By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

          Things looked pretty good for Creekside early.

          The hosts, playing less than 10 miles from home at Banneker because of GHSA capacity minimums, were cruising along on their first possession of the Class 5A semifinal against defending state champ Warner Robins.

          Defending state champ Warner Robins.

          Creekside reached the red zone, only for Montrez Dinkins to pick off a pass and carry it back from the 15 to the Creekside 33, setting up a 33-yard Chaz Sturn touchdown and getting Warner Robins going to a 40-15 win and another trip to the state championship.

          Warner Robins will play Calhoun, a 24-7 winner over Blessed Trinity, at 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 11 at Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta.

          The Demons had won three playoff games by 23 points, and had pretty much clinched matching that minimum late in the third quarter.

          Warner Robins didn’t rack up huge offensive numbers, thanks to defense and special teams leading to good field possession.

          The first drive was one play and 33 yards. The second drive was two plays and 79 yards, and the third five plays and 75 yards. By the end of the first quarter, Warner Robins had three plays, two scores, and all of 43 seconds of possession, while Creekside had 23 snaps and nothing to show for it.

          By that point, Sturn had a touchdown and Fred Perry two, Perry’s covering only 21 yards. A punt snap was way too high, and the Demons picked up a safety in the final minute of the second quarter for a 23-0 halftime lead.

          The third quarter was more sluggish, and Creekside cracked the shutout with a 55-yard touchdown pass with 6:23 left to pull within 23-7. Not for long, the Demons turning in a nice 9-play, 71-yard drive with Perry going in from the 6 for a 30-7 lead at the 2:58 mark of the third quarter.

          Perry finished off a 53-yard drive with an 11-yard score inside the first minute of the fourth quarter and Daniel Barber followed D.J. Perkins’ first interception of the season with a 24-yard field.

          Creekside got a 69-yard TD pass and conversion with 3:46 left.

          The defense racked up more than a half-dozen sacks, and the offense finished with an efficient 345 yards total offense. Sturn went for 171 on 16 carries and Perry 58 on four, half of his carries for touchdown.

          Quarterback Christon Lane had a rested arm, going 7 for 12 for 89 yards in his 12th game without an interception and second game – in a row – without a touchdown. Warner Robins has scored 89 points in those two games.