Warner Robins’ deep playoff run ends in title game against Ware County, 38-13
“Hold tight… We’ll have our ring tonight,” the Ware County banner read before the Gators stormed onto the field to play Warner Robins for the state trophy Saturday afternoon. The slogan proved prescient prior to the big game that, fittingly placed against dreary Atlanta skies, would be a tough one for the Demons.
Warner Robins couldn’t contain the Gators and failed to recover from an early deficit, losing the GHSA 5A Championship 38-17 before a raucous Ware County crowd in Center Parc Stadium.
“The kids, they came out, we fought. They proved they were the better team tonight,” said Warner Robins head coach Marquis Westbrook. “We had a good week of preparation, we just came out on the wrong end of this one.”
The win gave the Gators their first ever state championship despite years of fielding competitive squads. The crowd loved it, erupting into cheers and the ringing of cowbells as the horn sounded despite the more than four-hour drive to Atlanta from Waycross.
It seemed that a third straight championship for the Demons just wasn’t meant to be, as Ware County had already notched three touchdowns with 10 minutes still to play in the first half.
Warner Robins fought back with some scores and turnovers of their own in the second and third quarters, but it was too late.
“Our kids got a lot of resilience, a lot of heart,” Westbrook said. “I’m gonna go in there and tell ‘em that I’m proud of ‘em, and I love ‘em. To be in this game is a blessing. They learned a lesson this year… about never giving up.”
A bounceback season
It was a strange season for Warner Robins, as they started the year 1-4 but went on a nine-game winning streak to reach the title game. Despite the initial impressions of a “rebuilding year,” the championship loss still hurts for Westbrook and his players.
“We were counted out early on, we graduated a lot, we lost our quarterback,” Westbrook said. “It didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to, but that’s what it is. This is still a blessed team.”
It was still a remarkable run to the championship, especially with backup quarterback Isiah Canion at the helm after Chase Reese was injured to begin the playoffs. Canion had 195 passing yards and a touchdown, but also had two interceptions.
The Warner Robins secondary just couldn’t stop Jarvis Hayes, who torched Demon defenders all night with his speed at wide receiver. By the time the fourth quarter wrapped up, Hayes had racked up 171 yards receiving with two long touchdown grabs.
As for Warner Robins, Westbrook is already looking forward to next season.
“We just gotta get back in the weight room and start getting these guys bulked up a little bit and have our sophomores ready to play next year,” he said. “We got a good core group of guys, and hopefully we’ll be back in the hunt again.”
A dominant performance
There was little else to call Ware County’s championship game performance other than dominant, as they took control of the contest from the outset.
Ware County scored two touchdowns in the first quarter and another just minutes into the second, cementing their grip on the contest.
Warner Robins did have one first half touchdown, but even it came across as bittersweet when they missed the extra point. The Gators led 24-6 at the half.
The Demons did show some fight to begin the second half, grabbing an interception and scoring their second touchdown, but the floodgates opened from there.
Ware County quarterback Niko Smith connected with Hayes for several long passes all night to fuel the Gators’ dominant win. Running back Dae’Jeaun Dennis filled in the gaps, scoring twice in the first half to balance the offense.
This story was originally published December 10, 2022 at 6:38 PM.