TIFTON — Colquitt County’s playoff hopes — thin to begin with — evaporated under the relentless running and passing of Tift County on Friday in 37-20 loss to the Blue Devils at Brodie Field.

Tift County scored 23 points in the second quarter to take away the momentum of a Colquitt County touchdown on its first possession of the game.

The Packers made the game closer after Tift built a 37-7 lead, scoring on touchdown passes from John Michael Harrison with 1:37 left in the third quarter and frm Tyler Brown to Tevin King with 45 seconds left in the game.

The loss was the fourth in a row for the Packers, who fall to 3-4 overall and 0-4 in the region.

Tift County climbs to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the region.

The Blue Devils rolled up 403 yards of offense, including 145 on the ground put up by Stevan Toomer, who scored a pair of touchdowns.

Tift quarterback Malcom Dixon completed 10-of-20 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns, both to Jared Davis.

Davis scored on 27- and 9-yard throws from Dixon in the second quarter.

Colquitt passed for 213 yards, but 86 came on the final drive of the game when backup Tyler Brown connected on 5-of-10 passes.

The game started with promise for the Packers, who took the opening kickoff and marched 85 yards on 13 plays, eating up 4:03 of the clock, to a 15-yard touchdown run by Tevin King.

Harrison completed passes for 12 yards to Blake Stamps, 10 yards to Travon Jackson, 13 yards to Tomorius Collins and 11 yards to Travon Littleton in the drive and King had two carries for 28 yards.

Rich Tyndall’s extra point put the Packers up 7-0 and that’s where the score remained at the end of the first quarter.

But the proceedings went downhill rapidly, beginning with the first play of the second quarter, when Dixon connected with a wide-open Davis for a 27-yard touchdown. Jordan West’s first extra point tied the game.

On the third play following the ensuing kickoff, it appeared the Packers would tie the game when Harrison connected on a 77-yard pass to Eric Key, who was several yards behind the Tift County secondary.

But the Packers were penalized for a false start and the team never recovered the rest of the half.