By Matthew Brown

matthew.brown@gaflnews.com

MOULTRIE – On a night of diversion from a dangerous weather system in the Caribbean heading for the United States, Colquitt County High’s football Packers showed great poise in the face of on-the-field adversity and shut down the Roswell High Hornets 28-0 on Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium to improve to 4-0 in 2017.

One starter on offense had to be replaced before the game even began. Two more regulars didn’t make it past the first half. Much of the load fell on junior running back Ty Leggett, and he responded with 188 rushing yards on 27 carries and two touchdowns.

That was behind an offensive line missing center William Rykard, injured during practice leading up to the game. Junior Jerick Davis, who got a lot of work snapping the football when Rykard rehabbed injuries during the summer, handled the middle chores all game. Sophomore Remon Young was inserted into the starting lineup at tackle, he and his listed 212 pounds. Rarely did the offensive front for the Packers cause any problems with penalties; in fact Leggett’s numbers were just part of a 295-yard team rushing effort.

But that running game had to do without sophomore Daijun Edwards, who suffered a sprained ankle in the first half, that according to head coach Rush Propst after the contest. Edwards had five carries for 37 yards, but Nigel Hillie was on hand to gain 39 yards on nine rushes with one score.

If that wasn’t enough, senior quarterback Steven Krajewski left the game in the second quarter, Propst stating this was due to a neck contusion. Krajewski came into the game on the heels of his 14-for-14 second-half in the win last Friday vs. Tucker at home, extended that streak to 16 straight completions, and ended his night 4-for-9.

JC Harden saw his first varsity action and completed two passes, his first one ever for the Packers being a 15-yard touchdown to K.T. Wilson in the second quarter. It is perhaps the first time in the Propst era Colquitt County football did not reach 100 yards through the air, win or loss.

There wasn’t anything wrong with the Packers in terms of defense or special teams. Roswell’s offense never drove closer than the 41-yard-line of the Packers in the first half, and with the score 28-0 the Hornets finally moved inside the Colquitt ‘red zone’ for the first time. The visitors netted 196 yards from scrimmage, turned the football over one time with Kam Woods’ interception in the first half and committed 10 penalties for 60 yards (nine 5-yarders).

It was Colquitt’s first shutout win since the 2014 championship season (55-0 vs. Crisp County).

The special teams plays were particularly noteworthy in the first half, for Cam Singletary (who had to hold in PATs after Krajewski’s injury) returned two punts for a total of 94 yards. Ryan Fitzgerald, though he missed two field-goal attempts, had a 51-yard punting average with one boot going 66 yards. He also reached the end zone with every kickoff.

Ty Shealy even returned the game’s opening kickoff (after Roswell gets penalized three times) 36 yards to the Hornet 49-yard-line. The Packers advance to the 22 before Leggett slips on a reception and loses yards. Fitzgerald’s 37-yard field goal try goes wide.

Roswell’s featured back Kamonty Jett tried to stretch a run on his team’s first drive but is caught by linebacker Callon Kubiak behind the line. Singletary returned the ensuing punt 38 yards, and the Packers are only 33 yards away from breaking the 0-0 deadlock. However, with a holding call on third down, it’s still a scoreless game when Roswell regained possession.

Dante Moore came up with two stops, and Hornet quarterback Cordel Littlejohn started the game 0-for-5 passing. Roswell only had 13 offensive snaps in the opening period to 23 for Colquitt County. It was late in the quarter when Edwards was injured getting his team a first down inside Roswell territory. But two times the Packers failed to convert on fourth down, so as the game moved into the second period the Hornets made their greatest gain of the entire evening.

Littlejohn found big Tynell Hopper open, and the receiver made more yards to the Packer 43. Two plays later, Littlejohn’s struggles going up top grew even greater when Woods picked off his pass on the 6.

The ensuing drive was the last one for Krajewski, who went down on a sack for 3rd-and-14. Fitzgerald’s punt rolled big for 66 yards to the Hornet 22, but as the Packer defense went back to work, Harden began taking snaps on the sideline from Davis.

In eight plays, Roswell advanced 35 yards only to lose five on the first-down procedure call. Kaleb Dawson and Kubiak only allowed minimal gains, and JJ Peterson’s pressure forced Littlejohn’s incompletion for 4th-and-8.

With the punt going to the Packer 29, the coaching staff didn’t make the quarterback switch immediately. Instead, unusual for a first-down play, Leggett was in the shotgun for the ‘Wild Hawg.’ Receiver Marvion McDonald’s key upfield block sprung Leggett loose for 44 yards to the Roswell 27. Two plays later, with Harden now running the show, Leggett scored from 24 yards out at 3:30 until halftime.

Roswell’s ensuing drive burned the clock down under a minute, but it still had to punt thanks to Rashad Revels’ stop on Jett one-yard short on third down. Singletary fielded that punt and turned on his jets in space and was 56 yards the other way to the Hornet 7.

From the 15, Harden threw his first pass to the back of the end zone, and officials conferred with the decision that Wilson was inbound for a touchdown each with 26 seconds on the clock.

Fitzgerald made all his PATs for the night.

Roswell took the first series of the second half, and only due to penalties did it get first downs near midfield. End Brian Merritt and Peterson recorded stops for lost yards, Peterson catching Jett stretching on the RHS 44.

Harden threw one pass all half, and that was Singletary’s open 28-yard catch in the flat during an 83-yard scoring drive. It took 12 plays with no flags, eight carries by Leggett for 35 yards and numerous two-tight end lines with 281- to 321-pound guards Kamaar Bell and Kameren Barnes.

Leggett’s second touchdown went for five yards at 4:18 of the third quarter.

Harden even had a six-yard keeper, part of his 17-yard rushing day on three positive carries.

To end the third quarter and start the fourth, Colquitt’s running game churned out a 72-yard drive in 13 plays (one procedure foul). Leggett carried seven times, Harden twice and Hillie four times, one being a six-yard touchdown at 7:25.