October 11, 2008 09:21 pm
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MOULTRIE — Tift County took away Colquitt County’s big-play makers on Friday at Brodie Field, but the Packers could not hem up their three-year nemesis enabling the Blue Devils to ease their way into playoff contention with a 37-20 Homecoming victory.
Eric Key, Region 1-AAAAA’s leading receiver, touched the ball just once from scrimmage, and although it resulted in a 7-yard touchdown pass from quarterback John Michael Harrison, it was far too little output.
True, Key grabbed what appeared to be a 77-yard touchdown pass from Harrison in the second quarter that was called back on a false start.
Had it held up, that touchdown would have broken a 7-7 tie and given the Packers the lead.
Instead, Colquitt punted two plays later, Tift County scored on its next possession and went on to lead 23-7 at the half.
The Packers also were unable to get the ball to receiver Quin Roberson, the region’s second-leading receiver, who did not have a catch.
Meanwhile, Tift County’s Jared Davis numbed the Packers for the third year in row.
Last year, in Tift’s 45-12 victory at Brodie Field, Davis ran a reverse for 17 yards and a first down and caught a pass for 10 yards to set up a field goal.
And two years ago, Davis scored a touchdown on a 12-yard pass from Sean Baxley with 23 seconds remaining in regulation to cap a 15-play, 60-yard drive that tied the game with the Packers 21-21.
The Blue Devils went on to win in overtime 38-35.
All Davis did Friday was grab five passes for 97 and two touchdowns. His final catch, though not as debilitating to the Packers as the two in which he was wide open for scores, was impressive in its way.
The little senior laid out and cradled the Malcolm Dixon pass for a 38-yard gain.
That catch led to a 2-yard Stevan Toomer run that helped Tift turn a possession that started with a Micah McCant interception of a Harrison pass into a touchdown and 20-7 second quarter lead.
Oh, and Davis also returned the second half kickoff 49 yards and had had three punt returns for 23 yards.
The Blue Devils went on to roll up 403 yards of offense, including 145 on the ground by Toomer, and 163 in the air by Dixon.
The Packers moved the ball well on their first and last possessions of the game, but in between managed just 81 yards.
The Packers were golden on that first drive, patiently marching 85 yards to a 15-yard touchdown run by Tevin King.
Harrison was 5-for-6 for 54 yards and King had another run of 13 yards in the drive that gave Colquitt a 7-0 lead with just 4:06 gone in the game.
But when the long, perfect pass from Harrison and Key was nullified by the yellow hankie lying just inside the sideline near the Tift County bench, the Packers deflated.
That possession ended in a punt, the next in an interception, and Colquitt turned the ball over on downs the next, and final, time it had the ball in the first half.
The Packers went to the break trailing 23-7 and Davis made sure they didn’t feel any better about themselves when he took the second half kickoff back to their 41.
Moments later, Toomer scored from 10 yards out and Tift led 30-7 just over two minutes into the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Colquitt County head coach Rush Propst gave Tyler Brown his most extended playing time of the season and the sophomore quarterback responded by driving his team 87 yards to a score.
Brown completed 7-of-10 passes for 86 yards in the drive, which he finished off with an 11-yard scoring pitch to King.
The Packers defense again was forced to play for long stretches and it showed.
The Blue Devils snapped the ball 70 times and posted 23 first downs.
Colquitt was unable to rush the football as it had the previous week against Valdosta, when it had 222 yards on the ground.
The Packers mustered just 41 against the Blue Devils, including only15 after their first possession.
The victory raises Tift County’s record to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the region.
Following Northside’s 17-14 victory over Coffee in Douglas on Friday, Northside, Coffee and Tift County are tied for second in the region 3-1 records.
Lowndes, which edged Valdosta 14-7, is alone atop the standings at 4-0.
The Blue Devils will be off this Friday and will face Northside on Thursday, Oct. 23, at McConnell-Talbert Stadium. Tift County finishes at home against Valdosta and at Coffee.
Colquitt County lost its fourth straight and is now 0-4 in the region and 3-4 overall. The Packers also will be off this Friday to try to prepare for the final three games of the season, which will be against the three Houston County teams: Warner Robins on Friday, Oct. 24; Houston County on Saturday, Nov. 1; and Northside on Friday, Nov. 7, at home.
PACKER NOTES: Harrison’s touchdown pass was his 15th of the season. He now has completed 113-of-220 for 1,426 yards. His second-quarter interception was just his second of the season.
Tift County receiver Jarrod Bateman was taken off the field on a stretcher early in the third quarter after hitting the wall of the field house after attempting to catch a pass in the end zone. It was reported that he suffered a sprained neck and shoulder and would be all right.
Former Packers quarterback and current Houston County head coach Greg Robinson scouted his alma mater on Friday and meet with a number of friends and former teammates from Colquitt County.
The Bears were off on Friday and will meet Warner Robins this Friday.
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