Seahawks Defeat Braves 51-27: Three Defensive Scores Lead Rally

 

By PATRICK CASEY

OUTH WALTON AND WALTON met for the 10th time on the varsity gridiron with the Seahawks taking a 51-27 win over the Braves. South Walton became the first county school to defeat Walton in varsity competition at Everette Yates Memorial Stadium in a regular season contest. (Photo by Jennifer Casey)
SOUTH WALTON AND WALTON met for the 10th time on the varsity gridiron with the Seahawks taking a 51-27 win over the Braves. South Walton became the first county school to defeat Walton in varsity competition at Everette Yates Memorial Stadium in a regular season contest. (Photo by Jennifer Casey)

South Walton earned their first win in varsity football over Walton by scoring three defensive touchdowns as the Seahawks broke open a close game in the fourth quarter by scoring 28 points in the final 12 minutes of the contest for a 51-27 win over the Braves at Everette Yates Memorial Stadium on Friday night in a game that was plagued by a 90-minute lightning delay.
The two squads had been underway for less than ten minutes when lightning forced the two teams to their respective locker rooms. The Seahawks held a 6-0 lead at that point as a wild snap from center allowed South Walton’s Jeremiah Crittenden to scoop up the loose pigskin and return the ball 31 yards for a 6-0 lead for the visiting team.
The game finally resumed around 8:40 p.m. and the Braves tied the contest on a halfback pass from Kentrell Parker to J.B. Baker from 42 yards out with 9:54 to go in the first quarter.
Jake Bari intercepted a Thomas Brack pass at the Seahawks 30-yard line moments later, leading to a 70-yard drive that put the Seahawks ahead 12-6 as Ben Balfanz caught a 3-yard pass from quarterback Jack Bruner to regain the lead with 2:14 to go in the quarter.
Walton struck next as Parker got loose on a 63-yard punt return with Brack’s extra point giving the host squad a 13-12 lead with 7:59 to go in the first half.
Walton increased the lead to 20-12 as a 62-yard drive struck paydirt with just 39 seconds left in the half as Parker scored on a 4-yard run to up the halftime lead.
Penalties and turnovers kept South Walton from mounting much offense in the second quarter but the Seahawks began to chip away at the Braves defense in the third. South Walton drove to the Braves 2-yard line on their first possession after intermission but Walton’s defense stopped the Seahawks short of the goalline on an incomplete fourth down pass.
Walton wasn’t able to go very far and the ensuing punt was returned 32 yards by Austin Garofalo to the Braves 20-yard line. Once again the Braves defense kept the visiting team out of the endzone but Garofalo trimmed the deficit to 20-15 with a 27-yard field goal with 6:34 left in the third quarter.
The two teams traded interceptions with Jireh Crittenden grabbing a Brack pass to set the Seahawks up on the Braves 35-yard line. On the next play, Jireh raced 35 yards for the go-ahead score as the visiting team moved ahead 23-20 with 53 seconds left in the quarter.
Someone pressed the self destruct button on the Braves from that point on.
Jireh Crittenden scored on a 12-yard run on the Seahawks next possesion to push the lead to 30-20 and Payton Strain’s 52-yard return of a Brack fumble moved the advantage to 37-20 with 9:35 left in the game.
South Walton wasn’t done as Jake Bari scored on a 5-yard lateral pass after Walton failed to convert a fourth down play at their own 30-yard line and freshman quarterback Keane Neal saw his first pass of his varsity career picked off by Jireh Crittenden and return 35 yards for a score for a 51-20 lead with 6:05 left in the game.
Walton added a final score as Keandre Holmes ran in from 36 yards out to trim the final margin to 51-27.
The victory for the Seahawks was their first after losing the first nine games in the series, including a tough 34-27 loss in 2015 that saw the Braves post the final score of the night in that one to steal a win and a 27-17 victory in 2014 that saw the Seahawks hold the lead at the half.
The game was marred by a combined 22 penalties for 195 total yards as well as nine combined turnovers.
The Seahawks had 259 return yards that included fumble returns of 31 and 52 yards for touchdowns as well as the 35-yard interception return for three defensive scores on the night.
Jack Bruner threw for 170 yards and a touchdown for South Walton while Brack threw for 112 yards but was sacked seven times by an aggressive Seahawks defense.
Jireh Crittenden finished the night with 79 rushing yards and two touchdowns while Parker was held to 40 yards on 15 carries, though he did score two of the Braves touchdowns.
Walton(0-2) will travel to Panama City to face Arnold High School(0-2) on Friday night with kickoff set for 7 p.m. while South Walton(2-0) will host Cottondale(1-1) for a 7 p.m. kickoff.