MOULTRIE — With the Region 1-AAAAA tournament scheduled to be played at Sunset Country Club, and the Colquitt County High boys golf team led by veteran players, a region championship this season seems like a reasonable goal.

And with perhaps the best two girls players in the region, the Lady Packers also could keep another title in Moultrie.

The Colquitt County boys top four appears set with seniors Josh Dale and Matt Smith, junior Aaron Elrod and promising freshman Clarke Hendrick expected to make the Packers a region favorite.

And with another heraled freshmen, Anna Leigh Keith, teaming up with Thomas Univer-sity signee Lindsay Hargrove, the Lady Packers also look to have a strong season.

The Packers open their 2006 schedule in the North-South Challenge Match today at Kinderlou Forest in Valdosta.

It will be the second year the Packers have played in the tournament and again will be paired with Savannah Country Day and will be matched up with the North’s Gainesville and Habersham Central players.

“It’s a good way to start,” said Packers coach Donald Dale. “It’s match play. There’s no pressure for individual scores. The kids like it.”

The other four teams representing the South part of the state are Vidalia, Hardaway, Glynn Academy and Statesboro.

Etowah, St. Pius and South Forsyth will be among the North teams.

The South team won the competition last year 14-4 and the Colquitt County and Savannah Country Day combined to win five of six points against Habersham Central and Gainesville.

Josh Dale, Smith and Elrod all played in the challenge match last year and their experience will be vital to the team’s performance this season.

Smith and Dale have played in every tournament and match over the last three seasons and Elrod has not missed one the last two years.

Hendrick appears ready to move in and complement the three veterans.

“I don’t really care how they line up,” Donald Dale said. “They take pride in (which one plays No. 1). But it could change from week to week.

“I just want them playing good on tournament day.”

The rest of the boys team includes Dusty Campbell, Ian Hester, Andrew Kistler and A.J. Hood.

Campbell has hold of the No. 5 position.

The schedule is a challenging one that includes the Georgia-Alabama Challenge, to be played to be played on March 18, also at Kinderlou Forest.

Colquitt County is one of nine teams that will represent Georgia. Among the others are Vidalia, Glynn Academy, Savannah Country Day, Etowah, Northwest Whitfield, Northview of Columbus and Lovett.

The nine teams representing Alabama will be good ones, Donald Dale said.

Colquitt County also play host to its own annual tournament on April 1. This year it will become named the Knuck McCrary Packer Invitational in honor of the late Moultrie High football coach.

The tournament will include 28 teams.

“We’re blessed tremendously that we get to have it here (at Sunset Country Club),” Donald Dale said. “The club’s been good to us to let us have it that day.

“That doesn’t happen every place.”

Following the regular season, the six Region 1-AAAAA teams will meet at Sunset Country Club on Monday, April 24, for the region tournament.

The Packers should have a legitimate shot at getting the first-place trophy and a berth in the state tournament.

“If there is a home field advantage, it’s in golf,” Donald Dale said. “We ought to do well.”

Smith and Josh Dale are looking forward to the season.

“As a team, I think we have a better starting top four,” said Dale, who is the coach’s son. “Personally, I’m putting a lot better, but my chipping still needs to improve.”

Smith, Dale’s longtime teammate, said his personal goal is “to hit it straighter this year.

“And we want to win region,” he added.

The top two teams from the region tournament will advance to the state tournament, to be played May 8 at the Pine Lakes Golf Course on Jekyll Island.

Donald Dale said he thinks his girls team has a strong chance to be in Jekyll Island that day as well.

Hargrove and Keith will be joined by sophomore Shannon Giddens and freshman Jill Flowers on what could be a strong team.

In girls tournaments, four play and the top two scores count.

Although only a freshman, Keith could be the best player in the region, Donald Dale said.

And Keith is eager to make an impression.

“I want to play golf in college,” she said.

Hargrove said her goal is to shoot 80 this season.

Donald Dale said he has not finalized a schedule for the girls team, but will enter his players in the March 25 Georgia Peach, which draws some 125 girls in 18-hole play.

The girls also are headed to the Maple Ridge Junior Classic on April 22 in Columbus, an event the veteran coach calls “the nicest tournament I’ve ever taken my kids to.”

The Colquitt County girls team also will play against teams from Thomas County Central, Thomasville, Coffee and Ware County. The girls region tournament will be played at the same time as the boys event, also at Sunset Country Club.