Sports

Is Warner Robins having the greatest run in Middle GA history? Here is how they stack up

By Justin Baxley

Updated December 29, 2021 10:23 AM

This high school football season saw Warner Robins cap one of the most impressive five-year runs in recent memory with its second straight state championship and fifth consecutive state title game appearance.

The Demons knocked off Calhoun 38-14 to take home their sixth title in school history. Head coach Marquis Westbrook said its hard to see how special the run has been because they are living in the moment right now.

“Our kids have faced a lot of really good opponents and coming up short those first few years and then finally winning it last year was elation not just for our team but for our community,” Westbrook said. “It has been a real good run… It is kind of one of those things you have to step outside of yourself and see it from the outside before you can get the full feel of what you’re doing.”

A man who has had similar runs of success is Barney Hester, the former Tattnall head coach, who won 11 GISA titles and finished as the runner-up in seven other seasons.

Hester, who is set to retire at year’s end as the athletic director for Bibb County, said Warner Robins’ string of title appearances is one of the most impressive he has ever seen in his 47 years in athletics in Middle Georgia: Not only because of the back-to-back state titles but because of the three times they’ve finished as a runner-up, something Hester said is impressive as many great teams never even make it to the title game.

He added that a big part of why the Demons have been so successful is the tradition and expectation to win adds a lot of fuel for the players who replace the top stars who leave for graduation: they want to continue that legacy of greatness.

“They have got it going on at Warner Robins. They are expecting to win when they go out,” Hester said. “Everyone talks about how tough it is to win a state championship but to back it up is the hardest thing. What they have been able to do is unreal.”

Daniel Shirley, the former sports editor for The Telegraph who works for The Athletic, has covered high school football in Middle Georgia since moving here in the early 2000s.

Shirley has had a chance to see some of the best teams to ever come through the area.

Some of the tops on his list include the Northside teams from 2005-09 and the Peach County teams from that same time period. He said the run Warner Robins is currently on might be the most impressive he has seen. Not just because of the wins but also because of the three losses in state title games including two in a row in overtime to Bainbridge and Buford in 2018 and 2019.

“A couple of those losses were just heartbreaking. They could have just said ‘Okay, we are just not going to get to that point.’ And they’ve bounced back from that to win these last two,” Shirley said. “I would say this is as impressive as anything I have seen just because of how they were able to respond to losing those first few times.”

One of the differences between Warner Robins and the other great teams in Middle Georgia is time. The teams who have gone on impressive streaks have all gained the context of time to put into perspective just how special their success was.

For the Demons, their stretch of wins is ongoing. There is a chance they will be able to add more impressive accomplishments to an already impressive resume.

“We can look back at the Northside team, the Peach County team, Barney Hester’s Tattnall teams that dominated the GISA. We can always look back on those teams and we will have that in 10 years on this team,” Shirley said. “I do think that this team can keep winning as long as coach Westbrook is there I would not bet against this Warner Robins program”

Here is a list of the top teams in Middle Georgia over a five-year stretch.

Warner Robins (2017-2021)

Win-Loss record: 66-8

Accomplishments: Two state titles, three runner-up finishes and five straight 12+ win seasons

Biggest win: 62-28 win over Cartersville to win first title during the run

Coach: Marquis Westbrook (2019-2021), Mike Chastain (2017-2018)

Northside coach Kevin Kinsler embraces running back Willie Jordan after the Eagles won the 2014 GHSA state championship over Mays, 25-18. BEAU CABELL bcabell@macon.com

Northside (2014-2018)

Win-Loss record: 51-16

Accomplishments: One state title, one runner-up finish and five straight playoff appearances

Biggest win: 25-18 win over Mays to take home the state title in 2014

Coach: Kevin Kinsler

Peach County players celebrate their 2005 GHSA AAA State Championship last December in Albany. photo by Jason Vorhees Dec. 3, 2005 Jason Vorhees

Peach County (2005-2009)

Win-Loss record: 57-10

Accomplishments: Three state titles, one perfect season and five straight playoff appearances

Biggest win: 13-12 win over Gainsville to complete a 15-0 perfect season in 2009

Coach: Chad Campbell (2007-2009), Rance Gillispie (2005-2006)

In this 2007 Telegraph file photo, Northside head coach Conrad Nix gets greeted with a tub of water after the Eagles’ 20-14 win over Ware County Friday night for the GHSA AAAA State Championship. Jason Vorhees The Telegraph

Northside (2005-2009)

Win-Loss record: 67-5

Accomplishments: Two state titles, two runner-up finishes and back-to-back perfect seasons

Biggest win: 31-28 win over Tucker in the semifinal game to propel them to a second straight state title

Coach: Conrad Nix

In this 2003 Telegraph file photo, head coach Lee Campbell speaks to the large crowd assembled on Lumpkin Street in Hawkinsville to celebrate the Red Devils 2003 15-0 Class A State football championship.

Hawkinsville (2002-2006)

Win-Loss record: 59-10-1 (tie in the state title game against Clinch County)

Accomplishments: Back-to-back state titles, one semifinal appearance and two quarterfinals appearances

Biggest win: 18-8 win over Lincoln County for the first title

Coach: Lee Campbell

Stratford (1999-2004)

Win-Loss record: 56-20

Accomplishments: Three GISA titles, one semifinal appearance and one perfect season

Biggest win: 35-34 win over FPD to clinch the third championship

Coach: Mark Farriba (2003-2004), Rodney Collins (1999-2002)

Tattnall (1994-1998)

Win-Loss record: 61-6

Accomplishments: Four GISA state titles, one runner-up finish and one perfect season

Biggest win: 20-7 win over Stratford for the first of four titles in five years

Coach: Barney Hester

Tattnall (1988-1992)

Win-Loss record: 59-8

Accomplishments: Three straight GISA state titles, two runner-up finishes and one perfect season.

Biggest win: 18-12 win over Westwood to complete the three-peat.

Coach: Barney Hester

Mary Persons (1980-1984)

Win-Loss record: 56-11

Accomplishments: One state title, two runner-up finishes and a perfect season

Biggest win: 34-6 win over Duluth to cap the perfect season in 1980 and capture the state championship

Coach: Dan Pitts

Warner Robins (1976-1981)

Win-Loss record: 70-5

Accomplishments: Two national titles, two state titles and two semifinal appearances

Biggest win: 21-0 win over Newnan to capture a second state title and second national title

Coach: Robert Davis

Central (1971-1975)

Win-Loss record:48-7

Accomplishments: One state title and one runner-up finish

Biggest win: 21-19 win over Northside in the quarter-finals to set up the state title run

Coach: Gene Brodie (1973-1975), Goot Steiner (1971-1972)

Dublin (1959-1963)

Win-Loss record: 46-8

Accomplishments: Three state titles

Biggest win: 13-12 win over Tucker to win the third state championship in five years

Coach: Minton Williams

This story was originally published December 29, 2021 at 5:00 AM.

Justin Baxley

The Telegraph

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Justin Baxley is the fan life reporter at The Telegraph and writes stories centered around entertainment, food and sports in the Macon community. Justin joined the Telegraph staff after graduating from Mercer University in May 2017 with a degree in criminal justice and journalism. During his time at Mercer he served as the sports editor for The Cluster.