Defensive line wreaks havoc for undefeated Colquitt County

Published 2:05 pm Tuesday, December 1, 2020

MOULTRIE — Heading into the 2020 season, Colquitt County head coach Justin Rogers and defensive line coach Greg Carswell felt good about sending out a front that including seniors Zy Brockington, Vendarion “Big Boi” Knighton and junior Marcus Ponder.

All had played big roles in the success of the 2019 team.

They are big and strong and more athletic than fans might imagine.

But there was a question who might join that trio when the Packers went to a four-man front.

And there also was some concern about who could be counted on to deliver quality work off the bench.

As the Packers head into the second round Class 7A state playoff game against 6-5 Walton on Friday on Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium, those questions have been answered in the positive.

Junior Milton Barfield, a 250-pounder, has developed into a starter to give another big body on the front.

And players such as Ronald Durham, starting tight end Ontavious Carolina, Quan Gammage, Julian Harper and Alexander Florence have proved the  group is as deep as it is strong.

And it is plenty strong.

When Knighton, a 5-foot-10, 255-pound senior, gets down in his three-point stance shoulder-to-shoulder with 5-foot-11, 235-pound junior Marcus Ponder, there are few offensive lineman capable of knocking them off the football.

“Those guys are mirror images of each other,” Rogers said. “They are big, but they are deceptively athletic for their size. And they are as strong as bulls.”

Brockington, at 6-foot-2, 240 pounds, has been a fixture on the line the last few seasons and has already committed to playing next at Memphis.

“He is really, really good,” Rogers said of Brockington. “He’s got power, plus he can really run.”

Carolina has been the wild card for the defense.

The 6-foot-1, 179-pounder, who plays bigger, has continues to perform a major role on the Colquitt County offense.

But his pass-rushing abilities have led to him becoming a more integral part of the defense as the season has gone along.

Carolina has joined the pressure parade and his season was punctuated last week against Brookwood when he stepped in front of a short Dylan Lonergan pass and took it 79 yards to his first touchdown of the season.

It was just under four minutes later that he scored on pass from Zane Touchton, giving him offensive and defensive touchdowns in the same quarter.

Brockington, Knighton, Ponder, Barfield, Carolina and company made Lonergan’s visit and uncomfortably unpleasant one.

It is a pattern the Packers have followed through their eight consecutive victories to open the season.

“We have just kept quarterbacks nervous,” Rogers said. “We get so much penetration, they can’t just set their feet and feel good.”

The Packers will face a Walton quarterback in Zak Rozsman, who is built much like Lonergan at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds.

 A junior, he has completed 109-of-187 passes for 1,741 yards and 12 touchdowns.

He has been intercepted five times.

If the Packers don’t pressure him, he will look for 6-foot-1 tight end Stone McKnight, who leads the Raiders in receiving with 49 catches for 852 yards and seven scores.

Rozsman also will seek out Rawson MacNeill, a 6-foot-5, 195-pound wideout who has gathered in 29 passes for 493 yards and three touchdowns.

Over the last two games — at 41-0 win at Tift County and the 49-3 defeat of Brookwood — the Packers have given up just 115 yards on the ground, a 2.5-yard average, and have come up with nine sacks.

Walton will have 6-foot, 210-pound running back Kenny Djaha in the backfield along side Rozsman.