Battle in Moultrie

Published 8:00 am Friday, November 5, 2010

Second place and a home playoff game will be on the line tonight, when the Valdosta Wildcats travel to Moultrie to face the Colquitt County Packers, in the latest chapter of South Georgia’s oldest high school football rivalry.

The Wildcats (8-1, 2-1 in Region 1-AAAAA) and the Packers (5-4, 2-1 in the region) will kick off at 7:30 p.m. at Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium.

Both teams know what’s on the line tonight. The winner will finish second in Region 1, and will host a first-round playoff game next week, while the loser will finish third in the region, and will have to travel to Savannah next week.

“The biggest thing at stake is a home playoff game. Everybody would like to be at home at least for that one game,” Valdosta head coach Rance Gillespie said. “Our senior class has not had the opportunity to do that, and we’ve got an opportunity now to have a home playoff game, and we’d like to be able to host the first round.”

On paper, it looks like a close, exciting matchup. Both teams are known for their prolific offenses. The Wildcats average 34.7 points per game, while the Packers average 34.8 points. If the two teams’ offenses play like they have for most of the season, there could be a lot of points going up on the scoreboard tonight.

“They keep so much pressure on you by scoring as many points as they do,” Gillespie said about the Packers. “If they can get a couple of stops on defense, they’ve got a chance to win.”

The last time Valdosta and Colquitt played in Moultrie, the Wildcats won 42-39. But last year, in Valdosta, Colquitt won a defensive battle, 14-7.

Gillespie admits that the Packers’ spread offense won’t be easy to stop. Quarterback Tyler Brown has thrown for 2,062 yards and 15 touchdowns, and has completed 69.7 percent of his passes. Brown’s favorite targets have been Tommy Hudson, who has 54 catches for 750 yards and seven touchdowns, and tight end Ty Smith, who has 23 catches for 222 yards and a touchdown.

“They are a very explosive offensive football team,” Gillespie said. “They’re a spread offense, so they’re going to throw the football some. No. 8 (Hudson) is kind of the deep threat. But 80 (Smith) is really a go-to guy for them also. And then the Brown kid, the quarterback, does a good job of managing their offense, and getting the ball to the right places. (He) just executes so well. That’s a big credit to him … He’s very accurate with all of his throws.”

Valdosta’s coach is particularly concerned with the Packers’ running backs. Tevin King has rushed for 1,009 yards, and has also caught 31 passes for 457 yards. He has scored 21 total touchdowns. D’Amonte Ridley has rushed for 544 yards and six touchdowns, and has caught 10 passes for 56 yards.

“They’ve got the two backs that everyone knows about, King and Ridley, and as a pair, they’re as good as anybody in the state,” Gillespie said. “The thing about them is they’re both really fast, (and) then they do such a good job of making you tackle … Both of them have the ability to make you miss, and both of them are strong enough to break a tackle. And both of them have great balance, and good moves. So they present a problem in themselves. They have good ball skills out of the backfield.

“They wouldn’t be doing what they’re doing without a really good offensive line. They’re pretty big up front. They’ve got the big tackle in (6-foot-7, 255-pound) Xzavier Ward that everybody knows about, and the (Bryce) Giddens kid that plays center is very talented.”

The Packers could line up in several different formations on defense tonight. Colquitt has allowed an average of 31 points a game, but Gillespie says the Packers’ defense has improved throughout the season.

“They’ve tweaked some things as the year’s gone along, both scheme-wise and personnel-wise, and they’ve gotten better and better each week,” Gillespie said.

Valdosta quarterback Ryan Whilden has thrown for 2,213 yards and 21 touchdowns this season. Malcolm Mitchell is the Wildcats’ leading receiver, with 55 catches for 1,061 yards and 10 touchdowns. Tight end Jay Rome has 30 catches for 342 yards and five touchdowns. Phillip Moore is the Wildcats’ leading rusher, with 577 yards rushing and eight touchdowns, and also has 11 catches for 56 yards and two touchdowns.

Valdosta’s defense is giving up 19.5 points per game. Colquitt head coach Rush Propst said that his offense would have to show some patience against the Wildcats’ defense.

“I just don’t think we’ll be able to run the football up and down the field,” Propst told The Moultrie Observer. “There are going to be nights when we don’t score on every possession. Especially this time of the year, when there is rain, wind, cold. We just can’t get frustrated. Some nights, we’ll just have to be happy if we can win 20-14 or 14-10.”

Propst said he was impressed with Valdosta’s front seven on defense, particularly linebackers Justin Williams, Jermaine Holmes and Jonathan Hester.

“Their strength is their linebackers. Their linebackers can play now. Their front seven is pretty salty,” Colquitt’s coach said.

What must Valdosta do to beat Colquitt?

“We’ve got to find a way to stop those two backs, and make sure that we get covered up on the back end, and that they don’t big play us in the passing game,” Gillespie said. “And we’ve got to put some points up, obviously, offensively, and try to protect ourselves … If we can establish the run game and control the tempo of the game, kind of make them chase us, then that’s what we want to do.”

Valdosta and Colquitt County have the oldest high school football rivalry in South Georgia. They played their first game in 1913 (a 7-7 tie), and have played each other nearly every year since then. Valdosta leads the series 67-24-4.