Corky Kell: Colquitt County Packers football preview

Legendary head coach Rush Propst is back again with another loaded Colquitt County team and will attempt to finally ‘tip the kettle’ and bring home a state title. Propst made a name for himself when he was the head coach for Hoover High School in Alabama and was thrust into the spotlight as ESPN followed his program during the TV series Two-A-Days.

Now already entering his seventh season at Colquitt County, Propst will look to capture that elusive GHSA state title. The Packers have done nearly everything in Propst’s tenure except capture the title. They have rolled to a 52-19 record in the past five seasons. Last season, the Packers bowed out in a defensive battle in the semifinals to fellow powerhouse Norcross 14-9. A Myles Autry 19-yard rushing touchdown put the game out of reach with about six minutes to go as the Packers could not muster up a scoring drive to win it.

The Packers were led by a hellacious defense and a great running game last year. Five players collected All-State honors including Sihiem King, who is now a senior. King rushed for 1,439 yards and 17 touchdowns his junior season. He will be counted on to do the same if the Packers are going to make 2014 their year. Daniel Mobley was the senior leader at quarterback last year and saw his career end with 2492 yards passing and 16 touchdowns; good enough to have him named Honorable Mention All-State by both the AP and Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Mobley’s favorite target was super sophomore Kiel Pollard. Pollard collected 48 catches and 813 yards for seven touchdowns last year. Pollard will now be a junior and will be relied upon to help out whoever gets the nod behind center. Fellow junio Chase Parrish saw limited action as Mobley’s backup and is assumed to be the favorite to start this season.

Last season the defense allowed roughly 12 points per game and was anchored by the men in the middle of the field. Rising juniors Bull Barge and Quintin Hampton were all-worldly last year as they were possibly the most feared defensive tandem in the state. Barge was a wrecking ball, gobbling up 196 tackles averaging an astounding 14 tackles per game.

Hampton however, was even better. Hampton was named All-State first-team for both the AP & AJC as he had 132 tackles, 32 for a loss, and corralled the opposing quarterback a whopping 19.5 times in 14 games. Even when Hampton wasn’t getting to the QB, he still recorded 43 hurries. The Central Florida commit, though a little undersized at 6-feet-0, will be a force to be reckoned with again this season. With their two top offensive players King and Pollard, along with their two best defenders Hampton and Barge all returning, this team will surely have a chance to go to the dome and win the Class AAAAAA crown as long as they find consistent quarterback play.