Having a cardiologist on the sidelines to monitor ninth-ranked Ware County head coach Jason Strickland might’ve been a good idea given the way Friday night’s Region 1AAAA game against Warner Robins transpired.
Giving up 14 points in a span of less than three minutes in the fourth quarter and needing to successfully field an onside kick in the final 94 seconds to secure a 24-21 victory in Memorial Stadium will cause a coach’s heart to flutter a few times.
“I thought I was on the verge of about 15 heart attacks out there,” Strickland said. “This was a big, big win.”
Unlike the previous four games in which they were in catch-up mode early, the Gators scored touchdowns the first three times they had the ball and were never headed in leveling their record at 44 overall and 2-1 in the region. The last two of those scores came within 30 seconds of each other early in the second quarter leading to a 21-7 halftime cushion.
“Getting off to a good start was a huge emphasis this week at practice after the last few weeks,” Strickland said. “Tonight, the offense clicked from the start.”
Balance was a key in the offensive success. The Gators were pretty much run-only in its comeback win against Benedictine two weeks ago while last week, in a loss at Perry, they were almost exclusively in pass mode.
Friday, quarterback Luke Hooks connected on 16-of-23 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown while running backs Jamir Boyd and Tayshaun Franklin combined for 105 yards and a touchdown each.
Hooks completed 10 of his first 11 passes with the help of Boyd (18 carries, 62 yards) and Franklin (16 attempts, 43 yards) providing ground yardage behind a line shuffled from the loss of center Landon Smallwood for the season to a knee injury.
Ware County running back Jamir Boyd runs past a fallen Warner Robins defensive back en route to a 25-yard touchdown giving the ninth-ranked Gators a 7-0 lead less than four minutes into Friday’s Region 1-AAAA showdown.
“The offensive staff focused in the passing game to simply get the ball out of his hands and get him in rhythm,” Strickland said of Hooks, whose touchdown pass went to fellow senior Cole Cox. “We were more what we want to be and the guys up front were a big part of that. He (Hooks) and the backs trusted them and they were tremendous.”
William Bates finished the Ware County scoring with a field goal and three conversion kicks. The senior executed a perfect onside kick aiding in the Gators’ start.
Quarterback Skyler Williams led the Demons (6-3, 2-2) passing for 233 yards and three touchdowns with another 58 rushing on 11 carries. He did most of his damage late completing 5-of-8 passes in the fourth quarter for 111 yards and two
scores.
“We found a way to win,” Strickland said. “We executed in all three phases of the game. Up until about the last four minutes I thought the defense probably had their game of the year.”
Warner Robins went three-and-out after taking the opening kickoff. The Gators capitalized on 23yard punt to take over at the Demons’ 41. Five plays later, Boyd scored on a 25yard run off a delay with Bates adding the first of his three conversions for a 7-0 lead with 8:36 left in the quarter.
The Demons responded with their longest drive of the night to tie it less than three minutes later. Pinned at its own one after a cross-the-field lateral pass on the kickoff sailed over the receiver’s head and out of bounds, Warner Robins regrouped to cover the distance in eight plays.
The visitors converted two third downs before Williams connected with Dinkins on a 69-yard pass in which the receiver grabbed the underthrown ball and sprinted the final 40 yards to the end zone after the defender fell down. The extra point by Will Shepherd tied it with 4:55 left in the opening period.
Ware County then countered with its longest possession of the game to pull ahead for good and start the two-touchdown flurry.
After a false start on the first play, Hooks guided the Gators 71 yards in 11 plays, going 6-of-6 passing for 59 yards. Franklin ended the drive with 11:55 left in the half on a thirdand- three play from the 10. He took a direct snap in a tight formation with three other players in the backfield.
Some jawing by the Demons after the touchdown led to pushing and shoving that cost them an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty being assessed on the kickoff after both teams were sent to their benches by the officials.
Kicking off from the Warner Robins 45, the Gators snuck Bates onto the field first in the line of players to cover the kick. Normal kickoff man Josue Delgadillo approached the ball off short steps as if to “pooch” kick it and stopped. Bates stepped in to send a rolling kickoff through the opposite side of the Demons’ return team. Ware County recovered in a pile near the sideline at the 19.
“We worked on it all week and said we’d use it if we get in the game and see a situation that presents itself,” Strickland said of the onside kick. “We got the penalty after the touchdown, so we tried it. When you do that, you have to cash in and we did.”
Three plays later, Hooks found Cox with his defender trailing badly off a post-corner move for an eight-yard touchdown completion with 11:25 left in the half.
The defenses took over from that point, forcing punts before the Gators threatened one last time before intermission. Taking over with 3:17 remaining at its own 12, Ware County moved to a first down at the Demons’ 30 after a 19-yard pass from Hooks to Franklin with 9.3 seconds left.
After a timeout, a pass into the end zone was incomplete bringing on Bates, whose 47-yard field goal attempt dropped just under the crossbar.
Warner Robins began its late rally midway through the final quarter after taking over at its 20 after a 54-yard punt by Bates bounded into the end zone.
The Demons needed just five plays and a facemask penalty on Ware County to score on a 32--yard pass from Williams to Linder with 4:09 left in the game. The conversion kick by Shepherd, however, was low leaving the visitors in an eight-point deficit at 21-13.
Warner Robins attempted an onside kick, but safety EJ Mathusala grabbed the bounding ball on a sprint just past midfield and returned it to the Demons’ 24.
“I think he lives to cause me to have a heart attack,” Strickland said of the senior. “I’ve never seen anything like that. It was not the plan certainly, but he’s one of the most instinctive guys I’ve ever coached.”
The Gators worked the clock and made the Demons use their timeouts before Bates provided what proved to be the winning points drilling a 32yard field goal with 2:15 remaining.
The visitors didn’t go quietly, however. After misfiring on first down from the 20, Williams connected with X’zavier Cannon on a 30-yard pass.
Williams then scrambled for 20 yards before Linder outjumped his de-fender in the end zone to complete a 35-yard touchdown with 1:34 left to play. On the two-point conversion attempt, Williams rolled right and threw back left to tight end Jordan Addie, who shook off his defender just outside the end zone to get the Demons within 24-21.
They attempted another onside kick, but this time Cox covered the bounding ball and withstood two late hits by Warner Robins’ players attempting to jar the ball loose.
“I’m really proud of the guys,” Strickland said. “They’ve dealt with so much adversity. They fight and play hard to the very end.”
Nick Simmons (left) and two teammates combine to swarm Warner Robins’ quarterback Skyler Williams. Photo By BO CARTER
