MOULTRIE — Two former Colquitt County football players caught touchdown passes in their season-openers last week.
Auburn starting tight end John Samuel Shenker had two pass receptions for 25 yards in the Tigers 42-16 victory over Mercer, including one on a 2-yard pass from quarterback T.J. Finley for a score.
Shenker, a sixth-year senior, and the Tigers will be home again this Saturday to play host to San Jose State.
Orion Bonnera sophomore at Glenville (W.Va.) State, had two catches for 68 yards and a touchdown in the Pioneers 44-15 win over Quincy University last Thursday.
Glenville State will play at Concord University this week.
Another former Packers receiver, Lemeke Brockingtongot his first collegiate pass reception in Minnesota’s 38-0 season-opening win over New Mexico State.
The Golden Gophers will play at home Saturday against Western Illinois, where former Packer and Valdosta Wildcat Tajh Sanders is playing receiver.
Of this and that:
• Ryan Fitzgerald converted after all three Florida State touchdowns and kicked a 25-yard field goal in the Seminoles’ improbable 24-23 win over LSU Sunday night in New Orleans.
Jay Ward had eight tackles for LSU, which missed a chance to send the game into overtime when it was unable to convert an extra point attempt with no time on the clock.
LSU will play Southern University on Saturday at home.
Florida State will be off until Sept. 16, when it travels to play Louisville.
• Will Rykardwho is on the Rimington Award watch list for the nation’s best center, started for UAB in the Blazers’ 59-0 win over Alabama A&M.
UAB play at Liberty on Saturday.
• Ty French started at defensive end for Gardner-Webb in the Bulldogs’ 56-21 win over Limestone. French had two solo and one assisted tackle.
The Bulldogs will play next Saturday at Coastal Carolina.
• Daijun Edwards had 24 yards on four carries, including one for 10 yards, in Georgia’s 49-3 romp over Oregon.
The Bulldogs will play host to Samford on Saturday.
• Senior Dee Walker started at linebacker for Texas A&M-Commerce in its 52-7 win over Lincoln (Calif.).
Walker had one solo and four assisted tackles, including a half-tackle for loss for the Lions, who will play this Saturday at Tennessee Tech, which features former Packers defensive back Nyquan Washington.
• Offensive lineman Kamaar Bell and tight end Carter Boatwright both started for Florida Atlantic in a 41-38 loss at Ohio last week.
The Owls, now 1-1, will be at home to face Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday.
• Zy Brockington was credited with two assisted tackles and a quarterback hurry in Memphis’ 49-23 loss at Mississippi State.
The 0-1 Tigers will travel to play Navy on Saturday.
Thirty former Packers are listed on the rosters of college football teams.
• Former Colquitt County and Arkansas defensive lineman TJ Smithwho got into a game for the Minnesota Vikings last season, was waived by the Vikings on Aug. 30, but was signed to the NFL team’s practice squad the next day.
• Cam Erving is listed as the backup offensive right tackle for the Carolina Panthers.
• Former Colquitt County head coach Justin Rogers has his first Thomas County Central football team off to a 3-0 start after a 35-14 win over Bainbridge, ranked No. 5 in 4A, last Friday. The Yellow Jackets will be off Friday before playing host to Tallahassee’s Chiles High on Sept. 16.
Thomas County Central has not had a winning record since 2016, but still faces a difficult Region 1-6A schedule that includes Lee County, Houston County, Veterans and Northside-Warner Robins, which are currently a combined 9-1.
The three victories raise Rogers’s overall head coaching record to 74-22. He was 26-7 at Colquitt County from 2019-2021.
• Jeff Hammondwho served two tours as an offensive assistant at Colquitt County, has his first Worth County team off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2004 after a 56-33 win over Upson-Lee last week.
The Rams will be back in Sylvester to play host to 0-2 Central Macon on Friday.
• Cook, under first-year coach Byron Slackwho was Colquitt County’s defensive coordinator last year, is 2-1 after defeating reigning Class A-Public state champion Brooks County 32-28 last Friday.
Brooks, ranked No. 2 in Class A, defeated Cook 42-20 last season.
The Hornets will be home on Friday to face Clinch County.
• Head coach Robert Craft’s North Forsyth team raised its record to 2-1 last week with a 28-24 win over West Forsyth.
The Raiders will travel to play 0-3 Creekview on Friday.
• Westlake, under coach Rico Zackery, lost to Cedar Grove 30-20, last Friday to fall to 1-2.
The Lions will be home to meet Southwest DeKalb.
Cedar Grove, which will come to Moultrie to meet the Packers on Sept. 23, will face 2-0 and defending Class 7A state champion Collins Hill on Friday.
The Saints also are 2-0.
• Keith and Ashley Blalock have competed in a number of recent pickleball tournaments.
The two went undefeated in the 3.5 19-39 division of the Happy Together Tournament held recently in Hiawassee.
Keith and Garry Chalmers of Punta Gorda, Fla., went 6-1 in the 19-39 men’s doubles division and took the bronze medal.
In the Beat the Heat tournament in Columbus, Keith and Ashley played in the 14-team 3.5 18+ mixed doubles division and went undefeated.
Ashley and Heidi Gonzalez of Valdosta took gold in the seven-team 3.5 18+ women’s doubles division.
Keith and Ashley took bronze in the July 30 GPA Joola Indoor State Championships 3.5 15+ division.
Keith and Nayan were undefeated and took the gold medal in 3.5 mens 15+.
Ashley and Jaeda Minniefield of Atlanta won gold in the women’s 3.5 15+ division.
In the August 6 Gainesville indoor pickleball Showcase, Keith and Starbuck Rissman of Monticello were undefeated in the men’s 18+ 3.5 division. Nine teams took part.