MOULTRIE — It became apparent right from the get-go that a unique and aggressive usage of special teams was going to be a dynamic part of the Colquitt County football team’s Friday (and Wednesday) night philosophy this season.

When the Packers scored their first touchdown of the season less than two minutes into their season-opening victory over Deerfield Beach in the Georgia-Florida Challenge at Lowndes, it was neither of its talented place-kickers that went out once the end zone celebration subsided.

The Packers were going for two.

The run was not successful and Packers’ lead was just 6-0, but a chord had been struck.

These truths are evident so far: Colquitt County’s offense will be fast and versatile. Its defense will not be large, but will be fast and salty. and its special teams, not relegated to a back seat, will be an unpredictable weapon all of their own.

“We know if you can win two of the three phases of the game, you have a better chance to win,” said special teams coordinator Brian Simmons.

The Packers later in the win over the Bucks did make a 2-point conversion and have been successful on several other occasions.

Three times punter Jack Luttrell has made the decision not to kick the ball, but rather head off down the field. Once he has scored a touchdown. On two other opportunities, he has converted first downs.

Luttrell also has a 58-yard kickoff return. Charlie Pace has blocked a punt.

“It’s a great way to flip momentum,” said Simmons. “A great way to get momentum on your side.

“We don’t want to react to the other team. We want the other team to react to us.”

When the Packers do send out sophomores Brett Fitzgerald or Ethan Ramirez for a conventional extra point, they have made all but one that was blocked.

And Fitzgerald has converted six straight field goal attempts after his first fell short.

The operation team of snapper Will Tapscott and holder Eli Meads have been quietly efficient and both Fitzgerald and Ramirez “are unbelievable kickers,” Simmons said.

Ramirez has a strong leg and has been handling the kickoffs. His recovery of his own onside kick led to a touchdown in the victory over Cedar Grove.

“Brett has the pedigree and has been kicking longer,” Simmons said of the younger brother of former Packer and current Florida State kicker Ryan Fitzgerald.

Both are diligent about their craft.

“When we are working on offense and defense at practice, they are off working on their own,” Simmons said. “People don’t see that.

“Those guys know they only get one shot at a kick.”

That area seems to be in the care of capable hands and feet.

But the Packers will continue to go for two in an effort to keep the opposition off-balance.

And head coach Sean Calhoun likes to do it early.

“That’s his philosophy,” Simmons said. “He likes to make it a two-score game as quickly as possible.

“When you’re up 8-0, it just feels different. It’s a mental thing.”

And knowing the Packers are willing to go against a football custom plants some seed of doubt in the opposition.

“The threat is always there,” Simmons said. “It is something the other teams have to prepare for.”

As is the chance that Luttrell, a gifted open-field runner, will steal a possession or two for the Packers.

“It’s a blessing to have someone with a soccer background who can do a rugby punt and is as dangerous as he is running around out there,” Simmons said of Luttrell, a senior who has committed to Tennessee and who transferred to Colquitt this year when his father Stan joined the coaching staff.

Stan Luttrell has been instrumental in developing the Packers kickoff return team in which his son has nearly broken a couple for a touchdown.

With the Packers having allowed just nine touchdowns in their first six games, the younger Luttrell has had limited opportunities heading into the Region 1-7A portion of the schedule that begins on October 14 against Camden County in The Hawg Pen.

Colquitt County’s kickoff return team has turned into the Nick Pace Show.

The junior linebacker is Colquitt’s leading tackler, but he has been especially notable for his work when the Packers have kicked off.

“We call him the punisher,” Simmons said. “He is fast and physical. He doesn’t have a lane. His job is just to go to the ball.

“Last week (Lincoln) was trying to triple-team him.”

The entire kickoff team takes pride in keeping the opposing kick returner from crossing his team’s 20-yard line.

The special teams often include backup players, but a number of starters – including Luttrell and the Pace brothers – also do double-duty.

And Simmons appreciates the fact that the special teams performers take pride in their work.

“They are all very coachable,” he said. “They accept their roles and the importance of it.”

Simmons has worked with special teams units throughout much of his career.

Growing up in Adel, he played on Cook High’s 2000 state championship baseball team with current Colquitt County athletic director Cleve Edwards.

He first met Calhoun when both were young coaches beginning their careers at Valdosta State, where he once coached former Packer and Blazer All-American Sherard Reynolds.

Simmons left Valdosta State for West Georgia, but again hooked up with Calhoun at Berrien High and the two also were on the same staffs at Collins Hill.

He interviewed with Rush Propst for a job on the Colquitt County staff in 2014, but the position went to Bubba Walker.

In 2016, when Calhoun left Colquitt County to take the head coaching position at Carrollton, he chose Simmons as his defensive coordinator and the two worked together for five seasons.

When Calhoun went to Vestavia Hills in 2021, Simmons, wanting to return to South Georgia, was hired by Zach Grage to be the defensive coordinator at Thomasville.

The Bulldogs went on to reach the Class AA state championship game, where they lost to Fitzgerald.

“It was a magical year,” Simmons said of his season in Thomasville. “We just picked a bad game to play a bad game.”

Also on that Thomasville staff were former Packers Bull Barge, who has since joined the Packers staff, and Tyler Brown, who has returned to private business.

When Calhoun was named the Packers head coach replacing Justin Rogers in January, he asked if Simmons was interested in coming to Moultrie.

“I said, ‘Absolutely,’” Simmons said. “It’s always good to work with someone you like and enjoy and know what kind of man he is.

“And I knew what he would demand of me.”