The Tift County Blue Devils football team played overtime for the first time since 2004 Friday night. While Tift fans were happy with the 10-7 victory over the Valdosta Wildcats, there was some confusion about the rules for the extra periods of play.

Rules for overtime in the Georgia High School Association are very similar to those for the NCAA. Each participating team gets an equal number of opportunities to score as many as points as possible from a set yardline — the major difference being the GHSA begins each session on the 15 yardline, while the NCAA begins on the 25.

As before a game, there was a coin toss before the overtime. Tift won the toss and elected to go on defense first.

After holding the Wildcats and forcing a field goal, which was blocked by senior Randy Parker, Tift took the ball over and began its first overtime session.

On Tift’s first play from scrimmage, Kaream Hess fumbled, and the ball was recovered by Valdosta. The Wildcat player was ruled down on the play so the teams had to go to a second overtime.

Since Valdosta was on offense first in the first overtime, Tift was on offense first in the second extra session. That is the reason the Devils took the ball back over after the Hess fumble.

Valdosta’s defense held, but the Devils’ Charlie Edwards came in to kick a 43-yard field goal to give Tift a 10-7 lead.

With the field goal, Valdosta had to score at least three points for the game to continue. Tift held on defense and the Wildcats’ Brad Barr was short on a 43-yard field goal. That gave Tift the victory.

For those of you who do not remember Tift’s last overtime game, it was in 2004 at Houston County.

The game was tied at 14-14 at the end of regulation. Houston scored a touchdown on its first possession, but Tift could not and Houston won 21-14. That knocked the Devils out of the 2004 playoffs.