Colquitt football looking ahead to spring practice

Published 10:03 am Wednesday, April 7, 2021

MOULTRIE – This is the year, his third in Colquitt County, that Packers coach Justin Rogers hopes he can finally hold a normal, traditional spring football practice.

Rogers was named the Packers head coach on April 15, 2019, just two weeks before spring practice opened. He was still putting together a staff and learning returning players’ names when he sent his first team out to the field to learn his offense and defensive schemes and terminology.

Rogers’s first Colquitt County team went 9-3 and he looked forward to building on that start with a crisp 10 days of spring practice last year.

COVID-19 had other ideas.

The Georgia High School Association shut down sports in March, costing the Packers, and the other programs in the state, the important 10 days of drills.

The 2020 Packers went on to work around shutdowns and quarantines to post a 9-1 record that included a Region 1-7A championship, nine straight victories and a trip to the state quarterfinals.

While there are still muted fears that the coronavirus could disrupt spring football again, other sports have proceeded with few interruptions the last few months.

Perhaps Rogers, with an impressively rebuilt coaching staff and two seasons of fall success behind him, can do this spring like he believes it should be done.

The first steps will be taken on Monday, April 26, when the rising ninth-graders begin spring practices. The freshmen will be led by returning ninth-grade head coach Kirk Woodall.

The offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach will be former Thomas County Central head coach Bill Shaver. Cory Harper and Trey Perkins return to the ninth-grade staff, which also will be bolstered by new linebackers coach Eric Rand, formerly of Oakleaf High School in Orange Park, Fla.

The varsity Packers will hold their first practice in pads on Wednesday, May 5.

The group will be without an impressive batch of 26 seniors from last year’s team, including 14 who have signed to play at the next level this fall.

One of the biggest challenges for the Packers will be replacing all four starters from the 2020 team’s secondary. All four have signed to play collegiately.

Quarterback Xavier Williams, who started the first six games of the season and was on his way to an outstanding season before suffering a season-ending knee injury at Tift County, must be replaced.

Rising senior Zane Touchton, who completed 69 percent of his passes and threw for eight touchdowns, much of it down the stretch after taking over for Williams, will be back.

The Packers are expected to be strong and deep at running back and receiver, but there are holes on special teams that must be filled.

Much of the talent in the Packers football program will be on display on Saturday, May 15, when a “Packer Football Celebration” will be held on Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium.

The day will feature seventh-grade, eighth-grade, ninth-grade, junior varsity and varsity scrimmages.

“This will give us a chance to have everybody coming back to get together and celebrate football,” Roger said.

Spring practice will conclude with a May 21 home game against Cairo. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

After a summer expected to include the normal complement of 7-on-7 competitions and padded camps, the Packers will prepare for the 2021 season with a home scrimmage against Lee County on Aug. 6.

Colquitt will open the 2021 season on Friday, Aug. 20, at Marietta.