Four Packers named to preseason All-State team

Published 10:32 am Monday, August 7, 2023

MOULTRIE — The Georgia High School Football Daily released its preseason Class 7A All-State football team on Monday and Colquitt County has four players selected.

Only Buford, with five, has more players named to the team. Parkview also has four.

The Packers, ranked No. 3 in Class 7A after going 13-1 last season, are represented by tight end Landen Thomas, wide receiver Ny Carr, place-kicker Brett Fitzgerald and defensive end Tyshon Reed Jr.

Thomas, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound senior, is the top-rated tight end in the country and is committed to play at Florida State.

He has 83 career pass receptions for 1,383 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also ran for five scores last year from the Packers goal line offense.

Carr, the wide receiver committed to Georgia, has 105 career catches, including 62 last year when he played in just 12 games.

The 6-foot, 170-pounder has 23 career touchdown receptions and has five games in which he had 140 or more receiving yards.

With his 105 career pass receptions, he trails only Kiel Pollard, who had 200; Bobby Hill, 121; Ty Lee, 118; Tommy Hudson, 112; and Lemeke Brockington, 108.

Reed, who played defensive end at 6-foot-5, 211 pounds last season, has been moved to outside linebacker this year to take advantage of his athleticism.

His outstanding play last year as a junior earned him a scholarship to play at Duke and he will graduate early from Colquitt County High to get a head start on his career with the Blue Devils.

Reed had 10 tackles for loss and two sacks last fall.

His father, Tyshon Reed Sr., was an All-State defensive end for the Packers in 1997.

The GHSFD Class 7A All-State team has just three underclassmen and Fitzgerald, a junior, is one of them.

The younger brother of former Packer and current Florida State kicker Ryan Fitzgerald, Brett already ranks No. 3 in Packer history in career kicking points with 170.

Ryan is the career leader with 324 points.

Brett converted 61-of-62 extra points and 13-of-14 field goal attempts last year.

For his career, he is 110-of-113 in extra point attempts and 20-of-25 in field goal attempts.

Only two other players from Region 1-7A are on the All-State team: Valdosta defensive end Eric Brantley Jr. and Lowndes punter Carson Page.

Although he was the victim of a shooting earlier this year, Brantley is expect to play this season.

Packer fans saw three other members of the team in action last year.

When the Packers eliminated Pebblebrook in the first round, Dwight Phillips rushed for 166 yards.

In the state semifinal, Colquitt ran up against Carrollton quarterback Julian Lewis and running back Bryce Hicks.