VALDOSTA — Valdosta scored on its first two drives against Tift County Friday, then had to hang on to those pair of scores for the remaining 40:45 in a 14-7 victory.

The game saw the returns of both Todd Robinson and Deron Foster for the Wildcat offense. Robinson, who wasn’t available last week in Valdosta’s loss to Richmond Hill, threw for two touchdowns and 162 yards on 13-of-19 passing. He did not attempt a rush.

Robinson’s and Foster’s conditions will be crucial this Friday as they face Lowndes in the Winnersville Classic. If Valdosta wins, they win the Region 1-6A championship. If Lowndes wins and Colquitt County falls to Richmond Hill, the title goes to the Vikings. Should Lowndes and Colquitt both win, the Packers get the trophy.

Valdosta clinched a berth in the state 6A tournament, but can be any seed from 1-3. Camden County or Richmond Hill will be the fourth. A Richmond Hill victory over Colquitt puts them in, but if Richmond Hill loses, they would need a Camden loss to Tift County to get in.

With Robinson still bothered by his ankle and Foster limited against the Blue Devils, it was up to Marquis Fennell to get things done on the ground, and the sophomore sensation was excellent in the role.

Fennell had 149 rush yards total on 25 carries, his long being a 79-yard run in the second period that moved VHS from its own 11 to the Tift 10. That drive, however, did not result in any points.

Tift attempted a short kickoff to start the night and the ‘Cats took over on their own 42. Fennell and Lewis got them two first downs to the 36, setting up Robinson to throw deep, Lewis making an over-the-shoulder catch a step ahead of a Devil defender in the end zone.

Tomas Lopez kicked the point-after, giving the Wildcats a 7-0 lead at 9:43. It didn’t take long for the hosts to score again.

Lewis and Fennell again picked up the initial yardage, going from the Valdosta 30 to the Tift 47.

There, Robinson threw a short sideline pass to Jean, who began sprinting down the home sideline. Jean avoided potential tackles and somehow stayed inbounds to cover the 47 yards, crossing the goal line at 4:45. Lopez’s kick made at 14-0 advantage and two touchdowns in two drives.

A blowout seemed in the making, especially when Fennell burst down the sideline on his 79-yard jaunt. Two plays later, the Wildcats were at the Tift 6. However, Robinson’s third down pass was tipped and VHS sent out the field goal unit. The kick was wide left, leaving the margin at 14.

Valdosta’s offensive momentum came to a halt there. The remainder of the game saw them twice stopped on downs. Another promising drive was sniffed out on a forced fumble in the second half.

Foster got his first carry midway through the second frame, picking up two yards. He carried twice more in the period, gaining eight more yards. He had 53 yards total on nine touches.

While the Wildcat offense stalled, the defense made sure they didn’t have to worry. Tift had only four first downs in the half and barely 100 total yards. Fifty-two of those were on a rush by Davieon Dixon.

Tift’s Jaden Nelson had an interception to end the half. After the Wildcats were backed up inside their 15 in the last minute, head coach Shelton Felton elected to let Robinson throw as deep as he could instead of risking a punt block. The interception finished out the half.

The Blue Devils reached the Valdosta seven before running out downs near the end of the second period. To begin the third, they made the 21, again turning it over on downs.

Both teams had a fumble in the third quarter. Two plays after Valdosta coughed it up  at the Tift 34, the Wildcats got it back when Lundy Jimyll  forced it out of Damieon Dixon’s hands at the 35. It was a big night for Jimyll overall as he also finished with two sacks and seven tackles overall.

Tift’s lone score came in the fourth period.

A punting miscue saw Tift take over the ball at the 49. Damieon Dixon completed passes of 9 and 18 yards to Dai’jon Hayes and Quay Bell, respectively to reach the 23. Pass interference moved the ball to the 12. Valdosta moved Tift back a yard on a tackle, but Damieon Dixon turned a scramble into a 13-yard scoring run, slicing to the middle of the field. Braylon Samuel kicked the Devils’ extra point at 6:41.

The Blue Devils forced a three-and-out from Valdosta. Corey Howard punted them to the 35 and though Tift picked up one first down, they couldn’t get another. Stuck at midfield with 2:25 to go, they instead elected to roll the dice on a punt.

Fennell ran three times, picking up 23 yards while moving the sticks twice. That was enough to let Valdosta get into victory formation, sealing the lid shut on the 14-7 finish.

Besides Robinson’s and Fennell’s heroics on offense, the Wildcats had 78 receiving yards and a score on Lewis’ five catches. Jean caught two balls for 54 yards and the other TD.