MOULTRIE- After falling behind 12-0 less than five minutes into the game and trailing 18-7 at the half, it appeared a young and inexperienced Colquitt County football team had little chance of leaving Marietta’s Northcutt Stadium with a win on Friday in its season-opener.

But the Packers defense stood tall in the final two quarters, keeping the Blue Devils scoreless until 61 seconds were left in the game and hanging on for a 28-25 victory.

Trailing 18-7, Colquitt scored 21 unanswered points in the first 23 minutes of the second half as the Packers harassed Marietta quarterback Tyler Hughes and got a defensive touchdown and a special teams touchdown along the way.

“We didn’t have the first quarter we wanted,” Packers coach Justin Rogers said after the game. “But did our guys step up or what? We gave relentless effort.

“What a great team win. I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder of a team.”

Marietta had 20 starters back from last year’s 3-8 team and it looked as if Hughes would marshal the group to a season-opening victory.

He threw touchdown passes of 31 yards to Kamryn Perry and 56 yards to Camden Overton in the first quarter.

The Blue Devils missed the extra point kick after the first touchdown and failed on a 2-point attempt after the second.

Those lapses appeared to instill some confidence in a Packers team that was clearly feeling its way in the first quarter.

Later in the first quarter, the Packers took over on the Marietta 22 after a 16-yard punt, but ultimately were forced to go for a field goal, which was no good.

Colquitt did cash in its next possession, driving 47 yards to score on a 3-yard reverse run by Ny Carr.

Brett Fitzgerald’s first conversion as a Packer cut the Marietta lead to five.

But Hughes was not done as he completed a 24-yard touchdown pass to Christian Mathis to get the Marietta lead up to 18-7.

However, the Blue Devils next score came with 1:01 remaining in the game and the Packers had all the fun in the meantime.

The Packers got Fitzgerald’s first Packer field goal from 28 yards out just over two minutes into the third quarter to cut the Marietta advantage to 18-10.

But then the defense, growing more confident, got into the act when, facing a first down play from its own 20, Marietta fumbled and the ball bounded toward the Blue Devils goal line.

Senior middle linebacker Rickie Yates, the recent recipient of the coveted No. 1 jersey, finally corralled the loose ball and took it to the Marietta end zone.

Colquitt elected to go for two and Charlie Pace justified the confidence the staff had in him by taking the ball to the end zone to tie the game.

The next series was even more disastrous for Marietta.

Hughes was sacked on both second and third down and Colquitt’s special teams continued the pressure, blocking the fourth-down punt.

Qway McCoy recovered the ball in the end zone and after Fitzgerald’s conversion, the Packers finally had their first lead at 25-18 with 2:57 left in the third quarter.

Early in the fourth quarter, Hughes fumbled when sacked and Milton Barfield came up with the ball on the Marietta 23.

Fitzgerald salvaged three points with his second field goal of the night, putting Colquitt up 28-1 with 6:02 left.

When the Blue Devils were forced to turn the ball over on downs at the Colquitt 11 with 4:27 left in the game, the Packers appeared to have the game in hand.

But Hughes wasn’t finished.

The Blue Devils took over with just over a minute remaining, but scored in two plays: a hook-and-ladder pass from Hughes to Mathis, who then flipped the ball to Perry, who took the ball to the 21 with 1:13 left.

On the next play, Hughes connected with Mathis for a touchdown with 1:01 left.

The extra point cut the Packers lead to three, but senior linebacker Pershaun Fann grabbed the onside kick and Colquitt ran out the clock on its satisfying victory.

Hughes threw for 278 yards, but he also took a pounding while being sacked four times.

Colquitt’s defense gave up 18 first downs, but didn’t flinch.

Pace was expected to be the Packers workhorse if the game was close and he delivered.

Unofficially, he carried 29 times for 127 yards. Nine of those carries came in the fourth quarter and three delivered first downs.

Sophomore quarterback Neko Fann completed 8-of-16 passes for 99 yards and was intercepted once in his first varsity start.

The Packers wore black helmets with the interlocking CCs on the sides for the first time since 2007 while beating the Blue Devils in Marietta for the first time since the 21-17 state semifinal victory in 1991.

Colquitt also beat Marietta in the 1994 semifinals.

Colquitt County will play its 2021 home-opener at 7:30 p.m. next Friday against Westlake.

The Lions defeated Archer 29-14 on Thursday in the Corky Kell Classic.

Also in Region 1-7A, Tift County defeated Westover 41-0 and Camden County won over Columbia 31-0 on Friday.

Lowndes will play Walton on Saturday in the Corky Kell Classic.