Packers silence Rams with big plays

Published 11:08 pm Friday, September 21, 2018

LOGANVILLE, Ga. — Big game, big plays.

When the Packer defense took the vaunted Grayson High Ram offense out of the game, Ty Leggett’s fresh second-half legs took over the scoreboard. Leggett ran 14 times for 134 yards and two touchdowns as No. 1 Colquitt County High silenced the No. 3 Rams 26-14 at Grayson Community Stadium.

This televised showdown was full of the big play, from two Packer pass interceptions to a 98-yard kickoff return into the end zone to plays Grayson was able to make in the first half but abandoned them in the second.

For the game, Leggett had 134 total yards on the ground and Daijun Edwards rushed for 63 yards on 18 totes. Quarterback Jaycee Harden was a perfect 4-for-4 passing in the second half for 68 yards including a 50-yard strike to Ja’Naz Graves. This was after Harden missed on his last seven throws of the first half, three completions in all for 33 yards (give him 101 for the contest).

In fact, Colquitt amassed just 75 yards of offense in the first half, but Montavious Ponder did more than that on one kickoff return. He scored going 98 yards for six after Grayson’s Phil Mafah had a 31-yard touchdown run to give the Rams a 14-3 lead in the second period. This came at 2:29 until the break, but Grayson went into intermission up 14-10.

The home team took advantage of a lost fumble to get the game’s first points, a 35-yard touchdown pass from J’kori Jones to fullback Zach Bush.

In the second period, Camari Louis’ interception against Jones with a 59-yard return set up Ryan Fitzgerald’s 34-yard field goal. Fitzgerald had missed a 40-yarder earlier in the half.

Grayson ran for 67 yards and passed for 167 in the first half. That went down to 12 on the ground with only three running backs touching the football once each and 114 passing on just seven completions by Jones.

Fitzgerald capped off the initial drive of the third quarter putting through a 23-yard field goal. Leggett, behind an offensive front filling in a big missing piece, did the power run for 51 yards in that drive.

Cornerback Nyquan Washington, after good coverage plays in the first half, picked off Jones to end Grayson’s first drive. Harden hit Graves on the fly with possession back on the Ram 5-yard line, then Leggett scored his first TD from 2 yards out. There was 1:57 to go in the third, and the Packers were in front for the first time 19-14.

The first play of the fourth period was Leggett’s left-end run of 43 yards to the end zone.

Colquitt’s defense held to its season average of giving up no more than two scores in a game. Michael Roberts sacked Jones to punctuate his team’s 6-0 start.