It is only fitting that the Class 5A championship game will come down to teams from the two strongest regions in the classification. No. 2 Warner Robins, the champion from Region 1, will play No. 4 Cartersville, the runner-up from Region 7, for the title on Dec. 30 at 3:30 p.m. at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium.
In Friday’s semifinals, Warner Robins overpowered Jones County 56-21 at The Mac in Warner Robins, while Cartersville outlasted Coffee 24-17 at Sam Weinman Stadium in Cartersville.
It will be the fourth straight year that Warner Robins (12-1) has reached the state championship game and improved the record for its senior class to 51-7.
Cartersville (12-1) was promoted from Class 4A to 5A this season, is playing for the championship for the fourth time in sixth years, the first since 2018.
This will be the first meeting between the two teams.
Warner Robins rode quarterback Jalen Addie to the title game. He threw six touchdown passes and ran for another in his final home game. Addie completed 15 of 18 passes for 295 yards and ran 13 times for 199 yards.
“The kid is multitalented,” Warner Robins coach Marquis Westbrook told the Sports Report of Central Georgia. “Whoever he goes to play for is going to get a gem, because the kid is a true leader. I just can’t say enough about him.”
Addie threw two touchdown passes to Armon Porter (who had three catches for 113 yards) and one each to Kaleb Howard, Jahlen Rutherford, DeAndre King and Malcom Brown, and scored on a 4-yard run. Rutherford also rushed 12 times for 101 yards and ran for a score.
Jones County’s Andrew Carner ran 21 times for 79 yards and quarterback John Alan Richter threw for 183 yards and two touchdowns.
Cartersville had to battle into the fourth quarter for the second straight week. The ‘Canes scored the go-ahead points when Carlos Del Rio-Wilson tossed a 40-yard screen pass to Evan Slocum midway in the fourth quarter to break a 17-17 tie. Cartersville then withstood a late push by Coffee by successfully defending four straight passes from short range, the final one with eight seconds left.
Cartersville also got a touchdown run from Wilson and a 75-yard scoop-and-score by Amarai Orr, along with an Oscar Hernandez field goal. Coffee scored on a pair of runs from A.J. Wilkerson and Maurice Turner as well as a field goal from Noah Saylor.
With Quante Jennings -- last week’s offensive star -- unavailable this week, Cartersville leaned on Evan Slocum to carry the load at running back. Slocum, who has signed with Wake Forest, ran 13 times for 89 yards. Wilson completed 17 of 26 passes for 225 yards.
“They were just lights-out tonight, from the top down,” Cartersville coach Conor Foster told the Daily Tribune News. “I couldn’t be more proud of their fight, their perseverance. They stepped up and did what they’ve done all year.”
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