By PATRICK CASEY
South Walton turned a 12-6 halftime lead into a 33-6 win over Cottondale as the Seahawks’ defense kept the Hornets bottled up for most of the second half as the squad improved to 3-0 on the year.
Jireh Crittenden had touchdown receptions of 81 and 20 yards to give the host squad their fifth consecutive victory in the series after losing the first five games of the non-district showdown.
After Seahawks starting quarterback Jack Bruner tossed an interception on South Walton’s first drive of the night, the senior connected with Austin Garofalo for a 67-yard touchdown strike and a 6-0 lead with 2:55 left in the first quarter.
Cottondale rallied to tie the game with a 10-play, 65-yard drive that saw Dominique Pittman grab a 5-yard toss from quarterback Cameron Brooks with 9:42 left in the first half.
Garofalo missed a 26-yard field goal on the Seahawks’ next possession but the host squad regained the lead with an 81-yard catch and run by Crittenden for a 12-6 halftime advantage.
South Walton fumbled away their first possession of the second half at the Hornets’ 5-yard line but Garofalo returned the ensuing punt 38 yards to the Cottondale 20, leading to a 20-yard pass from Garofalo to Jireh Crittenden as the Seahawks lengthened the lead to 19-6.
Cottondale punted on their next possession with the Seahawks moving 56 yards for their final offensive score of the night as Jake Bari scored on a 4-yard pass from Garofalo for a 26-6 lead.
Jeremiah Crittenden sealed the scoring with a 59-yard return of an errant Cameron Brooks pass with 5:15 left in the game for the final margin of 33-6.
Jireh Crittenden finished the night with three receptions for 113 yards and he led the Seahawks with 53 yards on the ground. Bruner threw for 221 yards while Garofalo added 101 yards through the air with each quarterback tossing a pair of touchdowns.
South Walton(3-0) will host Blountstown(2-1) in a key District 3 battle at Seahawk Stadium on Friday night with kickoff set for 7 p.m.