Lee County Trojans light up scoreboard against Carver

LEESBURG — Jordyn Bush threw for a touchdown. Then he ran for one.

Then Lee County changed quarterbacks, so Bush went into the backfield and caught two more.

And somehow, he wasn’t the only Trojan putting on a show Friday night.

Jaden Upshaw returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, nearly broke another and made a spectacular leaping catch as Lee County scored on every possession in a 56-21 preseason scrimmage victory over two-time defending state champion Carver-Columbus at Trojan Field.

It was the kind of performance that can create plenty of August excitement.

Lee County coach Dean Fabrizio wasn’t getting carried away.

“What was great work tonight versus an excellent Carver football team, who I think is gonna definitely be in the mix for another state championship in their class,” Fabrizio said. “Saw a lot of good things, but a lot of things we need to work on, obviously.

“That’s why we play a really good team. Test ourselves and see what things we’ve got correct and get better at.”

There wasn’t much to correct offensively.

Lee County’s first touchdown came on its third snap.

Bush dropped back and delivered a strike to Amari Weston, who turned it into a 45-yard touchdown.

Bush later scored on a 7-yard run, but his night at quarterback was only part of the story.

When transfer Cohen Lawson took over the offense, Bush became another weapon for him. He caught two touchdown passes out of the backfield, giving him four touchdowns in three different ways.

Fabrizio has talked throughout the offseason about Bush’s versatility. Friday night showed exactly what he meant.

“He made plays at quarterback, made plays at running back, made plays at receiver,” Fabrizio said. “Just an excellent player.”

Then there was Upshaw.

The Texas A&M commitment took a Carver kickoff at his own 5-yard line and didn’t stop until he reached the opposite end zone, racing 95 yards for a touchdown.

Carver eventually kicked to him again.

That didn’t work much better.

Upshaw ripped off another long return and was one tackle away from breaking it before being brought down near midfield.

“We were expecting him to play great,” Fabrizio said. “He certainly lived up to it.”

Upshaw also gave Lawson a highlight on the transfer quarterback’s first possession in the second quarter, going high to make a leaping catch for a big first down.

Lawson settled into the offense and helped keep alive the most impressive statistic of the night: Every time Lee County got the football, it ended up in the end zone.

Dominique Ball, Roddy Emerson and Cederian Davis also contributed as the Trojans showed the depth of an offense that will give opposing defenses plenty to account for.

Carver had its moments, too.

The Tigers repeatedly flashed the explosiveness that has helped them win consecutive state championships, breaking several big plays against a talented Lee County defense. But Lee County made more stops, and Carver simply couldn’t keep pace with the Trojans’ offense.

For Fabrizio, that’s why Carver was on the preseason schedule in the first place.

He wanted his team tested before the results started counting.

Consider that test passed.

The next one will be tougher because there won’t be a “scrimmage” attached to it.

Lee County opens the regular season Friday night at Trojan Field against Hapeville Charter, last year’s Class AAA state runner-up.

The Trojans used the preseason to test themselves against a defending state champion.

Now they’ll open the season against a team that came one victory away from becoming one.