No. 2 Lee County ready for biggest test yet – No.1-ranked Milton

LEESBURG — The Lee County Trojans (13-0) will travel to metro Atlanta on Friday night to face the No. 1-ranked Milton Eagles (13-0) in the Class 5A state semifinals. The winner will advance to the state championship game next week at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, where they will face the victor of the Coffee (11-2) vs. Langston Hughes (12-1) matchup.

Milton, the defending Class 7A state champion, dropped to Class 5A this season following the Georgia High School Association’s realignment. The Eagles have not lost since September 2023, riding a 23-game winning streak.

Lee County, however, has a history of snapping streaks. Earlier this season, the Trojans ended 20-plus game-winning runs for defending champions Thomas County Central and Coffee. Now, they aim to dethrone another defending champion and break the state’s longest active win streak.

Leading Lee County into the semifinal showdown is a core group of 38 seniors, including quarterback Weston Bryan, running back Ousmane Kromah, offensive linemen Dylan Richardson and Jace Molden, and defensive standouts Justyn Tanksley, Jeramiah McCloud and Jacori White. This senior class has long anticipated reaching this moment.

“We always knew this group had a lot of talent,” Lee County head coach Dean Fabrizio said. “One of our two middle school teams went undefeated when this group was in eighth grade. They have a strong work ethic and really want to play hard for each other. Many of them, like Ousmane Kromah and Weston Bryan, have older brothers who played here, and they want to uphold the standards set before them.”

That standard includes five consecutive region championships and two state titles.

“We have high expectations every year for our program, and this season was no different,” Fabrizio added. “Our guys faced a brutal schedule — opening with Warner Robins, traveling to Moultrie and playing defending champions in back-to-back weeks. For us to go undefeated through that is a tremendous accomplishment, and our fans and community are very proud.”

Milton, ranked No. 2 in the national High School Football America poll, entered the season as Georgia’s top team. Lee County began the year ranked No. 6 but has climbed to No. 2 in Georgia and No. 25 nationally.

“They have big-time talent all over the field,” Fabrizio said of Milton. “Their roster is full of highly recruited players, and they are very well-coached.”

Lee County’s offense, led by Georgia commit Kromah and Georgia Southern-bound Bryan, averages 55 points per game. The Trojans have scored 40 or more points in all but one game this season.

The defense has also stepped up in the postseason, allowing just 21 points across three playoff games. For the season, the Trojans have forced 42 turnovers, including 17 interceptions, 10 fumble recoveries and 15 fourth-down stops. Remarkably, the defense has scored in nine of 13 games while maintaining a 76.88% success rate on third downs. Despite starting two freshmen in the secondary — Trey Bush and Tray Clay — and two sophomores at linebacker — Jace Murray and Greg Batson — the unit has thrived.

“Milton presents a lot of challenges, but we feel our defense is up to the task,” Fabrizio said. “That group is younger than our offense but has been improving every week and playing stellar of late.”

The Trojans will need both units to be at their best to overcome Milton and earn a shot at the state championship.

By Jim Griffith
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