Colquitt County running back Sihiem King is congratulated by coach Zach Grage after scoring the Packers touchdown on Friday.

Colquitt County coach Rush Propst said a decision he made earlier last week helped lead to the Packers 24-10 loss to Hoover High at Hoover Met on Friday.

Propst said the decision to have the players ride on non-air conditioned school buses on the 280-mile trip from Moultrie to Hoover on Thursday left many players dehydrated and weak.

The Packers, ranked No. 1 in Georgia, led the Buccaneers, ranked No. 1 in Alabama, 10-3 at the half, but were outscored 21-0 in the second half.

“I lost the game,” Propst said. “It wasn’t the kids. It was my fault, every bit of it.

“It was a tactical decision I made and I feel sick about it.”

Propst said that traditionally he has let his players ride on air conditioned charter buses on long trips. And even though his team traveled to Hoover on Thursday, the day before the game was played, Propst said the trip in mid-90s temperatures took its toll.

“It was so hot on those buses,” Propst said, adding that many of the players were soaking wet when they reached Auburn for a walk through before continuing on to Hoover. “I should know better.

“We were gassed at halftime,” he said, noting that the game was played in what were among the hottest and most humid conditions he has had to contend with since he has been a head coach.

“We were drained and lack of hydration was a problem.”

Several players got extra fluids before the game, but others clearly suffered, Propst said.

Linebacker/defensive end Quintin Hampton had an outstanding first half, but was not able to be hydrated enough during the halftime break and did not play the final two quarters.

Several Packers had trouble with camping the problems were magnified when Hoover used some 64 players in the game, Propst said.

The Bucs used 29 players on defense in the first half and used five tailbacks. Hoover’s depth was evident, especially when the Bucs dominated the second half.

“I didn’t need to make it that easy on (Hoover),” Propst said. “I can control how we travel.”

On thing he could not control were injuries.

The most serious occured when defensive backs Maleek Lewis and O’Shay Williams collided helmet-to-helmet while tackling Hoover’s Kyler Jackson with 7:39 left in the third quarter.

Neither players returned to the game.

Williams, also the Packers punter and punt return specialist, suffered a concussion andwas taken to the hospital in Birmingham, where he was kept overnight for observation.

He returned to Moultrie on Saturday, but is unlikely to play on Friday when the Packers play host to Lovejoy.

Lewis suffered a neck contusion. His status for Friday’s game is uncertain. Hoover tied the game 10-10 on a touchdown and an extra point three plays after Lewis and Williams left the game.

The Bucs scored their final two touchdowns on passes.”

“When Maleek and O’Shay got hurt, it was a huge momentum swing,” Propst said.

There were two key plays in the game, Propst said, both coming in the second half.

The first came with 5:57 left in third quarter and the game tied 10-10.

The Packers faced a second-and-5 at the Hoover 25 when Sihiem King appeared to break clear at the line of scrimmage. But the ball came loose and although the Packers recovered, instead of having a long gain, they faced third-and-four.

Unable to convert, the Packers sent out Luis Martinez for a field goal attempt and his 40-yard kick was just wide.

And six plays after the Bucs took over after the missed field goal attempt, quarterback Jack Hutcheson found a wide-open Leonard Wood in the middle of the Packers secondary.

Wood took the pass, got to the sideline and raced to the end zone to help put the Bucs up 17-10.

“That was just a busted coverage in the secondary,” Propst said.

That secondary was minus Lewis and Williams at the time.

Hoover’s final score came with 1:38 left when Hutcheson hit Kris Parker with a 20-yard scoring pass on a fourth-and-2.

Propst said that Colquitt secondary coach Dextra Polite indicated that neither of those passes would have been completed if the veteran Williams had been in the game.

“Our guys gave the kind of effort I knew they would,” Propst said.

“But sometimes there was just not much effort to give.”

Propst indicated the Packers might make some significant changes before meeting 1-0 and defending state runner-up Lovejoy next Friday in the home-opener at Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium.

Lovejoy won its opener on Friday, defeating Mundy’s Mill 41-12. Colquitt won 14-7 when the two teams met last year.

“We have got to make some radical changes,” he said. “We have got to find some people who can protect the quarterback.”

Quarterback Daniel Mobley was bruised and sore after the game.

“He took a beating,” Propst said.

The Packers are likely to try to have several players go both ways.

Injured cornerback Tim Sanders was able to get some playing time late in the game. His status for next week is unclear.