MOULTRIE — The Colquitt County High football team, still in search of its first Region 1-AAAAA victory, will try to find it tonight at Brodie Field in Tifton, where it will be Tift County’s Homecoming opponent.

The Packers playoff hopes will be snuffed with a loss to Blue Devils, who are 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the region. But a victory not only will help keep a shot at the postseason alive, but also will be a jolt of confidence to team sorely needing it.

The Packers are 3-3 overall and 0-3 in the region, but showed glimpses of improvement — especially offensively — in last week’s 42-39 loss to Valdosta.

The Packers had 520 yards against the Wildcats, including 222 on the ground and another 298 in the air and posted 25 first downs.

Packers Coach Rush Propst was encouraged by the offensive effort, which resulted in five touchdowns and two field goals by Tyler Dismuke.

“I think our offense just clicked,” Propst said.

Quarterback John Michael Harrison completed 21-of-43 passes for 298 yards and two second-half touchdowns and was inches from having an even bigger night.

“I’ve got a lot of confidence in John Michael,” Prospt said of the senior left-hander, who leads Region 1-AAAAA in passing with 1,299 yards and 14 touchdowns.

The Packers also finally showed their ability to run the football, with Travon Littleton getting 107 yards and a score and sophomore Tevin King adding 94 and his first varsity touchdown. Even Harrison got in on the act, scoring on a 13-yard run.

“I think our kids feel good offensively,” Propst said.

But the Packers again struggled defensively, giving up 436 yards — 354 on the ground — and six touchdowns.

“I know we’ve got defensive problems,” Propst said. “The things I knew we weren’t good at have been exposed.”

But after a lackluster effort against Coffee, the Colquitt defense played with renewed vigor against the Wildcats.

“I was upset with the Coffee game,” Propst said. “I thought we gave up the ghost. But against Valdosta, we played hard. We put our headgear on folks.

“We’ve just got to find somebody to beat that we are not supposed to beat.”

Nothing would please the Packer faithful for Tift County to be that team.

The Blue Devils are coming off a victory over Houston County in which they took a 31-10 lead into the fourth quarter only to see the Bears get two touchdown passes from quarterback Jeff Thompson in the final eight minutes before finally falling 31-24.

The Blue Devils run a spread offense similar to the one installed this year by the Packers staff, but it is a run-first spread, similar, Propst said, to the one West Virginia operates.

Asked if he expected the Blue Devils to try to establish the run first tonight, Propst answered, “I don’t know why they wouldn’t.”

The Blue Devils count on quarterback Malcom Dixon to both run and throw the football and to get the ball to senior Stevan Toomer, son of Worth County’s legendary Robert Toomer, the Blue Devils leading rusher.

Dixon has a number of outstanding receivers, including Jared Davis, Nick Prostko, Blake Massey and Jarrod Bateman. Defensively, Tift County is led by lineman Shayon Green, who has committed to Purdue, and linebacker Josh Abbott.

Propst compares the Blue Devils defensively favorably with Valdosta, Lowndes and Northside.

“They’re salty on defense,” Propst said.

Offensively, the Packers have been using Bryce Giddens and Weston Gittens at center, Chris Walsh and R.J. Taylor at the guards and Garrett Brewer and Trey Rhymes at the tackles.

Next to Harrison in the backfield are Littleton and Eric Key, the region’s leading receiver. Quin Roberson, the region’s second-leading receiver, Travis Harris and Travon Jackson are expected to start at wide receiver.

Eight Packers caught passes last week.

The defensive front has included four juniors – ends Cameron Erving and Tyrell Wright and tackles Robert Fuller and Nyneson Jeudy.

The Packers have used a number of linebackers, with Justin Jones, Emory Wheeler and Jamal Davis the likely starters.

Amel Magwood moved into starting position at one of the corners across from C.J. Copeland last week. The safeties are Corzell Ellerson and Davis Durham.

Propst said that this season he has had to be “psychiatrist and a football coach.”

“We are trying so desperately to win a game,” Propst said. “Our kids are giving so much effort. We are going to keep working and keep loving these kids.

“We have got to get over this defeatist attitude. We keep telling them, ‘You can do this.’ And I believe they can. They’ve just got to believe it.”

PACKERS NOTES: Propst missed Tuesday’s practice to attend the funeral of his 100-year-old grandmother, who died Saturday. … The Packers have lost two in a row to the Blue Devils, falling 37-35 in triple overtime in 2006 and losing 45-12 in Tifton last year.

Also in the region tonight, Lowndes travels to Valdosta and, in one of the most interesting games in the state, Northside goes to Douglas to meet unbeaten Coffee.

Lowndes and Coffee remain unbeaten at 6-0.

Propst continues to optimistic about the direction of the athletic programs at Colquitt County.

“I keep hearing we don’t have good leadership here,” Propst said. “A strong athletic program will develop strong leadership.

“We have all the ingredients here. We’ve just got to put it together right. The potential is here. It’s going to be a tough road, but it’s achievable.”