Warner Robins takes on Cartersville in fourth straight championship game appearance

The Warner Robins Demons are one victory away from completing a four-year journey to win a state championship.

They’ve come so close so many times, reaching to state title game only to lose in 2017, 2018 and last season.

In 2017, the Demons were shut out by a Rome team that was loaded with D-1 talent .

The following season, Warner Robins was led by Dylan Fromm, brother of former University of Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm. Facing Bainbridge, a team they’d already beaten once, the Demons fell behind by 28 points in the first quarter but staged a furious comeback. They ultimately fell in triple overtime after a roughing the kicker call didn’t result in a first down.

Last season, Warner Robins lost another heart-breaker in overtime to Buford after leading the entire game. A few missed kicks and an untimely interception would be the team’s undoing.

But Warner Robins head coach Marquis Westbrook and his 2020 squad aren’t concerned with recent history: they’re worried about this afternoon’s matchup against Cartersville. The Demons and Purple Hurricanes play at 3:30 p.m. at Georgia State’s Center Parc Credit Union Stadium.

“As big as it is, we try to focus just like we have done in the past. We don’t try to change too many things,” Westbrook said. “We preach the little things and hopefully we can continue to have the success that we have been having over the last couple of weeks.”

Starving for another title

A school with a rich tradition of success, the Demons haven’t secured a state championship in 16 years. For Westbrook, the Demons and the entire city of Warner Robins, a championship win could be described in one word: refreshing.

“It will be refreshing to put that fifth title on the back of that weight room; that would be awesome,” Westbrook said. “I want it so bad for this city. The kids want it bad.”

The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes are the one obstacle in the way of Warner Robins securing that fifth title in school history. The Purple Hurricanes won back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016 at the 4A level with Clemson quarterback and projected number one overall NFL draft pick, Trevor Lawrence, at the helm. Their 2020 squad is also dangerous, with Carlos Del Rio, a University of Florida commit, will be under center. Westbrook, a former Gator, said that Warner Robins has to stay sound against Del Rio and the Purple Hurricanes offense.

“When you go out and try to make things happen too much in football that is when you get toasted especially with a quarterback like that,” he said. “We have to take what we can and still be aggressive. We can’t get outside of ourselves.”

Addie and Rutherford have been ‘a blessing’

The Demons line up a star quarterback of their own in Jalen Addie. Addie is a true dual-threat quarterback: In the semifinal win over Jones County, Addie accounted for seven total touchdowns using both his arm and his legs. His ability to make teams pay in all facets of the game makes him a special player, Westbrook said.

“To have him (Addie) is a definite blessing. When you have a dual-threat guy it makes it harder on the defense. And he can even go play some defense himself,” he said. “It takes a lot of pressure off the offensive line, him being able to scramble, read defenses and know when to pull the ball and when to throw it. He is a smart kid. He can make all the checks and the calls. I consider us fortunate to have him for the last couple of years.”

Addie isn’t the only play maker that Cartersville will have to contend with in the championship game. Jahlen Rutherford, the senior running back, has been a key for the Demons on offense. In the quarterfinal game against Blessed Trinity, Rutherford had some timely runs that allowed Warner Robins to close out the win on the road.

“He (Rutherford) has been everything for us. He can catch the ball out of the backfield. He can take it the distance, as he showed against Blessed Trinity. It has been a blessing to have kids like that in our program,” Westbrook said. “They love the game. They coach a little bit on the field. You kind of selfishly want them to come back another year. He is a senior and one of those guys who is always upbeat and gets people going.”

Motivated by ‘Demon Country’

One of Warner Robins’ advantages is in the stands. Demon Country, as the team’s fans are known, has been out in full force all season. The fans have traveled well and packed out games at home within the COVID-19 guidelines set out by the various school systems around the state. Westbrook is expecting to see a “sea of red” cheering on his team on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. against Cartersville.

“The atmosphere is going to be electric. I am expecting a ton of people to be at the game. We should have a sea of red behind us. Hopefully, it will just add fuel to the fire and motivate us,” Westbrook said. “This is one of the traditional programs. What coach Robert Davis started is still alive here. Just to see those fans everywhere we go and rooting just like we are at the Mac. It has been a definite advantage to have and we know you have people who have our back.”