MOULTRIE — Colquitt County’s Dextra Polite is back for his 20th season of training young defensive backs at his high school alma mater.

And last season, while Colquitt County went 9-1 in the COVID season, he enjoyed a significant achievement.

Both of his cornerbacks, and both of the safeties coached by Alan Rodemaker, earned college scholarships.

The corners, Omar Daniels and TJ Spradley, will be at Kansas State and Valdosta State respectively this fall.

One safety, Jaheim Ward, is going to Austin Peay. Traveon Tuff, the other, is headed to the University of the Cumberlands.

For Polite, the opportunity to play college football and continue his education is the next step in a young man growing into a successful citizen, husband and father.

“That’s my pride, seeing these guys move on to the next level,” Polite said. “It’s a blessing. It’s my goal every year.

“When all is said and done, football is about life and about what kind of man are you going to be.”

Polite, of course, has been a role model for many young Packers for well over two decades.

He was an all-state defensive back on Colquitt County’s first 15-0 state championship team in 1994.

After playing at Georgia Military College and earning All-ACC honors as a cornerback at Clemson, he returned to Moultrie to coach.

He added to his state championship ring collection as an assistant coach on the 2014 and 2015 undefeated state champions.

He said he hopes each of the members of the 2020 Packers who have received scholarships gets a chance to play and contribute to his team as a freshman this season.

“But if they don’t, it will be a growing time,” he said.

And while Polite will follow those former Packers, and the others he has coached and mentored over the years, he also is focusing on putting together a new group of corners for 2021.

He characterizes his newest group as “little, but very scrappy.”

The six — Ni Edwards, Tylan Brice, Cam Walker, Raheim McBride, Carlos Moore and Qway McCoy — have virtually no varsity experience.

But he is watching the group already grow and improve.

“I just love seeing them develop,” he said.

He then gave a signature Dextra Polite laugh and said, “I love this year, because I’ll actually get to coach.”

As usual, he is cutting his young players no slack.

“I told them, it’s not going to be easy,” he said. “Coach (Jimmy) Francis coached me that way.

“He wasn’t easy on me, so I’m not going to be easy on them.”

Polite often refers to Francis, the former outstanding Thomasville High and Valdosta State defensive back who was the Packers secondary coach for a number of years.

“I thank him every time I see him because he made me the man I am today,” Polite said. “He pushed me and stayed on me and told me I always could do more.”

Polite’s influence also will be felt on the new batch of safeties that include Hunter Strickland, Kamal Bonner, Lyric Thomas and the newest Polite wearing jersey No. 23, Dextra Jr.

“That’s a smart bunch of guys,” Polite said.

The entire defense has benefited from the addition last season of Rodemaker, the former Peach County and Valdosta High head coach who is the Packers defensive coordinator and safeties coach.

“He has been a plus for me,” Polite said. “He has taught me a lot. I’ve really learned a lot from him.”

The restart of preparations for the season after last week’s GHSA-mandated “dead week,” has Polite energized.

“July’s here and football is on us,” he said. “It’s a different atmosphere now.”

There are still three 7-on-7 competitions, including a 16-team event scheduled for July 17 at the high school, to help the young secondary players hone their skills.

And the Aug. 6 scrimmage against Lee County on Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium gives the players and coaches a target.

Lee County has one of the top Class 6A programs in the state under coach Dean Fabrizio. The Trojans were 12-2 last year, are 52-6 over the last four seasons and won state championships is 2017 and 2018.

Like Colquitt County, Lee County is included in the MaxPreps preseason list of top 100 high school football teams in the nation. The Packers are No. 44. The Trojans are No. 70.

“That’s what we live for,” Polite said of the chance to prepare for the season by facing Lee County. “It’s going to be live and in color. We’ll get to see how we’ve developed.”