Packers tops Richmond Hill, will host Parkview to open playoffs (updated)

Nov. 4—MOULTRIE — For the second year in a row, Colquitt County easily defeated Richmond Hill to finish the regular season with a 10-0 record.

Now the Packers, also the Region 1-7A champions for the second straight year, will embark on a postseason that came up one win short of qualifying for the state championship game a year ago.

Ny Carr set the Packers record for career receiving yardage and Day'Shawn Brown rushed for three touchdowns as the Packers easily put away Richmond Hill 35-3 on Friday on Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium.

The Packers, who won the region championship by defeating Valdosta 44-28 last week, will be home to meet Parkview next Friday in the first round of the playoffs.

The Panthers, who lost to Grayson 41-14 on Friday, are the No. 4 team from Region 4.

Richmond Hill, too, has qualified for the postseason, thanks to a 37-14 win over Lowndes on Oct. 27.

Richmond Hill, 5-5 overall and 1-3 in the region, will be the No. 4 team and will travel to meet Region 4 champion Grayson.

Valdosta, which did not play on Friday, is Region 1's No. 2 team and will play host to Archer.

Camden County is Region 1's No. 3 team. The Wildcats will travel to play at Newton in the first round.

Lowndes, which lost 34-23 to Camden County on Friday to finish 4-6 overall and 0-4 in the region, will not make the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

The Packers will begin preparations for Parkview on Sunday, using Saturday to enjoy their region championship and perfect regular-season record.

"There aren't a whole lot of times in life when you can be perfect at something," said Packers coach Sean Calhoun, who is now 23-1 since returning to Moultrie last season.

"We found a way to be perfect in the regular season.

"Every play, every drive, every quarter was not perfect. But in football, it's when the clock strikes zeros and we found a way to make it perfect."

Calhoun and his team hope they are just two-thirds of the way through their season.

"This doesn't give us a state championship ring," he said. "We are going to start Sunday with the rest of the field of 32 who will be 0-0.

"Now we've got to find a way to be 1-0."

It wasn't too difficult to find a way to put away Richmond Hill, which was coming off its surprisingly easy win over Lowndes.

Despite trailing by 21-0 at the half and 35-0 at the end of three quarters, the Wildcats threw only 13 passes, completing six for just 77 yards.

Quarterback Kirk Scott ran the ball 11 times for 105 yards, but the rest of the Wildcats rushing game managed just 52 more against a quick and relentless Packers defense.

The Wildcats also misfired on two of their three field goal attempts.

A 46-yarder by Blake Williams with 8:02 left in the game served only to spoil the Packers shot at their first shutout of the season.

The Packers themselves got touchdown runs of 37, 21 and 64 yards by Brown and a 43-yard scoring burst by Ramsey Dennis.

The other Colquitt County score came on an 18-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Neko Fann to tight end Landen Thomas that gave the Packers a 21-0 halftime lead.

Despite snapping the ball just three times in the running-clock fourth quarter, the Packers rushed the ball for 239 yards and threw for 141.

Brown had 127 yards rushing on just five carries. Dennis added 85 on nine carries.

Richmond Hill finishes the season 5-5 overall and 1-3 in the region.

Carr went into the game on Friday needing just 23 receiving yards to become the Packers all-time leader in receiving yards and he needed just two plays to get them and a few more.

On the first offensive snap of the game, he gained 15 yards after grabbing a quick pass from Fann.

After an offside penalty on the Wildcats, Fann went right back to his favorite receiver and the 13-yard reception moved Carr past Kiel Pollard and to the top of the career yardage list.

After that second reception by Carr, the Packers needed only two more plays to get their first touchdown of the game.

A Fann keeper netted 10 and then Brown broke free for a 37-yard touchdown run.

The first of Brett Fitzgerald's five conversions put the Packers up 7-0 just 54 seconds in to the game.

Colquitt then squandered a chance to add to the lead when Ty Lamar picked off a Scott pass and ran it 41 yards to the Wildcats 14 with 5:35 left in the first quarter.

But the Packers managed just six yards on the next four plays and Fitzgerald missed a 30-yard field goal attempt.

Not much else went wrong for the Packers in their quick dismantling of the Richmond Hill.

After the Wildcats got off a dismal 9-yard punt, Fann threw to Zay Williams for 15 yards and Brown broke free again, getting to the end zone from 21 yards out and the lead was 14-0 with 1:30 left in the quarter.

The Wildcats drove to the Packers 19 on their next possession, but a 41-yard field goal attempt by Williams was wide left.

Colquitt then went 80 yards on just seven plays to add to its lead.

The drive included a 15-yard pass from Fann to Markese Wilson, an 18-yard Dennis run, a 13-yard Fann run and Fann's lob to the end zone that Thomas made a diving catch of to send the lead to 21-0 with 3:52 left in the half.

The Packers final possession of the first half ended with Aiden Grant's interception of a Fann pass.

Colquitt ensured the fourth quarter would be played with a running clock by getting touchdown runs of 43 yards by Dennis and 64 yards by Brown in the first 7 1/2 minutes of the third quarter.

Fann completed 11-of-17 passes for 141 yards and Carr and Wilson each had three catches.

Reserve seat ticket holders can purchase their seats for Friday's playoff game against Parkview from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6 through Wednesday, Nov. 8 at the Colquitt County High School athletic office.

On Thursday, Nov. 9, all reserved tickets that have not been purchased will go on sale to the public along with general admission tickets.

Reserved seat tickets will be $12 each.

General admission tickets will be available from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6 through Thursday, Nov. 9 and from 8 a.m.-noon on Friday, Nov. 10.

General admission tickets are $8.