Coverage below.

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

Cartersville returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown.

Soon enough, it was downhill steeply after that for the Purple Hurricanes, who were then left black and blue by a juggernaut offense as Warner Robins scored constantly en route to a 62-28 win over Cartersville for the GHSA Class 5A state championship Wednesday at Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta.

The senior-oriented Demons exorcised three straight title losses in a huge way, eliminating the suspense before halftime. Stunningly, the fourth quarter had a running clock.

“This is for Warner Robins,” head coach Marquis Westbrook said on the field during the trophy presentation. “This is for you guys in the stands. This is for the 478.”

Jalen Addie completed 16 of 18 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions or sacks, and ran for 107 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries. Jahlen Rutherford had 143 yards and a score on 24 carries, and Malcom Brown 102 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.

Numbers to note
1
Warner Robins failed to score on only one of eight red-zone chances, and that came in the final few minutes of the game

2
Cartersville had only two penalties, for 10 yards, to five for 43 for Warner Robins

3
The Demons finished the season with three 1,000-yard rushers: Jahlen Rutherford and Malcom Brown were joined Wednesday by Jalen Addie. All three cracked 100 yards in the finale, Rutherford with 143, Addie with 107, and Brown with 102.

7
The Demons faced only seven third downs all day long. And converted every one. Against Jones County, they had only five third downs, hitting on but two, one being a 59-yard TD pass to Armon Porter

10
Warner Robins had 591 yards in total offense against Jones County, and improved on that by 10 yards, getting to 601 on 11 more plays.

43
Warner Robins sent Cartersville backwards for 43 yards, although more than half – by a yard – came on a botched punt snap

Warner Robins’ defense held Cartersville to 38 rushing yards, mostly in the fourth quarter, and 15 first downs. The blanket of a defense was led by Antwon Jackson (4.5 tackles), Xavier Hill (3.5), along with Christon Lane, Ahmad Walker, Victory Burley, Deuce Petty, and Demarcious Robinson, who each had three tackles.

It is the Demons’ (13-1) first title since 2004, and the most points they’ve scored in a title game by 28 points, and is quite a turnaround from the 38-0 loss to Rome in the 2017 title game, as well as a fitting ending for 21 four-year seniors.

“To be on this stage for the fourth time, and for the 21 boys who’ve been with us for the four years, it’s an awesome opportunity just to hand them this trophy at the end of this game.

“We’ve been here three times and come up short. Now, it just feels great.”

Warner Robins passed the 60-point mark with almost 10 minutes left, and did so for the first time in a game since beating Carrollton 63-24 in the 2017 quarterfinals. The Demons tied the record for most points in a title game, sharing it with Valdosta, a 62-12 winner in 1971.

Cartersville, on the other hand, had allowed 165 points all season until Wednesday’s output made up 38 percent of that total. The last time a team hit 50 points on the Purple Hurricanes was in 1971 when East Rome won 50-22, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association. That site lists a 62-7 loss in 1921 to Cedartown.

Only one other time dating back to that Cedartown game, according to the site, a team scored 50 was Griffin in 1937, a 53-0 win.

The Canes had given up only 92 points in nine regular-season games.

Full stats game book

The game began with almost a “here we go again” feeling in the Warner Robins fan section when Sam Phillips took advantage of poor special teams play and went 94 yards on the opening kickoff. Only 14 seconds in, and Warner Robins was in a hole.

Then a nice kickoff return by Malcom Brown to the 45 was nullified by a bad block, and Warner Robins started on the 8.

But the Demons came to Atlanta with a non-existent memory of championship games past, and with a teeth-gritting lunchpail mentality and game plan.

Demons had doubled up the Purple Hurricanes with 5:25 left in the half.

Five runs opened the first possession. Amazingly, Addie’s first pass was incomplete, something he wouldn’t repeat until about three minutes remained in the third quarter, 15 completions later.

Nine of the next 10 plays were runs, and Ahmad Walker finished the 92-yard, 16-play drive with a dive through an open hole.

Pregame coverage
Who wins?
The lineups
Breaking down the Os vs. the Ds
Another look
Jason Strickland has lost by three to both teams, has quite a scouting report
A look at the head coaches
Canes and Demons: championship game history
The schedules, scores, rankings, and opponents

There were open holes all night long.

Cartersville clicked on a 39-yard pass to set up a 26-yard touchdown pass as the Demon secondary had a coverage lapse. The 14-7 Purple Hurricane lead with 3:43 left in the first lasted until the first play of the second quarter.

Warner Robins finished off the first quarter with a more diversified drive of 11 plays, with three passes.

The game-tying touchdown was a 14-yard swing pass to Malcom Brown, who powered through five tackles to score.

Daily Tribune News: Stats were not misleading

Finally, the first defensive stop followed three plays later when Montrez Dinkins read the play and leaped for an interception. Two plays later, the rout roots started growing with Kaleb Howard reaching to the inside to haul in an Addie pass where only Howard could get it.

The 29-yard score and Daniel Barber’s kick made it 21-14.

A three-and-out followed, and the Brown took over the running duties while Jahlen Rutherford rested a tweaked ankle. Brown ran six straight times, for 49 yards, Addie finishing the drive around left end from 5 yards out.

And the Demons had doubled up the Purple Hurricanes with 5:25 left in the half.

Cartersville had a chance for some blood-stopping momentum, moving quickly to the Warner Robins 33. A combo sack from Demarcious Robinson and Vic Burley set up Deuce Petty’s interception a play later.

A 24-yard pass play that helped get Cartersville out of bad field position – starting on the 14 was wasted when the defense stepped up an forced a punt.

The eight-play, 72-yard scoring drive that took up all of 2:18 featured a nice 24-yard pass play to De’andre King in the slot, King going outside and weaving through traffic.

Addie finished it with another 5-yard score, at the 1:06 mark.

Cartersville had a chance for some blood-stopping momentum, moving quickly to the Warner Robins 33. A combo sack from Demarcious Robinson and Vic Burley set up Deuce Petty’s interception a play later.

The kneeldown was the first time in the first half that Warner Robins didn’t finish a possession in the end zone. That didn’t happen again until a drive – with mostly backups in – started with 6:07 left in the game. But the Demons were on the Cartersville 17 when Will White fumbled, and Cartersville recovered.

Warner Robins followed up a Cartersville score by running out the final 1:48.

Westbrook is 1-1 in state title games, going in his first two years as a head coach. Demon legend Robert Davis, who died a little more than 10 weeks ago, needed four years to reach a championship game, and another five to reach his second one, winning both.

How the Demons won Wednesday – a bruising ground game and old-school defense – would have brought him great joy.

“What he built at Warner Robins, it will never die,” Westbrook said. “Bobby D, you said it. We got it, baby.”