BAINBRIDGE VS. WARNER ROBINS
IT'S NOT HOW YOU START, IT'S HOW YOU FINISH! This saying has never been embraced and personified more than with the Bainbridge Bearcats! Every coach's goal is for their team to get hot and be playing their best ball when November rolls around, and that's exactly what has happened for Jeff Littleton's squad. In the first 8 games of the 2018 campaign, the Bearcat's experienced a 4 game losing streak and a 38 to 0 decimation by the team they will square off against at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 11th in the 5A title game. Since losing mightily to the Demons on October 19th, Bainbridge has went on a tear throughout the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs to the tune of 6 very impressive victories. The last 3 of those victories have been on the road against top 10 opponents. To say the Bearcats are hot right now is an understatement, but Warner Robins has been hot all year! The record setting seasons of Dylan Fromm and Marcayll Jones have lead the Demons past Rome, 2 time defending State Champions, and now have Warner Robins ready to stake claim to the 5A crown.
I personally am guilty of counting out the Bainbridge Bearcats. In my preview of their matchup vs. Buford, I did not believe that the youth that they have in key positions would hold up well against a team like the Wolves. However, not only did the youth prove poised, but the defense was extremely physical and held a high powered Buford offense to just 20 points. Playing efficient on offense and playing fantastic defense has been the theme for the Bearcats all playoffs! Bainbridge likes to run the ball with feature back, Sophomore, Caleb McDowell and complimentary back, also a sophomore, Rashad Broadnax. However, when the running game gets stymied like it did against Stockbridge in the semifinals, then another Sophomore is there to bail his team out in the form of QB Quayde Hawkins. Hawkins is not going to wow you when you just look at his stat sheet. The young QB is completing less than 50% of his passes and his 1600 yards passing pale in comparison to the 4,107 of Warner Robins' Dylan Fromm, but when you get to see him on film, or in action, he will impress you with his competitiveness and his ability to make the right play at the right time. Hawkins played his best game at Stockbridge going 24 of 35 for 245 yards and a touchdown. The accuracy was there, the poise in the pocket was there, the quick release was there, and the ability move around and keep his eyes downfield on receivers breaking open was there! It was all there for Hawkins and the Bearcats in the passing game and that is even more impressive due to the fact that the QB stepped up when his team needed him the most! To be able to go toe to toe with Warner Robins, Bainbridge will need a performance like this from their Sophomore Quarterback plus some.
Defensively the Bearcats need to just continue to do what they've done for the last 6 games.... play like their hair is on fire!!! Whether it has been a spread attack that is lead by multiple 4 and 5 start prospects like Buford, or a gritty and fast wing-t squad like Stockbridge, the Bearcats have had the answers to the test it seems like on the defensive side of the ball. A trio of Seniors leads the defense, as opposed to a trio of Sophomores on offense, and one of those Seniors is leading tackler and outside linebacker #34 Randy Fillingame. Fillingame diagnoses plays very well and found himself in the Stockbridge backfield making tackles for a loss multiple times. It takes discipline and physicality to shutdown a team like Stockbridge and the Bearcats showed it in spades in their Semifinal game. Now it will be time to shift gears and to defend every inch of the field instead of playing in a phone booth! The experience of Fillingame and the rest of this Bearcat defense is evident when you watch them play and quite frankly it should be. After Fillingame, the next four leading tacklers are all Seniors and Bryce Worthy, Roman Harrison (Tennessee Commit), Anthony Brooks, and Coryn Burns will all need to be at the top of their games to even slow down the Warner Robins offensive attack. The consistency has been there for the Bearcats throughout the playoffs, but now they must play at an entirely new level. They've had 11 days to prepare and I have no doubt that Coach Littleton's staff will have their guys ready to compete at their highest level.
Warner Robins hasn't legitimately lost a game since week 4 vs. Colquitt County, who just so happens to be undefeated and playing for the 7A state title this week. Dylan Fromm (4,107 yards passing) and Marcayll Jones (1,868 yards receiving) have proved to be an unprecedented combination this season and even with this amount of power through the air, the Demons also have nearly two 1000 yard rushers in Jahlen Rutherford and Deondre Duehart! It's truly an embarrassment of riches for Head Coach Mike Chastain's offensive unit who averages 37 points per game on the season, and that includes only 14 vs. Colquitt and then playing against tremendous defenses like Clarke Central and hanging a 45 spot on ROME! Dylan Fromm's style of play is umm.... familiar to say the least (especially if your blood runs red and black). He can make all the throws, has tremendous poise, and just competes his tail off. Mercer is getting themselves a great one in Dylan Fromm and honestly I wouldn't be shocked if a bigger program comes in an tries to pluck him away before National Signing Day. Fromm won't just focus on Marcayll Jones either. When teams decide to try and blitz Fromm, he will not be rattled and he will simply replace the blitz with a throw to the open man. Ty'larrious Carr, Devin Brown, and Jalen Addie are all very good receivers who have a combined 118 receptions for 1433 yards and are the chain movers for the Demons. Warner Robins can run the football, they are very good in the screen and quick passing game and of course they can hit the big play with Jones and others at any time. I look for Demons to get things going early and often in this game and to continue their historic production offensively.
Warner Robins is coming off a phenomenal defensive performance against Rome. You know that a defense is good when they force a John Reid coached Rome team to throw the ball 23 times in a game. Rome had only averaged 6.6 pass attempts per game before playing the Demons. That probably had a lot to do with the fact that they, behind stud running back Jamious Griffin, were averaging over 360 yards per game rushing. Well, the Demons held Rome to 225 yards rushing and disrupted the rhythm that the Wolves typically like to play with. Caleb Thomas (6'2" 290), Chris Carson (6'1" 260), and Javar Jordan (5'8" 250) are extremely tough and athletic up front. They did a fantastic job penetrating a talented and big offensive line of Rome and also getting after the QB when Rome did decide to throw. Sophomore inside linebacker Demarcus Robinson is all over the field and seems to know the play before it happens. He leads the Demons with 120 tackles on the season and I look for him to make huge plays as he did in the Semifinal by causing fumbles and delivering big hits!
Ultimately, the Demons will simply not allow Bainbridge to run the football at all during this game and Quayde Hawkins will have to throw the ball more than he has all season. Hawkins is a very good young quarterback and is a sure fire gunslinger and competitor, but the athleticism of this Warner Robins defense will not let the Bearcat receivers have much separation. The game flow will force ball to be thrown a lot as well as I believe the Bearcats will be playing catch up early. Bainbridge has seemed like a team of destiny, but the talent of Fromm, Jones, and Rutherford combined will the prowess of the Warner Robins defensive front will be way too much for them. The Cinderella run for Bainbridge comes to an end and I believe in convincing fashion as Warner Robins covers the 19 point spread and wins the 5A State Championship!
Bainbridge 17 - Warner Robins (-19) 38
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