It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but the Walton Braves had no problem doing just that on Friday. They breezed by South Walton at home to the tune of 63-35. The victory was just business as usual for Walton, who after 11 games remain undefeated this season.
Walton's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Wells Bettenhausen led the charge by throwing for 249 yards and seven touchdowns on only 18 passes. Bettenhausen is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for three or more in the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah Laird, who picked up 123 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
Despite the loss, South Walton still got an impressive performance from Carson Hawk, who threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground.
Walton's win was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 11-0. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 41.9 points per game. As for South Walton, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 6-5.
Walton will look to defend their home field on Friday against Pensacola Catholic at 7:00 p.m. Pensacola Catholic is also coming in off of a big victory, so somebody is in for a big reversal of fortune. South Walton does not have any more games scheduled as of now.