No. 2 Lee County hosts Northside in first round of GHSA Class 6A football playoffs

LEESBURG — Northside kicked off to Destin Bell the last time it played Lee County. By the time the Eagles got the ball, they were already behind.

Bell’s touchdown return sent Lee County on its way to a 30-0 halftime lead and a 37-0 win in Warner Robins. Now the teams meet again, with the loser’s season over.

No. 2 Lee County (9-1) hosts Northside (3-7) Friday night at Trojan Field in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs. As long as the Trojans keep winning, they’ll play every round through the semifinals in Leesburg. The only trip they’d make is the one they’re trying to earn, to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the Dec. 15 state championship game.

Lee County got another special teams touchdown in the first meeting after Champ Brown blocked a punt. Defensive lineman Jakobe Bryant helped keep Northside off the scoreboard with two sacks and two tackles for loss.

“I think they are going to be focusing on a much stronger start,” Lee County coach Dean Fabrizio said.

Northside was 3-3 and coming off a region win over Tift County when the Trojans came to Warner Robins. The Eagles haven’t won since. They lost to Coffee and Houston County, then fell 52-7 to defending state champion Thomas County Central, which finished 10-0 and enters the playoffs No. 1. The Yellow Jackets also handed Lee County its only loss. The Trojans have won six straight since.

For Northside, a better start would give sophomore quarterback Keirion Tate more room to use both parts of his game. Tate leads the Eagles with 1,050 passing yards and 444 rushing yards, with seven touchdowns each through the air and on the ground. Even when Tate drops back, Bryant and the Lee County front have to account for him as a runner.

On defense, junior strong safety Travis Walker leads Northside with 89 tackles, four for loss. Senior defensive end Kato Hunter has made 11 of his 40 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

“Even though we won by a big score Northside has some very talented players,” Fabrizio said. “We need to prepare hard this week and be ready to play four hard quarters.”

Atlanta can wait. A win Friday gets Lee County another game at Trojan Field.