MOULTRIE – No practicing this week. No look ahead to a quality semifinal football opponent.

It’s strange, but it is the situation around the Colquitt County High field house, not being one of the 16 teams around the state preparing to take the last step towards the Georgia Dome and the GHSA championships Dec. 9-10.

After seven semifinal seasons in a row, the Packers only got as far as the quarterfinals in the new Class 7A, falling last weekend to Grayson High 49-21 on Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium. It was a rare home game that deep into the playoffs for Colquitt County, and the last time the Packers fell at home during the postseason was the state title tilt in 1991 vs. LaGrange (17-16).

After two seasons of perfection, the progression of the past fall went from the type of state not seen in Moultrie football in decades (0-4) to an eight-game winning streak that was more in tune to the much-talked-about 30-0 record of those past two years. One question posed to head coach Rush Propst before everything started at the Corky Kell Classic in Atlanta was about identity and how this bunch would distinguish itself from its predecessors. For one night, these Packers earned a chance to celebrate as champions winning Region 1-7A in a thriller at home over Lowndes 42-35.

“I thought the identity of this team is that there were some unrealistic expectations put on them,” said Propst. “There was a lot of talk about three-peat, going 45-0, a lot of that stuff swirling around. I knew we had so much to overcome. We were going to be extremely young defensively. Offensively I felt we could do some things if (quarterback) Jay Saunders could be what Jay Saunders was. He threw for close to 3,000 yards and really played well down the stretch. I think he struggled early, and a lot of that was first-time starter playing three nationally ranked teams. I don’t care who you are, that’s tough.

“I didn’t expect to be 0-4. I thought we could have been 2-2. Realistically, I knew going into this year what we had. I never in a million years thought a freshman running back would win the job. Then the sophomore running back, Ty Leggett, was a pleasant surprise. It gave us a one-two punch. I thought John Samuel Shenker was a huge plus for this offense. Without him, I don’t think we would have won the region. He gave us that tight end we were missing and people couldn’t zone in on us. A lot of times if you are just four-wide, they can seal you up.

“I was pleasantly surprised with our kicking game. John Samuel was a better than average punter. I think one of the best in the state. Ryan Fitzgerald and Isaac Malagon were better than advertised. The kicking game was not always stellar in coverage, but the kicking part was better than I thought it was going to be. Our return game was better than I thought it was going to be.”

In fact, when Propst looked at two plays that will define this season the best, one of them is in special teams. The other came on defense.

“The interception return with Shawn Shamburger,” said Propst about a play late at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium against Valdosta when the Wildcats were undefeated and Colquitt was 1-4. “He’s an SEC (Tennessee committed) player. He intercepts and goes 101, 102 yards to ward off their comeback and put us back up two scores, and we won it going away.”

The other play was J.J. Peterson’s 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to answer Lowndes’ opening score in that 1-7A final. The Packers went on to dominate the first half over the Vikings, but then needed Leggett’s 55-yard touchdown to break a tie in the final period. These two games are the biggest Colquitt rivals.

“I thought beating Brookwood early was big. Brookwood brings a name. Stayed in the top 10 all year,” said Propst.

It didn’t take long into the season for Propst to see what the overall landscape of Class 7A would be and in what tiers each team fell. Despite the record, he felt Colquitt was fifth best in the state.

“I thought we were not on par with Roswell, Mill Creek, Grayson or McEachern,” he said. “They were the four elite teams in the state.

“I thought us and Norcross were right there. If we played Norcross, it would be a heck of a ball game for the fifth-place team. I thought Lowndes was there with us; Norcross, Lowndes and us were battling for 5-7. I thought the next tier was Brookwood, North Cobb, Westlake, whose still in it. Give them props for where they are.

“Being in this thing as long as I’ve been in it, you sort of know after a couple of weeks. Then your job as a coach is to figure out: Are we the fifth-, sixth-, or seventh best team? Now how do we win this thing?”

So it was no surprise that the winner of 1-7A faced Grayson. It was only a matter of where. Colquitt got that coin toss in its favor to play at home.

“I’m not sure to this day if we were the best team in 2014,” said Propst, looking back at previous navigations through a playoff map. “We found a way to be the best team. In 2015, I thought we were the best. Everybody was chasing us. This year, I thought we had to have some luck. The three times we played the top four teams – although we did come back in the Mill Creek game – we were pretty well soundly defeated.”

Now the question is, was 8-5 the true measure of how good Colquitt was this season? One or two plays go the Packer way and the final mark could be 9-4 or 10-3. Propst certainly feels the capability was there to be 10-3.

“We dropped two games that haunt me,” he said. “No excuses losing (the Tucker) game. We’re up 17-3 at the half, 20-3 early third quarter, and we lay an egg.

“We had practiced in the morning every day. We played that game on a Saturday afternoon (due to Hurricane Hermine). We weren’t mature enough to handle that. That shows you a lack of experience and maturity.

“The American Heritage game, we played really well. We missed three field goals, had two turnovers inside their 20.”

Even with different results in these games, Propst admits things would have played out with Grayson probably the same way. Even though, the Colquitt seniors ended their careers with 38 wins in three years, second to the 2015 seniors and their 41 wins.

“I know they’re hurting and disappointed in the outcome of the season,” said Propst. As for that final game film and how much study is put into it as opposed to all others – knowing that team will not play together again – Propst said it’s nothing more than looking at what could have been.

“We were going to have to play a perfect game,” he said. “No doubt about it. The early turnover – we fumble and they get it on the 6 – that was a crucial blow. They go up 14-0. We answered to make it 14-7, but they take it and drive down the field and score.”

And score again and again does Grayson up to leading 49-7 in the third period. Propst said it was a bright spot that Saunders threw for 292 yards, but defensively there was no stopping the Rams.

“We didn’t tackle very well, didn’t get off blocks very well, and their speed really bothered us on the perimeter,” he said. “At times it looked like we were in slow motion. It’s a little bit disappointing from that perspective. You play them 10 times, they are going to beat you nine. That one time we would have to play perfect and they not so perfect.”

Grayson did not play too perfect in terms of penalties, including two late hits that led to the Packer first-half touchdown. Colquitt’s Tory Ponder also pulled off a 90-yard punt return to score. But the Rams did not have turnovers while getting three takeaways.

“I never accept a quarterfinal loss,” said Propst. “That’s my first quarterfinal loss (here). At Hoover I lost one, which was my last game. I lost a quarterfinal in Mobile that I still to this day cannot get over. You’re never satisfied whether it’s a quarterfinal loss, second round loss or a semifinal round loss.

“What’s worse than that is a championship loss. Until you reach that pinnacle and win that championship, that’s when you have gratification. When you lose, you always second guess, turn over rocks, try to analyze what you could have done differently. I have a higher expectation level for myself.

“We’ll battle and continue to battle.”

Propst ended this season No. 2 on Colquitt’s all-time list for wins with 94, one now ahead of Bud Willis. He has 270 overall.

Phase 1

Packer football offseasons are done in phases, and the returning players are now going through the ‘detox’ period. It won’t be long before new depth charts are drawn and goals are set for 2017.

By next week, fans get start marking dates for the full new schedule. All but two of the 2016 regular opponents will be on that slate, and Cocoa High, a team that’s 11-1 now and still playing in the Florida playoffs, will replace ISB for the last weekend of September.

Propst expects a tougher go in 1-7A since two of the games will be on the road, Lowndes and the long ride to Camden County. Roswell and Valdosta will be home games, and Tucker returns.

The unknown as of now is the opposition for the Corky Kell Classic in the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium. That announcement comes next week. Propst also expects to sign the week No. 2 game (replacing American Heritage) by next week.

In spring practice, the Packers will play a spring game in May, Propst said, but that opponent is yet to be determined.

As for the immediate future, the coach said the focus is on academics and final exams.

“When we get back in January, we hit the ground running,” he said. Some players, the seniors, will use that time to make final decisions on where to go for college football.

“We have 12, 13, 14 kids we want to get scholarships for,” said Propst. “That’s where my time is going to be spent over the next several weeks. In (college) recruiting and developing a plan.”