MOULTRIE —
MOULTRIE — On Sept. 19, 1997, the Colquitt County High football team lost to Thomas County Central by three points to drop to 0-3 to start the season.
Three months later, the Packers were in the state semifinals and were four seconds away from a berth in the state championship game.
The 2010 edition of the Packers, who lost 35-29 in overtime to Thomas County Central on Friday in Thomasville to fall to 0-3, may find it heartening to know there is precedence for bouncing back from a slow start.
Colquitt opened the season with a 15-9 loss to Cook and then fell to South Panola of Batesville, Miss., 65-35. The Tigers are now ranked No. 1 in the country in one major poll.
The Packers will be home to face 1-1 Westlake in the first of three non-region games games before league games begin on Oct. 8 at Tift County. Colquitt also will face Warner Robins and Carver High of Montgomery, Ala., and then will get a Friday night off.
The region portion of the schedule will determine which of five league teams will not make the postseason and Packer head coach Rush Propst said recently he would like to have his team used to winning before those games begin.
The 1997 team began to turn its season around when it went to Bainbridge to play the Bearcats and threw a 19-0 shutout.
It was the first of six Region 1-AAAA games the Packers faced that season.
The Packers also shut out Ware County 40-0 and beat Valdosta 14-10 to climb over .500 at 4-3.
Colquitt then lost back-to-back region games to Lowndes and Tift County, but defeated Coffee 42-20 in the regular-season finale to qualify for the postseason.
And that is where having played Brookwood, Thomas County Central, Valdosta, Lowndes and Tift County paid dividends.
The Packers went on the road to beat LaGrange 17-12, using two extra points and the first field goal of the year by Brad Tomlinson to provide the difference.
It was easier the next week when the Packers went to the coast to beat Brunswick 28-14.
Then it was the second trip of the season to Valdosta and another win, this one by a 16-7 score.
That victory sent the Packers to state semifinals, held then in the Georgia Dome. Once there, Colquitt led 7-0 before Parkview scored a touchdown and an extra point with four seconds remaining in regulation and won in overtime 14-7.
Local Sports
1997 Packers rallied from 0-3 start to reach state semifinals
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Kirkland wins state diving championship
Colquitt County’s Elizabeth Ann Kirkland won the Georgia High School Association’s Class AAAAA state diving championship on Friday at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center.
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Heading to Valdosta State
Sitting between his mother Amanda Simpson and father Anthony Simpson, Colquitt County linebacker Anthony Brumbley signs to continue his football career at Valdosta State University. At back is Colquitt County linebackers coach Danny Blaylock.
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Rifle team defeats Coffee
Kaitlin Turner and Eugene Anderson each shot a 281 to lead the Colquitt County High rifle team to a 1,091-797 victory over Coffee on Thursday in Douglas.
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Colquitt County splits at Pelham
The Colquitt County girls basketball team dropped its regular-season finale at Pelham 46-43 on Friday in a game in which all five starters fouled out.
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League champs
The Gators won the Moultrie-Colquitt County Parks and Recreation Department’s 12-and-under girls basketball championship. The team included, front, from left, Eyona Moore, Isabella Lawson, India Bonner, Camille Singletary, Eriyona Stokes and Nikki Edge; back, Tybrea Lamar and coach Nicholas Edge.
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Soccer teams to play scrimmage at Lee County today
With several players unavailable because they are taking the ACT, the Colquitt County soccer teams will get a chance to look at some young players and develop some depth when they travel to Lee County today for the annual preseason scrimmage.
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Tennis teams open with sweep of West Laurens
The Colquitt County High tennis teams opened their 2012 season with a sweep of West Laurens in the first round of the Chick-fil-A Tift County Invitational on Friday in Tifton.
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Swimmers and divers head to state
Five swimmers and three divers are in Atlanta today to compete in the Georgia High School Association’s 2012 State Swimming and Diving Championships at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center Friday. The Class AAAAA diving championships will begin at 9 this morning. The Class AAAAA swimming prelims will start at 6:30 p.m. today. The finals will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday. Representing Colquitt County High are, front, from left, divers Anastasia Jimenez, Elizabeth Ann Kirkland and Haley Goodman; back, swimmers Peyton Childs, Austin Vines, Ethan Sobalvarro, Cole Wilkes and Austin Hawkins. The swimming and diving finals will video stream live on GHSA.tv.
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Cokely to take over Marianna football program
Former Colquitt County head football coach Tim Cokely is leaving Greater Atlanta Christian to take over the program at Marianna (Fla.) High.
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Tennis teams to open seasons today in Tifton
The Colquitt County High tennis teams will travel to Tifton today for Chick-fil-A Tift County High School Invitational to begin a season in which both teams appear to have legitimate shots at Region 1-AAAAA championships.
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