Temond Marcus fights through a tackle on a third quarter run during Tiftarea's 2024 intrasquad scrimmage.

CHULA — Tiftarea Academy gave its fans a treat Friday night, a sneak peek into what the 2024 football campaign might bring with the Blue-Gold game at the Panther Pit.

Head coach Erik Soliday said he got what he wanted out of the scrimmage, which featured nearly three quarters of standard football and a fourth mostly of situational football.

“Everyone played a bunch,” Soliday said. Laughing, he added, “They have to.” The Panthers have enough men for two separate teams and a few more on the sidelines. That includes depth on the line.

Besides playing mostly as they would on any other Friday night, Soliday and staff occasionally threw in different situations, including for their kickers.

Placekicker Harrison Powell worked from the middle of the field, as well as both hashmarks during field goal tries. Punter John Jackson booted as normal, plus had a couple of opportunities to work under pressure from the shadow of his own goalposts.

Tiftarea put its offense through two-minute drill situations from various points on the field.

Players were moved around to different teams, nearly everyone in blue or white (representing gold) tops at various times.

Quarterback J.R. Walker kept the blue defense on its toes all night, making accurate throws, or scrambling when the pocket closed in on him. Not that the Panthers were all offense.

“We’re pretty fast on defense,” said Soliday. “We have more speed than we’ve had in a long time.”

The defense looks much more formidable this season, giving good pursuit while able to move laterally. Walker felt the heat for a few sacks and running backs had to battle for yards.

Soliday said his scout team deserves much of the credit. “That has made us a lot better,” he said.

Jackson, Walker, Ridley Monk and William Garner were among those scoring touchdowns. Monk opened scoring in the first, getting under a Walker pass at midfield for what was ultimately a 60-yard sprint to the east end zone.

Tiftarea will square off at home Friday night in a more official scrimmage against Randolph-Clay. The Red Devils, coached by former Tiftarea assistant Charles Truitt, went 4-6 in the GHSA last season, advancing to the state playoffs for the first time since 2016.