Lee County faces familiar opponent in title game

LEESBURG — It had been a tough week for Southwest Georgia as Hurricane Michael passed through the area and wreaked havoc. In Lee County, the top-ranked Trojans were preparing to open region play at Northside-Warner Robins before the storm hit Wednesday of that week.

The game, originally scheduled for Oct. 12 at McConnell-Talbert Stadium in Warner Robins, was pushed back to Oct. 13.

After not having practiced for three days, the Trojans started slowly and even trailed at halftime, 7-3. But Lee rallied with an impressive second half to down the Eagles 24-7, capping an exhausting week with one of the more-satisfying victories of the season.

“We didn’t practice after Tuesday due to the storm,” Lee County coach Dean Fabrizio told Georgia High School Football Daily. “Most of our kids have been without power, a lot without water. Several had to leave town due to their home being unlivable, and we had to track them down and get them back here for the game. Many had been working nonstop cleaning debris and trees or fixing roofs for the past several days. To be able to rally together after all that and get a win is just a great testament to the resiliency of these kids.”

The Trojans and Eagles will meet again on Dec. 11 at 8 p.m. for the Georgia High School Association Class 6A state championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The good news is that Lee County shouldn’t have to cancel any practices this time.

The bad news is they face a much-improved Northside-Warner Robins team that is surging at the right time. Since a two-game losing streak in mid-October to Lee County and Valdosta, the Eagles (9-5) have won five straight. Four of those have been playoff wins over Tucker, Bradwell Institute, Sequoyah and Dacula.

And Northside has been downright stingy in its five-game winning streak, allowing just a combined 40 points.

Lee County’s 24 points scored in the victory at Northside on Oct. 13 is the fewest amount of points the Trojans have scored in a game this season. Lee County used a 48-yard touchdown from quarterback Kyle Toole to Daveon Sanders, then Jammie Robinson returned an interception 65 yards for a score to highlight Lee’s three-touchdown second half.

The Trojans (14-0) hammered Lanier 42-7 last Friday in a game in which Lee County’s defense stifled the Longhorns. The Lee offense accounted for five scores, but special teams play helped stake the team to a 14-0 advantage in the first quarter.

A bad snap on a punt helped set up the first score, a 1-yard plunge from Shaundarious Kimbrough. Then a blocked punt by Baron Hopson was scooped up by Zach Mason and returned 24 yards for a touchdown.

The special teams play clearly set the tone for the game and played a key role in helping the defending champs back to the state championship game.

“The momentum helped a lot, the blocked punt and the fumble over the punter that we got at the 1, the momentum shifted and we just kind of ran with it,” Toole said.

After winning the state championship last year with a 14-1 mark, the Trojans would like nothing better than to win a second one — and make history by becoming the school’s first 15-0 team.

“It’s exciting because we all worked so hard over the summer and the spring, it’s how we live down here,” Mason said. “We expect nothing less than a repeat.”