Stockbridge drops opener before heading to Moultrie

Published 9:33 am Monday, August 21, 2023

MOULTRIE — Perhaps some of the anticipation leading into Stockbridge’s 2023 football season was diminished last Saturday when the Tigers dropped their opener to Douglas County.

The 35-28 loss in the Morehouse College Inner City Classic in a battle between two teams of Tigers could not have helped Stockbridge’s frame of mind as it heads to Moultrie to meet Colquitt County for the second year in a row.

Stockbridge was ranked No. 8 in Class 4A heading into the Classic, but could not handle Douglas County quarterback Sire Hardaway, who completed 21-of-26 passes for 247 yards and four touchdowns.

Hardaway’s stats are very similar to the ones put up by Colquitt County quarterback Neko Fann in the Packers 48-17 thrashing of Dutch Fork (S.C.) 200 miles south on Saturday.

Fann threw for 240 yards and four touchdowns against South Carolina’s defending champion in its highest classification. He also rushed for 84 yards and the Packers first touchdown of the game.

Stockbridge got a brief taste of what Colquitt County has to offer when it bused down from Henry County to play the Packers on Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium last year.

The game went only two quarters before being called because of lightning with the Packers leading 29-0.

The game lasted long enough for Fann to complete 11-of-15 passes for 102 yards and touchdowns to Landen Thomas and Zay Williams.

Stockbridge quarterback Cobey Thompkins, who threw for 163 yards and one touchdown against Douglas County last Saturday, will not have fond memories of having faced the Packers in 2022.

Thompkins completed just one of his seven passes and suffered a pair of interceptions.

He also fumbled when hit by Packers linebacker Qway McCoy, who picked up the ball and raced 60 yards for a touchdown.

Stockbridge was able to muster more offense when it met Douglas County, who plays in Region 5-6A, last week.

Senior running back Jordyn Mack carried 11 times for 121 yards and scored a touchdown and Duke Scott was called on 19 times, rushing for 93 yards and scoring twice.

Scott also caught five passes from Thompkins for 43 yards.

But the Stockbridge defense was unable to hold off Douglas County.

The top Stockbridge defenders were free safety Malik Caswell and 6-foot-4, 235-pound defensive end Kyle B. Green, each of whom was credited with 10 tackles.

Defensive end Kam Reese had seven tackles, including four for losses.

Stockbridge is again coached by Thomas Clark, who is starting his third season at the helm of the Tigers, who went 10-3 last year.

The Tigers had a nine-game winning streak ended by a 34-14 loss to Benedictine in the quarterfinals.