LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — Semaje Banks pushed into the end zone from a yard out in overtime Friday and, in the process, ended Tift County’s dreams of reaching the Class 7A final four.

Archer defeated the Blue Devils 16-10 in a night of miserable weather and in a contest where offense was rare and points even rarer. A combination of 37-degree weather and a steady mist served as a 12th man for both sides; an Archer field goal accounted for all of the first half scoring.

As each team was limited by what it could do because of game conditions, turnovers and special teams were of utmost importance.

A pair of first half drives ended on turnovers. Banks’s fourth-quarter fumble allowed Tift to tie on Rosendo Ramirez’s 38-yard field goal. Finally, an interception in the extra session all but wrapped the game in the Tigers’ favor.

Deontae Overstreet ran for 45 yards on Tift County’s initial offensive snap and for the first few minutes of the game, it looked like the Devils would have no trouble at all moving the football.

Overstreet picked up a second first down in Tigers territory before a 12-yard burst by Mike Jones moved them into the red zone at the 17. Here, Archer stiffened and after three downs picked up three yards, quarterback Patrick Felton went to the air on fourth. The result was an incompletion and a turnover on downs.

Archer picked up some steam in the second period on Banks’s runs, but as the mist picked up in its strength, turnovers began to visit.

Carter Peevy found Braylen Weems on a first-down pass deep into Tift territory, but Walt Jackson was on top of the play. Before Weems hit the ground for the completion, Jackson stole the ball. The Devils fortune lasted only briefly before a fumble fell into enemy hands inside Tift’s own 20.

The Tigers, however, were stuck and could only get a 32-yard field goal from Jacob Waters at 7:12 in the second period. It was enough to last through the remainder of the half.

Tift came out firing in the second half, but it was a defensive stand that finally led to a score.

Jackson and Ricky Perry brought down Peevy on a nine-yard sack early in the third quarter, which placed the ball at the 10. A short punt meant the Devils had possession at the 41, an excellent field position to start the drive.

Felton and Overstreet pushed the ball down to the 19. There, Jones took over for two runs, the latter of which went for 11 yards and a touchdown at 4:14. Ramirez kicked the extra point, giving the visitors a 7-3 lead.

That advantage lasted two minutes.

Peevy got Archer out of a third-down hole on a 27-yard completion to Andrew Booth. Later, at the 24, Banks ran to the 2. On the next play, he ran for a score. Waters made it a 10-7 game at 2:03.

The fourth quarter was wild and wooly, with plenty of heart-pounding moments.

A long Tift pass barely missed its target. Using Banks, the Tigers zipped from their own 23 to the Tift 40. The drive ended there and it was Archer’s time for nervousness as a shanked punt went only five yards.

A pass interference call moved the Devils to Archer’s 38 at 3:47. But they stalled there and an incompletion resulted in a turnover on downs at the 37 at 2:16.

Trying to run the clock down, Banks was met in his backfield. He was also stripped of the football and it rolled through multiple players’ hands before Tift covered it on the 25. A conference by the officials about a flag against Archer resulted in the fumble standing. Tift had a new opportunity.

Overstreet ran three times, twice with little gain and the third to center the ball for a field goal try. Ramirez came out and with 35 seconds showing, drilled a 38-yarder to tie the game at 10-all.

Archer knelt on the ball to end regulation, sending the game to overtime.

Tift’s luck ran out in the extra session.

Edwin Mangual intercepted the Devils’ first snap. Back in Archer’s hands at the 15, Banks ran around right end until he was pushed out at the 2. His offensive line gave him a hole on the next snap and Banks stepped over the goal line to end the game.

Jones ran for an unofficial 57 yards and a touchdown in his final Tift County game. The touchdown was his 30th for the Blue Devils overall and 29th rushing. He is now all alone in first place in those departments.

Overstreet contributed 65 yards and Felton ran for 33 yards. Felton was 5-of-14 passing for 41 yards, the longest of which was a 23-yarder to Jameson Turner.

Banks had 120 rushing yards and both Archer touchdowns. Peevy completed 6 of 12 attempts for 100 yards.

Archer moves on to play at Colquitt County next week in a state semifinal. The Blue Devils end their season at 8-5.