TIFTON — Tift County’s 47-0 victory over Worth County last week wasn’t just one of total domination, it was record-setting.

The Blue Devils set new defensive marks in total yards allowed and rushing yards allowed. In addition, Tyler Parker tied the Tift County record for most touchdowns in one game.

Parker scored five touchdowns against Worth, two on receptions from Azaria Smith and three more as a rusher. He joined Kaream Hess and Rashad Daniels as the only Tift players to cross the goal line that many times.

Daniels scored five against Houston County in 2012, all rushing. Hess caught a touchdown from Sean Baxley against Americus-Sumter in 2006. The rest came on the ground. Hess was on hand to witness his record being tied; he joined Tift’s football staff this summer.

(The Tift County records are from 1962-present. A few Tifton Blue Devils had five-touchdown days in seasons prior.)

Head coach Ashley Anders said that after rewatching film, the Blue Devils held Worth to (-33) total yards. The Rams had five yards passing (on 5-of-21 attempts) and ran 27 times for (-38) yards. “Sixteen tackles for a loss,” he said.

That not just broke previous records, but smashed them.

A search of statistics from games for 1962-present indicate that Tift only once held an opponent to negative total yards; Miller Grove officially finished at (-1) last year.

Before Worth ran for (-38) yards, the Devils’ record had slowly grown. Old Lanier High of Macon ran for (-16) in 1966, a record topped against Albany (-20) in 1981. In 2015, Alcovy ran for (-28) against Tift. Miller Grove had (-27) rushing yards in the 2019 contest.