How a tennis player became Colquitt County football’s ‘incredible story’
Playing football for the first time is difficult enough. Imagine trying it with the added pressure of filling big shoes — or cleats, rather.
Colquitt County’s Josh Scroggins, who hit a game-winning field goal against a Georgia powerhouse in his football debut, is doing just that.
The Packers needed a new kicker after graduating two of the best in Georgia high school history. Ryan and Brett Fitzgerald both hold state records for field goals made in a career, 50-plus-yard field goals made in a career, field goals made in a season and career extra points.
Ryan, the older brother, kicked for Florida State for five seasons before winning the starting kicker job for the Carolina Panthers last week. Brett, a two-time MaxPreps All-American, is a freshman kicker for Georgia Military College.
Scroggins had no plans to kick for the Packers until a few months ago. The Colquitt County tennis player’s path to starting for one of South Georgia’s top programs wasn’t exactly conventional.
Scroggins said he was joking around, leisurely kicking in front of Colquitt County’s PE teacher, who is also the football team’s special teams coach.
“I was in there just kicking around for fun,” Scroggins said. “He was like, ‘Hey, you should try it. Since the Fitzgeralds, they’re all gone.’”
Word got back to Colquitt County football coach Sean Calhoun, who was willing to try anything.
Scroggins kept training, teaching himself from online videos. But he also got help from the local legends who kicked before him.
“There was a little bit of YouTube, but a lot of it was the Fitzgeralds, honestly,” Scroggins said. “They were so helpful, and just being here and being around, kicking a lot on my own time.”
Scroggins knows he isn’t going to provide an NFL-caliber leg, but he’s also not worried about kicking in the Fitzgeralds’ shadow.
“I was just trying to be me,” Scroggins said. “I mean, I know I’m not them, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be them.”
His first time kicking in game action came on a big stage: a season opener against Benedictine, which made the quarterfinals in 2024, the semifinals in 2023 and won back-to-back state titles in 2022 and 2021.
Despite Benedictine’s best effort, Scroggins didn’t flinch when it came time to hit a game-winner.
“They iced him twice, two timeouts,” Calhoun said. “And I remember he was kind of walking back, and I looked at him, and he’s like, ‘Coach, I’m cool,’ as if he’s been kicking his whole life.”
Scroggins split the uprights as time expired to beat Benedictine, 27-24, on Aug. 15. He finished the game 3-for-3 on extra-point tries and 2-for-2 on field goals.
“I mean, those are the moments you dream of as a kid,” Scroggins said. “Yeah, I got a little bit mobbed. I got a little bit smacked in the head, smacked around, thrown around.”
Calhoun noted that Scroggins journey to that moment was an “incredible story.”
Scroggins could be a key piece for the Packers in a pivotal stretch of their season. Colquitt County is coming off a bye and will play three games in eight days.
Weather postponed Colquitt County’s Week 2 game against Monroe to next Tuesday. The Monroe game is sandwiched between Friday night’s trip to Lee County and a Sept. 19 game against Rickards out of Tallahassee, Florida.
Should any of those games get tight late, Calhoun has made it clear he’s confident in Scroggins.
“I wish we could have gotten in some kind of position to use his leg,” Calhoun said after a Week 3 loss to North Gwinnett. “We’ve just got to be able to get back in some positions to use his leg.”
About the Author
Jack Leo is a sports writer and reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Jack worked for the AJC throughout his four years studying journalism and sports media at Georgia State University and the University of Georgia. He's now focused on telling stories in the grassroots: bringing comprehensive coverage of high school sports for AJC Varsity.
