Pack beats Camden 34-13 in Region 1-7A opener

Published 11:38 pm Friday, October 30, 2020

MOULTRIE – Colquitt County looked rusty after two weeks of quarantine and just four days in pads to prepare for Friday night’s Region 1-7A opener against Camden County.

But the rust did not keep the Packers from pounding the visiting Wildcats on Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium, winning 34-13.

The Packers led 10-0 at the half and stretched the lead to 24-0 in the third quarter before the Wildcats could get on the scoreboard.

Quarterback Xavier Williams had a big night, completing 10-of-16 passes for 140 yards.

And while he did not throw a touchdown pass, he rushed for 159 yards and ran for scores of 59 and 71 yards.

Colquitt raises its overall record to 5-0, while Camden, which was 4-1 at one point, lost is third straight game and is now 4-4.

“Did we look like a team that had been off for two weeks?” Packers coach Justin Rogers asked after the game. When the answer was yes, he didn’t disagree.

But his team did enough things right to knock off a clearly struggling group of Wildcats.

And there is plenty to work on before the Packers, ranked No. 3 in Class 7A, play host to Lowndes, ranked No. 1, next Friday night at The Mack.

The Vikings, also coming off a two-week quarantine, struggled themselves before holding off Tift County on Friday, winning 17-13.

Lowndes will bring a 6-0 record to the Hog Pen.

Camden had an opportunity to score first on Friday when it drove to a first down at the Packers 8 on its first possession.

But Gamal Wallace hit Jamie Felix for a 2-yard loss on a second-and-goal and Wallace and Desmond Reese combined to sack Wildcats quarterback Josh Brown on third down.

Still, Camden had a chance for three early points when Adonis Coyle attempted a 31-yard field goal.

The Packers knifed through to block the attempt and a long return by Ontavious Carolina took the ball to the Camden 36.

Four plays later, Jamaree Hill scored on a 24-yard run and the Packers had cashed in the Camden special teams miscue.

Colquitt extended its lead to 10-0 when Emmanuel Perez connected on a 28-yard field goal on the second play of the second quarter.

Camden again put together a drive and appeared to have converted a fourth-and-12 on a Brown-to-Deonte Cole pass completion to the Colquitt 4.

But the Wildcats were flagged for holding on the play, had to punt and never threatened the Packers the rest of the way.

In addition to the blocked field goal attempt and the penalty that cost them a first-and-goal at the Packers 4, the Wildcats also allowed three first-half sacks.

Colquitt extended its lead on its first possession of the second half when Williams took a keeper 59 yards to the end zone to help extend the Packers lead to 17-0 with 8:13 left in the third quarter.

After forcing a second straight three-and-out, Colquitt used a 48-yard Williams-to-Lemeke Brockington completion to drive deep into the Camden territory.

Hill took a direct snap and scored from a yard out and after another Perez extra point, the Packers led 24-0 with 4:20 left in the third quarter.

Camden finally got on the board on a 58-yard touchdown pass from Brown to Cole with 3:45 left in the quarter, but when the 2-point conversion try failed, Colquitt’s lead was 24-6.

Perez got his second field goal of the game, this one from 42 yards out, with 10:37 left in the game to put Colquitt up 27-6.

Williams capped the next Packers possession with a 71-yard touchdown run down the sideline in front of the Camden bench on a keeper and Colquitt led 34-6.

The final Camden score came on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Cody McCartha to Saige Roche with 10 seconds left in the game.

Colquitt finished with four sacks, an interception by MyQuaries Andrews and a fumble recovery by TJ Spradley.

Brown went into the game as the region’s leader in passing yardage, but he completed just six passes for 111 yards, including 58 on the scoring throw to Cole.

Camden’s Shawn Hardy, the region’s leading receiver, did not play.

The Wildcats rushed for just 102 yards.

All-State candidate Jamie Felix, who had just seven carries heading into the game while nursing a hamstring injury, had 39 yards on 14 carries.