SGA offense sputters in 38-6 state title loss to Brentwood

MACON – The Southwest Georgia Academy Warriors did all they could to stop the run game, but it was not enough.

The Brentwood War Eagles were relentless on offense and stingy on defense, wearing down SGA in the first half before exploding in the third quarter to eventually defeat the Warriors 38-6 in the GIAA AA state championship game in Macon Saturday afternoon.

SGA’s defense held strong in the first half — they allowed only a field goal until an untimely pick from the Warriors offense teed up a Brentwood touchdown to make it 10-0 at halftime — but could not suppress the talented pairing of Tristan Robinson and Abe Williams in the second half.

“You know as well as I do, it’s momentum,” SGA head coach Kerry Morris said. “We’re going in at the half, I’m thinking we’re down three and about making adjustments. (Then) it changes.”

When SGA limited Brentwood to a field goal on the game’s opening possession and continued to stymie the Eagles as the first half rolled on, it looked like the game could be a defensive standoff. The Warriors missed even better defensive plays by a nose on multiple occasions when they dropped a couple interceptions, but the 3-0 deficit held into the second quarter.

SGA’s offense was a different story. The typically dominant Colt Williams had a few solid chunk plays but got little help from the rest of the Warriors offensive unit. Even with somewhat frequent penalties against Brentwood, SGA could not move the ball.

“When you’re getting beat on, you feel it,” Morris said simply. “I’m proud of them youngins I got. I won’t trade them for anybody or any amount of money that they wanna give me. I’m never gonna leave until they fire me at SGA.

“I’m gonna keep workin’ and I’ll be right back here next year. So if you want some, come get some. Let’s go.”

Even so, the Warriors had a chance to go to the half with only a 3-0 deficit until a rare passing attempt yielded an interception, setting up Brentwood deep in SGA territory. The War Eagles then converted a clutch fourth down before Williams scored his first rushing touchdown of the afternoon from 8 yards out to make it 10-0 at the intermission.

SGA’s defensive poise only eroded further once the second half arrived.

The War Eagles poured it on in the third quarter, sprinkling in enough pass attempts to keep the Warriors on their toes while still dominating on the ground. Quarterback Baylor Cobb punched it in from 9 yards out after a roughly five-minute drive to make it 17-0.

“We come out in the second half, we don’t get the first down, something happens. We slipped a bit,” Morris said. “It’s like we got behind and we never could overcome that.”

An interception from SGA followed barely a minute of game clock later, once again giving the War Eagles great field position. Robinson capitalized, toting the rock 25 yards for a touchdown and a 24-0 advantage for Brentwood.

The Warriors wilted from there as the enthusiasm drained a bit from the visitor sideline and stands. The offense continued to sputter, leaving the defense on the field for longer and longer spans as the Brentwood run game continued to gash.

Williams and Jones Sheppard notched the next two War Eagle scores to more or less put the game on ice by the beginning of the fourth quarter. SGA punched one in on the ground with about six minutes left, but it was too little too late.