The Walton Raiders and the Cherokee Warriors are set to duel on Friday. Walton is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 27.9 points per game this season.
Last Friday, Walton didn't have too much trouble with Marietta on the road as they won 21-3. Given the Raiders' advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia football rankings (they are ranked 43rd, while the Blue Devils are ranked 133rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Lucas Farrington continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 68 yards and three touchdowns. He is becoming a predictor of Walton's success: when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns the team is 3-1 (and 1-2 when he doesn't). Noriega Thompson handled things on the ground, rushing for 84 yards.
Another reason for the win was Walton's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Leading the way was Jake Thorner with two. He is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made seven or more in the last 13 games he's played dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Cherokee was just a hair shy of victory on Friday and fell 28-27 to Wheeler. The loss continues a trend for the Warriors in their matchups with the Wildcats: they've now lost three in a row.
Cherokee might have lost, but man, Tanner Savasir was a machine: he threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 57 yards on only six carries.
Cherokee didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Jayce Jones.
Walton now has a winning record of 4-3. As for Cherokee, their defeat dropped their record down to an identical 4-3.
Everything came up roses for Walton against Cherokee in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, as the team secured a 48-7 win. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Savasir, who rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries, and also threw for 156 yards on 13 of 22 attempts. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Walton still be able to contain Savasir? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
