TIFTON — It’s time to hit the mats for two big days at Tift County High. Head coach Shawn Watson has announced details about the Blue Devil Brawl Friday afternoon and the Tift County Duals Saturday morning.

“It will be busy,” said Watson of the 24-hour span. Four mats will take up the gym floor for a dizzying rate of competition.

The Blue Devil Brawl has weigh-ins at 4 p.m. and starts wrestling soon after. It features Lady Devils wrestlers and junior varsity action. “I want us to have good mat time,” said Watson.

Tift’s Lady Devils are off to a good start this year, including a top-five finish at Houston County. The group was 10th in the traditional meet in 2023-24, which is an open-classification tournament.

Weigh-ins are at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Tift Duals, with Watson hopeful to get started by 9:30. This is a varsity meet, though two schools, including, Tift, will have two teams competing.

Javon Bateman is back with the Devils after placing third in the 150-pound class in 6A in February. Tift was 15th as a team at the individual meet.

Watson said more of the lineup will be available this week. With many of his wrestlers also football players, he’s been having to wait on injuries to heal, as well as get everyone settled into their weight class.

One member of the lineup won’t be dropping down to his weight from a year ago. Watson believes Danny Freeman will be in the 215-pound group after wrestling at 175 last year.

Watson said his lineup is mostly young. That’s not a disadvantage considering the middle school Blue Devils have won multiple team state championships in recent years. Among those rookies making a splash, he said, is Caden Amaro, who wrestles at 132 pounds, Levi Green at 106 and Bo Bryant, who figures in at 106 or 113.

Colquitt County, Cook, Lee County, Lowndes, Parkview, Pierce County, Valdosta and Veterans are slated to have teams wrestle on both dates. Cook will have two teams wrestling Saturday.

Others in for the JV/girls meet on Friday are Coffee, Northside (Warner Robins), Perry and Thomas County Central. Saturday-only are Cairo, Howard (Macon), Sumter County, Troup (who wanted to come, but are only furnishing a JV squad Saturday) and Union Grove. The latter is out of Henry County.

Parkview saw Tift wrestle at a prior tournament, Watson said, and wanted to come down to compete.