TIFTON — Good news for Tift County football fans in 2025. There will not be any bad road trips. Bad news for Tift County football fans — that’s because all the long road trips are this fall.

The Blue Devils released their 2024 schedule Monday night. There are four lengthy road trips this season greeting new head coach Jeff Littleton, two of them belonging to the new Region 1-6A conference slate, to Richmond Hill Sept. 27 and to Camden County Nov. 1, the last week of the regular season.

That meeting with Richmond Hill will be the first between the two schools. Thanks to its proximity to both Savannah and the coast, Richmond Hill has grown rapidly over the last 30 years, rising from Class A in 1994 to only staying out of the largest classification because of isolation.

The isolation genie quit granting wishes in 2022 and the Wildcats were placed in 1-7A. Reclassification last fall saw them remain in 6A, which will be the state’s largest classification for at least two years after 7A was removed. There was more wish in the lamp, though, and Effingham County successfully appealed out of 1-6A.

Richmond Hill is the only completely new team for the Blue Devils. Another, Tift has only seen once and only at home. The scrimmage is also a school the Devils have not seen on the gridiron in some time.

Tift’s scrimmage is Aug. 9 at home against Brooks County.

The last regular season game against the Trojans was in 2009. With a non-region schedule stacked with larger schools, Brooks went 8-6 in 2023, reaching the state semifinals in Class A Division 1. They had won state in 2022.

One week later, the regular season opens, at Griffin’s Memorial Stadium. Tift has seen the Bears all of once, a loss in the 1990 state playoffs.

Griffin was a 1-9 school last year, only winning over West Laurens.

After Griffin, the Devils have a returning non-region opponent in for Senior Night on Aug. 23. The football team from ol’ Havana. Gadsden County, Florida. The locals are 2-0 all-time against Gadsden, with a 17-0 victory last year, though surprisingly the Jaguars finished at 6-5 overall.

Tift County plays two of its former region rivals from the last two years over a three-week period. They host Lee County Aug. 30 and Houston County will be in for the Red, White and Blue Devil Game Sept. 13.

Lee has had the advantage in the series of the last decade. Houston’s Bears were 9-3 in 2023, but had difficulties shaking Tift. The Blue Devils closed to 19-14 on Dai’jon Hayes’ touchdown catch midway through the 4th quarter before Houston added a late touchdown.

In between those games is the second long road trip, to Coach Littleton’s former stomping grounds in Bainbridge. Tift played the Bearcats in 2018 and 2019, winning both. Overall, TCHS has a 21-12 series lead.

Tift has a bye week Sept. 20, then opens region at Richmond Hill.

Oct. 4, they host Lowndes. The Vikings uncharacteristically were 4-6 last year, not winning any Region 1-7A games. Though they weren’t region opponents, the two did scrimmage one another in 2022 and 2023, Tift on top in 2022.

Homecoming is Oct. 11 against Colquitt County. The old rivals have seen any each other years for nearly 60. Colquitt went 12-1 a year ago, their only loss being in the state quarterfinals to Milton.

The Devils rest again after Colquitt, then head to Valdosta Oct. 25. They last played in 2021. Valdosta went The Wildcats — and they’re one of three teams nicknamed that on the region ledger — were 8-4 last season, falling to Carrollton in the second round.

Tift ends the regular season Nov. 1 at Camden County, No. 3 in 1-7A at the end of the regular season, Camden shocked everyone with a trip to the state semifinals and overall mark of 10-4. Tift is 4-7 overall in the series, having won the last meeting in 2021.