Rashad Revels (15) and Marcus Anderson (9) are among those tackling Lowndes Travis Tisdale (6) Friday at Martin Stadium in Valdosta.

VALDOSTA – It couldn’t happen again, could it?

In what could only rightfully be decided in overtime, Lowndes High wiped out a 14-point halftime deficit and then pulled out a Region 1-7A championship winning 51-45 victory in double overtime against the Colquitt County High Packers Friday at Martin Stadium.

Ghetti Brown’s jet sweep run of 15 yards on the first Lowndes snap of the second overtime got him to the left pylon. An intense game – where the Packers had some breaks – got even more interesting when the PAT kick shot wide to the left.

But Lowndes’ defense did not allow a first down on the Packers’ the last possession, the game ending with quarterback Steven Krajewski surrounded by Vikings and getting off a throw falling to the ground.

While the Vikings of coach Randy McPherson can enjoy the spoils of being No. 1 out of 1-7A in the upcoming GHSA playoffs at 3-0, Rush Propst’s Packers must first figure out how to keep a halftime lead in tact while learning their position in the postseason tournament. At 1-2 in the region, the No. 3 seed appears the most likely scenario – which means hitting the road as often as they will face a higher region seed.

However, nothing is official until this upcoming weekend. Tift County, 1-1 after pulling off its own come-from-behind miracle on Colquitt County Oct. 20 in Moultrie, still has Camden County coming to Tifton on Nov. 3. While Camden is 0-2 in the region, a shocking upset here would set three teams tied for second at 1-2. The talk prior to Colquitt-Lowndes was how a three-way tiebreaker would work if three teams were 2-1 at the end, so the same rules of fewest points allowed gets the highest available seed still applies.

Going into the second half at Martin Stadium, Krajewski, a senior, was coming off an amazing first half with three touchdown passes to Cam Singletary. The quarterback was 12-for-17 for 201 yards passing before halftime, which saw the Packers up 35-21, though at one point the margin was 21. Singletary, also a senior, caught eight of the passes for 142 yards.

But for the second week in a row, an essential two-touchdown lead at the break got away from Colquitt County. After 300 first half yards, the Packers had just 72 second-half offensive yards.

The Krajewski-Singletary combination actually produced four touchdowns Friday. With everything even 38-38 through regulation, McPherson won the toss and gave Colquitt the opening series of overtime. Krajewski was tackled for lost yards for the fifth time since intermission, so it was 3rd-and-14 when the pair connected on a 19-yard touchdown. Krajewski was again under pressure, but got the throw away. A covered Singletary grabbed the ball on the goal line and was awarded another six.

To answer, Lowndes methodically marched 15 yards in its first OT drive in seven plays. Gary Osby, in a T-formation, scored from one yard out to tie the game 45-45. Both kickers, Ryan Fitzgerald on Colquitt’s side, made his PAT.

Daijun Edwards rushed for 121 Packer yards on 11 carries and two first-half touchdowns. Ty Leggett ran for 82. Overall, Krajewski was 15-for-27 passing for 234 yards, and Singletary caught nine passes for 152 yards.

Lowndes amassed more than 500 yards, including 209 rushing from the second half to the end of OT. Quarterback Michael Barrett ran for 173 yards.

The first period ended 14-14 with each team making statements, starting with Packer Dante Moore’s tackle for a loss on the first outside throw. Lowndes’ statement was to go again to Tayvonn Kyle, a wideout, with a lateral. Travis Tisdale was open downfield to take the pass and score a 72-yard touchdown. It was the second TD toss by the senior Kyle this season.

Colquitt didn’t look for the big play, but went to its effective mixture of run and throw. Singletary pulled away from contact after catching the ball and going to the Lowndes 49 for first down. The first of three clutch third-down conversions was on 3rd-and-9. Under pressure, Krajewski hit Ty Shealey on the 33 to move the sticks.

The quarterback also found KT Wilson for first down on the 23, and the combination of Leggett and Edwards churned out the rest on four plays. Edwards scored from 3 out on the 13th play, and Fitzgerald tied the game at 6:27 of the first.

There was more good Packer fortune in recovering their own fumbles on kick returns, like Singletary saving possession after a punt. What followed was a 56-yard drive starring the Wild Hawg. Edwards received a huge hole up the middle for a 40-yard touchdown jaunt. It was 14-7 at 4:26.

In that much time, Lowndes engineered the tying series in 10 plays. Travis Tisdale and JD Lee ran for first downs up to the Packer 38, and Barrett converted 3rd-and-short on the 28. With the play clock off, the Vikings snapped the ball on the 23, and an open Tisdale put on a lot of moves for his second touchdown.

Lowndes’ big second-quarter problem wasn’t just covering Singletary, but executing the punt. Linebacker JJ Peterson had a good half on run-stopping plays. Three-and-out would be the result as the quarter progressed, and a high snap brought about only 12 net yards on the Vikings’ kick. One one play, the Packers made them pay with Krajewski to Singletary on a post for 36 yards and 21-14.

Another Packer defender making strides in Valdosta was sophomore end Kree Herring. He put Lowndes in its second straight three-and-out. When Kaleb Dawson saved the punt return fumble here on the Colquitt 45, Wilson was on the spot to get 12 yards from Krajewski on 3rd-and-6. From the 37, four receivers were on the left and just Singletary on the right. He was the one targeted going deep on the post for his second touchdown at 4:53 until the half.

Krajewski was picking apart a Viking defense with 17 interceptions coming in. There was great protection as Krajewski completed seven passes in a row for 157 yards.

The Vikings’ offense struggled just as well against Herring, Marcus Anderson and Camari Louis to go three-and-out three series in a row.

From the 39 of Colquitt, 61 yards were covered by Wilson for 20 and Singletary for 41 on his third touchdown with 2:31 remaining. Fitzgerald stayed on mark with the PAT kicks and 35-14.

Lowndes made its fourth possession of the quarter its best going 80 yards – mainly on the ground – in 1:31. Their turnaround on offense was Barrett’s play-fake run of 24 yards and 15 added on for a face mask foul. In all, Colquitt drew 11 flags (fourth game in a row) for 96 yards. Four more rushes and the football was on the 10, where Barrett’s play-action TD toss to Kyle cut the margin to 35-21.

With Colquitt’s offensive woes – three third quarter first downs and a missed 35-yard field goal – the Vikings still found it hard to score until deep in the period. The home team tried to sneak its punter ahead when the Packers didn’t have a safety back, but everyone from Peterson to Anderson to Callon Kubiak didn’t let it work. Barrett also had to fall on a bad snap on third down, and his punter only got 16 yards away.

The game turned, though, when a bad Packer punt snap spotted the ball for Lowndes on the CC 35. In the sixth play, JD Lee carried in a 5-yard touchdown at 3:30. That PAT try was waved off so it stayed 35-27. Also, Lee ended up being the featured back the rest of the way as Tisdale watched from the sidelines.

Colquitt’s try for 3 from 35 yards out came at 1:07.

In the fourth quarter, the Vikings were grinding out play after play on the turf. They needed 50 yards after a low hit foul and gained three more first downs inside the 10. But Barrett’s touchdown was called back on a false start. With Louis getting on the outside pass to Lee on third down, Ashton Musgrove made a field goal of 27 yards.

Fitzgerald got those points back on a 37-yard field goal for 38-30 Packers at 6:37. Edwards, slipping off right tackle, rushed forward for 47 yards only to be tripped up on the Viking 23.

What happened next was a 15-play 80-yard series by Lowndes with just one pass, no flags, four first downs (including Barrett going from the 30 to the 8 on 3rd-and-8) and Lee doing most of the work (eight carries). Back in the T-formation, Osby scored from 1 yard out. Barrett threw to Tyson Shaw on the two-point conversion to tie the score 38-38 at 1:01.