You’ve probably heard the slogan from the classic sports show that featured ‘the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” and in my 50 years of following Georgia High School Football, I have had my share of each. Here are some of the Thrills and Agonies which immediately come to my mind when I think back to the games I have experienced.
Thrills
Clinch County 7, Jeff Davis 6
November 12, 1976
This is the one that got it started for me. My dad took me to this game, and it had a thrilling end as the Panthers scored with less than a minute left in the game, converted the extra point and won the game.
Villa Rica 20, Darlington 14 (ot)
October 19, 1979
Villa Rica trailed most of the game but rallied and won in overtime on a screen pass to Keith Glanton which started a three-game winning streak which put the Wildcats in the playoffs for the first time in 12 years.
Villa Rica 3, East Rome 0
November 9, 1979
The Wildcats continued their incredible season with dethroning the two-time state champions on a field goal in a downpour in the Region 7AA semifinals.
Warner Robins 21, Northside 14 (ot)
November 8, 1985
This was my first Warner Robins-Northside game. Warner Robins came from behind to tie the game on a touchdown run by Lane Maddox with 47 seconds left. Maddox completed a pass on fourth-and-10 earlier on the drive, and the Demons controlled overtime. Lester Efford scored the game-winner in overtime with a 17-yard touchdown with 1:01 left in the second overtime. Northside went for a gadget play for the second straight year, but a hook-and-lateral came up short, and Ben Smith recovered the fumble.
Villa Rica 13, Worth County 0
December 20, 1986
For the first time since I left Villa Rica, I returned for the Class AAA championship game. After a scoreless first half, Villa Rica got on the board with a 74 fumble return for a touchdown by James Bailey. Later, Santray McCoy tossed a seven-yard touchdown pass to Rodney McCoy to take a 13-0 lead. Worth County had been favored to win this game, but the Wildcats took the title for the first time in school history.
Northside 31, Tucker 28
December 7, 2007
Tucker jumped out to a 28-7 lead in the first half then Northside quarterback Marques Ivory, who hadn't played due to a broken left fibula earlier in the season, entered the game and engineered an incredible comeback. He tossed a 69-yard touchdown to Kevyn Cooper in the third quarter, then both connected again on an 82-yard passing score to cut the lead to 28-21 with 9:28 left in the fourth. Northside tied the game at 28 with 2:32 remaining when Ivory threw a 31-yard touchdown to Brandon Jordan. Ivory, who completed 11-of-13 passes, finished with 302 yards passing. The Eagles' defense clamped down and got the ball back as Devon Pike made an 18-yard field goal with 12 seconds left in the game. You can watch a replay of the game here: https://youtu.be/HZMGQVcREFc?si=6OQ_7nZ3-V--z_f8
Warner Robins 21, Northside 20
October 30, 2009
This was my last Warner Robins-Northside game. It is known as the "Miracle at the MAC". Warner Robins trailed 20-0 going into the fourth quarter. You can see video of the winning score in this report: https://youtu.be/QnNrzfqP8UQ
Warner Robins 62, Cartersville 28
December 30, 2020
After coming up short in the previous three state title games, Warner Robins finally won the championship. Although the final score looks lopsided, no one felt completely safe until some late scores put the game away. You can watch the game here: https://youtu.be/zu0ACe93rWo?si=EwvZ4HKN652Kgt7A
Agonies
Northside 7, Warner Robins 6
November 10, 1989
Warner Robins entered the game as USA Today’s top-ranked team in the nation. It left as the second-best team in Warner Robins. The Eagles scored early in the first quarter on a touchdown catch by little used Jo Shuttlesworth. Those points ended up being enough. Eric McDowell connected with Chad Bowen from 22 yards out with a minute to play, but Jeff Meade missed the extra point to end the Demons’ quest for another national championship.
Lowndes 31, Northside 28
December 10, 1999
In the years when the balance of power shifted to the Northside of town, the Eagles advanced to the Class AAA semifinals with a chance to play in their first state title game. Northside could do nothing wrong in the first half as they took a 28-3 into the locker room at halftime. It was a totally different game in the second half as Lowndes rallied for the win.
Parkview 12, Northside 7
December 22, 2001
This was Northside's first appearance in a state championship game. Parkview was a dominant team during this span and was seeking to repeat as Class AAAAA champions. Late in the game Northside was driving to take the lead but then the stadium lights went out for some unknown reason. After a long delay, the game was resumed and Northside fumbled. The Eagles' defense held to force the Panthers to punt but the returner fumbled which was recovered by Parkview. You can watch the game here:
Bainbridge 47, Warner Robins 41
December 11, 2018
This one was perhaps the most agonizing game I have ever witnessed. It was such an emotional roller coaster. Warner Robins rallied from a 28 point deficit in the first quarter. The team went back down by 28 with 9:42 left in the third quarter. Dylan Fromm then engineered a comeback for the ages that came up just short. He led the Demons on multiple scoring drives down the stretch, threw for a pair of touchdowns and caught one from his twin brother Tyler Fromm. Jahlen Rutherford added a touchdown in between. The teams would end up tied at 35 with under two minutes to play. The Demons then intercepted the pass thrown by Quayde Hawksin. This set up Warner Robins with a field goal as time expired but it was blocked, forcing the game into overtime. Warner Robins would play defense first in overtime and forced Bainbridge to kick the field goal. The offense would stall out on the goal for the Demons as they were forced to settle for a field goal to go to a second overtime. In the second overtime, Warner Robins was once again forced to kick the field goal. The Bearcats tied the game again to go into a third overtime. This time, the Bainbridge offense was up to the task when it closed out the Demons with touchdown in the third overtime despite not getting the mandatory two-point try. The defense would make the stop and clinch the title for the Bearcats. Watch the game here: https://youtu.be/qGeQQSlRzbg?si=xDD0rWnERxal4rwQ
