The Marist War Eagles beat the Warner Robins Demons with a 47-25 win Friday at home in Round 1 of the Class 5A playoffs.
The War Eagles (11-0), ranked No. 1, move to the second round as the No. 1 seed from Region 5 to host Jones County, the No. 2 seed from Region 2. The Demons, ranked No. 9 and a No. 4 seed from Region 1, finish 7-4.
Senior quarterback Jack Euart led the War Eagles offense with 146 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries, and was 1-for-3 passing with a 25-yard touchdown to Noah Gerrick, which made it 21-0 early in the second quarter. That drive began on the Warner Robins 35 after junior defensive back Dawson Batemon strip-sacked Demons quarterback Skyler Williams.
The War Eagles defense forced two turnovers on downs and a fumble, and deflected a punt.
“First and foremost, we just need to give thanks to our lord and savior, Jesus Christ,” Batemon said. “Our coaching staff was able to put in the right schemes to trip them up and confuse them, and we were able to execute just like Marist football does.”
The War Eagles led 30-6 at halftime and took a 33-6 lead with 5:46 left in the third quarter on senior Drew Linnihan’s 19-yard field goal. From there, the Demons went on a 13-0 run in three minutes, scoring on a pair of Williams touchdown passes from 17 and 14 yards out, making it 33-19 with 2:33 left in the third. In between the touchdowns, they forced and recovered a Marist fumble at midfield.
The War Eagles regrouped to go on a 14-0 run of their own, with senior running back Trace Gaynes’ 8-yard run with 6:45 left the game’s final points. In the first half, Gaynes returned a Demons punt 64 yards to the Warner Robins 3, and Euart punched it in the next play to make it 14-0 late in the first quarter.
Both teams came in having made it to at least the quarterfinals every year since 2017. Marist went 12-2 last year, reaching the 6A semifinals, and have totaled a championship, a finals, two semifinals and a quarterfinals appearance in that span. Warner Robins won two championships, played in another three and reached the quarterfinals in that same span.
Warner Robins 0 6 13 6 — 25
Marist 14 16 0 17 — 47
M — Jack Euart 1 run (Drew Linnihan kick)
M — Euart 3 run (Linnihan kick)
M — Noah Gerrick 25 pass from Euart (Linnihan kick)
M — Euart 25 run (kick failed)
W — Rasean Dinkins 1 run (kick failed)
M — Linnihan 26 FG
M — Linnihan 19 FG
W — Antavious Hawkins 17 pass from Skyler Williams (pass failed)
W — Dinkins 14 pass from Williams (Jabez Htoo kick)
M — Chris Haertel 2 run (Linnihan kick)
M —Trace Gaynes 8 run (Linnihan kick)
W — Nick Linder 41 pass from Williams (run failed)
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