Hundreds Gather to Recognize Top Players From 2024 Season
The 17th annual ITG Next South Georgia High School Football Banquet returned to The Patterson in downtown Valdosta in 2024 as high school football players from across South and Middle Georgia, along with their coaches, parents, and event sponsors, all gathered to celebrate another successful high school football season.
ITG Next founder Mark Dykes opened up the evening by welcoming attendees to the banquet before talking about the history of the event and how high school football has changed and grown throughout the years.
Bobby Willis, a former area director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, gave the evening’s invocation, followed by a brief message of faith intended for the young men in the room. Attendees then enjoyed a dinner catered by Hog-N-Bones.
The keynote speaker for 2024 ITG Next South Georgia High School Football Banquet was Chris Musgrove, the founder and director of Chris Musgrove Ministries and FutureNow, a school assembly outreach program.
Musgrove delivered a faith-based motivational message, challenging everyone in attendance to consider their direction in life and offering advice for anyone who was uncertain about if they were indeed headed down the right road. The engaging message was infused with humorous moments throughout and seemed to resonate with the audience.
Following Musgrove’s address to banquet attendees, the event recognized the top offensive and defensive players from high schools across South and Middle Georgia, as well as several major award winners, including the top overall offensive and defensive players and Coach of the Year.
All award winners were selected by the ITG Next staff, and with so many talented individuals to choose from, many days of candid discussions were required before finally settling on our winners.
Lee County running back Ousmane Kromah took home the overall Offensive Player of the Year award. Appling County linebacker Tevion Wallace was named the overall Defensive Player of the Year. The Forward Progress Award went to Valdosta quarterback Todd Robinson. Worth County quarterback Lyndon Worthy was named this year’s Scholar Athlete of the Year. Colquitt County kicker Brett Fitzgerald made it three straight seasons of being recognized as the Special Teams Player of the Year.
Coach of the Year went to one of the state’s most successful coaches in 2024. Lee County head football coach Dean Fabrizio led his Trojans to a 13-1 record, which included wins over defending state champions Thomas County Central and Coffee. He led Lee County to a region championship and an undefeated record in what was considered perhaps the toughest region from top to bottom, Region 2 in Class 5A.
Fabrizio brought his team within one game of the Class 5A state championship, playing Milton in the semifinals. The road matchup did not go Lee County’s way, but it was the end of another successful run in what was widely considered by most to be the toughest classification in the GHSA in 2024.
ITG Next wants to thank all the sponsors who made our 2024 South Georgia High School Football Banquet possible, including the Hughston Clinic, Farah & Farah, Georgia Sports Medicine, Valdosta Toyota, Vereen Sports Medicine, and VKTRY Performance Insoles.
Major Award Winners
Farah & Farah Forward Progress Award
- Todd Robinson, Valdosta High School
Georgia Sports Medicine Scholar Athlete of the Year
- Lyndon Worthy, Worth County High School
Vereen Sports Medicine Special Teams Player of the Year
- Brett Fitzgerald, Colquitt County High School
Valdosta Toyota Defensive Player of the Year
- Tavion Wallace, Appling County High School
VKTRY Performance Insoles Offensive Player of the Year
- Ousmane Kromah, Lee County High School
Hughston Clinic Coach of the Year
- Dean Fabrizio – Lee County High School
Team Award Winners
Appling County High School (Presented by: Community Bank of Georgia)
- Offense: Kemoni Ryals
- Defense: Coleman Parmer
Bainbridge High School (Presented by: Hughston Clinic)
- Offense: Ja’Veen Breedlove
- Defense: Braylon Phillips
Brooks County High School (Presented by: Vereen Sports Medicine)
- Offense: Chris Cole Jr.
- Defense: Marquis Williams
Brookwood School (Presented by: Brookwood School Boosters)
- Offense: Seth Boggs
- Defense: Isiah Hill
Cairo High School (Presented by: Ross Advisory Group)
- Offense: Bryian Duncan
- Defense: Darrius Simmons
Clinch County High School (Presented by: Farmers and Merchants Bank)
- Offense: Aaron Bryant
- Defense: Blaze Small
Coffee High School (Presented by: VKTRY Performance Insoles)
- Offense: Tyrese Woodgett
- Defense: Chris Reed
Colquitt County High School (Presented by: Vereen Sports Medicine)
- Offense: Day’Shawn Brown
- Defense: Amari Wilson
Cook High School (Presented by: Adel Dental Associates)
- Offense: Nigel Kenney
- Defense: Carter Morrison
Crisp Academy (Presented by: Crisp Regional)
- Offense: Wyatt Youngblood
- Defense: Tucker Ellenberg
Crisp County High School (Presented by: Crisp Regional)
- Offense: Deshaun Fedd
- Defense: Zymarion Hudson
Dooly County High School (Presented by: Crisp Regional)
- Offense: Tyquan Glover
- Defense: Scotty Freeman
Lanier County High School (Presented by: Lanier County High School)
- Offense: BJ Jones
- Defense: Martin Trejo
Lee County High School (Presented by: Grand Slam Sports Tournaments)
- Offense: Weston Bryan
- Defense: Jacori White
Lowndes High School (Presented by: Farmers and Merchants Bank)
- Offense: Marvis Parrish
- Defense: Kaleb Barron
Perry High School (Presented by: VKTRY Performance Insoles)
- Offense: Ashlon Ashley
- Defense: Kiel Sparks
Pierce County High School (Presented by: VKTRY Performance Insoles)
- Offense: Caden McGatha
- Defense: Dixon Morris
Thomas County Central High School (Presented by: Hughston Clinic)
- Offense: Jaylen Johnson
- Defense: Jayden Rubbo
Thomasville High School (Presented by: Hughston Clinic)
- Offense: Ant Anderson
- Defense: EJ Bean
Tift County High School (Presented by: Prince Automotive Group)
- Offense: Damieon Dixon
- Defense: Jaden Nelson
Tiftarea Academy (Presented by: Prince Automotive Group)
- Offense: J.R. Walker
- Defense: Temond Marcus
Valdosta High School (Presented by: CBC Bank)
- Offense: Eli Lewis
- Defense: Marcus Williams
Worth County High School (Presented by: Sunbelt Ford)
- Offense: D’ontae Fulton
- Defense: Shermon Smith
