GAME OF THE WEEK: Houston County football takes on revitalized Tift County team in final non-region game

Houston County has the opportunity to head into region play undefeated for the third time under head coach Jeremy Edwards, but first a revitalized Tift County team stands in their way.

The Blue Devils have reached their highest win count in four years after last week’s 49-21 win against Bainbridge boosted their record to 3-1.

Here are a few things to watch:

Remaining undefeated against an old region opponent

It wasn’t too long ago that Houston County and Tift County shared a region together. That put the game back on the schedule for the first time since 2013, and gave the Bears their first win in the series since 2004 after seven straight losses.

Since then, Edwards and HoCo have remained undefeated against the Blue Devils as they faced some of their worst years in program history.

In 2022 the Bears scored 13 or more points in three of the four quarters in a 66-7 demolition that saw nearly 500 yards of offense for HoCo.

The 2023 game was a bit tougher as Tift County tallied 6.5 sacks and held the Bears to 10 first-half points, though they rallied in the second half to win 26-14.

The most recent game in 2024 looked a little better for the Blue Devils when they added 13 points in the fourth quarter, but until then it was 35-6 before the final sat at 42-19.

A win this year would even the all-time series at seven a piece and push HoCo’s streak to new heights with four straight.

Incomplete stats and two quarterbacks

Tift County has some incomplete statistics available on MaxPreps and two quarterbacks who have taken snaps according to those.

The one with the most time on the field (again, according to these incomplete statistics) is junior Damieon Dixon who took the spot under center against Lee County.

Somewhat understandably, he did not have a great time against a quality defense where he was sacked once and pressured five times. Overall he was 6-of-18 (33%) for 76 yards in the 41-33 loss.

From what he shows on tape he doesn’t hesitate much to take a deep shot down the field; Early in the Lee County game he launched a couple, connecting on a 51-yard pass on their second drive.

He’s also got some wheels, too. He looked quick evacuating the pocket and getting around slower defenders for extra yards, but he hasn’t faced (aside from Lee County) linebackers as strong and athletic as HoCo’s.

Then there’s sophomore Ty Roberts, who MaxPreps says went 2-of-2 for 35 yards and a touchdown against Bainbridge.

The Blue Devils really pounded the rock against the Bearcats and went up 28-0 by the end of the first quarter, so there’s not a lot of film available for Roberts.

Regardless of who they throw out there, they seem to prefer running the ball through players like senior Kamari Holloman.

Holloman doesn’t have any statistics listed but is a physical back that will test the Bears’ run defense with his 5-foot-11, 180-pound frame. He bounces off tackles and will bulldoze defenders with his strong legs (480 squat, 500 deadlift).

Getting Stinson back in the swing of things

Austin Stinson got snaps for the first time last week since his injury in the opener. It was a mixed bag with Warner Robins so keyed in on his runs.

The Demons held most of his possessions to little or no gain, but Tift County presents another opportunity for him to get back on the gridiron before region play.

There’s not much pressure for him to immediately return to a full workload with the performance of Colin Anderson. Anderson lets loose for at least one drive-changing run every game and has overall run 36 times for 354 yards and three touchdowns, not including the game against Warner Robins.

HoCo’s first two region games are against the weaker teams in the region (comparatively), too, so Stinson has a pretty clear ramp back up to full production.