MOULTRIE – Have yourself a night Brett Fitzgerald.

After setting the state high school record for career kicking points late in the first quarter, the Colquitt County senior kicked a 43-yard field goal as time expired to give the Packers a 38-35 victory over Lowndes on Friday on Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium.

In what was one of the most remarkable games played  in the first 70 years of football at Moultrie’s venerable stadium, the Packers won their Region 1-6A opener in a contest in which neither team ever had a lead of more than seven points.

Colquitt, now 4-2, had leads of 7-0, 28-21, 35-28 and 38-35.

Lowndes, which suffered its first loss after opening the season with five straight victories, led 14-7 and 21-14.

The game was tied at 7-7, 14-14, 21-21, 28-28 and 35-35 before the Packers took their final possession with 5:20 remaining.

The Vikings had just tied the game on a 7-yard pass from Jayce Johnson to Jaquan Thomas and an extra point from Aiden Andrews, who then put his kickoff into the Colquitt County end zone.

But the Packers drove from their 20 to the Lowndes 26.

Colquitt converted on third down twice and on fourth down once to keep the drive alive.

Jae Lamar’s 11-yard burst on a third-and-7 at the Lowndes 38 with 31 seconds left put the ball in Fitzgerald’s range.

Day’Shawn Brown ran the ball one yard to the middle of the field at the Lowndes 26 and the Packers let the clock run down to 2 seconds.

Chason Glenn’s snap was perfect, as was Logan Morris’s hold and Fitzgerald followed through with the 42nd and most satisfying field goal of his four-year Colquitt County career.

“I told Logan when we went out there, ‘This is what we live for,’” Fitzgerald said. “I was just zoned in and didn’t think about anything else but putting it between the uprights.

“But I couldn’t have done it without these two (Glenn and Morris) and the rest of the offensive line.”

Fitzgerald’s moment was the last of a list of memorable plays by the Packers, who would not let the Vikings make a run on them.

Lamar rushed for two touchdowns, one of which came from 71 yards out and tied the game at 14-14 and the other, a 35-yard bolt, gave the Packers a 28-21 lead in the second quarter.

He also took a short pass from quarterback Cohen Lawson 77 yards for a touchdown that tied the game 21-21.

“Jae Lamar had two of the most memorable plays I’ve ever seen,” Packers coach Sean Calhoun said.

And the Packers defense was outstanding in the second half, allowing just the Thomas touchdown.

But with Lamar and Brown, who combined to rush for 313 yards, the Packers bludgeoned the Vikings.

And the two were warriors on an 82-yard, 17-play drive that ate up 6 1/2 minutes to open the second half and resulted in an 8-yard touchdown run by Brown that put the Packers up 35-28.

Lowndes drove to the Packers 18 on their next possession, but Colquitt blocked a 35-yard field goal attempt by Andrews with 1:42 left in the quarter.

“That blocked field goal was a big play in the game,” Calhoun said.

Lowndes foiled a Packers fake punt on the third play of the fourth quarter, but were unable to turn it into points.

Colquitt managed two first downs on Lowndes penalties on their next fourth-quarter possession, but ultimately punted the ball back to the Vikings, who drove to their final touchdown.

The drive to Fitzgerald’s game winner started with a 15-yard run by Brown. Lamar converted a third-and-one and Brown got just enough on a fourth-and-one at Lowndes 41 to keep the drive alive.

On a third-and-seven from Vikings 38, Lamar broke loose for 11 yards on his 15th and final carry and Fitzgerald took it from there.

“We ran our four-minute drill and we did our job,” Calhoun said. “It was awesome. A big win for the Pack.”

Fitzgerald broke his brother Ryan’s previous state scoring record of 324 points with his extra points after the Packers first two touchdowns.

His five extra points and field goal give him 331 career points.

The Packers scored on their first offensive snap of the game on a 31-yard pass from Lawson to Na’Ryan Sumlin.

Lowndes answered on its next possession with quarterback Jayce Johnson scoring on a 30-yard run.

Marvis Parrish gave the Vikings a 14-7 lead with a 9-yard touchdown run with 1:56 left in the first quarter.

Then a Colquitt County double-handoff ended with Lamar carrying the football 71 electrifying yards to tie the game with 40 seconds left in the first quarter.

Lowndes regained the lead on a 78-yard pass from Johnson to Parrish just a minute into the second quarter.

Lamar tied the game for the third time when he took a short pass from Lawson, broke several tackles and ran 77 yards to make it 21-21.

Lamar scored again on a 35-yard run that put his strength and speed on full display and Colquitt led 28-21 with 6:20 left in the half.

Three minutes later an apparent 40-yard touchdown pass from Lawson to Malik Walker was called back on an illegal formation penalty.

Three plays later, Fitzgerald was short on a 52-yard field goal attempt and Lowndes then drove 80 yards to tie the game 28-28 with 24 seconds left in the half.

Lawson was 6-for-15 for 143 yards with scoring throws to Sumlin and Lamar.

Lamar rushed for 182 yards on 13 carries. Brown had 131 yards on 26 carries as the Packers rolled up 471 yards of offense.

Colquitt held Lowndes to just over 100 yards rushing, but Johnson completed an unofficial 19-of-26 passes, including 11 caught by senior Jaylin Carter.

Calhoun said after the game that he talked with Lowndes coach Adam Carter, who told him things are getting better in Valdosta and Lowndes County after the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.

The Packers, who have played their first six games of the season in the Hawg Pen, will travel to Bazemore-Hyder Stadium to play Valdosta next Friday.

Lowndes will travel to Tift County.

The Blue Devils opened the region portion of its schedule with a 21-17 loss at Richmond Hill.

Camden County will play at Valdosta on Saturday.