Colquitt County 31, Brookwood 14

Published 10:27 pm Friday, December 1, 2017

By Matthew Brown

matthew.brown@gaflnews.com

SNELLVILLE – What’s another key to playoff football victory? Staying calm, cool and collected helps.

Anything that went wrong for Colquitt County High Friday at Brookwood’s Dave Hunter Complex, no problem. Anything that went wrong for the host Broncos, big problems, with the cost of touchdowns. Try four either for them or against them.

Daijun Edwards rushed for 183 yards on 21 carries with a big 74-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that left no doubt that the Packers – a region No. 3 seed playing its fourth straight playoff game on the road – would defeat the Broncos 31-17 in the GHSA 7A semifinals. That means a trip to the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and a state title meeting with North Gwinnett – 38-17 winners over McEachern Friday – Dec. 9.

This was the fourth meeting on the football field in the last two years between Colquitt County and Brookwood, and this state semifinal was a rematch of Brookwood’s 42-25 win at home on Sept. 15. Three of those four contests were taken by Rush Propst and the Packers.

It was also the second straight week Colquitt trailed at halftime only to shut out the home team’s offense in the second half. At Archer High on Black Friday, the Packers went from 7-6 down to winning 12-7 in the quarterfinals.

During the Brookwood game, Colquitt may have thrown an interception and fumbled the football, but soon found itself back in possession of the precious object. The visitors even had a penalty or two, and missed a field goal, but never seemed to be rattled by any of it.

Brookwood, on the other hand, saw everything from turnovers to penalties to blown coverages become magnified. A lot of these events took place in the second half, and it should have been a time when the Broncos were riding all kinds of momentum considering how the first half ended.

Colquitt County trailed 14-10 at halftime, mainly because Brookwood put together a major goal line defensive stand to end the first half. With 1:53 on the clock, Colquitt began to drive from its 44-yard-line. Ty Leggett received a block from Tyler Howard for a gain of 22 yards. Edwards caught a Steven Krajewski pass over the middle for first down on the 23, and Krajewski later connected with Marvion McDonald on the 7.

There was less than a minute to go, and the Packers stayed on the ground, ultimately resorting to the ‘Wild Hawg’ set. But the Broncos stuffed four of those rushes in a row, keeping the score where it was. Part of the reasoning not to kick for three at that point may be that Colquitt won the coin toss – just as it did at Walton and Archer in previous road playoff games against region winners – and deferred to take the football first in the second half.

For that opening series of the third quarter, the Packers went 63 yards on eight plays to go ahead for the first time. Edwards found a big hole for 21 yards from midfield to the Brookwood 29. From the 24, Krajewski threw a strike to McDonald. His defender slipped, and McDonald strode into the end zone with the go-ahead and eventual game-winning touchdown.

Ryan Ftizgerald kicked the PAT for 17-14 Packers.

The slippage was only the beginning of Brookwood woes. How about having just 10 players on the field for your first offensive snap and you wind up committing the false start? The Broncos could not move the ball thanks to cornerback Jay Ward and his third-down pass breakup. Back in punt formation, the football gets away from Bronco players, and Leggett falls on it in the end zone. At 7:47 of the third, it’s another seven points for the Packers and 24-14 lead.

Afterwards, it was the Packers dodging and eluding Bronco efforts. They knew the potential of running back Dante Black, who scored five touchdowns running on Sept. 15 and had two more in the first half Friday. When it looks like the hosts are going to rumble downfield on the ground, Matthew Hill busted loose for 31 yards to the Colquitt 17. But safety Kaleb Dawson caught up with him for the tackle … and fumble. The Packers come out of the pile with the football on the 17.

Unsportsmanlike penalties and more Packer rushing follows, but Fitzgerald missed a 43-yard field goal at the 1:30 mark.

To end the third quarter, Rashad Revels and Dante Moore put the Broncos in punt formation. It’s now the fourth quarter, and two times the hosts try a trick play. The second one resulted in a touchdown pass from Angelo Dispigna to Kendall Williamson … but it doesn’t count as a flag for an illegal formation is on the field.

Brookwood’s next drive begins with 7:30 remaining, and it produces four first downs going from its 20 to the Packer 18. With less than four minutes to play, the field goal unit is on the field, but the 35-yard kick is ruled wide right.

Three plays later, Edwards goes the distance for his touchdown at 1:36.

In the second half, there were three unsportsmanlike fouls on Brookwood (four overall) to one on the Packers that happened late in the game.

Black had 169 yards on 25 carries. He completed the game’s first series, 80 yards on six plays including Dispigna’s 43-yard completion up top to Hill.

Down 7-0, Colquitt’s first series ended on an interception by Brookwood’s Jamison Collier. He returned the football to prime position, Colquitt’s 11-yard-line, and people might be thinking a rerun of the first Packer-Bronco game is underway. Nyquan Washington, one of the biggest stories of the Moultrie team’s postseason, recorded his fifth interception of the playoffs in the end zone. Dispigna, on the first snap, play-faked and rolled to his left. Someone had a hand on his foot at one point of the scramble, and the quarterback decided to unleash the football into a crowd.

Getting the immediate do-over on its 20, the visiting offense runs 11 plays with four first downs. Krajewski was successful catching the defense off guard with keeper gains of 19 yards. Leggett earned only his third rushing touchdown since Camden County on Oct. 13. It was an 11-yard run on his third straight tote when the ball was on the 19 at 3:57. Guard Jerick Davis and tight end Josh Hadley provided key blocks on the scoring play that tied the score.

The game remained 7-7 going into the second period. Brookwood ran 12 plays trying to answer Leggett, but found Washington to be a good tackler against the outside passing game. Kree Herring sacked Dispigna early in the second quarter, and so the series ended on a punt.

On the next possession by Brookwood, Black’s second touchdown was a 1-yard plunge at 5:31.

For the first time all season, Leggett is one of the return guys for the ensuing kickoff, and he got the football. Sixty-four yards later, he spots the Packers on the Bronco 23. Fitzgerald, after his four field-goal game at Archer one week before, makes a 36-yarder at 3:42 for the 14-10 halftime score.

Leggett gained 66 yards on 14 carries and Krajewski netted 40 on nine rushes. The senior quarterback was 11-for-14 passing for 94 yards.

Dispigna was 17-for-25 through the air for 152 yards.