I remember the 2008 football season well. It was Rush Propst’s first as head coach of the Colquitt County Packers. (It was also the last time my home team, the Coffee Trojans, beat the Packers.) Propst barreled his way into Moultrie, bringing with him the kind of attention – both good and bad – that comes with being a celebrity. Many armchair coaches – and South Georgia is full of them – were skeptical of Propst and his tactics. “That Alabama stuff won’t work here,” some said. “You can’t throw it that much and win down here,” said others. The naysayers took Propst’s 4-6 inaugural campaign as proof that his wide-open, throw-first spread wouldn’t translate into wins in South Georgia’s toughest region.
Now, eight years, 85 wins, 31 playoff games, two consecutive state championships, and a national title later, Propst has proven that his methods not only work but are the blueprint for building the best public high school football program in the state. Saturday, Dec. 12, the Packers finished their second undefeated season in a row with another state championship. They defeated another unbeaten, the Roswell Hornets, 30-13 in the Georgia Dome to claim Colquitt County’s third ever title. A little over a week after winning the state championship, High School Football America released its final 2015 poll. And the Packers sat atop the rankings.
“It’s easy to lead this group because they’re such a class act. They’ve been chased all year. Last year, we were the ones doing the chasing. We were climbing that ladder, we were hungry, and we’d been denied. We had that door we were ready to kick down, which we did. This year, we were the bar, which we set high. To do what we just did is a remarkable thing. It’s something I’ve never done. To win 30 in a row in Georgia, in the competition this state has, is unbelievable,” said Coach Propst following the game.
The 2015 Packers set record after record after record, both as a team and as individuals, throughout the season. One of the most interesting milestones is the following: Colquitt County was the first team since 1971 to win a state title in Georgia with more passing yards than rushing yards. Maybe that Alabama stuff does work after all.
Early in the game, the Packers looked like they may have their hands full. The Hornets struck almost immediately. On the second play of the game, quarterback Quinarius Neely found wide receiver A.J. Smith for an 81-yard touchdown pass. The Hornets, who had a penchant for putting up a lot of points, were on the board first. With 11:14 left in the first quarter, Roswell was up 7-0.
The Packers remained unfazed and answered the Hornets’ challenge. Led by quarterback Chase Parrish, who had spent the first part of the week in the hospital battling a bacterial infection, Colquitt roared back. Parrish guided his offense on an 80-yard drive that ended when receiver Kiel Pollard took a direct snap and, thanks in large part to a lethal stiff-arm at the goal line, hopped one yard into the end zone. Luis Martinez’s point-after was good and Colquitt had knotted the score at seven with 8:56 left in the first quarter.
After forcing a Roswell punt, the Packers picked up where they left off, marching 56 yards to score again. Once more, Pollard took a direct snap at the one-yard line and found the end zone. After Martinez did his work, Colquitt held a 14-7 advantage.
The Packers would never trail again for the rest of the game.
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On their next possession, the Hornets breached the Colquitt County 20-yard line but could only muster a 20-yard field goal by Turner Barckhoff. Late in the first quarter, the Packers were holding on to a slim 14-10 lead.
Both teams traded punts during the first half of the second quarter. On the Packers’ fourth possession, they struck again. Roswell had backed Colquitt up to their own 24 after a good punt, and if the Packers were going to score, they would have to cover a lot of real estate to do so. Parrish and company, however, were up to the task. Once again, the Pack moved methodically and efficiently downfield. Parrish wrapped things up with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Ty Lee. It was his 40th touchdown pass of the season, the 70th of his career, and the touchdown set a new Georgia high school football scoring record. Martinez’s extra point was nothing more than a formality, and with 6:05 left in the half, the Packers were up 21-10.
Roswell attempted to answer, and did a good job of moving the ball. The Hornets drove inside the red zone once again. And that’s where the Colquitt defense stiffened. Roswell couldn’t make the most of its opportunities and had to settle for another field goal, this one from 20 yards. As halftime neared, Colquitt led 21-13. Those three points would be the last Roswell would score for the remainder of the game.
The first half statistics would tell an interesting story. Roswell had more total yards and a longer time of possession. Colquitt had more passing yards than rushing yards (210 to 59) and had more first downs (15 compared to nine) and third down conversions (three of six compared to just one of six) than Roswell.
During the second half, both defenses would toughen and keep each other out of the end zone. The Hornets couldn’t score and the Packers managed just three Luis Martinez field goals (31, 26, and 42 yards) as they increased their lead to 31-13. Martinez’s last field goal was the 34th of his career – another Georgia high school record. Parrish completed 28 of 39 passes for 306 yards and a touchdown. Pollard, Colquitt’s top receiver, scored twice on direct snaps and Lee, who finished the game as Colquitt’s leading rusher, caught Parrish’s lone touchdown pass.
Colquitt’s win over Roswell was the Packers’ 30th in a row. Neither of the teams that repeated as state titles in Georgia’s highest classification, the 2004 and 2005 Lowndes High Vikings and the 2008 and 2009 Camden Wildcats, did so with back-to-back unbeaten records.
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After the game, attention turned immediately to another of Propst’s goals – winning a national championship. At the moment, there is no avenue in place to declare a national high school football champion on the field. The national title remains a mythical one, determined by any one of the various national polls out there one decides to believe. “I think our body of work has been enough. We’re the best team in Georgia, we’ve definitely got the best program in the state. We’re one of the best teams in the United States of America,” said Coach Propst following the game.
When the smoke cleared, however, at least one national poll, placed the Colquitt County Packers at the number-one spot. High School Football America, which uses an entirely computer based ranking system, released its final poll of the 2015 football season on Dec. 20. After De La Salle defeated former number-one Corona Centennial in the California Open Division title game, HSFA’s computer gave the nod to the Packers. Coach Propst and the Pack can now add a national championship to their already impressive resume.
That 2008 season seems a distant memory now. Propst took that first losing season on the chin. Even though his 4-6 record was an improvement over Colquitt’s 2-8 2007 campaign, posting a losing record didn’t sit well with him. While the naysayers enjoyed their moment in the sun, Propst remained focused on building the Packers into a power. Now, all these years later, the naysayers are still there. They’re still voicing their opinions. If you listen closely, you’ll still hear them. But you’ll have try really hard to hear them over the cheers of the Colquitt faithful.
And those cheers are what winning two state titles, 30 games in a row, and a national championship will do for your program.
Special Feature/South Georgia/January 2015
Twice Is Oh So Nice: Packers Win Second Consecutive State Championship, Part of National Title
Robert Preston Jr.
Photography by Marque Milla Reese
