Colquitt's Branda Velazquez

MOULTRIE – Colquitt County High’s last two foes on the Packer Pitch displayed a good deal of capabilities in playing the game … except for the all-important part of scoring goals.

Four of the six matches so far in 2020 for Jimbo Jarvis and the Packers ended in shutout wins. That included Friday’s Region 1-7A opener, a 2-0 victory over visiting Camden County High. This came off a 3-0 blanking of another set of Wildcats from Valdosta.

The point total brings Colquitt’s accumulation for the season to 20 goals; a season high seven goals came on Feb. 14 against Union Grove.

Camden County’s strategy looked to be spreading the field and playing keep-away with possession of the ball and putting a crowd of Wildcats around Colqutt’s leading scorer Enrique Salgado. The Packers like to counter with their speed, passing and shooting on the run, but much like the Valdosta match last Tuesday (no points in the first half) the home team was unable to build an early advantage.

Aldo Miranda, in the midfield, looked for any and every opportunity to sprint the ball up ahead. He worked it to John Reid Jarvis on the left edge three minutes into play. The ball went into Salgado, but his sideways shot missed the mark. The Packers would soon get a 20-yard free kick taken by Josh Aviles, but he too was off target.

Salgado, at 33:56, got free for a shot on the run but hit it too high. On Camden’s end, the Wildcats couldn’t get things by stopper Bobby Ussrey, and there was good effort given by Mardoqueo Bamaca. Aviles, another midfielder, keyed a big defensive stand in the first half to help starting goalkeeper Yohan Garcia.

Miranda took some shots at the net of his own that sailed high. His pass off to Gilbert Velasquez on the right resulted in a wide miss at 24:42. Salgado and Jair Landa made a mad charge from end to end, but everything they tried in the box was blocked away. At 18:55, Salgado put a move on his Wildcat marker and tried to angle the ball in, but he hit the post.

For the next 10 minutes it was a midfield match with Camden able to possess but often going backwards. It took until under the seven-minute mark that Miranda seized control and earned his team a corner kick. Much like the Valdosta match, the scoreless deadlock ended with a corner kick head shot. This time it came from Humberto Aguilar – defender – while still in the first half.

Colquitt’s best chance for a second goal in the half came with five minutes to play as Salgado passed off to Miranda for an up-close shot. The Wildcat keeper used a hand to knock it away, and Landa’s rebound attempt missed wide.

In the first five minutes of the second half, all the Packers could get were corner kicks on the charges by Salgado and Velasquez.

The Colquitt bench had been looking for Salgado to get a good angle on his shot all match. It finally happened when he came out of a crowd with the ball and punched it home at 32:20.

The Pack attack continued with a kick save against Velasquez at 29:16. This was another corner kick and somehow Camden managed to get the ball out of its box.

Bryan Jiminez, at two points in the second half, drew fouls. One was inside that box, but he was denied by the keeper on the penalty kick with 23 minutes to play. Later, at 18:40, he was just outside the box when knocked down from behind. The 22-yard free kick could not break through the Wildcat wall.

It was a strong defensive half again for Ussrey with Aguilar and Aviles. Camden’s best chance to score came at 11:30, but Ussrey did a sliding tackle for the stop. The Wildcats possessed the ball for several of the remaining minutes, and Garcia came up with a save at 7:30.

Salgado’s last good shot for Colquitt hit a post at 2:47.

• The Camden County High girls soccer team is without Olivia Simpson, now playing for Mississippi State, but it still brought plenty of scoring power over from Kingsland to Moultrie. Once they could figure out how to go on the break while onside, the Lady Wildcats went on to roll by Colquitt County in the first Region 1-7A match of 2020 10-0.

The match was 0-0 for the first nine-plus minutes with a big clearing kick by Jade Horne on a possible open shot. But from 30:21 to 28:38 Camden connected twice with one blast coming from the top of the penalty box.

For the next five minutes, the Lady Packer defense came up with clears, like by by Daliza Gachuz backing up her keeper Madison Edmondson. Edmondson saved three shots in a row, but No. 4 was the main challenge. At 21:13, she saved a penalty kick that stayed in play. Camden’s rebound hit the top bar.

For the last 18 minutes, though, it was Camden looking for fastbreaks. The offsides whistle stopped happening, and it was four more goals before the half (6-0).