Pack holds on to defeat Norcross 20-17

Published 10:11 pm Saturday, August 19, 2017

ATLANTA – A lot of confusion. A good bit of chaos. But it’s all good in south Georgia, for it’s the first ever win for Packer football against Norcross High.

Ty Leggett, known already for game-winning touchdown runs, scored on 34-yard run with 5:38 remaining in regulation. That was the winning margin for Colquitt County High in the 2017 Corky Kell Classic, 20-17, in the hot conditions Saturday afternoon at Georgia State Stadium.

“That was as sweetest a first-game victory as I’ve had,” Packers coach Rush Propst said before leading his team back to Moultrie. “Especially when you consider our youth and having six new coaches. It was really a great team effort.”

Leggett’s touchdown surely reminded fans of the one he scored that helped defeat Lowndes last season.

“He’s a fast back and he knows how to get the ball to the end zone,” 

Propst said.

When Leggett scored, the Packers of head coach Rush Propst had just fallen behind for the first time all game long. Dareus Barnhill picked up a Steven Krajewski fumble and returned it 53 yards into the end zone. That gave the Blue Devils a 17-13 lead with 8:31 to play.

All of the Norcross scoring came in the second half, and up to that point Colquitt County’s only scoring was in the first half of play. 

When it was all said and done, the Packers dominated play in numerous areas, like total yards.

Leggett was the game’s leading rusher with 77 yards on 13 carries, and with that the Packers had 292 total yards.

Under first-year defensive coordinator Mo Dixon, Colquitt’s defense rattled Norcross quarterback Louis Williams to the tune of six sacks.

The Blue Devils ended the game with 122 yards of offense.

Through defense and special teams, however, Norcross was able to turn the football game in its favor down by 13 in the second half.

The third quarter started with Packer middle linebacker Marcus Anderson’s blitz sack of Williams in a three-and-out series.

With the football deep in their own territory, another area Propst’s troops didn’t have any first-half problems with – turnovers – became a problem. A fumbled snap and exchange was recovered by the Devils on the CC 6.

Brian Merritt and Callon Kubiak shared a sack on Williams setting the Devils back to the 12. But two pass completions later, including Rekevian Mathis’ 2-yard catch in the end zone, ended the shutout bid at 7:33.

The score was 13-7 Colquitt, and the Packers were looking for a first down. But being unable to get that, another bobble in the snap game resulted in a botched punt of only 11 yards to the 30.

Now it was Norcross looking at a second straight short field after the Packers had two such scoring drives in the first half.

Anderson was on the spot again hitting Williams at the line, and Kam Woods defended a pass for fourth down on the 35.

Jake Camarda, committed to Georgia, made a 52-yard field goal for

13-10 at 4:05.

Colquitt’s ensuing series didn’t result in any scoring, but there was two first downs and execution in the punt game to flip the field and spot the Blue Devils deep at the end of the third quarter. Ryan Fitzpatrick’s punt landed on the 11.

On to the final period where Dante Moore wouldn’t let Omar Sinclar get outside in a three-and-out.

With the Packer offense back on the field, the running game of Daijun Edwards and Leggett picked up two more first downs into Blue Devil ground.

But disaster struck on the first down scramble by Krajewski. Barnhill did his scoop and score to swing the lead to Norcross 17-13.

Colquitt County responded by sticking to the running game plan and Krajewski chipping in with two completions for critical first downs. 

Tight end Josh Hadley went over the middle for 11 yards on third down to the CC 38-yard-line. On 3rd-and-9, Krajewski avoided the pressure and Cam Singletary leapt for a catch on the 49.

Nigel Hillie, a fresh set of running legs, used two carries for 17 yards to the 34. From there, Leggett got a key block from tackle Tyler Howard to go through a hole, get to the home sidelines and score.

Norcross had yet to show any capabilities in sustaining a drive, but for 5:38 it did just that with two big third-down conversions to the Packer 45. Two formation penalties cost them 10 yards, even after Grant Johnson’s catch of 15 yards made it 1st-and-10 on the 32.

In that final hectic minute, Merritt grabbed a hold of Williams on the

39 for third-and-long. The Blue Devils had one more catch by the sidelines, but there were no timeouts and the official ruled that the clock should keep moving. The seconds ticked away, the football had to be re-spotted on a left hash, and Camarda took a kick with 0:00 showing, thus no signal good or no-good was made. Game over.

“The two turnovers were the difference in them getting back in the game,” Propst said.

Propst also singled out the running backs’ “three-headed monster” of Leggett, Edwards and Nigel Hillie, who had a big first-down run in the final drive.

Krajewski was 13-for-20 for 138 yards. Williams was 17-for-25 for 134 yards but minus-33 in the rushing department.

The first half was domination by the Packers, yet it was the scoring chances that got away that kept it an interesting contest.

Much like their scrimmage at home, Colquitt County scored on its first three series, only two of them were field goals by Fitzgerald. He made a 32-yarder at 8:56 of the first quarter capping off a 11-play drive with four first downs. KT Wilson caught a wide-open pass for 19 yards and Carter Boatwright went over the middle for 14 into Blue Devil turf.

Williams’ first bit of action was hitting that turf thanks to big tackle Kyante Rivers. Due to a penalty on Colquitt’s punt return, the Packers got to start driving on the Blue Devil 46. Hadley was open on a catch to the 14, and Singletary took Krajewski’s throw to the 1.

Edwards, in the ‘Wild Hawg,’ scored the half’s only touchdown at 5:50. 

Fitzpatrick staked Colquitt to a 10-0 lead.

Norcross had no answers on offense, Williams suffering his second sack at Merritt’s hands on the 17. The punt went to the NHS 40.

Packer fans saw Will Rykard on the field to run the offensive line at center, and Jerick Davis went to a guard spot to rotate with Kameren Barnes. On a third-and-short, Edwards was in the ‘Hawg’ set looking for a throw. But with open space on the left he advanced to the 10.

Fitzgerald made his second field goal, a 22-yarder, with 2:02 left in the first period.

The Packer offense had just three more first downs in the second quarter, all on one drive that involved another mis-handled snap.

But the defense was more than up to the task even as Norcross drove close to midfield to end the first period.

Early in the second, Michael Roberts sacked Williams. The Blue Devils also lost a touchdown run due to holding at midfield, and safety Kaleb Dawson ended this drive intercepting the football on the Packer 33.

Propst said his staff made a concentrated effort all week to make sure the team ate properly and was well-hydrated.

“We really pushed these guys hard in August,” he said, adding that the team is using some new innovations in hydration. “We had no kids cramp or take an IV.

“I thought the difference was that our kids were fresh and felt great in the fourth quarter. And we responded. That’s was good football teams do.”