NEWNAN —
John Boatwright scored on 19-yard touchdown run with 1:38 remaining to lift Colquitt County to a 26-23 victory over Newnan on Friday at Drake Stadium.
The come-from-behind victory sends the Packers to a third-round playoff game at Parkview next Friday. The Panthers won 26-23 over West Forsyth in overtime.
The victory raises the Packers record to 9-3 this season and 10-2 since 2009 in road playoff games.
The Packers overcame an interception, two fumbles, two missed extra points and a missed field goal attempt, but held on to eliminate the Cougars.
Newnan took a 23-18 lead with 7:40 left in the game when sophomore quarterback Bailey Bryant completed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Traon Moss.
And the lead looked safe when the Packers lost a fumble with 5:02 left in the game.
But Newnan fumbled the ball right back with 3:43 left in the game and the Packers made the Cougars pay.
Newnan was in position to stop the Packers on a fourth-and-10 with 2:21 left in the game, but Packers quarterback Cole Segraves hit Todd Boyd for 34 yards and a first down at the Newnan 25.
Boatwright banged inside for six yards on first down and took another handoff on second down and bounced it outside.
The senior running back then raced down the sideline for what proved to be the winning touchdown.
Segraves hit Boyd for the 2-point conversion to give Colquitt a three-point lead.
Aided by two personal foul calls on the Packers, Newnan drove right back down to the Packers 26.
But on second-and-11, Tim Sanders picked off Bryant’s final pass of the game to seal the come-from-behind victory.
Segraves completed 24-of-36 passes for 258 yards. Boyd had seven catches for 137 yards.
Boatwright had perhaps his biggest night of the season, carrying the ball 19 times for 127 yards. Will Bannister had two field goals and Segraves and Sihiem King each ran for a touchdown. Bryant completed 17-of-30 for 162 yards and a touchdown.
Bannister’s 31-yard field goal as time expired gave the Packers a 15-14 halftime lead, but two critical turnovers damaged Colquitt in the second quarter.
Colquitt took the opening kickoff and marked 81 yards on 10 plays to score on a 7-yard run by Sihiem King, his first touchdown of the season.
But Bannister’s extra point attempt was blocked and Colquitt’s lead was only 6-0.
The Packers started on the Newnan 25 on its next possession after 30-yard punt return by O’Shay Williams.
Segraves then drove the Packers the rest of the way, capping the foray with a 4-yard touchdown run.
But the Packers were penalized twice on the extra point attempt and then Roberto Vega’s extra point sailed wide right.
Colquitt appeared poised to add to its lead when John Boatwright took a handoff on a second-and-goal at the Newnan 2 with 10:08 left in the half. But Boatwright fumbled into the end zone and Newnan recovered.
Colquitt forced Newnan to punt the possession away, but on the second play after the Packers took over on its 20, Newnan’s Rodney Tennie intercepted a Segraves pass and ran it 25 yards to the end zone.
Tyler Mulvenna’s extra point cut the Packers lead to 12-7 with 7:29 left in the game.
The interception was the fifth in the last three games for Tennie, who also returned a pick for a touchdown in the Cougars victory over Alcovy the Friday before.
The Cougars began to build some offensive momentum when starting quarterback Bailey Bryant, who injured his throwing shoulder in the victory over Alcovy, returned to the lineup at the start of the second quarter.
And Bryant led the Cougars on a 61-yard, 11-play scoring drive and hit J.K. Britt with a 4-yard touchdown pass with 36 seconds left in the half.
Colquitt appeared to have intercepted Bryant on the fourth play of the drive, but Newnan kept the ball when the Packers were penalized for roughing the passer.
But trailing 14-12, the Packers mounted a final scoring drive, moving from their own 35 to Newnan 14, where Bannister kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired.
Segraves completed passes for 13 yards to Bobby Hill, 31 yards to Todd Boyd and 17 yards to King in the drive.
Segraves was 14-for-19 for 157 yards in the first half, but with the critical interception. Boyd had four catches for 79 yards in the first two quarters.
Bryant came off the bench to complete 7-for-10 for 74 yards and a touchdown in the first half.
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