Lee County Trojans stun nationally ranked Carol City

LEESBURG — For one half Friday night, Carol City looked every bit like the No. 11 high school football team in America.

Then Lee County locked the door.

No first downs.

Not one.

No trips across midfield.

Not one of those, either.

And by the time a packed Trojan Stadium realized what was happening, a 12-point halftime deficit had disappeared and one of the nation’s top teams was headed back to Miami with a loss.

Lee County stunned Carol City 23-20 Friday night, rallying from a 20-8 halftime deficit behind a remarkable defensive performance and sending a sold-out crowd into celebration.

“The crowd was unbelievable,” Lee County coach Dean Fabrizio said.

It was likely the biggest crowd in Leesburg since a cold December night in 2017, when the Trojans won the first state championship in program history.

They got another night to remember Friday.

Early on, however, the night belonged to Carol City.

The Chiefs struck three times in the first half, including a pair of touchdown passes to five-star receiver Nicholas Lennear, a University of Miami commitment.

Lee County’s only touchdown before halftime came from its defense.

Defensive back KJ Streeter stepped in front of a Carol City pass and raced 47 yards for a pick-six. Jordyn Bush added the two-point conversion, but the Trojans still went to the locker room staring at a 20-8 deficit.

Something changed in there.

“The coaches did a really good job at halftime making adjustments, and we just told our kids we had to keep our composure,” Fabrizio said. “Keep fighting and stay the course.”

What followed was domination.

Carol City had scored three times in the first half.

It couldn’t get a first down in the second.

Every possession ended on the Chiefs’ side of midfield as Lee County’s defense completely shut down an offense loaded with talent.

And with each stop, the Trojans crept closer.

Quarterback Cohen Lawson found Destin Bell for a 27-yard touchdown pass, and Amari Weston added the two-point conversion.

Suddenly, it was 20-16.

Trojan Stadium was alive.

The defense kept Carol City pinned down, and eventually Lee County finished the comeback.

Running back Dominique Ball scored the go-ahead touchdown, turning a 20-8 halftime deficit into a 23-20 Lee County lead.

Then it was up to the defense.

Carol City never answered.

Lawson finished 9 of 15 passing for 145 yards and a touchdown. Jaden Upshaw caught five passes for 58 yards, while Ball carried 12 times for 50 yards and the game-winning score.

But the numbers that defined Friday night belonged to the Lee County defense.

Zero second-half points.

Zero second-half first downs.

Zero trips across midfield.

Against the No. 11 team in the country.

Earlier this summer, Lee County senior Carter Blackwell was asked what people should expect from this year’s Trojans.

The Clemson commit didn’t offer a long explanation.

“Just wait and see,” Blackwell said.

Friday night, a sold-out Trojan Stadium got to see.

Blackwell caught two passes in the victory, but this wasn’t about one player. It was a Lee County team that absorbed the best punch from one of the nation’s top programs, went to halftime trailing by 12 and came back out refusing to give up another inch.

For Fabrizio and the Trojans, there was something else at stake Friday night, too.

South Georgia pride.

“We really wanted to represent South Georgia tonight,” Fabrizio said. “We know that the best football, top to bottom, in the nation is right here in South Georgia, and we wanted to go out and show everyone that.”

They showed them.

Still, Fabrizio wasn’t going to let his team celebrate for long.

“After the game I told them what a great win it was, and I told them how proud I was of them,” Fabrizio said. “But also, we have to refocus now because we’ve got a long trip next week to play a really good Sequoyah team.”

Lee County heads to Canton next week to face another group of Chiefs.

Sequoyah is 2-0 and has been dominant in its first two games, winning 36-7 and 45-7.

That challenge can wait a few days.

Friday night belonged to Lee County — to a sold-out stadium, to a defense that refused to budge and to a group of Trojans who spotted the No. 11 team in America a 12-point halftime lead.

Then took it all away.

Just wait and see, indeed.