VALDOSTA —
MOULTRIE — The Valdosta freshman football team rushed for 202 yards, and took advantage of four Colquitt County turnovers to defeat the ninth-grade Packers 21-12 on Tuesday at Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium.
Malcolm Joseph ran for 177 yards on 12 carries, and Nelson Herring added 51 more for the Wildcats, who spotted the Packers a 6-0 lead.
But after the Packers scored in the second quarter on a 27-yard pass from Mack Hathcock to Kenji Thompson, the Wildcats ran off 21 unanswered points and went on to win their season-opener.
“We just didn’t tackle anybody,” said Colquitt County ninth grade coach Earl Jefferson. “We were just trying to catch them.”
The Packers lost a pair of fumbles and threw two interceptions.
“Stuff like that hurts,” Jefferson said. “Valdosta has no business coming here and winning this football game.”
After the Packers scored on the Hathcock-to-Thompson pass on the second play of the second quarter, Valdosta drove 81 yards to tie the game on a 21-yard run by Herring.
The Wildcats took the lead for good on a 2-point conversion pass.
Valdosta led 8-6 at the half, and in the third quarter, added a touchdown on a 29-yard pass from quarterback Mack Loudermilk to Devontay Parrish. Dale Kent’s extra point put Valdosta up 15-6.
Colquitt then fumbled away the ensuing kickoff return, and four plays later, Joseph ran 46 yards for a touchdown to extend the Wildcats’ lead to 21-6 with 5:50 left in the third quarter.
Maleek Lewis scored a 19-yard touchdown with 3:29 left in the quarter, but that was all the Packers could manage.
Loudermilk completed 7-of-10 passes for 83 yards and one touchdown, and also threw an interception.
Colquitt County quarterback Daniel Mobley was 12-for-27 for 143 yards with two interceptions.
Hathcock completed his only attempt for 27 yards and a score.
Dequion Williams was the Packers’ leading rusher with 42 yards on nine carries.
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