MOULTRIE — Colquitt County head coach Tim Cokely calls his team and Houston County, the team it will meet at 7:30 tonight at Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium, mirror images of each other.

Both are 1-5 overall and 0-2 in the region and both have had trouble offensively.

So much trouble, that both head coaches have abandoned what they are more comfortable with.

Cokely has long been a vertical passing proponent. This year, he has set his team up in the I-formation and tried to run the football.

Which is what George Collins, Houston’s first-year coach, would prefer doing.

But after graduating three outstanding runners off of last year’s team, Houston has found more success throwing the ball so far this season.

Neither team has had much success with doing what does not come naturally, but each could turn its season around with a victory tonight.

Houston has rushed for just 411 yards and two touchdowns after leading the region in rushing a year ago behind Eric O’Neal, D.J. Dodson and Martez King.

Garrick Davis is leading the Bears in rushing with just 169 yards on 52 carries.

So the Bears have turned to quarterback Jeff Thompson, a junior who started a year ago. He has completed 37-of-99 passes for 589 yards and three touchdowns, but has been intercepted seven times.

The Bears leading receiver is Craig Presley, who has 20 receptions for 327 yards and two touchdowns.

Thompson will take aim at Colquitt County defense that has been vulnerable to the pass at times this season.

The opposition has completed 61 percent of its passes and has thrown for seven touchdowns against the Packers this season. Colquitt has just two interceptions, both against Bainbridge sophomore quarterback James Hudson.

Last week, Coffee’s Burke Batten completed 8-of-11 passes for 80 yards and a 32-yard touchdown pass to Demario Bennett.

The Packers will try to stop the Bears with a defense that will have Donovan McGowen and L.J. Alonzo at the ends and Robert Fuller and Patrick Phillips at the tackles.