WARRENTON, Ga. - Cedric Bacon, Sr., didn't know that the Warren County Screaming Devils had won the Region 7-A Championship before leaving Sparta where Warren County defeated the Bulldogs 49-0 last Friday night.
And neither did anybody else. The reason: Warren County was dependent on the help of Twiggs County to beat Wilkinson County on the road. The outcome of that game wasn't known until the Screaming Devils made it back to the school in Warrenton. It was there they learned that Twiggs County had come from behind to defeat Wilkinson County 24-19. And the Screaming Devils earning their first region title in 26 years.
Mr. Bacon, who is a science teacher at Cross Roads Learning Center in Thomson, remembers the last time that Warren County won such a title.
It was back in 1981, his junior season. Mr. Bacon was a starting defensive guard on the team coached by Steve Crislip, Pompey Sanders and Tony Martin, Sr.
Mr. Bacon's son, Cedric Bacon Jr., a sophomore, who has started five games this season as offensive guard, now gets to experience what his father felt more than a quarter of a century ago.
"It was great winning the region championship back then and I know our kids feel the same way having won this season," said Mr. Bacon, who is in his second season as president of the Warren County Booster Club. "We're all just so proud of the players for their accomplishments over the last several seasons."
The last time such a feat occurred Warren County defeated Monticello 45-6 at Legion Field to win the 1981 region crown. The year before, Monticello beat Warren County, 3-0 to earn the title.
This year's Warren County team, however, found themselves in a three-way tie for first place going into their last regular season games. The other two teams in first place included: Twiggs County and Lincoln County.
Just a week after Warren County fell 14-7 at the hands of Lincoln County - the two-time defending Class A state champions - Twiggs County shocked them. The Red Devils lost 12-7, while Warren County rebounded with a come from behind win over Wilkinson County, 31-24 at the Screaming Devils' new football stadium.
"I didn't know we'd won the title this year until my daughter called me from the school Friday night," said Mr. Bacon. His daughter, Cedrica, is a cheerleader for the Screaming Devils.
"I feel so proud for my son and the rest of the players on the team," he added. "They all have worked so hard to earn this recognition. Warren County has always been a hot-bed of talent for football."
