For the second consecutive week, third-ranked Coffee lost on a field goal in the closing seconds of a game.
This time it was a last-second 36-yarder by Warner Robins’ Eli Mashburn to give the Demons a 52-49 victory in a game that went back and forth all night. Coffee led 27-14 in the second quarter before giving up 35 unanswered points, and still trailed 49-34 in the fourth tying the game 49-49.
Warner Robins quarterback Dylan Fromm passed for 279 yards, and Coffee’s Wade Sumner had 251. Warner Robins finished with 522 yards of total offense and Coffee had 487, according to the Macon Telegraph.
“They don’t [come any wilder],” Warner Robins coach Mike Chastain told the Telegraph’s Ryan Jordan. “They don’t. Momentum swung back-and-forth both ways. I don’t really know what to say. I’m just so thankful for these guys and how hard they work.”
Last week, Coffee lost 33-31 when Tift County made a field goal (on its third try because of penalties) in the last 10 seconds of the game.
Coffee (3-2) will have next week off before opening play in Region 1-AAAAAA at Houston County.
Here’s a recap of some of the other big stories in Class AAAAAA from Week 7:
- Lee County took the early lead in rugged Region 1 when it cruised past Houston County 34-0 in the league’s first region game of the year. And in a five-team region, one win is often enough to secure a playoff berth. But the Trojans are looking for a lot more than just a postseason appearance – the Trojans are 7-0 for the first time in school history, have their first-ever seven-game winning streak and are ranked No. 2 in Class AAAAAA. Lee County is off next week and will host sixth-ranked Northside-Warner Robins on Oct. 13.
- Lee County was one of six undefeated teams going into Friday’s games, and all of them remained perfect. The Trojans were joined by Bradwell Institute (6-0, beat Lakeside-Evans 27-21), Richmond Hill (5-0, beat South Effingham 31-20), Greenbrier (5-0, did not play), Douglas County (6-0, beat New Manchester 28-2), and Winder-Barrow (6-0, beat Apalachee 56-14). The most surprising of the six would have to be Bradwell Institute, which was 3-6-1 last year and hadn’t won more than four games in a season since 2009.
- Douglas County, Alexander and Mays are pulling away from the pack in Region 5 as they remained unbeaten in region play with victories Friday. Douglas County holds a half-game lead because it has played one more game than the other two. No other team in the region has fewer than two losses. Alexander had the biggest win of the week, beating Northgate 21-14 and dropping the Vikings to 2-2 in league play. But an even bigger game looms next weekend when Douglas County travels to Lakewood Stadium to face Mays.
- Alpharetta is the only remaining unbeaten team in Region 7 play, thanks to Centennial’s 45-28 victory over Chattahoochee, which suffered its first region loss. Alpharetta improved to 4-1, 3-0 with a 35-7 win over North Atlanta, which suffered its third consecutive loss after starting the season 3-0. Chattahoochee (4-2, 3-1) and Centennial (3-3, 3-1) are tied for second place, although Centennial now holds the tiebreaker. Fourth-place Pope (2-3, 2-1) had the week off and sits just a half-game behind the Cougars and Knights.
- Regions 3 and 8 also began league play on Friday with just one game on the region schedule. Grovetown took the early lead in Region 3 with a 17-3 victory over Alcovy. Grovetown finished as the No. 3 seed last year and made its first appearance in the playoffs since the school began its program in 2009. Eighth-ranked Winder-Barrow moved into first place in Region 8 with a 56-14 victory over Apalachee. The Bulldoggs, 6-0 for the first time since 1989, face a big test next weekend when they take on Lanier (3-2, 0-0).
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