SCOUTING REPORT : by Wayne Grandy | photos by Connie Southwell
Colquitt County takes aim at a state championship
COLQUITT COUNTY PACKERS
Region 1-7A
SCOUTING REPORT : by Wayne Grandy | photos by Connie Southwell
Colquitt County takes aim at a state championship
MOULTRIE — MaxPreps has named Colquitt County as Georgia ’ s most dominant high school football program over the last 10 seasons .
The website that specializes in national coverage of high school sports notes that since 2013 , the Packers have won state championships in 2014 and 2015 and were the state runners-up in 2017 and 2018 .
Colquitt was ranked No . 2 nationally in 2015 ; No . 6 in 2014 ; and No . 14 in 2018 , when the Packers finished 14-1 , losing the state championship game by one point to Milton .
There is reason to believe that Colquitt County can continue the success it has enjoyed over the last 10 years , when it went a combined 113-21 .
After going 13-1 last year and returning a number of outstanding performers , especially on offense , the Packers head into the 2023 season ranked No . 11 nationally by National High School Football ; No . 18 in the High School Football America top 300 ; and No . 20 by MaxPreps .
Obviously , much can happen over the course of a long season to scramble expectations , but many believe the Packers have the potential to earn the program ’ s fourth state title and first since 2015 .
Nick Pace ( 19 ) led Colquitt County with 162 tackles last season as an inside linebacker . He has been moved to safety this year .
Carrollton , which eliminated the Packers 35-27 in the semifinals on Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium last December and finished as the state runner-up , also is likely to be in the running . And Buford will surely be in the hunt . But the Packers are talented and confident . And why not ? The varsity coaching staff , led by Sean Calhoun , returns intact to guide a talented roster .
Calhoun was a key offensive assistant on the Packers undefeated 2014 and 2015 state champions and led the Packers to 13 straight wins last fall .
With him on the sideline as an assistant and head coach , the Packers are a combined 43-1 .
The offense has enough skill position players coming back to perhaps challenge the school ’ s season scoring record of 700 points set in 2015 and the place-kicker is expected to be among the best in the state .
The Packers also will play seven of their 10 regular-season games in the Hawg Pen as they defend their Region1-7A championship .
The schedule will be a challenge , starting with a home game on Aug . 19 , against perennial South Carolina power Dutch Fork High of Irmo , which has won six state championships in the last seven years .
Lee County and Cedar Grove will have the potential to derail the Packers , as will region opponents Valdosta and Lowndes .
But everyone who lines up against the Packers this season better be prepared to have to slow down an experienced and explosive offense .
The Packers will be led by smallish , but strong-armed and nimble senior quarterback Neko Fann .
Last year ’ s region Offensive Player of the Year heads into his senior season having thrown for 4,782 yards and 59 touchdowns .
The school record is 70 touchdown passes , held by Chase Parrish , who led the Packers to state titles in 2014 and 2015 . Fann also averaged 9.9 yards rushing the football and scored six touchdowns last fall . Among his top targets are seniors who have already committed to two of the top programs in the country . Landen Thomas , the No . 1-ranked tight end in the country , has flipped his commitment from Georgia to Florida State .
The 6-foot-5 , 230-pounder caught 44 passes last year and has 83 in a career that started when he grabbed eight throws , including one for a touchdown , as a freshman in 2020 .
6 2023 SOUTH GEORGIA FOOTBALL