MOULTRIE – One rematch down, and the rematch to end all rematches is now a reality.

It won’t take a full year for Colquitt County High to line up again on the football field with North Gwinnett High, the defending Class 7A state champions on an untimed field goal against the Packers in Suwanee last December. Both teams put on dominant performances Friday in the 2018 second round, and because of Wednesday’s coin toss result, they meet in the quarterfinals this coming Friday on Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium.

But No. 1 and unbeaten Colquitt County had one rematch to deal with first in that second round when McEachern High came to Moultrie looking for payback from a whipping in August’s Corky Kell Classic at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Though McEachern’s Indians now have the distinction of being the first football team in 2018 to score more than two times on Colquitt County, it was of little consolation for the ride back to Cobb County.

The Packers of head coach Rush Propst had five rushing touchdowns and two more passing by junior quarterback Jaycee Harden. They jumped out to a 28-0 lead in the first half, led by as much as 35 in the second half and won 49-29.

The current 12-0 run began with a 41-7 final against the Indians Aug. 18 in Atlanta.

Daijun Edwards, a junior, scored three touchdowns on the ground to go with 102 yards on 15 carries. Senior Ty Leggett accounted for the other two rushing TDs, and he gained 86 yards on 14 carries. Harden was 13-for-20 passing for 167 yards with 11 completions and 144 yards coming in the first half.

Harden completed seven of his first nine throws and sophomore Lemeke Brockington, the team’s leading receiver, had four catches for 58 yards and now has six touchdowns.

The yardage piled up by the Indians certainly hasn’t been seen against this Packer defense that only gave up one offensive touchdown since halftime of its win against Grayson on Sept. 21, a span of five-and-a-half games. McEachern tallied 274 yards running the football, but the passing game struggled with a rotation of quarterbacks getting 136 yards, completing just 10 passes in 28 attempts. The second half was particularly brutal, six incompletions in a row to start it off.

But the game belonged to the Packers when two Edwards touchdowns capped off their first two drives. The Packers covered 68 yards in six plays with two Brockington catches for 32 yards and Leggett’s jet sweep – when the Indians showed blitz – 26 yards. Edwards scored from two yards out at 10:05.

Senior Will Rykard started and played a majority of the game at center. He gave Edwards the wall to reach the end zone from 31 out at 2:10 of the opening quarter. This drive went 67 yards in seven plays.

McEachern’s first two times with the football, while involving 23 snaps and six first downs, both ended on failed fourth-down attempts. Senior end Brian Merritt stopped Jordan Simmons on the line of scrimmage at Colquitt’s 33 while fellow senior Samari Louis defended the third-down pass. McEachern’s second drive took the game into the second period; on 4th-and-4 from the Packer 35 Simmons cut inside only to be met by linebackers Ty French and Kendrick Neloms on the line.

McEachern’s punting game didn’t come through when needed more than once, a high kick only traveling five yards and spotting the home team on the Indian 38. Three plays later from the 16, Harden had great protection and passed to Brockington in the end zone at 7:45 until halftime.

The half got worse for McEachern, down 21-0, on a lost fumble inside the Packer 30. Isaiah Lee, their second quarterback option, was inside Colquitt’s 30 when linebacker Rashad Revels knocked the football loose. Senior Camari Louis recovered and returned it to more than 50 yards to the Indian 18.

One play later, Harden and senior tight end Josh Hadley connected for Hadley’s first touchdown of 2018 at 5:41. Ryan Fitzgerald was 4-for-4 in PAT kicks making it 28-0.

Paris Brown ended the shutout capping off an eight-play, 80-yard drive with a fourth-and-goal one-yard plunge. That took the game into halftime 28-7. After the Pack took a 21-0 lead, six flags hit the field against it totaling 75 yards. The Indians were also able to hold down the Packers for the last 2:12 knowing they had first possession of the second half.

But that ended three-and-out with Merritt wrapping up Brown for a loss (the first such tackle of the game) and Akeem McKiever and Nyquan Washington doubling the post receiver. Colquitt went on to ‘pound the rock’ in two scoring drives with some offensive line adjustments.

From the Indian 25, guard Jerick Davis and tackle Remon Young switched positions Leggett went up the middle twice following Young’s blocks, and he turned in a 13-yard score at 8:10 of the third.

Merritt earned the first sack, this one of starter Carlos Del-Rio Wilson, and McEachern’s punting let it down again as a kick of 11 yards spotted the home team on the Indian 36. Young was now playing tackle on the same side with senior Kamaar Bell at guard, and Edwards proceeded to get 36 yards on three carries and a nine-yard TD. That puts him at 25 on the season.

With the score 42-7 at 5:30 in the third period, McEachern’s Valerian Aghaw’s intercepted Harden on his 23. Simmons cashed the takeaway in with a 40-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the third. That took away the fourth-quarter running clock, the score 42-14.

Simmons scored for the second time in the half, a one-yard run at 8:06 finishing a drive of 70 yards. Recovering the onside kickoff sparked some life into the visiting team, but Del-Rio Wilson held the football for a long time was thusly sacked by the returning Zy Brockington and LaQuavion Haynes on fourth down.

Leggett carried five times on the ensuing drive for 16 yards and scored a seven-yard TD at 2:12.

McEachern ended the night going 80 more yards. Del-Rio Wilson and Ese Dubre connected with 18 seconds to play on a nine-yard scoring throw.