Cobb Accounts for 6 Touchdowns in Win for #9 Washington-Wilkes
Tigers inch to within a win of Lincoln County in the nearly century old series now known as "The 378 War"
Senior quarterback Dalen Cobb turned in a performance for the ages as Washington-Wilkes topped arch rival Lincoln County 44-36 at home Friday to improve to 7-1 overall and 3-0 in class 1A, region 8. Cobb passed for 203 yards and 3 touchdowns, and he rushed for 161 yards and 3 more scores in front of a capacity crowd.
With the win the Tigers inch to within one game of the Red Devils in the all-time series, which recently became known as “The 378 War.” The name comes from the fact that Washington and Lincolnton are separated by only 18 miles of Highway 378 road. Friday was the 85th time the teams have met. The first matchup happened 99 years ago, and Lincoln County now leads the series 40-39. The teams have tied 6 times.
Cobb Acts Like He’s Been There Before
Cobb, who is also the defending state champion in the 100 meter dash, was all business after the game when I asked him what it meant to him to post such an outrageous stat line while earning a win in one of Georgia’s oldest and most storied rivalries.
“It means a lot. But you can’t think about it,” Cobb shrugged. “You gotta move on to the next game.”
Moving on is exactly what Cobb and his wide receiving corps did after their offense hit a snag late in the second quarter right after Lincoln County tied the game at 8 with a 6-yard touchdown run by quarterback Trey Huff.
Washington-Wilkes committed four penalties after taking possession at their own 37-yard line. Then on third-and-15 from his own 32-yard line, Cobb fired a missile of a pass to Quinzaibian Jackson, who had broken free 50 yards down field. Jackson dropped the pass to end the series, and Lincoln County proceeded to drive 63 yards and take a 16-8 lead after a 6-yard touchdown run by Tevin Gartrell with 28 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
But on the very next snap after Washington-Wilkes regained possession, Cobb unloaded another bomb deep into the Lincoln County secondary. This one travelled 57 yards in the air before Desmond Cofer hauled it in on the 3-yard line. After the catch, Cobb and the rest of the offense rushed from the original line of scrimmage at the Washington-Wilkes 47 to Lincoln County’s goal line. They quickly got set and snapped it to Cobb in the shotgun. Cobb ran it into the end zone with 10 seconds left in the half to tie things at 16 after the 2-point conversion.
“You can’t let a drop get you down,” Cobb said about Jackson’s mishap. “Everybody kept a positive attitude, and we went out and executed.”
Cobb Comes Back to Jackson
Cobb made sure Jackson kept his head in the game after the drop.
“I told him I was going to come back to him, and I did,” Cobb said.
He sure did. Cobb and Jackson connected for touchdown completions on the first two offensive possessions of the second half for Washington-Wilkes.
First came a 38-yard run after the catch by Jackson on a bubble screen. Jackson received a great block from Cofer before making a defender whiff on a tackle and jetting to the end zone. He even picked up a penalty for throwing up a peace sign before crossing the goal line. The touchdown gave Washington-Wilkes a 24-16 lead with 6:05 left in the third quarter.
After Lincoln County cut the deficit to 24-22, Cobb and Jackson connected again, this time on a 32-yard touchdown completion that gave the Tigers a 32-22 advantage with 17 seconds left in the third quarter. On the play, Jackson streaked down the left sideline wide open before Cobb hit him in stride as he crossed the goal line. Cobb explained why Jackson was free on the play.
“Their corners bit on the bubble,” Cobb said after the game. “And he just popped wide open.”
Gartrell and Huff Led Lincoln County
Lincoln County held a lead for only 25 seconds in the second quarter, but the Red Devils never fell behind by more than two touchdowns. Junior quarterback Trey Huff passed for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns, and he rushed for 2 touchdowns as well.
Tevin Gartrell rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown, and he also caught a 55-yard touchdown pass.
Both of Huff’s touchdown passes came during the fourth quarter when Lincoln County’s emphasis on the run had to take a backseat while the Red Devils attempted to make a comeback.
But during the same period Cobb was able to lead the Tigers on two scoring drives. And he punctuated both of them with touchdown runs, the first from 1 yard out to give Washington-Wilkes and 38-22 lead with 7:43 remaining.
Cobb’s final score, which was the sixth touchdown of the game that he had a hand in, came when the Tigers faced a third-and-9 from the Lincoln County 48-yard line. Cobb dropped back to pass and then quickly took off toward the right side of the line. Cobb proceeded to break four tackles and accelerate away from a host of Red Devils before crossing the goal line to give the Tigers a 44-30 lead with 2:23 remaining.
“Coach.. before the play, he told me to put the game on my back,” Cobb said about the touchdown run that all but sealed the win. “So I had to.”
Jones Impacted the Game on Both Sides of the Ball
Neither team’s defense starred during this year’s edition of The 378 War. The teams combined for 80 points and more than 800 yards of total offense. But Washington-Wilkes did manage to disrupt Lincoln County’s offense enough during the second half to allow the Tigers to build a cushion. Kevonta Jones played a pivotal role in that effort during the first series of the second half when he recorded a tackle for a loss and a hurry before blocking a punt and giving Washington-Wilkes possession at the Lincoln County 38-yard line. Jackson’s first touchdown reception came two snaps after the block by Jones.
Jones also scored the first touchdown of the game on a 12 yard reception from Cobb. On the play Cobb rolled left and threw the ball across his body to hit Jones over the middle to put Washington-Wilkes ahead 8-0 (after Cobb rushed for the two-point conversion) with 1:12 remaining in the first quarter.
Up Next
Next Friday Washington-Wilkes, ranked #9 in class 1A public, will travel to Commerce (5-3, 2-1) before finishing the regular season the following week with a home game against Towns County. One more win will clinch a region championship for the Tigers.
Next Friday Lincoln County (5-3, 2-1) will travel to Greene County, which entered tonight’s game against Towns County with a 3-4 overall record and an 0-2 region mark. The Red Devils will host Commerce November 5 in the final game of the regular season.