Colquitt County Football
Colquitt County coach Rush Propst said it best: “We might have bit off a little more than we can chew with our schedule.” The slate that the Packers face in 2013 will likely be the most difficult of any in Georgia.
Before the Packers dive into the daunting task of region play, they will play Grayson, Hoover (Ala.), Lovejoy and Carver-Columbus in nonregion games.
“The schedule is phenomenal, there’s no question about it,” said Propst.
Guiding the Packers through the challenging 2013 season is a strong defensive cast led by Ole Miss committed Jamiyus Pittman. Propst believes Pittman is one of the best defensive tackles in the state.
On offense, quarterback Daniel Mobley will be joined by Sihiem King in the backfield. In three starts last season Mobley was 68-of-103 passing for 1,014 yards and 10 touchdowns. Gabe Mobley is a versatile offensive lineman that committed to Georgia State this past July.
King will be one of the offense’s playmakers. He caught a 50-yard screen from Mobley in Colquitt County’s preseason scrimmage with Norcross.
“We are looking for Sihiem to really step up at running back this year,” said Propst.
Colquitt County fell victim to Region 7-AAAAAA teams twice last season. North Gwinnett pulled off a 16-14 win in the season opener, and Norcross topped the Packers 41-27 in the semifinals to end the season. Along the way, the Packers battled into the playoffs and handed Camden County its first region loss since 1999. The Packers have reached the semifinals or better in each of the past four seasons, and lost to all four eventual state champions in the process.
During the offseason Propst lost both of his coordinators with former offensive coordinator Jeff Hammond accepting a job at Foley (Ala.), and defensive coordinator Travis Pearson accepting a position at the University of South Alabama.
Propst promoted offensive line and strength coach Shawn Sutton to offensive coordinator and safeties coach Tracy Buckhannon to defensive coordinator.
“Personally, I like having new coordinators about every couple of years,” said Propst. “It’s always been a trend of mine. It sort of brings new energy to your program. That’s the way I look at it. I don’t look at it as a transition that much. I sort of like it.”
Despite possibly the state’s toughest schedule and attrition on the coaching staff, expect the Packers to be successful during their 100th football season.
Off the Field
Colquitt County is located in Moultrie, which is the third-largest city in southwest Georgia behind Thomasville and Albany. The school has an enrollment of 2,358 students and competes in Georgia’s highest classification in athletics. The nickname “Packers” came from the local Swift Packing Company, whose purchased the first set of football uniforms for the school. The Colquitt County Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) is recognized as an Honor Roll Chapter in Georgia, and participates in the community with events such as “Backpacks of Love” on Fridays. The FCCLA will sponsor a food pantry that is then sent out to those in need.
- Colquitt County High School has one of the largest Future Farmers of America programs in Georgia.
- The 50th Regiment Marching Band performed the opening ceremonies at the 2012 Daytona 500 in front of 100,000 people.
- The Packers captured the Class AAAAA state baseball title in 2003.
- On April 25, Colquitt County released blueprints of a new proposed state of the art school building that would be ready to house the students by fall semester in 2015.
- The A cappella group will sing for the Georgia Chambers Annual Luncheon in August as well as the Georgia School Board Association's meeting in December.
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