What can you take away from a high school preseason scrimmage game? Very little, no matter the outcome. Still, it was encouraging to see the new look Coffee Trojans hold their own against the defending state and national champion Colquitt County Packers Thursday night at Jardine Stadium. Colquitt slipped away with a 21-20 win in game delayed by a serious thunderstorm that rolled through near the beginning of the second quarter.
The Trojans, who are now running a high octane, no huddle air raid offense, looked solid on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Max Hughes and his stable of running backs and wide receivers played a good game against a tough opponent. While Colquitt had some big plays on the night, the defense also did a good job of keeping the potent Packers’ offense from running away with the game.
Colquitt put the first points on the board on a 32-yard touchdown about five minutes into the first quarter. After a couple of punts, the Trojans struck next and tied the game at seven after a three-yard Y’Darius Baker touchdown run with about eight minutes left in the second period. Jose Rodriguez’s point-after was good.
Then the bottom fell out of an angry sky at the stadium and officials halted play while the bad weather made its way through the area. When play resumed, both teams traded scores and went into the final minutes of the game tied at 14. Colquitt scored late to go up 21-14. Then with under two minutes left in the game, running back Demetrius Davis scored his second touchdown of the night to get the Trojans within one of the Packers. Head coach Robby Pruitt rolled the dice with his offense and opted to go for two instead of kicking the extra point. The two-point conversion was no good and Colquitt ran out the clock on its final possession to slip out of town with a 21-20 victory.
The Trojans open the regular season next Friday night in Statesboro at Paulson Stadium at the annual Erk Russell Classic. Coffee will square off at 8 p.m. against Effingham County.