MOULTRIE – Nearing the end of the long trip back to Moultrie from Kingsland in the wee hours of Saturday morning, Packers coach Sean Calhoun sounded both gratified and baffled.
“I’m proud of our kids,” Calhoun said of the Packers 51-41 victory over Camden County at Chris Gilman Stadium Friday night. “We found a way.
“But we sure made it more difficult than it should’ve been.”
After giving up an 84-yard touchdown on a blocked field goal attempt, a 93-yard interception return for another score and trailing after three quarters, the Packers scored 17 straight points in an eight-minute span of the fourth quarter to take a hard-earned victory over the Wildcats.
“We just made more plays than they did,” Calhoun said.
Colquitt appeared on the cusp of heading into halftime with a 34-14 lead when Brett Fitzgerald line up a 22-yard field goal attempt in the waning seconds of the second quarter.
But Camden broke through, blocked the kick and Na’Tarian King picked up the ball and raced 84 yards to score.
The Packers still led at the half, but the advantage was down to 10 points at 31-21.
Then Camden scored the first two times it had the ball in the third quarter to take a 35-31 lead.
That’s when Fitzgerald, Ramsey Dennis and the Packers defense took over.
And the 11th-straight victory over Camden gives the Packers a chance to claim their third-straight region title when it plays host to Richmond Hill on Friday in what will be a busy night at the Hawg Pen.
But Colquitt does not control its own destiny.
It will take a win over Richmond Hill and a victory by Lowndes over Valdosta in the Winnersville Classic for the Packers to claim the title.
If Colquitt and Valdosta win, the Packers will finish second and have a first-round state playoff game at home.
And Richmond Hill will have plenty to play for as well. The Wildcats, who are 2-2 in the region and 7-2 overall, will be assured of a playoff berth if they can knock off the Packers.
And a Richmond Hill win combined with a Lowndes win would drop the Packers, now 3-1 in the region and 6-3 overall, to No. 3.
The players and coaching staff will try to make sure that does not happen on a festive night that should have plenty of Packer fans at The Mack.
It will be Senior Night and Colquitt County’s 1994 state championship team will be honored at halftime.
“We need our place to be slam-packed,” Calhoun said.
The win over Camden could be a momentum-builder for a Packers team that twice this season has been held to just a field goal.
The 51 points were the most scored by the Packers this season and they did it with the help of an early pick-6 by defensive end Amari Wilson, three Brett Fitzgerald field goals and 385 yards on the ground.
Colquitt threw for just 80 yards and 45 of those came on a pass from running back Day’Shawn Brown in the wildcat formation to Dennis for a first-quarter touchdown.
As always, Brown was the workhorse, carrying 21 times for 189 yards. In addition to his touchdown pass to Dennis, he also ran for a 15-yard touchdown in the second quarter, just one play after his 52-yard burst.
Dennis, the team’s leading rusher a year ago, had played both offense and defense in the first eight games, carrying the ball just 12 times and catching seven passes.
He had somewhat slipped into the shadow of Brown and Jae Lamar.
But no more.
The senior played like several other outstanding Colquitt County backs who wore jersey No. 22, especially Tevin King and Sihiem King.
Dennis rushed for 91 yards on six carries and his fresh legs were on display when he ran for two fourth-quarter touchdowns, leaving at least one observer to wonder how many teams in Georgia can boast a trio of backs as talented as Colquitt County’s.
And, speaking of Lamar, the acclaimed junior running back who has scored 12 touchdowns for the Packers, limped off the field late in the third quarter and did not return.
Earlier in the game, the Packers had lost linebackers Bryce Toomer and Kaden King to injuries.
It was unclear what their prospects are for playing against Richmond Hill.
“We need to heal up,” Calhoun said.