MOULTRIE —
Three of the four Region 1-AAAAAA teams that were in action last weekend opened with victories, with newcomer Camden County and Coffee under new coach Robby Pruitt especially impressive.
Camden routed Peachtree Ridge in the fourth game of the Corky Kell Classic 42-0 on Saturday and Coffee pounded Whitewater 41-7 in Fayetteville on Friday.
Brunswick, which joined Region 1-AAAAAA with Camden County this year, also won its opening game, defeating Wayne County 16-13 in the first Erk Russell Classic at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro.
Only Colquitt County dropped its opener, falling to North Gwinnett 16-14 in the Corky Kell Classic when Michael DeAngola hit a 33-yard field goal at time expired.
The Packers completed just 12-of-28 passes and were intercepted twice and were flagged for 14 penalties resulting in the loss of 95 yards.
Colquitt County will travel to play Thomas County Central on Friday.
Camden’s impressive performance combined with Colquitt County’s loss to North Gwinnett vaulted the Wildcats to No. 2 in the AJC-Georgia High School Football Daily Class AAAAAA poll, with the Packers falling to No. 7.
The Wildcats scored touchdowns on two of their first three possessions and led 21-0 at the half.
Antonio Wimbush scored from the 2 and Jacob Johnson ran in from the 19 as Camden led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Brice Ramsey threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to J.J. Green with 8:02 left in the half and the Wildcats went into the break leading by three touchdowns
In the third quarter, Kalvarez Bessent returned an interception 48 yards for a touchdown and Ramsey, who has committed to Georgia, threw two more touchdown passes, hitting Conner Lockhart from 8 yards out and Marcus Jordan from 61.
Ramsey completed 6-for-8 passes for 132 yards and three touchdowns.
Green, who also is headed to Georgia, carried eight times for 89 yards as Camden County finished with 366 yards of offense.
The Wildcat offensive production was especially impressive considering Peachtree Ridge returned its front seven on defense.
Camden will play host to Vanguard (Fla.) High on Friday.
Coffee served notice that it could be a team to deal with after its season-opening victory over Whitewater.
The Trojans rolled up 405 yards of offense and took advantage of several Whitewater miscues.
Trojans quarterback Keegan McGovern completed 8-of-13 passes for 111 yards and a 41-yard scoring toss to George Johnson.
Timareion Simmons rushed for 67 yards on 10 carries and Johnson had 63 on nine attempts.
Coffee also got touchdowns from Tyree Paulk, on a 13-yard run; Johnson, on a 1-yard run; Santory Long, on an 8-yard run; Orlando Ingram, on a 34-yard run; and Tavish Douglas on 36-yard run.
The only points for the Region 4-AAAAA Wildcats came on a 24-yard second-quarter field goal by Austin Barnard.
The victory was the 294th in Pruitt’s long career, which includes seven state championships in Florida.
Lowndes, Tift County and Valdosta will open their seasons this weekend
The Vikings will play host to Luella and Tift County will go to Westover in Friday games.
On Saturday, Valdosta will meet North Augusta (S.C.) at North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee.
Local Sports
Region 1-AAAAAA roundup
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Sending the Blazers off
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All-Region teams announced
Lowndes was one win away from a trip to the Class AAAAAA state semifinals, and the success by the Vikings this season showed when the All-Region 1 baseball teams were announced Monday.
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Lowndes tennis dominates
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Banks Lake Youth Fishing Derby a success
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Valdosta's Alakulppi ties for 2nd at state
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Brooks County's Parrish in Rivals Top 100
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Summer camp information
VSU baseball camp coming soon
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Prince Automotive donates new baseball equipment
Prince Automotive of Valdosta is supporting the Valdosta community through its partnership with the Valdosta/Lowndes County Recreation Department. The dealership has joined forces with the national Chevrolet Youth Baseball program to provide new equipment, instructional clinics, and a monetary donation.
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Needmore holds final races before big Memorial Day weekend
Saturday night racing at Needmore Speedway saw some new faces in victory lane.
That wasn’t the case in the Late Model division, as Valdosta's Gene Ross drove to victory once again, but not without some close competition from Steven Roberts who came in second.
In the Limited Late Model class, it was another win for Cole Exum, with Gene Maine finishing second in the NAPA Auto Parts special. -
VSU softball wins South Region, headed to nationals
For the third time in four years, and second in a row, Valdosta State’s softball team will play in the national championship tournament.
The Blazers won their third South Region championship Saturday, beating Alabama-Huntsville 8-3 in game three of the best-of-three series at Steel’s Diamond at Blazer Park. - More Local Sports Headlines
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