TIFTON — The Lowndes Vikings survived a tough road game Friday night, defeating Tift County 28-14 at Brodie Field.
The Vikings (5-0, 2-0 in Region 1-AAAAA) led the Blue Devils (3-2, 1-1) by just one touchdown at the half.
The Blue Devils kept the football game tight, as their offense put up a total of 222 offensive yards in the second half, and Lowndes committed two of its four turnovers. Lowndes High managed just three more yards than the Blue Devils in the second half, but sputtered, turning the ball over at key times.
Midway through the third quarter, the Vikings had the ball on the Blue Devils’ 39-yard line when quarterback Khary Franklin fumbled, allowing Tift County to keep its deficit at 21-7. The Vikings again lost the ball when Mikiell Padgett lost the ball on the Blue Devils’ 13, stopping what would have possibly been at least three more Vikings’ points, and leading to a possible game-tying drive.
The two fumbles in the second half and two interceptions thrown by the Vikings in the first half added up to four Lowndes’ turnovers.
“We turned the ball over too many times,” Lowndes head coach Randy McPherson said. “All year, we have been protecting it well, and now this.”
Despite the turnovers, Lowndes was able to limit the Blue Devils’ scoring opportunities, thanks to a defense which played well once again, despite allowing two touchdowns for the first time all season.
Lowndes held Tift County to 96 yards on the ground, and limited quarterback Malcom Dixon to 122 yards on 6-of-22 passing.
“I liked how hard they played, but the turnovers put the defense on the field way more than they needed to be out there,” McPherson said.
The defense’s biggest play of the night came in the third quarter after the Blue Devils connected on a 50-yard pass from Dixon to Nick Prostko, setting up a first-and goal on the 1-yard line.
On the next play, Dixon attempted to run the ball up the middle, but fumbled the ball in the end zone. The ball rolled in front of the feet of Greg Reid, and the Vikings’ All-State performer picked it up two yards into the end zone and took off. Reid sprinted 102 yards for the score, giving Lowndes a 14-0 lead.
The return was Reid’s second score of the game. The senior scored on a 2-yard run in the second quarter to give the Vikings an early 7-0 lead.
After trailing 14-0, Tift County struck with a big play of its own, as Dixon hit Jarrod Bateman on a 43-yard pass with 6:12 left in the third quarter.
Reid then struck again. On first-and-10 from the Vikings’ 26-yard line, he took the handoff, scampered for about 15 yards horizontally behind the line of scrimmage, and then turned upfield and raced 73 yards to the 1-yard line.
Gerald Demps then took the ball in for the 1-yard score to give the Vikings a 21-7 lead, after a Mark Willis kick.
Down by 14, Tift County wasn’t finished, though. The Blue Devils struck again with 9:16 left in the fourth quarter, marching 48 yards. Dixon’s 9-yard touchdown run cut Lowndes’ lead to 21-14.
After Dixon’s score, Padgett fumbled the ball in Blue Devils’ territory, putting Tift in position to potentially tie the score.
The Blue Devils moved the ball 54 yards down to the Vikings’ 40-yard line, then Dixon went for the end zone. Dixon looked for Bateman in the right side of the end zone, but Lowndes’ Tyler Hunter stepped in front and picked off the attempted pass.
Reid then scored his third touchdown of the night, taking the ball 99 yards down the right sideline to seal the Vikings’ win.
Fittingly, Reid ended the game with an interception as the clock ticked down to 59 seconds.
Reid finished the game with 190 yards rushing on eight carries, along with his 102-yard fumble return.
“He had a big game,” McPherson said.
The Vikings, ranked No. 3 in the nation and No. 1 in the state, now have seven days to work on their turnovers and prepare for their much-anticipated matchup against No. 3 Warner Robins Northside, the No. 21 team in the nation, at Martin Stadium.
Local Sports
Vikings defeat Tift, 28-14, remain unbeaten
Reid scores three touchdowns in win for No. 1 Lowndes
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