Unbeaten Packers to play host to Lowndes on Senior Night

Oct. 18—MOULTRIE — Two of Rush Propst's top offensive coaches on the 15-0 and state champion 2014 Colquitt County football team were Sean Calhoun and Zach Grage.

Although Grage got his first head coaching job the next year and Calhoun got his first the year after, it would have been difficult to image that eight years later they would find themselves on opposing sidelines in a key Region 1-7A game.

Calhoun, at Colquitt County, and Grage, at Lowndes, are in their first seasons at their respective schools and both have their teams ranked in the top-10 in Class 7A as they prepare their teams meet at 7:30 p.m. on Friday on Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium.

Grage has coached one year at Gilmer County and the last six at Thomasville and has a 62-33 career record.

The Bulldogs lost the Class AA state championship game to Fitzgerald last season.

Calhoun coached five years at Carrollton and one at Vestavia Hills in Alabama before returning to Moultrie. His career record is 63-18, including a 7-0 start and a No. 2 ranking with the Packers this season.

Lowndes is 4-3 but has been impressive enough, especially in its 24-14 win over then-No. 2 ranked Grayson, that the Vikings are ranked No. 8.

Their record also includes losses to American Heritage, 38-20; East Coweta, 49-34; and Valdosta, 13-6 in the region-opening Winnersville Classic two weeks ago.

Calhoun says he does not put much stock in the Vikings' record.

"We know when we play Lowndes, records don't mean anything," he said Monday. "We know we'll get their best shot.

"And they are a good football team. You can see it on film. When they play good football, they are one of the best teams in the state, in my opinion."

Lowndes holds a 29-27 advantage in the meetings between Moultrie/Colquitt County and Lowndes dating back to 1968.

The two teams have split the last six meetings, but last year at Martin Stadium the Vikings defeated Colquitt 52-31, a number the Packers have posted conspicuously to remind them of how they fared the last time the two teams squared off.

Jamey DuBose was the Lowndes head coach the last two years, but resigned over the winter to return to Alabama.

Grage jumped at the chance to return to the state's highest classification.

The former baseball coach and offensive coordinator at Richmond Hill, Grage was brought by Propst in 2009 to Moultrie where he worked with the ninth-grade team and the varsity quarterbacks for two years.

He coached the running backs the next four seasons and also was the strength and conditioning coordinator in 2014.

His Lowndes staff includes four former Packers, including Ashley Anders, the Vikings' defensive coordinator, and Buck Hanson who were on Justin Rogers's Colquitt County staff last year.

Shawn Sutton, a longtime Propst associate and former Packer assistant, is coaching the Vikings quarterbacks and is the offensive coordinator.

Daniel Brinson, who played for the Packers and at LaGrange College, is helping Hanson with the offensive line.

Grage brought his 2018 and 2019 Thomasville teams to Moultrie where they were pounded 50-3 and 45-3.

Viking Nation would not be pleased with a score similar to either of those on Friday as Moultrie/Colquitt County High tries to notch its 700th win.

Four-year starting quarterback Jacurri Brown, an All-State selection, who bedeviled opposing defenses with his accurate passing and hard running has at last graduated.

Replacing him is Marvis Parrish a sophomore that Calhoun has seen mature on film over the first seven games.

Parrish has completed 75-of-131 passes for 802 yards and four touchdowns.

He also is the Vikings leading rusher with 108 carries for 444 yards at 11 touchdowns.

"You can see each week he is getting better," Calhoun said. "They are doing more stuff with him. and he is really a good athlete."

Junior Jacarre Fleming is back as the primary ball carrier. He has 346 yards on 80 carries and has scored six times.

Leading receiver Kevis Thomas has 15 catches for 325 yards and two scores.

"The quarterback and running back are really dynamic with the ball in their hands," Calhoun said. "They'll be hard to tackle. and they've got a receiver who's hard to tackle. We have got to get them to the ground."

The Lowndes defense is fast and athletic and has not given up many big plays.

Calhoun said the team switched its defense after the loss at East Coweta.

"They are more 'base' now, not as many moving parts," he said. "They got back to fundamentals. They are playing a lot better."

So are the Packers.

Last week's 49-21 victory over Camden County was instructive.

When the Colquitt offense is thriving, as it clearly was in the first 24 minutes, the Packers will be hard to beat.

Especially with a defense that is perhaps playing better than many expected.

Charlie Pace is coming off his second career four-touchdown effort and he leads Region 1-7A in rushing with 821 yards on 86 carries and 11 scores.

Junior quarterback Neko Fann looked as comfortable as he has all season and shredded the Wildcats, completing 17-of-22 passes for 270 yards and two scores.

He has hit on 90 of his 141 passes for 1,171 yards and 12 touchdowns.

The Packers receiving corps is extraordinarily deep.

Junior Za'Mari Williams is quietly leading the team with 23 receptions for 231 yards and three touchdowns.

Tight end Landen Thomas has 22 catches for 430 yards and four touchdowns.

Ny Carr got his first touchdown reception last week. Even with 21 catches for 285 yards, Carr looks poised to become even more of a threat.

Fann also has thrown touchdown passes to Pace, Landon Griffin and Jaden Fowler.

The Packers are averaging 39 points in seven games that includes one in which the team only played two quarters.

It helps that the Packers are getting some serious work in the trenches from center Jay'Den Williams, guards Cole Holmes and Ja'Nas Daniels and tackles Keshaun Palmore and Ja'Quavian "Turk" Daniels.

In the win over Camden County, the Packers held the wing-T at bay and kept the big plays to a minimum.

The defensive front of Tyshon Reed Jr., Julian Harper and Amari Wilson more than held its own against the Wildcats.

Inside linebackers Kamal Bonner and Nick Pace and outside backers Daveon Hunt and Qway McCoy played aggressively and well.

The secondary of cornerbacks Carlos Moore and Raheim McBride and safeties Lyric Thomas and Jack Luttrell was targeted just six times, but their run support was crucial.

Nick Pace leads the Packers with 80 tackles. Bonner has 57 and Hunt has 46.

Lyric Thomas has a team-leading three interceptions.

Calhoun indicated the Packers were planning to sharpen up their kickoffs, but otherwise the special teams have been exceptional.

Brett Fitzgerald has converted 28 extra-point attempts and all six of his field goal attempts, the longest of which has been 44 yards.

Luttrell has not had many opportunities to punt the football and the Packers are hoping he will get more opportunities to field opposition punts this week.

Will Tapscott has been steady with both his long and short snaps and Eli Meads continues to have soft hands.

The Packers are likely to need peak performance from their offense, defense and special teams to hold off the Vikings.

"I'm telling my kids it's going to be a four-quarter war," Calhoun said. "(Lowndes) will have some things up their sleeve. But it's all about execution and who makes plays.

"At the end of the game, I'm hoping we've made more plays than they have."