Benedictine will test
the Packers mettle

Published 7:15 pm Sunday, August 10, 2025

MOULTRIE – The last time Colquitt County lost a season-opening football game was in 2016 when, coming off their second straight 15-0 season, the Packers fell to Mill Creek 34-27 in the Georgia Dome.
One has to go back even further to find the last time the Packers lost their opener in front of the home fans.
That was 2010, when Class AA Cook came to Moultrie from Adel and beat Rush Propst’s third Packers team 15-9 in the Hawg Pen.
Those streaks will be put to the test on Friday when Benedictine Military School ventures west from Savannah to take on the Packers.
The Cadets are a top-5 team in Class 4A and boast four players who have committed to top Division I college programs.
Head coach Danny Britt has led Benedictine to four state championships and nine region titles since 2013.
And for those wondering why Colquitt County, coming off an 8-4 season, would want to schedule a team of Benedictine’s pedigree for its opener, Packers coach Sean Calhoun hears you.
“They are going to be tough, tough,” he said. “I definitely did not want to play a team of that calibre.
“But we needed a game and couldn’t find anybody and they needed a game and couldn’t find anybody. At least they have to come to Mack Tharpe Stadium.”
Calhoun has a 33-6 record over the last three seasons as the Packers head coach and has won the region championship each year.
His overall record, including five seasons at Carrollton and one at Vestavia Hills in Alabama, is 89-23.
Calhoun’s teams have traditionally counted on being able to throw the football often and successfully – until last year.
In 2024, the Packers threw for just 1,337 yards and 11 touchdowns.
But Colquitt was able to win a third-straight region title and reach the second round of the state Class 6A state playoffs with a trio of productive running backs: Day’Shawn Brown, Jae Lamar and Ramsey Dennis.
Lamar, playing just his first season of varsity football, was so impressive he became one of the nation’s most sought-after players.
He was ranked as the No. 11 senior running back in the country.
In June, he committed to Georgia.
The Bulldogs were impressed with his speed, which has been reported at 4.36 in the 40-yard dash.
He also averaged 7.9 yards on his 112 carries.
He will be the Packers featured back this season and his debut as RB1 will be against a Benedictine team that has two defensive linemen who also are among the nation’s most coveted.
LaDamion Guyton is a five-star junior edge rusher who recently committed to Texas Tech. Senior Kameron Cody is expected to head to Clemson.
The Packers will try to neutralize Guyton and Cody with an offensive front that has four new starters.
Only right guard Jamaal Jackson returns.
Starting left tackle Kaden Calhoun was a backup for the Packers last year, as was center Ethan Yingling.
Left guard Sawyer McCard played for Tift County. Right tackle Kavon Thomas played at Dougherty.
If they mesh, they have a chance to be special.
The Packers also are counting on improved play by quarterback Cohen Lawson, who started as a freshman last year.
Among his receivers will be junior Antwan Lockett, who also was a productive starter at Dougherty last year.
The Colquitt defense is expected to have its hands full attempting to rein in senior quarterback Stephen Cannon, who also has committed to Texas Tech.
He threw for 1,352 yards and 11 touchdowns last year before an injury in the seventh game cost him the rest of his junior season.
Cannon’s main target will again be Bubba Frazier, who has committed to Notre Dame after producing more than 1,300 yards of receiving and rushing offense last fall.
The Packers have several returning defensive linemen who hope to keep the pressure on Cannon.
A secondary that returns valued pass defenders Alfonso McNeil and Ry’Sheed Fuller will try to control Frazier.
If the Packers stall in the red zone, they will turn to first-year place-kicker Josh Scroggins, who is replacing four-year starter Brett Fitzgerald, one of the nation’s most successful high school seniors last year.
“This will be a very, very difficult Game 1,” said Calhoun. “We’ve got to play our best. And we’ll need every bullet in our magazine.”