The Valdosta Wildcats will take on the Tift County Blue Devils at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Valdosta will be looking to keep their 11-game home win streak dating back to last season alive.
Valdosta is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Georgia's top teams: Richmond Hill, who was ranked 24th in their home state at the time (Valdosta was ranked 13th). Valdosta came up short against Richmond Hill on Friday, falling 35-14. Valdosta's loss signaled the end of their seven-game winning streak.
Despite the defeat, Valdosta saw an underclassman step up: Marquis Fennell rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Those 151 rushing yards gave Fennell a new career-high.
Meanwhile, Tift County was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They received a blow as they fell 35-17 to Colquitt County. Despite 98 more yards than the Packers, the Blue Devils couldn't convert that extra yardage to scores.
Despite the defeat, Tift County saw an underclassman step up: Damieon Dixon threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns while completing 76% of his passes, and also rushed for 54 yards on only seven carries. Those 329 passing yards set a new season-high mark for Dixon. Daijon Hayes was Dixon's top target, picking up 148 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Having lost for the first time this season, Valdosta fell to 7-1. As for Tift County, their loss dropped their record down to 2-6.
Valdosta beat Tift County 16-3 in their previous meeting back in October of 2021. Does Valdosta have another victory up their sleeve, or will Tift County turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
