Today’s interviewee is Wayne Grandy, retired sports editor for the Moultrie Observer. Grandy still covers high school sports part-time for the Observer, for which he’s had a presence for nearly 40 years. The press box at Colquitt County’s Mack Tharpe Stadium is named for Grandy, and he’s a member of the Colquitt County Sports Hall of Fame. Grandy will be covering tonight’s Valdosta-Colquitt County game at Tharpe Stadium.
Wayne Grandy, retired Moultrie Observer sports editor
1. What was the first Valdosta-Colquitt game that you covered, and which was the most memorable? "The first Colquitt County-Valdosta game I covered was in 1983. And I’ve been to every one since, except for the two games in 1985, when I worked for a brief time in Augusta. I wrote the game stories for most and sidebars for some others when I was working on the news side. One of the most memorable was the 1989 game at Valdosta when the crews from ABC-TV’s “20/20” news magazine was in attendance. The Packers won 7-0 on a Spinola Merritt touchdown run and two big goal-line stands, spoiling the big evening for the Wildcats. Valdosta did beat the Packers several weeks later in the region championship game. But perhaps the most memorable was the 1994 state championship game won by the Packers 23-10. It finished off the program’s first 15-0 season and first state championship. Colquitt beat the Wildcats twice that season and also beat them twice in 1997."
2. Tonight’s game marks the return of former Colquitt County coach Rush Propst, now Valdosta’s coach. How do you expect that he’ll be received? “Not sure what the reception will be. Most people here are big Packer fans. But Coach Propst was pretty popular, as you might expect with him producing a 119-35 record, two 15-0 seasons and five total trips to the state championship game. He beat Valdosta seven times in 11 games, including the last six times in a row. Many people felt that the school board was justified in letting him go. But there is still a group of Packer fans who felt like he got a raw deal. It was a very controversial decision to let him go, and there were a number of parents of Packer players who showed up at the school board hearing to support him and how he treated the players.”
3. How do you see the game playing out? “Valdosta will come in with experience and confidence to play a Packers team that was in a quarantine just two weeks ago. Hard to know what the Propst factor will be and how much effect it will have on his team. He has not been shy about voicing his opinion that he was not treated right here. Valdosta also is dealing with the Jake Garcia-GHSA saga. [The GHSA is investigating Garcia’s eligibility after his transfer from a school in California.] Don’t know how that will play out. The Packers also have some incentives, despite having limited preparation time. Alan Rodemaker, who was dismissed as Valdosta’s head coach before Propst was hired, is now Colquitt’s co-defensive coordinator, and I imagine he would like nothing better than to beat the Wildcats. Josh Crawford, who was the offensive coordinator under Rodemaker, is also back on the Packers staff. He served under Propst in Moultrie at one time. And Colquitt County head coach Justin Rogers certainly was not happy when three of his players left the Packers program to join Propst in Valdosta before this season. Two of them are starting, including receiver Tajh Sanders, an exciting, quality player. So Rogers is eager for a big win at home.”
4. What’s the state of Colquitt County football and expectations for this season? The team was ranked No. 3-6 in most polls, but most on reputation and consistency, not on returning players. “Colquitt came into this season having to replace not only Daijun Edwards, now at Georgia, but also quarterback Jaycee Harden, who threw 62 touchdown passes in his career, and four offensive linemen. Rogers was clearly looking forward to spring practice, summer 7-on-7s and padded camps and the scrimmage at Lee County to help get his inexperienced team ready for 2020. None of that happened, obviously. And then the team was hit with a couple quarantines because of virus. The Packers didn’t look bad against Banneker, but obviously that was not the kind of opposition the team will face starting on Friday. Colquitt does have what Rogers believes is a strong defense, especially a talented secondary and a big, veteran defensive line. He is hoping the defense will carry the team though to the start of the Region 1-7A part of the schedule. The schedule might work in the Packers favor, with the stoutest competition, after Valdosta, coming late when Camden County and Lowndes both come to Moultrie.”
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