By PATRICK CASEY
The Walton Braves scored 67 points in four quarters of play while allowing only 13 as they faced off against the South Walton Seahawks in the first of two meetings between the squads in 2013. The Braves rolled up more than 500 yards of total offense in the first three quarters of play to capture the exhibition event in front of a throng of fans that got their first look at the newly renovated Everette Yates Memorial Stadium on Friday night.
Amos Williams got the Braves on the board with 8:26 left in the first quarter as he scampered in from 15 yards out with Azende Rey adding the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
South Walton responded with a touchdown drive of their own at the 6:11 mark of the quarter when junior quarterback Johnathan Ortner hit Alex Smith with a 29-yard strike to trim the lead to 7-6 as Chandler Parrett’s extra point attempt failed.
Walton exploded for 26 more points before the end of the first half as Williams scooted five yards for his second touchdown of the game, then hooked up with wideout Raheem Phillips on a 37-yard pass play for a 20-6 lead.
South Walton put together a nice drive in an attempt to close the gap but Ortner was picked off by Walton safety Isaac Morrison inside the 10-yard line as the Braves senior returned the pigskin to the Walton 34. On the next play from scrimmage, Williams hit a streaking Phillips with a 66-yard bomb for a 26-6 lead. Reserve quarterback Jace Fielder capped the first half scoring with a 1-yard run with 2:06 to go to that gave the Braves a 33-6 lead at intermission after Jackson Henderson’s extra point.
Walton’s defense posted the next score as Zay Caldwell intercepted reserve quarterback Sage Roberts pass and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown with 8:50 left in the third quarter for a 39-6 lead.
Roberts led a scoring drive later in the quarter that culminated in his 2-yard plunge that cut the margin to 39-13 before Walton added a 9-yard run by Fielder for a 47-13 lead after three quarters of competition.
Walton’s junior varsity posted a 20-0 advantage in scoring in the fourth quarter for the final margin of 67-13.
Azende Rey had 117 rushing yards with Williams adding 76 of his own in one half of action. Williams completed 4-of-5 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns while Fielder hit on 7-of-10 throws for 132 yards. Phillips had two receptions for 103 yards and two scores with Josh McNeal adding four catches for 95 yards and Morrison two grabs for 38 yards.
Ortner connected on 15-of-26 passes for 217 yards with one touchdown and one interception while receiver Alex Smith grabbed seven passes for 106 yards with one touchdown. Roberts hauled in five passes for 63 yards and Vinnie Ciurleo was on the receiving end of three balls for 37 yards.
Walton held the Seahawks to 38 rushing yards through three quarters of play but did allow 305 yards to the Seahawks passing game. The Braves offense posted 274 rushing yards and 253 via the ground over the first 36 minutes.
The two teams will meet in a regular season contest on Sept. 13 with South Walton High School serving as the host.
Both teams open the 2013 season on Friday night with Walton hosting Blountstown while South Walton makes the long trip to Franklin County to face the Seahawks. South Walton will kickoff their contest at 6:30 p.m. while the Walton game will begin at 7 p.m.