Today’s interviewee is Warner Robins coach Marquis Westbrook, whose team won the 2020 Class 5A championship, the Demons’ first state title since 2004 and fifth in history. Warner Robins had lost in three consecutive state finals before beating Cartersville 62-27 for the 2020 championship. Westbrook is a former Crisp County quarterback who played at Florida. He joined Warner Robins’ staff in 2016 and became head coach in 2019.
Marquis Westbrook, Warner Robins head coach
1. Looking back on your championship team, what was special about that group? “The way the players responded to adversity is my take from that season. We had a couple of losses, one early season against Valdosta and then midseason against Lee County, two tough teams, and they bounced back both times. After that Lee game, our players really gelled. It was a family-oriented team. The guys just came to work every day and did their jobs. It was just a really good group of seniors. The Cartersville game was just the icing on the cake after playing really good Blessed Trinity and Jones County teams. They were primed for it being so close the previous three years and finally getting it done. It was really good for them to go out that way.” [Warner Robins had lost in overtime in the 2018 and 2019 finals.]
2. Warner Robins graduated Jalen Addie, a quarterback who was a two-year starter and the 2020 Class 5A offensive player of the year. What does your new quarterback, Christon Lane, bring to the table? “Christon brings an air of leadership. He’s not as athletic as Addie but can move around in the pocket and create with his legs. He’s a precision passer. He’s calculated. He can read the defenses well and knows what he’s looking for when he sees their front. He knows how to compliment his blockers and get his receivers going. He’s a leader for us.” [Lane, a 6-foot, 200-pound senior, stepped in for Addie in the first round of playoffs last year and was 9-for-12 passing for 130 yards and two touchdowns in a 49-7 victory over Union Grove.]
3. What’s the strength of this year’s team? “I’d have to lean on our offensive line. They’re the prototypical lunch-pail guys, put their heads down and grind. Jose Gonzalez is committed to Mercer. C.J. Brooks is committed to Army. We’ve got B.J. Carter at center. He’s a junior and going to be a really good player. Caden Pollack is a new guy. Noah Stovall, he’s another guy who’ll be a two-year starter. We like our offensive line.”
4. Is there an area that concerns you? “We lost a lot at linebacker. Demarcious Robinson was our all-time leading tackler and the heart and soul of our team. We lost Ahmad Walker [two-time all-state player]. They’re really hard to replace. But I like our linebackers. Montrez Dinkins is filling a big role, and Jay Carter is another who will step in. I just want to see how they respond. Our guys last year were able to bounce back in games. I want to see our personality on defense if we get hit in the mouth. I think we’ve got a really good football team again. We’ve just got to go out and perform.”
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