Football Preview: Walton Braves vs. West Florida Jaguars
After starting their season with three straight games on the road, Walton is finally coming home. They will be defending their home-fieldthey go up against the West Florida Jaguars at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. West Florida took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Walton, who comes in off a win.
Last Friday, Walton took their game on the road with ease, bagging a 50-14 victory over Holmes County.
Wells Bettenhausen was nothing short of spectacular: he threw for 288 yards and five touchdowns while completing 73.7% of his passes. Another player making a difference was Peyton Seay, who gained 141 total yards and a touchdown.
Walton's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Malcolm Byrd and Dreden Bembow. Bembow also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, making six total tackles and defending a pass in addition to snagging an interception.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Walton was moving up and down the field and finished the game with 506 total yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Holmes County only gained 153.
Meanwhile, West Florida fell victim to Fort Walton Beach and their airtight defense on Friday. They took a hard 14-0 fall against the Vikings. Having soared to a lofty 34 points in the game before, the Jaguars' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Walton's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-2. As for West Florida, they now also have a losing record at 1-2.
The upcoming matchup will be a clash of competing strengths. Walton has relied on air attacks this season and has averaged 305.3 passing yards per game. West Florida, on the other hand, has relied on a stout run game: they average 186.7 rushing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Walton came out on top in a nail-biter against West Florida in their previous matchup back in September of 2023, sneaking past 34-31. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was West Florida's John Nicholas, who threw for 365 yards and four touchdowns while completing 72.4% of his passes, and also rushed for 38 yards. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Walton to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
