MOULTRIE – The Georgia High School Association on Thursday canceled football scrimmages, but for now has stuck with its plan to open the 2020 season on Sept. 4.

The decision means Colquitt County will not travel to Leesburg to meet Lee County for a scrimmage on Aug. 21.

The next time the Packers will pull on game jerseys will be two weeks later, when they travel to Marietta to open the season against defending Class 7A champion Blue Devils.

The decision came a day after GHSA executive director Robin Hines met with the organization’s sports medicine advisory committee in which the idea of scrapping the scrimmages was broached.

According to the GHSA, the reason for canceling the scrimmages was “due to high risk and physical contact.”

Hines said on Wednesday that he remains “cautiously optimistic about our fall seasons.”

Colquitt County’s scheduled scrimmage against Lee County was already in doubt after two members of the Trojans football team tested positive for COVID-19 this week.

Lee County football practices were then suspended until Aug. 17, just four days before the scrimmage was to be held.

The Packers now have four weeks of practice in which to get ready to meet Marietta.

The GHSA also pushed the start of competitive cheerleading to Nov. 21, citing “the high risk of indoor packed arena(s) which do not allow for social distancing.”

The state cheerleading finals are now tentatively scheduled for Feb. 26-27.

The Colquitt County cheerleading squad had been scheduled to open its season on Sept. 26, at Houston County. The region championships had been scheduled for Nov. 7 and the state championships for Nov. 13.

Softball, cross country and volleyball remain on schedule.

Colquitt County’s softball team, which defeated Fitzgerald 7-2 in its scrimmage on Tuesday, will open its season at Lady Packer Field at 5:30 p.m. Monday against Coffee.

The Lady Packers volleyball team will open on Tuesday, Aug. 18, at Mitchell County.

Coach Mell Wier’s boys and girls cross country teams will start their seasons on Saturday, Aug. 29, at Bleckley County.

PACKERS NOTES: Colquitt County cornerback Jaheim Ward has received a scholarship offer from Murray State. Teammate Zy Brockington, a defensive lineman, has received an offer from Arkansas State.

Both have several other offers.

Valdosta High, which will travel to Moultrie to meet the Packers on Sept. 25, has announced that Jake Garcia, a four-star quarterback from La Habra High near Los Angeles, Calif., will transfer to play for the Wildcats this season.

Rated as the No. 4 pro-style quarterback in the country, Garcia decided not to play his senior season at La Habra after California decided to push its football season to the winter because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Garcia has committed to Southern Cal and has planned to enroll early.

At Valdosta, Garcia will replace all-state quarterback Tate Rodemaker, who is now at Florida State.

Rodemaker is the son of current Colquitt County defensive coordinator Alan Rodemaker.

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