ATLANTA — Losing isn’t something that happens often for the Warner Robins Demons.
But on Saturday at Center Parc Stadium, the two-time defending state champions met their match, losing to Ware County 38-13 in the 2022 GHSA Class 5A state championship game.
It’s just the ninth loss for the Demons under third-year head coach Marquis Westbrook.
The Gators got cooking early and never looked back. With the exception of a trick play pass from junior Cam Flowers who found Isiah Canion for a score midway through the first quarter, the first half was dominated almost entirely by Ware County, as the Gators took a 24-6 lead into the locker room.
The defending state champs would not go quietly into the night.
On just the third play of the second half, Emanuel Brown Jr. intercepted a Ware County pass to give Warner Robins the ball, and quarterback Isiah Canion wasted no time, linking up with Aamir Quick for the Demons’ second touchdown of the night and shrinking the deficit to 11 points.
Ware County quickly countered with another score, and then another.
Junior quarterback Niko Smith had himself yet another game to remember, completing 14 of 26 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns. The Gators racked up 474 total yards of offense on the night to the Demons' 320 yards.
Ware County proved to be good as advertised, completing a perfect 14-0 season and winning the program’s first-ever state championship.
While a third straight state title wasn’t in the cards for Warner Robins, many thought the same about a Demons appearance in the title game, period.
After losing the likes of Antwon Jackson, Christon Lane, Fred Perry and many others to the college game, the Demons didn’t blink – even after a 1-4 start to the year.
Following a loss to crosstown rival Houston County on September 23, Warner Robins proceeded to win out, with playoff wins over Jenkins, Northside-Columbus, Creekside and Cartersville to get back to Atlanta for a third straight year.
In a year full of surprise twists and turns, Warner Robins almost answered the bell again.
If nothing else, it’s this generation of Demons that proved in 2022 they’re much more than just a flash in the pan.