By PATRICK CASEY
The Walton football team traveled to Chipley on Friday evening to play their 2016 spring football game at Phillip Rountree Stadium after a day of heavy rain in the area.
Fortunately the field was in serviceable shape for a contest between two schools that have been competing in high school football since the 1920s.
Chipley took the football to start the game at their own 35-yard line and promptly marched straight down the field for an opening touchdown as Adrian Sims scored from 18 yards out. The senior-to-be (this fall season) carried eight times for 55 yards on the opening drive and added the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead with 6:18 left in the first quarter.
Walton, breaking in new skill players at the varsity level at quarterback and running back, managed only one first down during their first two possessions of the contest with Thomas Brack eventually punting to end the series of downs.
Chipley’s third possession saw the Tigers march 55 yards only to be stopped by the Walton defense on a fourth-and-short run at the Braves 10-yard line to turn the ball over on downs with 6:55 left in the half.
Brack then got loose on the second play of Walton’s next possession for an 87-yard run that ended in the endzone as he outraced the Tigers defenders to trim the lead to 8-6. A bad snap on the two-point conversion try left the Braves down two points with 6:05 left in the half.
Chipley came right back to extend the lead on their next possession, moving 65 yards for their second touchdown of the night as Sims scored from three yards out after getting loose on a 47-yard run deep into Braves territory for a 16-6 advantage.
The two squad’s traded punts late in the half and the Braves took over the football at their own 20-yard line with 1:59 left before intermission.
Junior Rajah Hooks connected with Kentrell Parker for a 25-yard gain as Parker made a diving grab at the Tigers 39-yard line for a first down with 19 seconds left in the half. Braves head coach Jimmy Ray Stephens burned a timeout and when the squad returned to the field, Hooks hit Juanyeh Thomas with a quick pass that saw Thomas work his way across the field and into the endzone with six seconds left to cut the halftime deficit to 16-13 after Brack’s extra point.
Walton got the ball to start the second half and the Braves moved 65 yards for the final score of the night with running back Michael Knight rushing for 41 yards on the drive, including a 2-yard scamper for the go-ahead score on fourth and goal to put the visiting team in front. Thomas hauled in a 24-yard pass from Brack that moved Walton into Chipley territory with the Tigers needing five tacklers to stop his momentum up the field.
Chipley did move deep into Walton territory on their first drive of the second half but the defense stopped running back Joseph Meredith short of a first down at the Braves 9-yard line to end their final threat of the game with 8:03 left in the contest.
The second half was played with 10-minute quarters and a clock that kept running except for timeouts, injuries or scoring plays.
Sims rolled up 155 yards on the ground against the Walton defense on 20 carries with the Tigers completing just two passes for 27 yards, all in the first half.
Walton had 198 rushing yards but 87 came on Brack’s run in the first half. Hooks was 3-of-6 for 67 yards while Brack was 2-of-4 for 31 yards. Thomas caught three passes for 70 yards with one touchdown.
Team Notes: Walton dressed 58 players while Chipley had 36 on their spring roster. Chipley will host Freeport in their Kickoff Classic on Aug. 19 while Walton will travel to Bozeman to face Panama City Mosley that same night. Walton has won their last nine games with Chipley in varsity football (7 regular season games and two spring contests). Walton lost 18 seniors from their 2015 squad while Chipley had seven seniors last season.