Lawson, defense lead 8th-grade to 36-0 win

Published 8:55 pm Thursday, August 17, 2023

MOULTRIE — Cohen Lawson threw for three touchdowns and ran for another to lead the Colquitt County eighth-grade football team to a 36-0 season-opening victory over Thomasville on Thursday on Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium.

The eighth-grade defense not only pitched a shutout, but also held the Bulldogs to just one first down, and that was the result of a defensive penalty.

“We have some good athletes and they’ve been working hard all summer,” said first-year coach Nate Madison, who added he was especially pleased that the defense was able to open the season with a shutout.

Although the game was played with a running clock in the second half, the Packers still rolled up 221 yards.

Colquitt led 30-0 at the break.

The Bulldogs turned the ball over four times and the Packers made them pay.

Thomasville’s first mistake was attempting a fake punt on fourth-and-19 from its own 25 on its first possession of the game.

A tackle by Quinhari Thornton stopped the Bulldogs 20 yards short of a first down and the Packers needed just two plays to put six points on the stadium’s new video scoreboard.

A 15-yard completion from Lawson to Gavin Henderson put the ball on the Thomasville 1 and Thornton scored on the next play.

Lawson’s 2-point conversion pass to Tristion Walker put the Packers up 8-0 with 4:56 left in the first quarter.

On the second play of Thomasville’s next possession, a Bulldogs fumble was recovered by Colquitt’s Zion Hardy and it did not take long for the Packers to add to their lead.

An 18-yard run by Thornton got the ball deep in Thomasville territory and Lawson finished off the drive with a 4-yard scoring toss to Henderson.

Jason Stephenson’s conversion run put the Packers up 16-0 with 2:29 left in the first quarter.

But Colquitt was not finished.

The Packers recovered the ensuing kickoff on the Bulldogs 32.

A Lawson-to-Thornton pass put the ball on the Bulldogs 23 and Lawson got his second touchdown pass on a throw to Daiyunn Walker.

The conversion run failed, but the Packers were up 22-0 and Thomasville still did not have a first down.

The Packers drove 58 yards for their next touchdown, a 5-yard scoring throw from Lawson to a leaping Henderson in the end zone.

The conversion put the Packers up 30-0 with 6:01 left in the first half.

Lawson scored the Packers final touchdown with 5:36 left in the game on a 10-yard run in which he ran over two Thomasville defenders en route to the end zone.

The drive was set up by a fumble recovery by Haedyn Hall.

The Packers defensive effort also included a pass interception by Walker in the second quarter.

Lawson completed 7-of-13 passes for 112 yards.

Henderson had four catches for 54 yards and Walker grabbed two for 49 yards.

The eighth-graders will be back in The Hawg Pen on Thursday, Aug. 24, to play host to Cook. Kickoff will be at 5 p.m.

The Colquitt County seventh-grade team opened with a 36-6 loss to Thomasville.