MOULTRIE — It appears that the Georgia High School Association’s decision to move the Thanksgiving off-week to this coming Friday will certainly benefit Colquitt County.
The Packers have more than the usual bumps and bruises and aches and pains associated with 10 football games.
The Packers overcame a slow start to defeat Richmond Hill 31-13 last Friday that, in conjunction with a Lowndes win over Valdosta, gave the Packers a third-straight region title that seemed remote not too long ago.
Colquitt faced Richmond Hill and its thick-thighed Region 1-6A-leading running back Joshua Troupe without three of its defensive starters.
The most recently wounded include linebackers Kaden King and Bryce Toomer and cornerback Jah’Boris Fuller. None played against Richmond Hill and gimpy Jae Lamar had just one carry.
Still the Packers, now ranked No. 8 in Class 6A, found the moxie to finish the regular season 7-3 overall and 4-1 in the region.
And as coach Sean Calhoun pointed out, despite having to replace 17 starters, his Packers were this close to flipping the 7-3 loss to Valdosta to a 10-7 or 9-7 win.
Could these Packers really have been 8-2 and 5-0 at this point? Who’s to say?
What is impressive is that although opposing teams know the Packers are struggling to throw the football effectively, they can’t stop Day’Shawn Brown, Jae Lamar and Ramsey Dennis.
And to those who think that trio — which has stampeded for 2,186 yards and 25 touchdowns — is doing it on its own should take a close look on the NFHS stream at Brown’s 74- and 85-yard touchdown runs that helped scuttle Richmond Hill last Friday.
The holes opened up by center Matthew Dillon and guard Casey Scott were textbook. The other Bryce Giddens-tutored Hawgs — tackles Khalil Collins and Jakari Byrd and guard Jamaal Jackson — have been coldly efficient all season as well.
If the Packers can use the extra week to mend and fine-tune, they could be in position to take advantage of what appears to be an advantageous first-round playoff game.
Colquitt will face Wheeler High, the No. 4 team from Region 5 at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15, at The Hawg Pen.
The fourth group of Wildcats the Packers will face this season are 2-8. Both wins were highly significant, however.
They came over Marietta and Cherokee, the two teams that Wheeler finished tied for fourth place in the final region standings.
Winning the tie-breaker earned Wheeler a trip to Moultrie where the Packers are 39-8 in home playoff games dating back to 1963.
The Cobb County Wildcats have scored 80 points fewer than they have surrendered and last won a region title in 2006.
They were 7-4 a year ago, but coach Bryan Love has been unable to get close to that mark this year.
When no one is looking, the Colquitt County staff has probably taken a peek at who the Packers might play in the second round if they dispatch Wheeler.
Colquitt would play the survivor of the game between 9-1 and No. 5-ranked Collins Hill and 5-5 Westlake.
Westlake is playing for new head coach Morris Mitchell. His first-year offensive coordinator is former Packer Quin Roberson.
Lowndes put the last two seasons’ losing record behind it and rode to a 9-1 record and second place in the region.
Its 38-35 loss to the Packers on a Brett Fitzgerald field goal as time expired is its only loss and it cost the Vikings a region title.
With some outstanding skill players, Lowndes will be a big favorite over North Paulding High of Dallas in the first round.
The Wolfpack is 6-4 overall and split its six region games.
Like Wheeler, North Paulding has given up more points than it has put on the board.
Valdosta was hobbled by significant injuries down the stretch and finished third in the region after Friday’s 10-point loss to Lowndes in the Winnersville Classic. The Wildcats have drawn Walton in the first round.
The Raiders are 7-3 overall and their only region loss was at the hands of undefeated North Cobb.
Walton has some weapons as shown by the 42 points it scored in each of its last two games.
The Raiders have their sights set on returning to the state championship game that they lost to Milton by a 31-21 score last December.
It Valdosta can send out a fully healed Todd Robinson to play quarterback, the Wildcats will be as good as any of the 32 teams that will open postseason play on Nov. 15.
Camden County, which stumbled down the final stretch of the regular season to finish fourth, will have to face 10-0 Region 5 champion North Cobb in Kennesaw.
The Warriors have scored 42 or more points in a game eight times this season, average 43.4 a game and are ranked No. 7 in the state.
They give up just 16.6 points per contest.