Today’s interviewee is Lee County coach Dean Fabrizio, whose team is playing at No. 1 Milton in the Class 5A semifinals Friday. Lee County, ranked No. 2, is 13-0 for the first time since its 2018 Class 6A championship team. Lee County has scored 717 points, the seventh-most in a season in state history.
1. You’re undefeated, you’ve beaten five top-10 teams, plus two other unranked teams that made the quarterfinals, and you’re scoring at a record pace. What did things look like in offseason/preseason, and did you have an inkling you might have this kind of season? “Well, we always have high expectations at Lee County, and coming into this season was no different. We knew we had a very tough schedule and region as well. This team has done a great job staying focused and taking it one game at a time. They have also continued to improve every week.” [Lee County graduated 12 first- or second-team all-region players from 2023 and returned seven, including AJC Super 11 running back Ousmane Kromah, who has committed to Georgia.]
2. Most people know about Ousmane Kromah. But your quarterback, Weston Bryan, is having a player-of-the-year type season. What does he bring to the table that makes him such a force? “Weston is a three-year starter for us but made a huge jump from last season to this season. He is a 4.0 GPA student who is also a two-time state placer in wrestling and a three-year starter on the baseball team. He is 6 feet, 3 inches and over 240 pounds and has hit over 21 MPH on the catapult during several games this season. As a dual-threat quarterback, he is having an incredible year with over 2,000 yards passing and over 1,000 rushing plus 59 total touchdowns. Both Ousmane and Weston have older brothers who played here, so we have known both of them since they were little.” [Bryan has scored 30 touchdowns and passed for 29 touchdowns. GHSF Daily does not know of a 30/30-touchdown player in state history.]
3. What else stands out about your team that people might not know? “We have a good mix of kids on this team. We have an outstanding senior class of 38 players but also start four sophomores and two freshmen.”
4. What do you see when you watch film and study Milton? “The thing that jumps out when you watch them is that they have elite talents everywhere. They really have no weaknesses. In addition, they are very well coached and don’t make many mistakes.” [Milton is ranked in the top 10 of most national polls and has nine seniors committed to SEC or ACC schools.]
About the Author
