MOULTRIE — Eleven seconds into Colquitt County’s season-opener against West High of Salt Lake City, Utah, on Friday, Packer fans received confirmation of what most had already suspected.

Special teams play is likely to be a key component of whatever success of the 2024 team has.

The Packers won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff.

The Panthers kickoff was not anything like the eight they themselves would be the recipents of.

It bounced high at the Packers 15-yard line where Colquitt County senior Jah’Boris Fuller cradled it, found a seam amidst the black and white jerseys in front of him, headed to the right sideline and sped 85 yards, all of them in front of the fans who had come 2,000 miles to witness the game, to the end zone.

What has become almost automatic for Packers quickly followed.

Chason Glenn made a perfect snap, Logan Morris put the football down and Brett Fitzgerald converted for the 178th time in his career.

But Fitzgerald was not finished.

Moments later, he put the ball on a tee on the Packers 40-yard line and proceeded to kick it deep into the Panthers end zone.

Fitzgerald put seven more kickoffs into the end zone, forcing the West offense to start on its 20-yard line, before his night’s work was complete.

And he also booted a 48-yard field goal, tying the length of the longest of his 36 career three-pointers.

The Packers had a couple ofspecial teams hiccups in the season-opener, but it is apparent that kick returns and another season with a No. 88 kicking off deep and putting place-kicks between the uprights will be a Colquitt County staple in 2024.

While Fitzgerald is a two-time high school All-American place-kicker, Fuller has quietly become a force for the Packers, both as a cornerback and, especially, returning kicks.

Colquitt County special teams coordinator Brian Simmons reminds folks that Fuller had three punt returns for touchdowns last year, although two were called back by penalties.

He took a punt back 53 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter of the scrimmage against Bainbridge earlier this month.

“He is special,” Simmons said. “He does a really good job and is completely fearless.”

Simmons said that on kickoff returns, the Packers try to create two seams and the return man picks one and hits it.

“He made a great choice and we had a lot of body-on-body blocking,” Simmons said. “The blockers did a good job.”

And Fuller’s special team’s toil was not done after the electric kickoff return.

After West scored a touchdown early in the second quarter, Fuller knifed across to block the extra-point attempt to further frustrate the Panthers, who were already down 24-6.

“We hope that will help strike some fear in our future opponents,” Simmons said. “Coach (Dextra) Polite has been working a lot with those guys on that.”

When Fitzgerald became the Packers kicker as a freshman in 2021, Colquitt County’s kicking records belonged to brother Ryan, now kicking at Florida State.

Last season, Brett became the school’s record-holder for career extra points.

His field goal against West was the 36th of his career. Ryan holds the school record of 51.

Brett now has 291 points, leaving him 33 behind Ryan’s record of 324.

The last two seasons, Brett was 128-for-130 in extra point attempts and 28-for-31 in field goal attempts.

“He just puts so much time and effort into his craft that nobody sees,” Simmons said.

And his preparation includes more than just the physical act of kicking.

There is film work and time spent in the weight room.

“He really works out hard,” Simmons said. “He has always been accurate, but now he is hitting the ball with much more power.”

Extra-point and field-goal attempts also rely on an accurate snap and a perfect hold.

Last year, Chason Glenn made the move from the soccer pitch to the gridiron and his dedication to his craft is paying off as well.

Rubio Long Snapping ranked Glenn No. 13 nationally and No. 1 in Georgia.

Simmons described Glenn as “chubby” before dedicating himself to bending over the football and sending it accurately to the holder.

“When he first came out, he was OK at best,” Simmons said of Glenn, who has grown to 6-foot-2 and about 220 pounds as his skills improved. “He’s been out there snapping every day and is so much better.”

He has an offer from Georgia Southern.

Eli Meads, last season’s holder, graduated and Logan Morris, who is the backup snapper, has become the holder.

Glenn and Morris have been working so that when the snap reaches the holder, he can place it down with the laces facing forward.

The three key pieces in the snapping operation for extra-point and field-goal attempts will be on display again on Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium at 7:30 p.m. Friday when Monroe High from Albany visits.

And speaking of Ryan Fitzgerald, he and his Florida State teammates are leaving Wednesday to fly to Dublin, Ireland, where they will meet Georgia Tech on Saturday in their season-opener. The game will be televised by ESPN at noon.

Former Packer Omar Daniels plays cornerback for Georgia Tech.