Packers flog Vikings to win region title

Published 12:29 am Saturday, November 3, 2018

MOULTRIE, Ga. — Colquitt County finished its dominating run through Region 1-7A on Friday, pounding Lowndes 40-6 on Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium to claim the league championship.

The Packers, the top-ranked team in Class 7A, won all three region games, while giving up just one offensive touchdown, and will open the state playoffs at 7:30 p.m. next Friday, back at The Mack.

The 10-0 Packers will play host to the No. 4 team from Region 4, expected to be Etowah.

Finishing first in the region also enables the Packers to host a second-round playoff game as well, if they can get by the first one.

The way its strangling defense is playing, the defending state runner-up Packers will be expected to make a deep run in the postseason.

In winning its three region games, the Packers gave up fumble return for a touchdown and a field goal in the 38-9 win against Camden County; a first-quarter touchdown run by Patrick Felton in the 45-7 victory against Tift County; and an 83-yard kickoff return for by Travis Tisdale in the lopsided win against Lowndes.

That’s 22 points surrendered in three games. Just six of those points were scored against a defense that held Lowndes — which scored 71 points in a victory against Valdosta earlier this season — to just 99 yards of total offense.

If there was any downside to the Packer victory, it was 11 penalties.

But the Packers had 432 yards of offense to more than offset the troubling infractions.

Despite the loss, Lowndes, 7-3 overall and 1-2 in the region, finishes second via the tiebreaker and will play host to a first-round game next Friday at Martin Stadium.

Camden County defeated Tift County 28-24 in Kingsland on Friday and will be the No. 3 seed.

Tift County drops to fourth, but will make the playoffs.

It is the first time in three years that Region 1’s No. 4 team has qualified for the postseason.

Lowndes will go into its Game 11 coming off its most anemic offensive performance in a while.

The Vikings managed just 93 net yards on the ground and completed 4-of-11 passes for six yards.

Three of the Vikings pass completions resulted in negative yards.

Tisdale, who had rushed for 1,390 yards — including 414 against Valdosta — managed just 66 yards and it took him 14 carries to get there. He had one second-quarter carry of 28 yards, but his longest other rushing attempt was for seven yards.

Part of the Vikings puny rushing statistics was the result of four Colquitt County sacks totaling 23 yards.

Oh, and Lowndes had just six first downs, only two in the second half.

It marked the second week in a row the Packers have mauled a region opponent in the second half.

Tift County managed just a lone yard of offense and no first downs in the final two quarters at Brodie Field the previous Friday night.

While the Packers defense was manhandling the Vikings, the Packers jumped out to a 24-0 lead before Tisdale bolted up the middle and outraced the Packers after taking a kickoff at his 17.

Colquitt had just scored on a 26-yard run by Daijun Edwards with 1:37 left in the half, but after the Packers were flagged for a personal foul on the extra point attempt, Ryan Fitzgerald had to kick off from his 25.

Even after Tisdale’s burst for the lone Lowndes touchdown, the Vikings were stopped on a 2-point run attempt.

Lowndes won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff and managed two first downs before being forced into the first of eight punts.

On the Packers third play after the punt, quarterback Jaycee Harden ran the keeper for 22 yards and a first down and then hit Lemeke Brockington with a 35-yard scoring pass and the Packers were off and running, and passing.

After a short Lowndes punt, the Packers needed only to drive 31 yards to their second touchdown, a 3-yard run by Ty Leggett and it was 14-0 Packers with 3:51 left in the first quarter.

Fitzgerald kicked the 40th field goal of his career, this one from 42 yards out, to put the Packers up 17-0 and close out Colquitt’s first possession of the second quarter.

Lowndes got the 28-yard run by Tisdale on its next possession, but it was for naught, as the Vikings punted again.

After another Lowndes punt later in the second quarter, employed a flea-flicker, with Harden handing the ball off, then getting it back and throwing a 36-yard completion to KT Wilson.

On the next play, Edwards busted loose for his touchdown run. Fitzgerald’s third extra point put the Packers up 24-0.

Colquitt took the second-half kickoff and drove 80 yards in 13 plays to take a 31-6 lead on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Harden to Marvion McDonald.

On the second play of the fourth quarter, the Packers dusted off another trick play.

Harden gave the ball to Edwards, who flipped it to McDonald in what looked like a reverse.

But McDonald pulled up and threw the ball to a wide-open Harden who took it to the end zone.

Fitzgerald’s conversion put the Packers up 37-6 with 11:47 remaining.

Fitzgerald tacked on the final three points with a 35-yard field goal with 2:13 remaining.

The Packers rushed for 198 yards with Edwards getting 96 on 11 carries; Leggett, 56 on 11 carries; Harden 31 on three attempts; and Bubba Spradley, 14 yards on five.

Harden was efficient, completing 16 of 24 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns.

McDonald completed his only pass for the Packers final touchdown.

McDonald also was the Packers leading receiver with four catches for 55 yards. Brockington caught four for 54 and Leggett had three for 33 yards.

Eight Packers had pass receptions.