Today’s interviewee is Colquitt County place-kicker Brett Fitzgerald, whose 43-yard field goal on the final play gave the Packers a 38-35 victory over Lowndes last week. Earlier in the game, Fitzgerald broke the state record – held by his brother, Ryan, now at Florida State – for career points with 331. Brett is 42-of-49 on field goals and 205-of-209 on extra points in his career. Brett needs 10 field goals to break Ryan’s state record of 51.
Brett Fitzgerald, Colquitt County kicker
1. Tell us about the game-winning field goal, from the moments leading up to it, what was going through your mind, how you handled it and your reaction afterward. How does that rank among career highlights? “I was blessed with the opportunity to beat one of our rivals, who was also undefeated, with a game-winning field goal. Leading up to the kick, before the offense even got the ball back, coach Calhoun [head coach Sean Calhoun] came over to me and my snapper and told us to be ready to win the game. I warmed up into the sideline net just like it was any other kick, and that’s what I told myself. I went out there with confidence and made it. Thanks to my snapper, holder and the o-line for doing a perfect job. Afterwards, the whole team rushed the field and came to me, and they all said how proud they were. It just shows how much our team is a family. This is definitely one of my top career highlights.”
2. You also broke a state record in the game. When did you realize you were chasing a state record, and how do you feel about it and the fact that it was your brother’s record? “I knew I was close to the record before the season began, and the week before I broke it, I had a lot of people tell me it might happen this week, and I did it. It was amazing to break the record, but it made it even more special to me for it to be my brother’s old record.”
3. How did you get started kicking? How old, how did it start? Who has coached you? How much advice do you get from Ryan? “I’ve always grown up playing soccer, and it was my dad’s plan for both my brother and I to get used to kicking the ball. Once I was about 11, I started kicking a football around, and I haven’t stopped since. My dad was my first coach and has always been my coach. Now that I’m older, I train with one of the best if not the best kicking coaches there is. His name is Dan Orner, and he trains kickers and punters from all over the country, including many NFL specialists. While my dad has been my biggest coach, Dan can teach me some more in-depth details. My brother Ryan has also helped me out in so many ways. He’s been one of the best role models I could have in terms of kicking, and any time I have a question about recruiting or anything, he’s always there to answer it. I enjoy kicking so much because it has always been my dream to kick in college and the NFL, and just knowing that I’m working toward that every day brings me joy. I love to hunt, fish and play golf, but kicking and playing football, it’s just a different feeling.”
4. Just played Lowndes. Next Valdosta. Talk about some of Colquitt County’s main rivals and which ones in your mind are the biggest. Or even what is the single biggest, and why? “Our biggest rivals are Lowndes, Valdosta and Tifton. I’d say that Valdosta is our biggest rivalry, though. We have just played Valdosta for so long that we basically hate each other on the field. Anytime we beat Valdosta at their place, we always come back and ride around the square, and it seems like the whole town shows up at the square to cheer us on. I feel like every region game is a rivalry game for us. It just means more because there is nothing we want more than to beat the other team across the field from us.”
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