By PATRICK CASEY
South Walton junior quarterback Drew Pfeiffer ran for 88 yards and three touchdowns as the Seahawks salvaged a win in their final game of the 2011 regular season with a 38-23 decision over Franklin County.
Franklin County took the first play from scrimmage 84 yards for a touchdown as running back Dwayne Griggs got loose to put points on the scoreboard for the visiting team less than 30 seconds into the contest.
South Walton responded with 31 consecutive points, taking a 21-7 lead into the locker room before tacking on 10 more points in the third quarter for a commanding lead.
Pfeiffer had scoring runs of 1, 12 and 8 yards on the night while senior kicker Jonathan O’Hara provided a 46-yard field goal to lengthen the lead to 24-7 with 9:14 to go in the third quarter.
Franklin County (3-7) did manage two touchdown passes in the second half of play but their defense was unable to stop South Walton for most of the night as the home team rolled up 279 yards on the ground.
Joe Kopald provided a 3-yard scoring run with 28 seconds left in the first half to stretch the lead to 21-7 and Joey Gagliano had a 14-yard jaunt with 5:27 left in the third quarter to ice the game as the Seahawks held their largest lead of the season at 31-7.
The win allowed South Walton to finish the year at 1-9 and was the final contest for 10 seniors that started the year on the squad.
Bill Wiles got his first win as head coach of the team as South Walton broke an 11-game losing streak dating back to 2010.