Warner Robins falls in state finals, 17-14, to Buford

Atlanta- The rain continued to fall Friday evening and did not stop until well after the respective team captains for Warner Robins and Buford shook hands at the Georgia State Stadium 50-yard line at exactly 4:30 p.m. It would start again by time the two teams were done playing at a quarter to 8 p.m., with the Wolves of Buford High School the new AAAAA state champions and the Demons of Warner Robins, back in the state finals for a third consecutive time, once again the runner-up following the 17-14 overtime thriller. “Like they have all season, our guys fought hard,” said Demons first-year head coach Marquis Westbrook following the trophy presentation. “We have a lot of talent coming back.” Indeed they do, the Demons will return starters at quarterback (Jalen Addie), running back (Jahlen Rutherford) free safety (Xavier Hill), full back (Ahmad Walker), linebacker (Walker and Demarcus Robinson) and on the defensive line (junior Javar Jordan and sophomore Vic Burley). Warner Robins will once again be loaded when the 2020 season begins but that did little to keep the tears from falling as soon as the ball went threw the net in favor of Buford. A number of Demons fell to the floor, others grabbed teammates and cried. There are players on this team that will have to head into their college careers having lost three times when it counted most. Players like seniors Marcayl Jones and Ty Carr, who both played outstanding games tonight and during previous state title losses. Players like Jatavious Bryant, a senior defensive back, who grabbed Jones after he came off the podium, saying to his teammate, “I love you man.”

The loss is just the second of the season for Warner Robins. Of the 15 games this one hurts the most however and will likely overshadow the fact that this program has dominated AAAAA football the past three seasons. The Demons have failed to face a similar opponent through three straight state finals appearances. That level of dominance is hard to duplicate, no matter the level of sport. It is important for the players to remember that when they think of Friday the 13, 2019. 

The Wolves attempted one field goal during the game and that was the game-winner on third down from senior Hayden Olsen, Buford head coach Bryant Appling deciding to get things over with and get his team out of the rain. The Demons had the ball first to start the extra period and moved the ball well with junior quarterback Jalen Addie and junior running back Jahlen Rutherford both gaining yards on run plays to start the drive from the 20 yard line. Addie would throw his first interception of the game to Buford sophomore defensive back Jamarius Isaac (who would play an even bigger part of the game during the fourth quarter) on third down ending the drive. Buford didn’t even try to pass the ball during overtime, they ran the ball with junior Gabe Ervin and sophomore Victor Venn before attempting and making the short field goal. Buford attempted more passes during the fourth quarter -they were down by a touchdown throughout- than they did during the three quarters combined. 

The first quarter had both the Demons and Wolves dedicated to the run throughout. The teams combined for just two completed passes through the first 12 minutes of the game with Buford scoring the first touchdown of the game at the end of three-minute drive on a Ervin one-yard carry. A junior, Ervin carried the ball five times during the drive with sophomore running back Venn getting one carry for three yards in the process. 

There wasn’t much going on in regards to offense early in the second quarter for either team until Demons senior running back James Smith and junior fullback/linebacker Walker got their first carries of the game. Smith ripped off a 20-yard run to get into Buford territory and followed that up a few snaps later with a short run for another first down. Walker’s first two carries resulted in the Demons getting their best field position of the game to that point, fourth and three on the Wolves 13 yard line with 3:12 to play in the first half. Walker would pick up four more yards in order to keep that drive alive. With 2:13 remaining and facing another third and short Walker would get into the end zone to tie the game at 7.

The Wolves had the ball with just over a minute to play in the first half and the Demons defense made sure they went into their locker room tied as Walker registered his second sack of the game and junior defensive lineman Jordan had a tackle for loss just before the final whistle. 

The Demons took their first lead of the game following an 80-yard punt return from Carr followed by a 15-yard run from Addie on the first down of the drive. Carr, who plays receiver and has doubled as the team’s free safety during the postseason. Carr’s speed makes him a triple-threat as a special teams player and that skill set helped give the Demons their lead, a lead they would hold till the last minute of regulation. Buford managed to use 4:19 seconds of the game clock on their final drive, scoring the game-tying touchdown on a pass from sophomore quarterback Ashton Daniels to Isaac. The pass floated over the Demons defenders, who were putting a ton of pressure on Daniels and the Wolves other quarterback senior Justice Johnson the entire game, and into Isaac’s hands, tying the game following a successful extra point attempt from Olsen.. Warner Robins could have iced the game with a 31-yard field goal with 8:41 remaining in the fourth quarter but missed. That miss would ultimately make all the difference in the game.

When told that his team has a lot to be proud of following the loss, having made it back to the big stage in Atlanta time after time, Westbrook quickly agreed. “They do brother, they do.” 

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