It will be matchup of suburban upstarts against South Georgia tradition when the Grayson Rams meet the Colquitt County Packers in today's Metro PCS Corky Kell Classic. The Grayson program is only 14-years old, but already owns a state championship.

Colquitt County Packers

Head coach Mickey Conn's Rams defeated Colquitt County in the state semifinals 35-21 en route to the 2011 Class AAAAA title. The Packers have a state title of their own and play in what is now Region 1-AAAAAA with such heavyweights as Valdosta, Lowndes and Camden County.

Grayson has a record of 4-1 in this event, all since 2008. Colquitt County is 1-4 in the Classic. Last year they were defeated by North Gwinnett 16-14, the first appearance by the Packers under head coach Rush Propst's leadership.

Grayson junior quarterback Hunter Schuessler should be familiar in the Georgia Dome even if it will be his first start. His brother Nate was Grayson's quarterback during their championship run. Last fall the younger Schuessler, who possesses arm strength comparable or stronger than his brother, led the JV squad to an undefeated season.

Grayson is only returning one starter on both sides of the ball combined. Schuessler will run Grayson's familiar "hybrid Wing-T" offense and share the backfield with senior running back Aares McCall. McCall has big play potential. He rushed for 130 yards on just 14 carries in Grayson's scrimmage against Gainesville earlier this month.           

Colquitt County is famous for their offensive firepower in recent years. Fans can count on seeing plenty of the football spiraling downfield, a trademark of Propst's offenses. Senior quarterback Daniel Mobley will get the keys all season after starting a handful of games last fall. How prolific is the Packers' offense under Propst? Colquitt County averaged over 28 points per game (including the playoffs) despite playing against stingy 1-AAAAAA competition in 2012.

There are high expectations again for the Packers' offense, and if the line gels quickly, look out. Propst has guided his squad to at least the state semifinals the last four seasons and this squad is hungry to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Packers football.

Colquitt County's defense will look a little different than last year's unit in a couple of ways. Tracy Buckhannon, formerly the secondary position coach, has been promoted to defensive coordinator and what tweaks and changes he'll install are still question marks. Buckhannon will start the season minus one, possibly two, playmakers. Senior safety Tim Sanders will miss the beginning of the season recovering from a broken leg, and senior linebacker Brandon Key is coming off an MCL injury. Senior tackle Jamiyus Pittman will disrupt opposing offensive lines.

Coach Mickey Conn has a good thing going at Grayson High School. He's the only coach in the Gwinnett County school's history and has led the powerhouse program to a record of 110-39 over 14 seasons. The Rams haven't lost more than three games since 2007, the same year they began their current streak of reaching at least the second round of the state playoffs.

Sonny Kennedy

But this season may provide Conn with one of his biggest challenges since he walked on campus. The 2011 team won the state championship and last season's team was flooded with top-level college prospects including the nation's most sought after recruit, defensive end/fullback Robert Nkemdiche. The Rams cruised to the Region 8-AAAAAA title in 2012. While Nkemdiche will terrorize SEC quarterbacks this fall at Ole Miss, the Rams also lost 20 starters.

Replacing 21 starters won't be easy, but if any program is up to the task, it's got to be Grayson. At one point last season, the Rams shut out four consecutive region opponents while never scoring less than 40 points in any of those four games. It's safe to say that Conn was able to build depth through substitutions throughout the majority of the season.

"We've got a lot of good players that have waited their turn, and I'm anxious to get them on the field," Conn noted in a recent interview with Score Atlanta.

Grayson employs what Conn describes as a hybrid Wing-T offense. He'll turn the reigns of the offense over to junior quarterback Hunter Schuessler this fall. The strength of the team is expected to be the playmakers at the skill positions and athletes behind the line of scrimmage. Conn will employ a 4-3 defense that should provide plenty of power to attack opposing quarterbacks. Big things are expected from running back Aares McCall, speedster Kartez Hall and linebacker Daniel Fennell.

The Rams begin their season in the Corky Kell Classic against Region 1-AAAAAA power, Colquitt County. Grayson has some history in the fall showcase with a 4-1 record in their previous appearances. The Rams are 1-1 against Colquitt County but have never faced the Packers in the Corky Kell Classic.

Grayson is young, but seems poised to be successful once again in 2013. As Conn noted, "It's not where you start, but where you finish."

Colquitt County coach Rush Propst said it best: "We might have bit off a little more than we can chew with our schedule." The slate that the Packers face in 2013 will likely be the most difficult of any in Georgia. Before the Packers dive into the daunting task of region play, they will play Grayson, Hoover (Ala.), Lovejoy and Carver-Columbus in nonregion games.

"The schedule is phenomenal, there's no question about it," said Propst.

Guiding the Packers through the challenging 2013 season is a strong defensive cast led by Ole Miss committed Jamiyus Pittman. Propst believes Pittman is one of the best defensive tackles in the state.

On offense, quarterback Daniel Mobley will be joined by Sihiem King in the backfield. In three starts last season Mobley was 68-of-103 passing for 1,014 yards and 10 touchdowns. Gabe Mobley is a versatile offensive lineman that committed to Georgia State this past July.

King will be one of the offense's playmakers. He caught a 50-yard screen from Mobley in Colquitt County's preseason scrimmage with Norcross.

"We are looking for Sihiem to really step up at running back this year," said Propst.

Colquitt County fell victim to Region 7-AAAAAA teams twice last season. North Gwinnett pulled off a 16-14 win in the season opener, and Norcross topped the Packers 41-27 in the semifinals to end the season. Along the way, the Packers battled into the playoffs and handed Camden County its first region loss since 1999. The Packers have reached the semifinals or better in each of the past four seasons, and lost to all four eventual state champions in the process.

During the offseason Propst lost both of his coordinators with former offensive coordinator Jeff Hammond accepting a job at Foley (Ala.), and defensive coordinator Travis Pearson accepting a position at the University of South Alabama.

Propst promoted offensive line and strength coach Shawn Sutton to offensive coordinator and safeties coach Tracy Buckhannon to defensive coordinator.

"Personally, I like having new coordinators about every couple of years," said Propst. "It's always been a trend of mine. It sort of brings new energy to your program. That's the way I look at it. I don't look at it as a transition that much. I sort of like it." 

Despite possibly the state's toughest schedule and attrition on the coaching staff, expect the Packers to be successful during their 100th football season.