TIFTON — High school football makes a major leap forward Friday for the Tift County Blue Devils. For the first time in 2024, the Devils will play another opponent in a regular scrimmage.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Brodie Field. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased in advance via GoFan. Tift County reminded fans on social media this week of its new clear bag policy for the stadium.
Head coach Jeff Littleton said there would be a Devil Walk at the stadium at 6:10 p.m.
Tift had its intrasquad spring game rained out. Outside of 7-on-7s, this will be the first real glance at what the season may offer the team.
Littleton worried about the lost day of practice Monday, called off as Tift County Schools closed as Tropical Storm Debby came through the state.
“We have today (Wednesday) and tomorrow to get ready, so we have a lot of work to do still,” he said.
This will be a test for Brooks County as well. Josh McFather will be leading the team this year after longtime head coach Maurice Freeman stepped down to take a job out-of-state. Freeman spent 20 years in Quitman over two head coaching stints.
Freeman led the Trojans to the Class A, Div. 1 semifinals in 2023. Brooks won a title in 2021 and they had been to the finals in the two years before that.
“They have some really good skill players on offense,” Littleton said of Brooks, adding their line was big.
Littleton said everything would be live for the scrimmage, including kicking and punting. “We have to be prepared for next week,” he said.
Tift County will open its regular season Aug. 16 at Griffin, its first trip ever to that stadium and first game against the Bears since a state playoff game in 1990.
Griffin played its scrimmage last week, ending up on the short end of a 9-7 score against Hampton. The Bears were a 1-9 team last year.