Improving Colquitt boys soccer team knocks off Lee and Coffee

Published 4:56 pm Friday, February 12, 2021

MOULTRIE — The Colquitt County boys soccer team put together its best full game of the young season on Thursday in a 3-2 win over Coffee at Packer Park.

The Packers were coming off a 3-0 Tuesday victory over Lee County, their second win over Lee at home in a week.

Jason Gallardo scored the first goal and the final goal for the Packers against Lee.

Erik Luna got the second on a shot from about 35 yards out that was just over the leaping keeper’s hands and under the crossbar.

Against Coffee on Thursday, the Packers found themselves down 1-0 about 15 minutes into their match.

But again, it was Gallardo who got the Packers first goal, which came at 33:56 and sent the match tied at 1-1 into halftime.

Just 64 seconds into the second half, Gallardo scored again and the Packers were up 2-1.

A Jonathan Perez goal made it 3-1.

“We were cruising then,” coach Jimbo Jarvis said. “We had a couple others that hit the post or the cross bar.

Coffee scored another goal late to cut the Packers lead to one, but could not force a tie.

Jarvis said the Packers have been receiving excellent work in the nets from sophomore keeper Iszac Doroteo.

“He’s still raw, but he’s been doing a fantastic job for us,” Jarvis said.

The Packers coach said he is expecting another challenging match when he and his team go to Lowndes on Tuesday.

“That’s always a tough place for us to play and they always play us hard,” Jarvis said.

Colquitt County lost 15 seniors from a team that was 9-1 before the coronavirus ended its season a year ago and the 2021 Packers, now 3-1, are “still working to get up to speed,” Jarvis said.

“There are moments when we look like a varsity team and then others that we keep resorting back to JV habits,” he said. “It’s not going to happen overnight or even days, but we hope that they will continue to grow and mature quickly. We have a very solid core of talent on this team.”

Jarvis contends that having strong, seventh-, eighth- and ninth-grade and junior varsity programs is helping develop about 50 players a year, “more than anyone else in our area.”

“That is resulting in the ability to reload every season, no matter how many we graduate,” he said. “The future is very bright for Packer soccer.”

Joining Jarvis and veteran assistant Eric Wingate on the varsity staff this season is Lucas Kimmel, who also is coaching the ninth-grade team.

Andy Chapura is coaching the junior varsity boys; Tyler Dismuke handles the eighth-grade team; and Andre Ramos is coaching the seventh-graders.