GHSA Class 5A championship, Cartersville vs. Warner Robins: Breaking down the Os vs. the Ds

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

Cartersville offense vs. Warner Robins defense

          The Canes get 219 yards a game passing, and the Demons give up 123. Cartersville averages 143 yards on the ground, Warner Robins surrenders 94

          The Demons are facing a QB that who doesn’t make many mistakes.

          Carlos Del Rio-Wilson has thrown four interceptions on 126 tries, and runs an offense that barely has 12 turnovers.

Nobody has more experience than Ahmad Walker, and that includes the state title losses. Walker and the four-year seniors are set to change that legacy, which would only add to his remarkable legacy.
Video: Michael A. Lough/The Sports Report

          That’s mighty good. And they tend to take advantage of turnovers given them.

          The Canes will have a task against the Demons’ front seven, but the Warner Robins secondary is likely to be tested pretty often. Cartersville’s receivers have a little height, and Rio-Wilson doesn’t have a favorite, so to speak.

          The Demons have given up some big plays and survived. The secondary will have to cover well, go for the tackle and not the ball after a catch, and let the linebackers deal with any scrambles and enforce run support.

          Warner Robins will have to be efficient against an offense that will show four- and five-wide all game long. The Canes don’t necessarily go deep overly often, which again could change, but are big on screens – which means there are likely some “pick” plays in the plan – and many crossing routes.

          Quante Jennings has almost half of Cartersville’s carries, only around a dozen a game, but he has 22 rushing TDs and gets 6.5 a carry.

          Keep an eye on Rio-Wilson perhaps tucking the ball a little more as the Canes spread out the Demon defense, especially when drawing Ahmad Walker and Demarcious Robinson into coverage. He gets 7.2 a carry, so he’s good at moving the chains.

          The Demons are likely to move Vic Burley around, since the Canes are likely to try to avoid the sophomore end as often as possible without completely changing the game plan. They might be forced into a few bad plays, but they also might catch Warner Robins moving Burley at the right time. It’s a point to watch, because if Burley stays in one spot, Cartersville can avoid him. Most of the time.

Edge: Even

Warner Robins offense vs. Cartersville defense

          The Demons average 177 passing yards a game, the Canes allow 79. Warner Robins is good for 241 rushing yards, Cartersville gives up 147.

          Warner Robins’ line has to be careful at the snap to not get anxious with the constant movement and shifting of the Cartersville front, and Addie can’t over-read and do a lot of play-changing at the line.

          Cartersville’s ability to cause turnovers puts ball safety at a premium, meaning that fighting for extra yards in a scrum can cause a problem and not tucking the ball after a catch is huge. The Canes have picked off 18 passes, led by five from OLB Amarai Orr and four from CB Sam Phillips.

          Meanwhile, S Evan Slocum leads the Canes with 84 tackles.

          The Canes will have to put somebody on Addie, which means perhaps an opening in the mid-range passing game, especially when Addie scrambles. Cartersville isn’t overly aggressive with the pass rush, although that could change, which would open up Addie to more scrambling chances or throws on the run.

          That puts heat on the receivers to run complete routes if Addie moves around.

          Again, ball safety will be a key.

          The difference is depth in the running game. Warner Robins has two 1,000-yard rushers in Jahlen Rutherford and Malcom Brown, and Addie is about three carries away. Throw in Ahmad Walker in short-yardage and red-zone situations, and the Demons can give a variety of looks on those specific down-and-distance scenarios.

          Warner Robins wins games with long drives or big plays, so there’s a chance the Demons will be able to embark on some clock-eating drives. Even a drive ending with no can be a positive by keeping the opposing defense on the field and the offense off leads too good things at the end.

          Addie struggled in last year’s final, which wasn’t a smooth game overall for the Demons. A key is his growth, and the ability to let a play or mistake go. A normal game for Addie puts the Demons on the trophy stage second, smiling.

Edge: Slight to Warner Robins.

Special teams

          Both are solid on PATs, and stats made available indicate steady return teams, though there’s nothing on blocked kicks.

          Cartersville’s available kick stats are minimal/incomplete. Warner Robins is 3 of 9 on field goals with a long of 33, and the Demons have used three kickers on PATs. Daniel Barber should have some confidence after being perfect last week on PATs in a 56-21 win.

          The Canes may have a slight edge at kicker, but whether it’s enough to gamble too much – especially in the second half – on any field goal try of more than 25 is a question.

          The artificial field should be dry and smooth. Eyes will be on kickers in pregame warm-ups.

Edge: Very slight to Cartersville.

The Demons and a chunk of seniors have handled the extended time between the semifinal and final, and are ready to change their championship history.
Video: Michael A. Lough/The Sports Report

Intangibles

          Let’s see.

          Both are used to winning. Both are used to deep playoff runs. Both are used to finding a way to win.

          And both teams are packed with really good high school football players. Only four are in the 247Sports top 200 in Georgia: Cartersville QB Rio-Wilson is 27th and safety Evan Slocum is 129th, Warner Robins’ Rutherford is 178th and Walker 190th.

          Addie is unranked, and has a staggeringly low number of offers. This game can change that a bit – although the circumstances of college rosters has had plenty to do with Addie’s lack of attention – if he has even an average game.

          But there’s that experience factor for the Demons, whose senior class suits up for their 59th game, and fourth state championship. Composure, even with experience, will be a key, especially if the Demons fall behind.

          Of course, they can then dial up memories of Ware County and Blessed Trinity and those late-game drives.

Edge: Very slight to Warner Robins