TIFTON – “Eleven hundred days! And it ends today!”

Those were Noel Dean’s first thoughts Friday night after the Tift County Blue Devils defeated Camden County, 21-14. It’s easy to understand why. Tift is now 1-1 in Region 1-7A, 6-3 overall.

Tift had not had a win in the region since an upset over Lowndes on Oct. 19, 2018. Eleven hundred days exactly.

“That’s a long time,” said Dean. “I am so happy for these kids. So happy.”

The victory sets up a chance for Tift to host a state tournament game. Lowndes defeated Colquitt County Friday night, 52-31. Next week’s Tift-Colquitt winner will be the No. 2 seed from Region 1.

The Wildcats led 7-0 at halftime. By the time their offense touched the ball again in the second half, they trailed 14-7. In between were two slow scoring drives and an Antonio Gomez onside kick.

Tift County held the ball for more than 11 minutes of the third period. Only three Blue Devils accumulated yards from scrimmage, but the trio never gasped for breath as the ball steadily moved forward.

C.J. Henley brought the second half kickoff out to the 35. The Devils got nothing on their first play, but Jackson Strickland picked up a third down at the 47.

Two plays later, Zach Carter found a large crease in the middle of the line and rocketed the ball down to Camden’s 11, a 42-yard gain.

It was not quite first and goal. Tift would be thankful for that when Strickland pushed inches forward on third for a fresh set of downs at the 1.

Even there, two plays were stacked up at the line before Strickland got another push, landing in the end zone at 5:41. Gomez kicked the extra point and the game was tied at 7-7.

The drive, which covered 65 yards, went 12 plays and took 6:13 off the clock. It was only the start of their control.

Gomez nudged the kickoff forward, surprising Camden just long enough for Lee Jackson to jump on the free pigskin at the ‘Cats 47.

The second drive was not as long as the first, only 10 plays and 4:49 in clock time, but it had perhaps even more key plays.

An ineligible man downfield put the Devils with 1st and 15 on their own 48. On third and 10, Strickland hit Mike Taylor for 12 yards

Carter ran for six yards, Strickland for 16. Strickland’s run saw him burst for an apparent touchdown, but holding was called at the 7.

On third down, Carter ran for two and a first down at the 7. This time, Tift took it all in one bite.

Strickland zipped a quick slant to Taylor on the right side of the field and Taylor did the rest, going in for the touchdown with 51 seconds remaining. Gomez’s toe was true a second time and Tift now had a 14-7 advantage.

Camden took over on a traditional kickoff at their own 31. At that point, there were only 44 seconds remaining in the half. As slow as Tift moved, the Wildcats blew through three snaps in that span, the last being a sack of quarterback Gray Loden. On the first play of the fourth, they kicked it back.

The Devils were apparently tired of inching forward. Their third drive needed two plays: a six-yard run by Carter and a 57-yard dash by Strickland.

Strickland kept the ball on a potential handoff and ran on the right side of his line. He appeared to be stopped for a moment, then kept zigging and zagging, not stopping until he hit paydirt at 11:03.

The kick made it 21-7 and suddenly the lead had a bit of distance on it.

Camden wasn’t going away easily, however.

Two plays into their drive, Jamie Felix took the ball off left tackle for a 62-yard touchdown at 10:10. Adonis Coyle kicked the PAT. It was now a close game again, with plenty of time left.

The Devils were stuck on their next drive and Strickland made a heroic dive to cover a fumble that would have landed Camden at Tift’s 20 had they recovered.

Camden got the ball on the punt at 7:37, but started running into brick walls. A first down run went two yards, one on second went one. Deonte Cole made two more on third down, setting up fourth-and-five at the 35.

Loden attempted to a find a receiver on a sideline pattern but the ball fluttered over everyone’s heads for a turnover on downs.

Tift had the ball back at 5:08. They didn’t lose it again.

On second and nine, the Blue Devils line kept pushing and pushing, gaining Carter eight yards. He ran for three on third for a fresh set of downs and less than 2:30 to go.

Camden called its second timeout with 1:41, then its final with 50 seconds as Tift had a third and inches. Carter got a final push covering the necessary yardage.

The game now in hand, Strickland knelt once in victory formation as the seconds ticked away.

The first half of Friday’s contest was the expected low-scoring affair, but with a few surprises: three turnovers by each team.

Tyre West recovered a Camden fumble at Tift’s 36 in the first quarter. Two plays later, Jacob Lindsey got the football back for his side on an interception.

The Wildcats recovered two more fumbles in the second quarter, with Jackson and Jonta Strozier doing the same for Tift.

A scoreless halftime deadlock seemed probable when Camden took over at 3:43 at on its own 40.

Jcaidyn Albertie moved the ball into Devils territory on a rush before two consecutive big plays. A hit on Brayden Ritz was flagged as targeting, a 15-yard penalty. Immediately after, Cole ran for 23 yards to the 1.

Albertie punched it in from there. Coyle kicked the extra point at 1:57.

The Devils were in total control during the second half. Camden ran a grand total of nine offensive plays in the second half. The Wildcats possessed the ball for all of 44 seconds of the third quarter, thanks to the touchdown, onside kick and second lengthy touchdown drive.

Had Strickland not found Taylor on the touchdown pass, it was conceivable that Tift could have held on to the ball the entire length of the third quarter.

In the fourth frame, Jeff Herron’s offense only had the ball in their hands for 3:16 of the fourth.

“That was good stuff,” said Dean. He was still processing how long it had been between region wins. “Eleven hundred days.”

Strickland completed four passes for 37 yards and a touchdown in his second varsity start at the position. For the second straight week, however, the show was on the ground.

Strickland and Carter ran for an unofficial 259 yards combined. Carter had 28 carries for 130 yards, Strickland scored twice on 18 runs for 129 yards.

Taylor caught three passes for 25 yards and a score.

Loden only attempted five passes, completing one for 12 yards.

Felix had four carries for 63 yards and a touchdown. Albertie had 43 yards and a score and Cole ran for 42 yards. The Wildcats had 68 yards in the second half, 62 of them on Felix’s scoring run.