Four downs with Lee County football

LEESBURG — The upbeat music is still piped through the sound system at Trojan Field. The tempo of practice runs at its normal fast pace.

Head coach Dean Fabrizio still keeps a wireless microphone handy, ready to call out what’s to be done next.

Lee County football runs at the same speed it did this time last year. The only differences? Lettering on the wall of the school commemorating last fall’s GHSA Class 6A championship — and the loss of 41 players from the Class of 2018 that helped the Trojans pull off the feat.

While Lee County will field new starters at multiple positions, there are some key holdovers, as well as a number of reserves ready to step in, including a highly touted quarterback.

Here are four questions for Fabrizio and Lee County heading into the 2018 season, one that begins Aug. 17 at the Albany State Coliseum against Dougherty:

1. What will Lee County bring to the table this season?

In a word, plenty.

Lee County has FBS-level prospects returning on both sides of the line of scrimmage, from Georgia Southern commitment Griffin Carder on the offensive line to defensive back Tay Mayo, whose interest list includes Georgia Tech and Nebraska. While the Trojans have to replace players who signed with the likes of Georgia (defensive back Otis Reese, last year’s Albany Herald Player of the Year), Florida (offensive lineman Griffin McDowell) and Marshall (receiver Ty Terrell), the bench is deep.

“We think we’ve got a pretty good team again,” Fabrizio said. “Obviously we lost some great players from last year’s team, 41 seniors who played a lot of great football for us. But we’ve got some good returners who’ve played a lot last year, and we’ve got some young guys ready to step up and make their mark.

“The great thing about high school football is that kids graduate and new kids grow up. And we’re excited about what we’ve got this year.”

2. A lot of people like to talk about repeats and trying to match what happened the previous year. But, considering all of the strange events that led up to last year’s state title, can last year truly be repeated?

What are the odds that a team can overcome a 59-yard field goal to win a key region game in overtime, rally from a 24-point deficit in a playoff semifinal and win a state championship in overtime after getting snowed out of a domed stadium?

The 2017 season for Lee County wasn’t just a magical state title run. It was a year full of the strange and the unusual. From Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh showing up at the Trojans’ game at Houston County on a recruiting trip to country music star and Lee County native Luke Bryan dropping in on a championship game that was supposed to be played in Atlanta but ended up in Leesburg after a fluke snowstorm shut down the state capital for the weekend, there was one surprise after another.

“Certainly being able to host a state championship game, that was a unique situation,” Fabrizio said.

There’s every chance Lee County could be in the mix for a state title again this year. Three of the five teams in GHSA Region 1-6A have won state titles in the past four years, and last year’s Class 6A title game was a Region 1 showdown between the Trojans and Coffee.

Just don’t call it a repeat performance … unless it snows again.

“We’re focused on this year’s team,” Fabrizio said. “Last year’s team was last year’s team, this year’s team is this year’s team. Our goals are kind of the same. We don’t talk a lot about state championships or all of those things, we talk about getting better every day. When you have a non-region schedule like ours and a region like we’re in, you really can’t afford to look too far ahead.”

3. So what about this quarterback Lee County has coming up?

Kyle Toole’s name didn’t get called much in 2017, but he had one big moment.

Stepping in for a series during the season-opening Corky Kell Classic against Mary Persons, Toole unloaded a 75-yard touchdown pass to Josh Asbury, answering a touchdown the Bulldogs had just scored off a blocked field goal attempt.

Toole didn’t see the field much after that, with Jase Orndorff leading the the Trojans under center. But with Orndorff slated to play junior college ball this fall, Toole, a junior, now has his opportunity.

“Kyle Toole is our starter this year,” Fabrizio said. “He’s a big arm, a tall, scrappin’, big-armed kid. He’s got a lot of ability, and we’re expecting big things out of him this year.

“He’s got a very, very strong arm. He might have the strongest arm of any quarterback we’ve had here. We’ve got a great group of skill kids around him, probably the deepest group of skill kids we’ve ever had on offense.”

4. Who are some players who could have breakout seasons this fall?

Tay Mayo, Sr. DB: “He’s got numerous Power 5 offers. He had nine interceptions last year, five returned for touchdowns, and had the one that ended the state championship game. He’s a playmaker back there in the secondary.”

Griffin Carder, Sr. OL: “He’s gotten bigger and stronger since last year. We’re expecting him to lead the offensive line. We’ve got four new starters, but it’s a good group that’s been working hard.”

Baron Hopson, Soph. MLB: “He’s one of the top sophomores in the state of Georgia. He’s such a good player for us back there, and he’s moving from outside backer to a leadership spot in the middle, taking over for Quin Geer.”

Chauncey Magwood, Soph. WR: “He played phenomenally as a freshman for us last season, especially in the playoffs.”