By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

Warner Robins was on the verge of an embarrassing blowout.

And the Demons stormed back.

Then Bainbridge was on the verge of a collapse that people would have talked about until they couldn’t talk any more.

Bainbridge led 21-0 and 28-7, Warner Robins stormed back to force overtime with 1:16 left, had a game-winning field goal blocked in the final seconds, but lost the battle with a fourth-down incomplete pass in the third overtime for a 47-41 loss in the Class 5A championship game.

The epic game started just before 5 p.m., nearly an hour late, and finally finished at 8:46 p.m., after 157 plays from scrimmage, 18 punts, two pick-6s, and a variety of botched special teams plays on both sides.

Bainbridge quarterback Quayde Hawkins ran in a 7-yarder for the lead in the third overtime, but the pass failed.

Warner Robins got eight yards from Jahlen Rutherford on first down and then lost a yard before Dylan Fromm was sacked for a 7-yard loss, setting up fourth and 10 from the 15.

Fromm’s pass to the left side of the end zone to Marcayll Jones was high and incomplete, and Bainbridge – a 38-0 loser to Warner Robins in region play – had its second state championship.

The second-guessing on both sides will last into the retirements of head coaches Jeff Littleton and Mike Chastain.

Bainbridge led 21-0 after a quarter on a wretched punt that needed a return of only 25 yards, a pick-6 of 32 yards, and a 24-yard touchdown pass that followed a fumble deep in Warner Robins territory.

The Bearcats had two first downs and 29 yards total offense, while the Demons had no first downs and 19 yards on 19 plays.

The lead was 28-7 at the half, the Demons getting a Rutherford touchdown at the 5:23 mark of the second quarter. They had good field possession shortly thereafter and faced a third and 31 and then fourth and 26 on the drive, letting a decent chance slip away.

A pick-6 on Warner Robins’ first trip of the second half gave Bainbridge a 35-7 lead and seemed to put things away.

But the Demons got an interception and 46-yard return from Demarcious Robinson to set up a two-play scoring drive and cut the margin to 21. Then Cary Payne recovered the onside kick to give the Demons the ball on the Bearcats’ 49.

Warner Robins converted a third-and-10 only to go backwards and waste the recovery with a hold and illegal formation, the latter nullifying a 17-yard gain and forcing a punt that pinned Bainbridge at its 2. The defense forced a three and out, and the offense got it at the Bearcats 31, scoring seven plays later to get within 14 at the 1:03 mark of the third.

Bainbridge opened the fourth quarter with first and 10 on Warner Robins’ 29, lost tw yards and threw two incompletions, then punted nine yards.

Fromm hit Ty Car for 10, Rutherford got 13, and Fromm completed three straight for 37 yards, 21 to Marcayll Jones. Fromm found brother Tyler on a fastball for a 12-yard touchdown, Samariy Howard’s kick pulling the Demons within 35-28 with 8:02 left. They ate up only 2:55 on a 9-play, 78-yard drive.

The Demons got a break when punter Caleb Harris dropped the snap for a big loss, then got an unsportsmanlike flag for spiking the ball in anger. But the Demons blew the first-and-goal at the 5, Fromm getting stuffed on a keeper on fourth down at the 2.

Warner Robins got a three and out, and took over on the Bearcats’ 41. Six plays later, Fromm found Carr for the 3-yard touchdown, Howard tying it with 1:16 left in the game.

Another glorious opportunity awaited Warner Robins.

On third and 15 from its 22, Bainbridge inexplicably passed. The ball floated into the hands of Ke’Shawn Duvall and Warner Robins had it at the Bainbridge 17 with 19 seconds left.

But Roman Harrison blasted through and blocked Howard’s field goal attempt on third and 3 at the 10 to force overtime.

The teams exchanged field goals in the first overtime. Warner Robins then stalled, running up the middle, on first and goal at the 5. Howard’s field goal was good, and Bainbridge was flagged for roughing the kicker, which is an automatic first down and would have given Warner Robins the ball inside the 2.

Chastain declined, and kept the points.

Bainbridge appeared to have won the game on a 14-yard pass from Hawkins to Adrian Cooper, but a formation penalty – the Bearcats rushed a receiver onto the field late, and he wasn’t lined up right – killed it, and another field goal tied it.

Then the Bearcats got the touchdown, and came up with the defensive stand after that.

Some of the numbers are staggering.

Warner Robins had twice as many first downs, 19-8.

The Demons ran a whopping 93 plays, 29 more than the Bearcats, and outgained Bainbridge 367-183, getting one more yard per snap, 3.9-2.9

Fromm was 28 of 53 for 279 yards with two interceptions – stunningly both for touchdowns – and three touchdowns.

The Demons were 7 for 10 on red-zone chances, the Bearcats 4 for 4. Bainbridge got 21 points off turnovers to seven for Warner Robins. The Bearcats lost 48 yards, only five coming on the lone sack. Fromm was dumped three times for 11 yards in losses.

The only time Warner Robins led was in overtime, but that’s misleading, since there was no clock and Bainbridge was to get a possession.

The Bearcats won despite averaging 1.8 yards per rush and getting a 7-for-26 passing performance for 113 yards.

In all that, there were only 15 penalties, seven on Bainbridge for 30 yards and eight for 63 for the Demons.