There are plenty of good first-round matchups for the Class 4A football playoffs, but the one that features Warner Robins vs. Marist is brighter than all the others. This one should have a neon sign in front of the ticket office and klieg lights shining in the sky outside Hughes-Spalding Stadium to announce the event.
The game features two of the state’s most iconic football program – Marist with 780 all-time wins, No. 4 in Georgia history, and three state championships, and Warner Robins with 585 wins, No. 28th in Georgia, six state championships and two national championships.
And they’ll be meeting for the first time.
“This is not a typical No. 1 vs. No. 4 first-round playoff game,” Marist coach Alan Chadwick said. “It’s more like a Round Three or Round Four type of game.”
Marist is ranked No. 1 in Class 4A. The War Eagles are 10-0 and was barely challenged in the Region 5A schedule. Warner Robins, the No. 9-ranked team, is 7-3 and has been challenged every week by the difficult Region 1 schedule which left them as the No. 4 seed.
“What’s crazy is we’re five plays away – I mean, l literally five plays away – from being the No. 1 seed,” Warner Robins coach Shane Sams said. “I think in our region, No. 1 through No. 4 is pretty much the same. There’s not much difference between the teams.”
Marist may have an edge because they run an option attack the likes of which Warner Robins has not seen. The War Eagles feature a three-year starter at quarterback in Jack Euart, who is has been tested in difficult situations. But any advantage because of the unfamiliarity may have been mitigated by the additional week of preparation that Warner Robins got thanks to Hurricane Helene lengthening the season.
“You never see that,” Sams said. “That’s part of what makes them very effective in what they do. We’re excited for it. You always love playing really good football coaches and good programs.”
The Demons finished their regular season two weeks ago by defeating Perry, which won the Region 1 title, 27-24 on a last-second field goal. Warner Robins got big plays from quarterback Skyler Williams and two-way standout Rasean Dinkins, a four-star prospect who recently flipped from Georgia Tech to Georgia, along the way.
“I think it gives us huge momentum going into the playoffs,” Sams said. “Like we told our kids, we have the same record as the region champions – 7-3 and beat the region champions. I think the momentum is huge going into the playoffs.”
Chadwick also likes the direction his team is headed, although they sustained a few unexpected dings in the season finale against Tucker.
“We’ve improved a good bit,” Chadwick said. “This team seems to have found its identity in all phases of the game. I think we’re a pretty well-balanced team. One of our concerns is our strength of schedule. You know Region 1, they’re all good. They all beat each other up and they played a much more difficult schedule.”
But he expects a battle from a physically gifted Warner Robins club.
“They’ve got a big strong offensive line. They’re going to outsize us significantly across the front,” Chadwick said. “The quarterback is a 220-pounder and he can pull it down and run and really hurt you. Defensively they’re athletic, fast, tough and (Dinkins) is the X-factor.”
Four other first-round games to watch:
Starr’s Mill at Mays (Lakewood Stadium): Starr’s Mill (9-1) had the misfortune of losing its last game and dropping from No. 1 to No. 3 in Region 3. The Panthers, who still run most of their offense out of the option, will show Mays a style of play it hasn’t seen all year. They average 214 yards on the ground and QB Logan Inagawa is a three-year starter who knows the offense backwards and forwards. But Mays (8-2) may be the most explosive, athletic team Starr’s Mill has seen. The Raiders spread the field and get the ball to Clayton Coppock and other playmakers who are threats to break any play for big distance. This the first meeting between the two teams.
Cambridge at Cedartown: Cambridge (8-2) dropped its final two games and fell to No. 3 in Region 6, which earned them a trip to play No. 6 Cedartown, whose only loss has come against No. 2-ranked Cartersville. Cambridge quarterback Weston Taylor finished the season with most passing yards in Class 4A (2,615). Cedartown (9-1) prefers to run it – by nearly a 3-to-1 margin -- behind Tae Harris (787 yards, 12 TDs) and Juelz Davis (552 yards, five TDs). This will be the first meeting between the two teams.
Benedictine vs. Southwest DeKalb: (Godfrey Stadium): No. 8 Benedictine began the season as the No. 1 ranked team but a difficult schedule (Rabun Gap and Buford) and some debilitating injuries set the Cadets back early. They came back to beat Warner Robins, but lost to Perry and Ware County to wind up third in Region 1. BC’s Omari Burse has thrown for 779 yards since Stephen Cannon’s season-ending injury. Sophomore Stanley Smart Jr. is the top runner with 613 yard.
Southwest DeKalb (7-3) rebounded from a 2-8 season to earn its first playoff spot in three seasons. SWD quarterback Braylon Carter has thrown for 2,174 yards and the Panthers’ stiff defense is led by junior linemen Ernest Rankin and Aaron Barber. This will be the first meeting between the two schools.
Maynard Jackson vs. Jonesboro (Tara Stadium): Jonesboro (7-3) is one of the most consistently solid teams in the state. The Cardinals are in the playoffs for the eighth time in 10 seasons under coach Tim Floyd. They beat Starr’s Mill in the final game to earn home-field advantage. Jackson (8-2) is led by dual-threat quarterback Rayshun Parks, a junior who has thrown for 844 yards and rushed for 870 yards and 11 touchdowns. Jacob Jackson has rushed for 729 yards and nine TDs. This will be the first meeting between the two schools.
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