A goal-line stand sends Warner Robins Demons to the third round of the playoffs

The Warner Robins Demons held off a late rally by the Rome Wolves to move on to the next round of the GHSA playoffs with a 25-17 victory.

“It was an exciting game. A hard-fought victory on our side. That is a good ball team over there.” Warner Robins coach Marquis Westbrook said. “In the playoffs, it doesn’t have to be pretty. You just have to win and advance.”

The Demons were tasked with slowing down an offense that came into the game averaging more than 40 points per game. The defense held Rome to under half its season average.

“It is going to give us confidence going into the next round,” Westbrook said. “That helps a lot so that when we match up against guys and we lineup on them, there is no fear in our guys’ eyes.”

Early in the game the defense set the tone by forcing a field-goal attempt after allowing Rome to drive inside the red zone. The field-goal attempt was missed.

The Demons took over and scored a touchdown on a run by Ahmad Walker. Walker finished the night with three scores and was a leader on the defensive side of the ball from his linebacker spot.

“(Walker) brings it every time,” Westbrook said. “He is a leader. They listen to him under that tent. They listen to him when they are out on the field. He is a coach on the field. It is a blessing to have a kid like that.”

The Demons dictated the pace of the game behind big performances from running backs James Smith, Jahlen Rutherford and Walker. The three combined for 217 yards and four rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Jalen Addie also rushed for 44 yards, adding an additional wrinkle to the offense.

“We got fresh legs and you have tempo. It is a tough deal to stop,” Westbrook said. “It is a weapon to have. … It is an awesome opportunity to be here and our guys took advantage of it.”

The Demons defense forced a fumble late in the first quarter to set up Smith for a rushing touchdown. The Demons led 12-0 at the end of the first quarter, but Rome rallied with a touchdown late in the first half by running back Ahijah Blackwell.

Out of the half, Rome kicked a field goal to make it 12-10.

The Demons answered with a pair of touchdowns on back-to-back drives to push the lead to 25-10 heading to the fourth quarter.

Warner Robins watched as its lead was whittled down to eight as Rome’s quarterback Caleb Ellard found Adam Peterson for a score. After a long drive ended in a punt for the Demons, the Wolves had one final shot to win the game.

Rome went down the field on the final drive and moved inside the Warner Robins’ 10-yard line with less than 10 seconds remaining. Ellard passed to Peterson, but this time the Demons defense swarmed to the ball. Peterson was stopped at the 2-yard line as time ran out.

“We are really good in the fourth quarter of just grinding teams down,” Westbrook said. “We did it again tonight. We ate up a bunch of clock and that proved to be the difference in the game. They ran out of time.”