Offseason brings honors, changes for Lee County

ALBANY — Time on the meal-and-speech circuit comes with the territory for state championship football programs.

Head coach Dean Fabrizio and the Lee County Trojans are experiencing plenty of that treatment in the wake of their GHSA Class 6A championship victory in December. From service club lunches to dinner awards programs, plates and podium time become as much a part of the picture as morning workouts and offseason planning meetings.

The schedule remains busy. Last Friday, the entire team took part in the Exchange Club of Albany’s weekly lunch program. A few weeks ago, Fabrizio was honored as the Touchdown Club of Atlanta’s Class 6A Coach of the Year.

“I’m really humbled that the Exchange Club invited us out here, to invite the whole team and feed us all,” Fabrizio said at Friday’s meeting at the Exchange Club Fairgrounds. “It’s something I can’t thank them enough for. These kids really enjoyed it. It just goes to show how much this state title meant to the entire community.”

Next Monday, Lee County will honor the team with a banquet and championship ring ceremony in the school auditorium prior to a 7:30 p.m. community celebration and pep rally in the football stadium.

That’s all on top of a National Signing Day ceremony in early February in which a dozen players signed with collegiate programs, including six with NCAA Division I programs.

“Our kids are very, very excited to get their rings,” Fabrizio said. “That’s going to be a neat deal. “

While the honors and awards keep coming, preparation for the 2018 season is well underway. Offseason workouts are well underway, and the final 2018 game schedule is due into the GHSA office at the end of the month.

The championship season has also brought about staff changes by way of promotions.

Defensive coordinator Jhon Smith was named head coach at Crawford County, a Region 4-1A program near Macon. And wide receivers coach Josh Crawford, with the Trojans for just one season following three years on Rush Propst’s staff at Colquitt County, was named Valdosta’s offensive coordinator.

“That’s part of (winning a championship),” Fabrizio said. “When you’ve had a lot of success, a lot of people are trying to find out what we do here, and the best way to do that is to hire one of our coaches. We have a couple of coaches who have opportunities to move up in the coaching ranks, and I’m really proud of those guys. They’ve done a great job for us, and I know they’re going to do a great job where they’re going to.”