Montavious Ponder, shown with his first touchdown reception from last Friday’s Colquitt County home win against Trinity Christian Academy, appreciates all six times he’s scored a touchdown for the Packers.

MOULTRIE – He may be only 5-foot-5, but he’s no Rudy.

Montavious Ponder has provided a lot more than ‘nothing’ to Colquitt County High football the last two years. He’s the only current Packer who can say he’s crossed the goal line running the football, returning a kick and catching a pass.

Ponder knows, with the quality of receivers and running backs on the Colquitt roster, his chances with the football are rare, so he’s determined each time to make the most of them.

All three of the senior Ponder’s receptions in 2019 resulted in touchdowns. He went into this season without a score in that category, but that was taken care of at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Quarterback Jaycee Harden fired the football downfield to Ponder, who was on the fly and scored from 52 yards away. The Packers defeated North Gwinnett 17-6.

That moment, Ponder doing a little high-step into the end zone, was captured in a Connie Southwell picture that accompanied follow-up coverage in The Moultrie Observer. On Tuesday, Ponder received a special gift, that pose carved in wood and painted to show uniform colors and numbers.

“It came from my former teacher at Willie J. (Williams Middle School),” said Ponder. “He just said it made him happy. When I saw him the day he brought it, it really shocked me. It just brings back memories of the first game.

“Every chance I get, I have to make a play. I don’t get that many chances. That’s nice, that little pose.”

If you don’t take Ponder’s speed and shifty abilities seriously, you can find a game that was in your favor completely turned around. Grayson High found that out on its home turf in 2018. The Rams, hosting the Packers in a state-wide televised showdown of powerhouses, were in control 14-0 late in the first half. The ensuing kickoff to Colquitt County went into Ponder’s hands, and he proceeded to make some school history.

Ponder remembered getting ready for the return and going around to others on the unit telling them to believe in him.

“I told them I’m fixing to go six right here if I get it,” he said. “I just had to make a big play for the team. Once I busted out of the hole, I couldn’t get caught … so I just kept running.”

The Packers are on the scoreboard with less than three minutes before halftime. They went on to dominate the second half and win 26-14.

“I still look back to that day. People still talk about that play,” said Ponder. “It really excites me, excites my mom and the community. I’m the shortest man on the field, so who knows.”

Oh, and that return covered 98 yards. It’s his first career touchdown on special teams, and as far as anyone knows, that is a Colquitt school record.

“That gives me more confidence in what I can do,” said Ponder.

He might be No. 1 and No. 2 when it comes to kickoff returns. On Sept. 13, in a wild contest with rival Valdosta High at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium, Ponder returned a second-half kickoff 96 yards for a tying touchdown (35-35).

“I had a strong mindset right there,” he said. “Once (a defender) had a hand on me, I told him to get off me. That was a big game … so I had to make a big play then. I had to make something happen. That was a game of big plays. They had to make a big play; we had to make a big play.”

Then there’s Ponder’s career game from last weekend, this time on Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium. He caught two passes from Harden, both for touchdowns totaling 78 yards, as Colquitt rolled past Trinity Christian Academy of Jacksonville 45-6.

On the first touchdown, Ponder was well defended, and he said at every practice they work on catching the football on the outside shoulder with the cornerback pressed in tight.

“First, I have to give it up to the offensive line for protecting the quarterback, to give him a chance to throw the ball,” said Ponder.

Next, Ponder motioned right to left and was wide open in the left flat.

“They didn’t know what to do,” said Ponder about the Conqueror secondary with two Division I committed cornerbacks. “I was too quick around the corner. I made that little stutter step. That was nice.

“I’m not a Division I guy. I’m Division II. I love competition. On that first deep ball, I knew I was going to score. Me and Jaycee communicate. I was like ‘Trust me.’ We communicate. We have a good quarterback.”

He said that planning also worked in their connection against North Gwinnett. Ponder’s actually scored two touchdowns at Mercedes-Benz. His first career 6 was as a running back late in the 2018 Corky Kell Classic, a 41-7 win against McEachern.

So who coaches Ponder: Troy Hobbs – both special teams coordinator and receivers coach – or David Hill, also a receivers coach? Both.

“They teach good technique,” said Ponder. “That’s probably the best receiving coaches I’ve had.”

Looking at yardage, Ponder had 459 kick return yards in 2018 and 193 so far in 2019. He had 30 yards receiving coming into this season; that number’s at 160. The only thing he’s done consistently since his sophomore year is return punts, and he has 201 yards there.

“I really want to go to a Division II school,” said Ponder pondering his football future. “That’s where I fit. I want to go to school to be a return specialist. If they need me in the slot in college, I will do it.”

While the one called ‘Tay-Tay’ literally looks up to most Packers past and present, he picked one of the all-time all-purpose bests as a personal role model. He took the number (23) of Ty Lee, who is setting his own records at Middle Tennessee State.

“He was short, but not short like me, about 5-8, 5-9,” said Ponder. “He was making moves, and as a little kid I was watching him. That stop move I did on the wheel route, I stole that from him.”