Northside took advantage of a bad snap and a short punt. Warner Robins took advantage of two Eagles fumbles.
That was just the first half. Combined it made for a 14-10 Northside lead. The third and fourth pretty much belonged to the Demons – the defense playing well throughout, but the offense finally having its moments – as Warner Robins went on to a 28-17 win.
The first – the bad snap – came on Warner Robins’ first possession of the game. It held Northside to a three-and-out then took over on its own 23 following the punt. It picked up a pair of first downs – a nine-yard pass from quarterback Dylan Fromm to Marcayll Jones led to one and a taunt penalty of 15 to another – before stalling. The bad snap gave the Eagles the ball on the 6.
The Demons gave them half the distance on a penalty from the first play from scrimmage, but it was the Eagles who suffered most from the yellow flag. They were penalized 65 yards in the first half (more than their total on offense – 39 yards) and picked up their first – five yards – on the second play from scrimmage. They were penalized five more two runs later. To make matters worse, it came as quarterback Jadin Daniels ran in the endzone. The penalty put the ball back on the 11 and brought up a third down. Northside called a timeout and came back with a pass from Daniels to Marcus Jolly across the middle for the touchdown. That came with just over six minutes left in the first. Tyler Wilson’s point after made it 7-0.
(Photos by Kevin Chelton)
Both punted on their next possession … although, the Eagles had a chance to pick up a first down on a fourth-and-two on Warner Robins 36, but another penalty made that an apparent unacceptable option by the coaching staff.
The short punt followed that – the game early into the second quarter by then. It was the result mainly of a wide snap. It went about 20 yards and gave Northside the ball on the Demons’ 24. Another penalty sandwiched in between an incomplete pass and a run going backward two yards eventually led to a 42-yard field goal by Cory Munson.
Warner Robins got good field position on Jaeven West’s kickoff return to the 45 following but eventually stalled on a fourth-and-10 near the redzone.
Both punted following. Then, on the Eagles’ next possession, it fumbled. Coby Reed recovered it, giving the Demons the ball on Northside’s 25. Warner Robins used a bit of trickery on the first play from scrimmage as the back took the handoff, but then tossed it back to quarterback Dylan Fromm. Fromm then found his brother Tyler for the score. Eli Mashburn’s point after cut the lead to 10-7.
The Eagles again fumbled on their next possession. Bobby Kelly recovered it on the 9. Fromm’s first pass following was incomplete, but on the second he found D’Angelo Whitehead for the score. Mashburn made it 14-10.
Both punted – in fact they did so 12 times between them – to give way to the half.
The Demons, who won the coin toss but deferred, made it pay off to start the third. They came out and put together a 10-play, 88-yard drive that ended with West catching a touchdown pass from 11 yards out. The drive also included a fourth-down and one conversion from the 18. Mashburn’s point after made it 21-10. Warner Robins also ate up nearly five minutes of the clock in the process.
Following two punts by each – a period in which neither could amount much offense – Northside struck again. It came via a 52-yard pass from quarterback Jadin Daniels to Marcus Jolly. The PAT made it 21-17 with just inside two minutes left in the quarter.
Both gave up interceptions following (see: neither could amount much offense).
Finally, with the fourth quarter under way, the Demons put together another long drive. It went 82 yards and once again 10 plays. Penalties helped and hindered it, but Warner Robins was able to find the endzone on Cobbs’ 12-yard run. Mashburn made it the final, 28-17.
Northside punted twice and turned it over on downs following. Warner Robins punted once and turned it over on downs once before finally receiving the ball with just over a minute left to play and being able to take a knee and run out the clock.
MCDONALD’S OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME DYLAN FROMM. PAPA JOHN’S DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME COBY REED
MCDONALD’S OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME MARCUS JOLLY PAPA JOHN’S DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME KENTEREZ ANTHONY
