By Wayne Grandy
wayne.grandy@gaflnews.com
MOULTRIE — Just two years ago, the Colquitt County High football team finished 2-8 and the school system went searching for a new head coach.
Just 19 games later, the Packers are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2005, have a shot at Region 1-AAAAA championship or, short of that, a chance to finish second and play host to a state playoff game.
Not unexpectedly, Packers coach Rush Propst made sure people realize that the season is not complete – not by a long shot.
“There is still a lot of football left to play,” he said moments after the Packers, now 8-1, defeated Houston County 35-10 on Friday at Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium.
“I think winning our eighth game is special. But we’ve got to get ready for next week.
“We need to think about playing for a possible region championship. And our mindset has to be playing six more weeks.”
On Sept. 18, after the Packers 31-6 loss to Lowndes in the region opener, having a shot at the Region 1-AAAAA championship seemed like a long, long shot.
But five straight region victories and Warner Robins’ 21-20 win over Northside on Friday has means if the Packers can defeat the Eagles on Friday they can be no worse than second in the region.
A win over Northside coupled with a Warner Robins win over Lowndes gives the Packers an improbable region championship.
Propst is no stranger to being in this position. He led his Hoover (Ala.) High teams to five state championships.
The Packers have reversed their region record from a year ago. This time in 2008, Colquitt was 1-5 in the region and had been outscored in those six games 229-121.
Now 5-1, Colquitt has outscored those same five opponents 131-79. In the last four region games, the Packers have given up just 27 points.
Friday’s victory over Houston County did not start off smoothly.
Against a team that had not won a region game since 2006, the Packers led just 7-3 after a first half in which it was flagged seven times for 60 yards of penalties and threw an interception.
Propst attributed the slow start to “four straight weeks of emotional football in this region.”
But it was all Packers in the second half.
They took the second half kickoff and drove 72 yards in nine plays to a touchdown and a 14-3 lead.
The running of D’Amonte Ridley sparked the drive. The junior running back carried four times for 43 yards with three of the runs giving his team first downs.
When Houston County shanked a punt that went for just 8 yards on its first possession of the second half, the Packers pounced quickly, scoring a 6-yard run by sophomore Matthew Sailor.
After missing a 48-yard field goal attempt, the Packers scored the next two times they had the ball, with Hakeem Peterson going in from a yard out and Tre Cooper bolting in from 17 yards away.
Houston County, which had a 15-yard drive go for naught in the first half, drove 85 yards on 10 plays for its only touchdown with 2:32 left in the game.
Colquitt gave up 306 yards of offense, but was never seriously challenged after halftime.
The Packers could have added to its 375 yards of offense but for four uncharacteristic drops of Tyler Brown passes.
Still the junior quarterback completed 14-of-20 passes for 200 yards, giving him 1,558 yards for the season, ninth-most in Packers history.
Quin Roberson rushed for two short touchdowns, giving him 12 for the season.
Roberson also caught five passes for 89 yards and moved into fifth place on the Packers all-time receiving list with 80 career catches for 1,236 yards.
The Packers will need to play as it has the last four weeks if it is to have a chance to knock off Northside and bring a playoff game back to Moultrie for the first time since 1999, when the Packers beat Willie Reid and Warner Robins 7-3.
“We want to go deep (in the playoffs),” Propst said, then further explained.
“Our No. 1 goal is to win the state championship.”
