After both having extra time off, the Walton Raiders and the Valdosta Wildcats will shake off the cobwebs and face off against one another at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Walton will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
If Walton beats Valdosta with 42 points on Friday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two games with that exact score. Walton blew past North Paulding 42-20 back in October. Considering the Raiders have won four matches by more than 21 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Walton's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kaeden Gilstrap led the charge by rushing for 88 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries, while also throwing for 138 yards and two touchdowns while completing 73.3% of his passes. Noriega Thompson was another key rusher, rushing for 88 yards and two touchdowns on only nine carries.
Walton wouldn't let North Paulding keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Walton can thank Drake Luckie and Ethan Stannard for forcing both of them. Stannard is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last 14 games he's played dating back to last season. Hudson Beard was another major factor on D, making 14 total tackles and snagged an interception.
Walton was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 233 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as North Paulding only rushed for 125.
Meanwhile, Valdosta faced Lowndes in a battle between two of the state's top teams last Friday. Valdosta took a 30-20 hit to the loss column at the hands of Lowndes.
The match pitted two dominant signal callers against one another in Todd Robinson and Marvis Parrish. Parrish had a great game and rushed for 131 yards and two touchdowns on only 14 carries. Meanwhile, Robinson was balling out in the loss, rushing for 65 yards and a touchdown, while also throwing for 202 yards and a touchdown.
Even if they lost, Valdosta's defense still kept up the pressure with six sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Kobi Brown and Zamarion Williams, who racked up four sacks between them. Williams also set a new season high mark in total tackles with 12. Another thorn in Lowndes' side was Marcus Williams, who picked up 1.5 sacks and made ten total tackles (5.0 for loss).
Walton has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 7-3 record this season. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 31.7 points per game. As for Valdosta, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-2.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Walton has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 173.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Valdosta struggles in that department as they've been averaging 196. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
