Friday's Scouting Report: Cartersville at Warner Robins

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com 

GHSA

Semifinal

Class 5A 

No. 4 Cartersville, R7/2, 12-1, at No. 8 Warner Robins, R2/2, 9-4

Series history: Warner Robins leads 2-0 (62-28, 2020 championship; 24-17, 2021 second round)

Cartersville playoff route: Beat Clarke Central 43-10, Cambridge 37-14, Coffee 56-28

Warner Robins playoff route: Beat Jenkins 31-13, Northside-Columbus 38-7, Creekside 31-28

Scouting Report

          Warner Robins started off 1-4, and scored only 52 points in those games, giving up 103. In the eight games since then, the Demons have scored 313 and allowed 103, much more to the norm of recent years.

          The Purple Hurricanes have been pretty steady, and are a hair away from being undefeated. They lost 50-48 in three overtimes to Calhoun on Sept. 29.  They’ve hardly been challenged since, winning by at least 18 points (44-26 over Hiram) and by an average of 24.9 points.

          Cartersville has more than twice as many rushing touchdowns, 45-21, but the TD-INT numbers are similar: 26-7 for Cartersville, 23-9 for Warner Robins.

          The teams get almost the same number of snaps a game, but Cartersville gains 87 more yards a game, and the Purple Hurricanes have more weapons.

          RB Malachi Jefferies has 1,379 yards and 20 TDs, while QB Paul Gamble has scored 10 times on 66 carries, with 498 yards. And Khristian Lando adds another 450 yards and 8 scores.

          Malcolm Brown suffered a knee injury in last year’s regular-season finale, and had 1,332 yards and 17 TDs at that point. He’s been unable to repeat that this year, and has 629 yards and 5 TDs in 13 games. Jamauri Brice and Collin Fletcher combine for 76 catches, 1,319 yards and 14 receiving touchdowns for Cartersville. Warner Robins counters with Cam Flowers and Chaz Sturn (58 catches, 1,090 yards, 13 TDs). Isiah Canion had 26 for 395 and six before taking over at quarterback a few weeks ago after Chase Reese suffered a season-ending injury.

          That’s the second year in a row a major player has gone down late for Warner Robins. The Demons also lost do-everything playmaker Fred Perry to graduation, and replacing his dangerousness was going to be tough regardless. Sturn has potential, though.

          Myles Forristal gets 6.5 stops a game – with 13 TFLs and 5 sacks - to lead the Cartersville defense, which has 9 interceptions, 5 from Romo Pace.

          Warner Robins’ special teams stats aren’t complete, but kicker Daniel Barber is off a game-winning field goal at Creekside, and is listed as 6-for-6 on field goals, a long of 50. Cartersville has no field goal stats on MaxPreps.

          The past two seasons, Cartersville has won at Blessed Trinity, Woodland, Allatoona, Dalton, and Cambridge, so the Purple Hurricanes aren’t afraid to travel, and they won’t be facing any kind of huge home crowd.

          The Demons are only 4-3 at McConnell-Talbert this season, the losses coming to Lee County, Valdosta, and Dutchtown, the latter still alive in 5A. They were 5-0 at The Mac last year, and 7-0 in 2020.

Maxwell Ratings prediction: Cartersville by 1

The Sports Report prediction: It was offered here at the of the season that Warner Robins reaching the semis would be a major accomplishment.

          And it is, maybe moreso than analyzed way back then. The Demons made a midseason staff change, releasing Kevious Johnson from offensive coordinator duties – and he left the team – and bumping up second-year H-back/tight ends coach Caleb Daffron to that spot.

          It worked, adding to the accomplishment level of making it this far.

          Then starting quarterback Chase Reese, who went into August behind Canion in the position race, went out with a season-ending injury against Jenkins in the first round of the playoffs.

          Canion took over, and here the Demons are, adding to the accomplishment.

          The Demons still don’t have quite the exclamation-point game of the past few years, but the recent tradition is paying off for a team that has found a new, more grinding, way to win.

          Can they do it again? Will there be some magic at The Mac? Do the Demons of the last few years show up? Does Cartersville exorcise the demons of the Demons’ two wins?

          Cartersville 30, Warner Robins 27