MOULTRIE —
When McEachern opened the season with a 31-12 loss to Grayson in the Corky Kell Classic and followed it with a 37-35 loss to Walton, a Cobb County record-tying 15th region championship hardly seemed in the offing.
But the Indians won their next seven games in a row to tie Marietta for the country record then finished off the regular season with a come-from-behind 33-30 victory over Hillgrove last Friday night.
That Region 4 championship has allowed McEachern to play host to Colquitt County at the Walter H. Cantrell Stadium on its Powder Springs campus on Friday in the first round of the Class AAAAAA playoffs.
Colquitt is coming off a pair of impressive victories of their own – a 27-9 win over Coffee and a 13-12 upset of Camden County – that enabled the Packers to claim the No. 4 seed in Region 1.
Colquitt County has not faced McEachern since 1998, but the Indians program has been one of best in the state since Jimmy Dorsey took it over in 1984.
Dorsey posted a 219-66-1 at McEachern until he turned the program over Kyle Hockman in 2008.
After having spent the two previous years at Campbell High, Hockman went 5-5 in his first season with the Indians, but has gone 38-7 since then.
Son of Ohio High School Hall of Fame coach Ken Hockman, who is now on the McEachern staff working for his son, Hockman has posted two of 38 victories over one of Region 1’s top programs.
The Indians defeated Lowndes 23-22 in 2010 and knocked off the Vikings the next year 20-13.
McEachern has won first-round games each of the last two seasons – eliminating East Coweta 31-19 in 2010 and Benedictine 56-12 last year.
The Packers, ranked No. 9 in this week’s Georgia High School Football Daily poll, are expected to be a more difficult opponent for the unranked Indians.
McEachern needed two fourth-quarter touchdowns and the recovery of an onside kick to put away Hillgrove, the No. 4 team from Region 4 last Friday in the regular-season finale.
The Indians got a big game from Ty Griffin, who rushed for 222 yards and scored four touchdowns.
Colquitt County will take a 7-3 record – posted against the most difficult schedule in the state - to McEachern on Friday.
After a disheartening 38-36 loss to Valdosta, the Packers have rebounded with wins over Coffee and Camden County.
Colquitt scored twice in the fourth quarter to knock off the top-ranked Wildcats last Friday at Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium.
Quarterback Cole Segraves ran 70 yards for touchdown and Will Bannister’s extra point put the Packers up 7-6 with 5:48 remaining.
But Camden regained the lead on the first play after the kickoff when Chris Williams bolted 68 yards.
The Wildcats, who missed a point-after kick after their second-quarter touchdown, failed on a 2-point conversion pass after the Williams touchdown and led 12-7.
The Packers then drove 80 yards to score the winning touchdown on a 3-yard run by John Boatwright with 54 seconds remaining.
The Colquitt County victory knocked Camden County from the top spot in Class AAAAAA and marked the second year in a row that the Packers had spoiled the Wildcats perfect season.
But the Packers have played tough customers all season.
Seven of Colquitt County’s opponents – including all four non-region foes – have qualified for the playoffs.
Of those seven, five – North Gwinnett, Lovejoy, Carver-Columbus, Lowndes and Camden County – have just one loss heading into the postseason. The Packers have given Lovejoy, Carver and Camden County their only losses.
Thomas County Central has two losses – and Colquitt administered one of those - and Valdosta has three.
And the Packers have defeated three region champions this season: Lovejoy, Carver-Columbus and Camden County.
PACKERS NOTES: Colquitt and McEachern have met twice in the past, both times in the Georgia Dome.
The Packers won 28-7 in the Corky Kell Classic in 1996, but fell to the Indians 35-14 in the state semifinals in 1998.
Local Sports
McEachern on a roll for playoffs
- Local Sports
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Rec tournament championship games set for Thursday
Ameris dealt Davis Insurance its first loss of the season on Tuesday and will advance to the Farm League tournament championship game.
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Colquitt County soccer banquet
The Colquitt County soccer teams recently held their annual banquet. Winning individual awards for the Lady Packers were Flor Ciniceros, Offensive Player of the Year; Madison Turner, Defensive Player of the Year; Diana Durham, Most Improved Player; and Natalie Griffin, Coach’s Award. Winning top awards for the Packers were Alejandro Cardenas, Offensive Player of the Year; Adan Jimenez, Defensive Player of the Year; Jay Tolbert, Most Improved Player; and Jorge Villalobos, Coach’s Award. Shown at the banquet are, front, from left, Austin Hunnicutt, Richard Garcia, Luis Padilla, Alex Cardenas, Fernando Miranda, Ryan Littleton, Garrett Moore, Garrett May, Elias Moreno, Jorge Villalobos, Adan Jimenez, Hudson May, Josh Smith, Jay Tolbert, Mathew Moody and Eric Gould; back, Kali Summerlin, Diana Durham, Karli Horne, Flor Ciniceros, Elizabeth Charles, Madison Turner, Macie Chitty, Taylor Hoes, Natalie Griffin, Jaycee Lott, Ferrell Tyndall, Kailey Middlebrooks, Kristina Scott, Katie Croft and Bert Vega.
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11 Colquitt County players named All-Region in soccer
Six members of the Colquitt County boys soccer team and five from the girls team have been included on the All-Region 1-AAAAAA team selected by the league’s coaches.
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YMCA flag football champions
R.B. Wright Team 2 defeated Odom in championship game to win the Moultrie YMCA’s Elementary School Sports League flag football title. The team includes, front, from left, Evan Hiers, Gabe Horne, Will Zember, Jackson Avera, Matthew Coop and Chloe Sumner; and, back, Sara Strickland, Ben Howard, coach Greg Coop, Nyquann Washington, Tahj Sanders and Jamad Willis. The Elementary School Sports League, hosted by the YMCA, allows children in fourth and fifth grades to play sports for their schools during the school year.
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Bull Durham takes second in Junior league
urham Insurance scored four runs in the bottom of the final inning to defeat BJ’s Plantation 7-5 on Monday to claim second place in the Junior girls softball league.
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Georgia Hawks heading to Orlando
The Georgia Hawks seventh- and eighth-grade basketball teams will play this weekend in Orlando and are coming off strong recent performances.
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Soccer banquet
The Colquitt County soccer teams recently held their annual banquet. Winning individual awards for the Lady Packers were Flor Ciniceros, Offensive Player of the Year; Madison Turner, Defensive Player of the Year; Diana Durham, Most Improved Player; and Natalie Griffin, Coach’s Award. Winning top awards for the Packers were Alejandro Cardenas, Offensive Player of the Year; Adan Jimenez, Defensive Player of the Year; Jay Tolbert, Most Improved Player; and Jorge Villalobos, Coach’s Award. Shown at the banquet are, front, from left, Austin Hunnicutt, Richard Garcia, Luis Padilla, Alex Cardenas, Fernando Miranda, Ryan Littleton, Garrett Moore, Garrett May, Elias Moreno, Jorge Villalobos, Adan Jimenez, Hudson May, Josh Smith, Jay Tolbert, Mathew Moody and Eric Gould; back, Kali Summerlin, Diana Durham, Karli Horne, Flor Ciniceros, Elizabeth Charles, Madison Turner, Macie Chitty, Taylor Hoes, Natalie Griffin, Jaycee Lott, Ferrell Tyndall, Kailey Middlebrooks, Kristina Scott, Katie Croft and Bert Vega.
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State champion flag football team
Colquitt County won the gold medal in the Senior/Master Traditional Flag Football competition at the recent 2013 Special Olympics Georgia State Summer Games last weekend. Colquitt County defeated Gwinnett County 26-0 in the opening round and defeated Gwinnett again in the championship game 24-0. The team includes, front, from left, Quan Ballard, Joseph Bentley, Wayne Cooley, Jonathon Barnett and James Moxley; back, assistant coach Nick Edge, Shane Jacobs, James Palmore, Jack Hipps, Local Coordinator Grant Hammack, Donta Merritt, Kelvin Holmes and head coach Dennis Eubanks.
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8 Packers named All-Region in baseball
For the third season in a row, Colquitt County High has had one of its baseball players named a region Player of the Year.
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Giddens named to Rimington Trophy watch list
Arkansas State sophomore center Bryce Giddens is one of 44 players across the country who have been named to the 2013 Rimington Trophy’s spring watch list, announced Tuesday by the Rimington Trophy committee.
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