night.
Daniels rushed 11 times for 83 yards to lead the Tift offense. All of the yardage came in the first half, as Jones, with 10 carries for 38 yards, did most of the work in the second half.
Jhue Rhodes led Worth with 43 yards rushing on 13 carries. while Anderson added 28 yards on six carries.
Tift (3-2) will host Glynn Academy Friday at Brodie Field at 8 p.m. The game will be homecoming for the Devils.
Local Sports
Related Photos
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Tift County’s Romaz Jones goes in for a first half touchdown Friday night against the Worth County Rams. Jones and the Blue Devils secured a 27-7 win over the visitors from Sylvester. Shine Rankin Jr./sgasports.net
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