Warner Robins and Dublin leaning on run games to carry them to state football titles

Warner Robins and Dublin, a pair of Middle Georgia football teams, are one win away from clinching state championships. A big part of why for both teams is their ability to run the football.

Dublin has three running backs with more than 1,000 yards rushing and a quarterback, Markelle Mitchell, who is a running threat.

This makes for an offense that is tough to stop. The three running backs have combined for 5,000 rushing yards and more than 70 touchdowns.

The Dublin offense is the most prolific in the GHSA AA classification with 46.5 points per game.

“The way we are handling our wing-t right now, we are not going to line up and beat you by throwing the ball 30 times. That is not what we do,” Dublin head coach Roger Holmes said. “That is what made this offense good but at the end of the day none of that would be worth a darn without the offensive linemen.”

Each back in the offense provides a specific skill set that helps make this Dublin offense work. Jacques Evans fills the fullback role as a power runner. He has carried the ball 200 times for more than 2,200 yards and has found the end zone 38 times.

Evans has been a Swiss army knife for the team since he was a freshman. He has played fullback, tight end, linebacker, defensive tackle, kicker, punter and defensive end.

Holmes said Evans has been able to excel in each role because he is an unselfish player who will to do whatever is asked of him.

“After about three games into the year, that vision, he started seeing his holes and seeing his cuts and since then he has been a heck of a player,” Holmes said. “He is huge in the leadership role. … At the end of the day, I think you are dealing with an unselfish kid.”

‘Zion is the fastest’

Zion Kemp and Marcus Adams sometimes get overshadowed by the big man in Evans, but each has over 1,000 yards on the season from their wing-back slots in the offense. Kemp is known as the speed guy while Adams is the more physical runner who provides a big boost as a blocker as well. Holmes said that they like to cut up about who is the fastest guy on the roster. Evans is pretty positive in his answer.

“That boy Zion man. When he gets gone, he gets gone,” Evans said. “Zion is the fastest.”

At Warner Robins, the run game has helped lead the Demons back to their third straight state championship appearance. The game is done in a variety of ways as they are able to run read-option plays with quarterback Jalen Addie. But it is the trio of running backs that make this group special.

Jahlen Rutherford, or “Jay Bird” as his mom calls him, has been the lead back all season. During this playoff run, he has been able to gash teams on big runs, especially on first down. James Smith is the change-of-pace back.

Smith comes in after Rutherford has worn down the defense to break off long runs using his elite speed.

Warner Robins run game is its ‘identity’

Ahmad Walker is one of the team’s best linebackers but he is quick enough that he is also used as the power back in the red zone. Each provides something that helps make their offense.

They average around 240 yards rushing per game and lead an offense that scores 35 per game. Warner Robins head coach Marquis Westbrook said that the run game has done a great job this season of setting up the pass.

“It is our identity right now. We run the ball and we run the ball and we run the ball and then we throw it,” Westbrook said. “Just have James and Jahlen to lead that charge has been awesome. They have been a good complement to each other. They have been nothing but the best for us in the backfield this year.”

Addie’s ability at quarterback to run the ball adds an additional wrinkle for the offense. The defense has to account for him being able to tuck it and run or throw it deep. This has been the crux for defenses all season long. Westbrook said it makes it hard for other teams to prepare for their offense.

“When you turn on the film on Sunday and see us, you got to make a decision about where you’re going to stop. You have to look at what you have and just take your chances,” Westbrook said. “It pretty tough man. I would hate to play against it.”

This story was originally published December 12, 2019 at 5:47 PM.