AJC Super 11 selection gets big rivalry win as 18th birthday present
Elijah Patmon picked the perfect day to become an adult.
The AJC Super 11 defensive lineman showcased grown man strength on his 18th birthday, leading Northside of Warner Robins to its first win over cross-town rival Warner Robins in nine years.
The 4-star Texas A&M commitment will play on bigger stages soon, but Patmon smiled like a Super Bowl champion after the 32-10 domination of the Demons on Friday.
“He’s the best around for a reason,” Northside coach Daniel “Boone” Williams said. “He does everything he needs to do. It was his birthday today and he played like a birthday boy.”
After all, snapping that losing streak was one of Patmon’s main goals for his senior year. He said beating Warner Robins fueled him through summer workouts.
It also fueled him to play both ways against the Demons in a game that turned from a dogfight to a beatdown in the fourth quarter.
“Oh, I’m going to always do that,” Patmon said. “I told them folks to stop playing with me and give me my five stars.”
Patmon’s domination included the containment of Warner Robins’ 4-star quarterback, Chandler Dyson. The dual-threat scored the first touchdown of the game before being shut out of the end zone for the final three quarters.
Patmon tossed out a little rivalry smack talk saying the quarterback “ain’t nothing to me.”
Williams acknowledged the joy of snapping the skid against the Demons.
“To be the team to do it and put it all together, I can’t describe it,” Williams said.
Williams also expects the win to boost Northside when it starts region play in two weeks. The Eagles will face four top-10 teams (No. 1 Thomas County Central, No. 2 Lee County, No. 4 Coffee and No. 9 Houston County) in Region 2-6A, statistically the toughest region in Georgia.
Last season, Williams said, Northside sometimes believed it was going to lose before the game started. The Eagles finished 1-9 last year.
But wins like Friday night will give Northside new perspective, according to Williams.
“Playing a four-quarter football game against a good opponent, this is what you need,” Williams said. “Just games where every snap matters, and we’ve got to build off these.”
— AJC Varsity/DawgNation’s Cody Chaffins contributed to this report.