Devils saw on two state champions on tough 2023 football schedule

Dec. 18—ATLANTA — Not many teams can say they faced two of Georgia's high school state football champions in 2023. Tift County has that unlucky distinction.

Wednesday night, Dec. 13, saw Coffee High win its first ever state championship, a physical battle that saw the Trojans manhandle Creekside, 31-14.

Coffee spent all year ranked in the top five for Class 5A. Tift fared better than most of their opponents. The Blue Devils scored two touchdowns in the season lid-lifter, a run by Damion Moate and a long reception by Taylan Morrow. Only five of Coffee's opponents scored as many as two touchdowns and the Devils were one of only two teams to do it during the regular season.

Overall, the Trojans went 15-0 on an average score of 39-7. They had six shutouts.

As noted as Coffee has been over the years, surprisingly this was their first ever state championship, even going back to their days as the Coffee County Comets (1955-70).

Thomas County Central also won state this year. The 6A finale was similarly one-sided, the Yellow Jackets took a 28-0 lead over Woodward Academy in the 1st half. TCC stayed on the gas in the 2nd half for a 49-28 finish.

Nine Tift opponents made state in 2023, including the one out-of-state opponent, Gadsden County, Fla. The Devils were the only team to shut out Gadsden this year, including their first round opponent in the playoffs, Wakulla. Perhaps unbelievably, Gadsden finished with a winning record at 6-5.

Beyond the state champions, Lee County and Colquitt County made the quarterfinals. Colquitt lost to eventual state champion, Milton, by two points. Dutchtown, Thomasville and Houston County all won their first round games before falling in the second round.

Northside dropped a first round game to Marist. Veterans was the only opponent not to go to the playoffs.

On Dec. 10, MaxPreps had Tift's strength of schedule in the top 12 in Georgia, regardless of classification. That was before TCC and Coffee won their titles, so the number should be even higher on the final rankings.

Though they did not play them in the regular season, the Blue Devils matched up against another state champion during the summer, playing 7-on-7s against Perry.