By PATRICK CASEY
Azende Rey ran for 184 yards and a pair of touchdowns while Walton quarterback Jace Fielder added a pair of his own scoring runs early in the game as the Braves picked up a 38-6 district win over East Gadsden on Halloween at Everette Yates Memorial Stadium.
Walton posted a 14-0 lead in the first quarter as Fielder scampered in from 23 and 42 yards out to give the Braves an early cushion.
Walton’s defense bottled up the Jaguars running game for most of the night but East Gadsden was its own worst enemy as the squad committed 17 penalties for 156 yards to derail several scoring opportunities.
Rey added an 8-yard run before the half to give Walton a 21-0 lead heading into the second half of play on a very cool and windy evening.
East Gadsden struck first in the third quarter as quarterback Thomas Jones connected with receiver Jeremy Frison on a 72-yard pass play that trimmed the lead to 21-6 with 5:24 left in the period.
The Braves went back to work with Rey earning 56 yards on eight consecutive carries to answer with a 4-yard run upping the lead to 28-6.
Walton dominated the final 13 minutes of the contest, forcing two punts while recording a stop on fourth down to go with an interception.
Jalen Jones scored on a 15-yard shuttle pass from Fielder early in the fourth quarter and Thomas Brack finished the scoring with his first varsity field goal, a 27-yarder with 5:49 left in the game.
Walton picked Jones off three times as Truth Richardson, Cody Phillips and Trvecio Wengert each grabbed an errant throw to stop Jaguars drives. The Braves recorded four quarterback sacks with Jones providing a pair while Jackson Henderson, Diontre Pate and Richardson each tallied a tackle for a loss against the running game.
The victory over East Gadsden (0-9) coupled with Florida High’s win over Marianna earned the Braves a playoff spot as the runner-up in District 1 of Class 4A. Walton will travel to face District 2 champion Madison County on Nov. 14.
Walton (7-2) will play their final home game of the 2014 season on Friday night as the Braves host Panama City Mosley for Senior Night in the Dolphins first-ever trip to face the Braves in DeFuniak Springs. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
