TIFTON — Something that hasn’t been seen in some time makes a return for the Tift County Blue Devils this week: football. Tift is scheduled to be at Irwin County Friday for its first game since Sept. 4.

Irwin is 1-2 on the season, having broken through last week with a 44-0 win over Wilkinson County. The defending Class A public school champions got two rushing touchdowns from Kam Ward and a 9-of-13 performance by quarterback Cody Soliday for 148 yards and three touchdowns.

Tift’s only game of the season was a 7-0 loss at Crisp County a month ago. The Devils went into coronavirus quarantine the next week, a span long enough to cost them three games, two of them home games.

This will be the first game between the neighboring counties since 2005 and the first time since Tift has traveled to Ocilla since 1964. Since Tifton High became Tift in 1962, the Devils are 3-1 in the series.

Beyond the Tift-Irwin game, two other area schools are set to play this week.

Tiftarea Academy will host Charlton County and Turner County goes to Dougherty.

Friday will be the first meeting between the Panthers and Charlton County and only the second varsity football game between Tiftarea and a GHSA opponent.

Charlton County’s Indians are one of the most heralded programs in state history, with four state championships to their credit and many players who have gone on to play in the National Football League.

They were 10th in the Georgia High School Football Daily poll of Class A public school teams last week, but dropped out in the latest poll after a loss to McIntosh County Academy.

Tiftarea made a fourth period comeback last week to defeat Frederica Academy, 21-18.

Both teams enter 2-1.

While Tiftarea is unfamiliar with Charlton, head coach Erik Soliday is. At Turner County and Americus, Soliday has faced them 11 times over the years.

The Panthers’ other GHSA opponent was Lanier County, whom they faced in 2018.

Over in Albany, 2-1 Turner County faces off against Dougherty. This will be the first game of the year for Dougherty who, like fellow Albany public schools Westover and Monroe, have waited to start the season.

Dougherty has a six-game schedule planned, with Turner being the only non-region opponent. The Trojans were 2-8 last season and have not had a winning season since 2005.

Turner improved its record last week with a 45-0 victory over Seminole County. Quarterback Amarion Blanks was credited with 11 completions on 17 attempts for 111 yards and three touchdowns. Keonvay Clark caught two of the touchdown receptions. Elijah Stephens continued his solid work in the backfield with 115 rushing yards.

Turner leads the series 2-0. They last played Dougherty in 2017.

Fitzgerald, which went to 3-0 with a late victory over Jefferson County, is off this week. The Purple Hurricane will resume their schedule Oct. 9 at home against Pierce County.