RICHMOND HILL - Colquitt County took care of business at Richmond Hill on Friday, but did not get any help and will have to go on the road to play Mill Creek in the first round of the state playoffs.
Despite defeating Richmond Hill 28-21 to finish with a 4-1 Region 1-6A record, the Packers finished in a three-way tie for first after Valdosta defeated Lowndes 23-14.
The determining factor was points allowed in games against the other teams that qualified for the playoffs.
The Packers gave up too many and slipped to third.
Richmond Hill finished fourth and will travel to meet 10-0 and Region 8-6A champion Buford in the first round.
The Wolves pounded Mill Creek 35-3 on Friday to claim the title, leaving the Hawks in second place.
On Friday, Packers did what they could do: beat Richmond Hill, then hope Lowndes found a way to knock off Valdosta in the Winnersville Classic.
Had the Vikings won, the Packers would have finished second and would be scheduling a first-round state playoff game for Nov. 14.
Lowndes did not cooperate.
It was the Vikings who dealt the Packers their lone region loss back on Sept. 25, by a 31-14 score.
The Packers have won their last four games, including an 18-17 victory over Valdosta, but it was not enough.
Mill Creek will take a 7-3 overall record into its home game against the Packers.
Colquitt will take the next two weeks to get ready to travel to Hoschton to face the Hawks.
"That was a big win," Packers coach Sean Calhoun said of what was the Packers fourth-straight win over Richmond Hill. "I'll take five more just like it."
But although the win kept the Packers from falling to No. 4 and having to travel to Buford, it was not the best played game of the season for the Packers, who finish the regular season 8-2.
"There were times we didn't play well," he said. "We had way too many penalties, stuff you just can't do and expect to win.
"It was too much of a roller coaster ... a lot of giant ups and downs. But we found a way."
The Packers took advantage of three crucial Richmond Hill turnovers, including two on the Wildcats final two possessions of the game.
They also turned the ball over late in the third quarter when a double-pass thrown by Nick Cameron was intercepted by Josh Alford.
The pick came after a big sack of Richmond Hill quarterback Gunner Mobley.
The Packers protected the football and got three touchdown passes from Cohen Lawson, including a 27-yarder to Antwan Lockett with 10:48 left in the game that put Colquitt up 28-14.
The touchdown was set up by a 26-yard Lawson-to-A'Zhiyen Alridge completion to the Wildcats 27.
The Lockett score was crucial when Mobley threw 24 yards for a touchdown to Cameron less than two minutes later.
An Alfonso McNeil fumble recovery and the Fuller interception with 46 seconds left clinched it.
Richmond Hill, which went into the game coming off back-to-back losses to Valdosta (41-0) and Lowndes (49-23), got an outstanding performance from Mobley, who completed 24-of-36 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns.
Eli Grant had 11 receptions for 122 yards.
But the Packers shut down the Wildcats running game, holding leading rusher Amire Miller to just 31 yards on 15 carries.
The Packers started quickly when, on the third play of the game, Lawson connected with Lockett on an 87-yard pass-and-run to the end zone.
The first of Josh Scroggins's four extra points put the Packers up 7-0 just 1:37 into the game.
Richmond Hill, playing before a large home crowd in its new stadium, tied the game with 2:10 left in the first quarter when Mobley connected with a wide-open Jack McGrath on a third-and-five from the Packers 37.
The Packers wrestled the lead back with 46 seconds left in the half when Lawson connected with Malik Walker in the end zone.
Colquitt led 14-7 at the half, but the Wildcats tied it 2 1/2 minutes in to the third quarter on a 28-yard pass from Mobley to D.J. Porter.
Jae Lamar, who carried the ball just three times in the first half, got the ball three times on the Packers first possession of the second half.
The third carry resulted in a 10-yard touchdown run around right end and the Packers were up 21-14.
They did not give up the lead.
They extended it on the second Lawson-to-Lockett touchdown pass of the fourth play of the fourth quarter and then held on for the win.