Georgia high school football playoffs

Walton and Kell football teams at home as state playoffs begin Friday

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The Georgia High School Association pairings are out, and the Walton and Kell football teams will be home teams in first-round games on Friday.

The Raiders, who finished runner-up in Region 4 of Class 7A, are 9-1, with their only loss to region champion Roswell. Walton will be facing Camden County of Kingsland, on the Georgia coast. The Wildcats, won three state titles in the last decade are 7-3 this year and finished third in Region 1, which includes Colquitt County.

Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. at Raider Valley. The Class 7A bracket can be found here, and includes a possible second-round game between Walton and Hillgrove of West Cobb.

Other local teams in the Class 7A playoffs are Marietta, McEachern and Pebblebrook, which clipped Wheeler last week for a post-season berth.

Kell finished the regular season in strong fashion to earn the runner-up spot in Region 7 of Class 5A. The Longhorns, who are 8-2, will play host on Friday to Carver of Atlanta, which is 5-5. Here is the Class 5A bracket. Kickoff at the Stockyard is 7:30 p.m.

In Class 6A, Pope will have to hit the road after earning the final playoff spot in Region 7. The Greyhounds, who are 5-5, will play at Creekview, and it will be a tough task. The Grizzlies are a perfect 10-0 on the season. Kickoff also starts at 7:30 at Creekview (1550 Owens Store Road, Canton).

The Class 6A bracket can be found here, and includes Allatoona and Harrison.

Related coverage

 

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Walton’s football dream season ends in 28-21 loss to Colquitt County

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Walton football
Dominick Blaylock (1) scored the first of his three touchdowns on Walton’s first possession of the game. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)

Dominick Blaylock did all he could for the Walton football team Friday in as big a game as the Raiders have played in several years in a Georgia Class 7A second-round playoff game.

But they committed two critical turnovers near the end of the first half that helped Colquitt County take the lead and pull away to a 28-21 victory at Raider Valley.

Walton had been undefeated, with an 11-0 record and a No. 3 state ranking coming in, and was backed by a loud home crowd, against Colquitt County (8-3 and No. 9). The game also was shown on statewide television, with a full crew on hand from Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Walton football vs. Colquitt County

Walton football vs. Colquitt County

Walton football vs. Colquitt County

Walton football vs. Colquitt County

A near-full house looked on as Walton took 7-0 and 14-7 leads in the first quarter, thanks to big plays from Blaylock. A junior wide receiver who has already committed to the University of Georgia, he scored via the run the first two times Walton had the ball.

Walton football vs. Colquitt County

Walton football vs. Colquitt County

But the Packers, whose coaching staff includes former Walton head coach Mo Dixon, responded right away each time. It was with the game tied at 14-14 late in the second quarter that events began to turn their way, thanks to turnovers.

Colquitt County converted on both of them, an interception and a recovered fumble on a muffed lateral, to take a 21-14 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Walton football vs. Colquitt County

The Packers’ defense effectively shut down the rest of Walton’s offense, and took a 28-14 lead early in the third quarter. That would prove to be enough to hold off Walton, even after Blaylock scored a late third-quarter touchdown to give the Raiders a lifeline.

He ran for 54 yards and had 101 receiving yards for the game, but Colquitt County advances to the quarterfinals against Archer.

Walton enjoyed one of the best seasons in school history under first-year head coach Daniel Brunner, and will have many top players returning, including Blaylock and quarterback Austin Kirksey.

Walton football vs. Colquitt County

Walton football vs. Colquitt County

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East Cobb high school football: Walton holds off North Cobb; Pope and Kell eliminated

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It wasn’t easy, but the Walton football team held off a Cobb County rival Friday night in the first round of the Georgia High School Association Class 7A state playoffs. The Raiders, who defeated North Cobb 28-14, were one of three East Cobb high school football teams in action.Walton High School logo, East Cobb high school football

Dominick Blaylock scored two touchdowns, including on a key drive in the fourth quarter, and quarterback Austin Kirksey was 11-for-11 passing for 181 yards, as the Raiders remained unbeaten on the season.

They’re 11-0 and will remain at home next Friday against Colquitt County, which routed Pebblebrook 49-7.

Walton, which is led by first-year head coach Daniel Brunner, a former assistant, will see a familiar face on the Colquitt County sideline. Mo Dixon, who was the Raiders head coach for the last two seasons, left East Cobb over the spring to become an assistant coach at the South Georgia powerhouse.

In the Class 6A playoffs, Pope fell behind early in a 42-14 loss at Dacula, which scored on six of its first seven possessions. The game was the first in the playoffs in five years for the Greyhounds, who finished 4-7 under first-year coach Tab Griffin, a Pope graduate and former player.

Kell reached the Class 5A playoffs but also went out in the first round, falling to Flowery Branch 21-14. The Longhorns mounted a comeback after trailing 21-0, and had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but were stopped on fourth-and-goal on the goal line. Kell’s season ends at 5-6 under Brett Sloan, who was in his first season as head coach after being an assistant at Walton.

East Cobb football update: Pope, Kell join Walton in state playoffs; Lassiter waits

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Pope football, East Cobb football

There will be at least three East Cobb football teams in the Georgia High School Association state playoffs next week.

There could be a fourth, Lassiter, which lost to Etowah Friday night and could be selected for an at-large berth in Class AAAAAAA.

Walton clinched the Region 7-AAAAAAA title Friday with a 42-37 win at home over Woodstock, giving the Raiders a perfect 10-0 record in the regular season.

That’s only the third time in Walton school history that has happened. The Raiders will play at home next Friday in the first round of the state playoffs against North Cobb.

East Cobb football
Tab Griffin of Pope, Brett Sloan of Kell and Daniel Brunner of Walton have led their teams into the state playoffs as first-year head coaches. (East Cobb News file photo)

Kell lost to Hiram 52-37 at home but still clinched a playoff berth in the Class AAAAA playoffs. The Longhorns, who finished 5-5 in the regular season, will play at Flowery Branch.

The most unlikely East Cobb football story this season is Pope High School, which had won just three games in the past two seasons. The Greyhounds got off to a sluggish start, losing their first three games.

Pope came into Friday’s game against Northview on a two-game losing streak, but rolled to an easy 41-22 win to qualify for the state playoffs for the first time since 2012. The Greyhounds will take a losing record—4-6—into next Friday’s Class AAAAAA first round game at Dacula.

Lassiter could have cemented a playoff berth in Class AAAAAAA but lost at Etowah 29-20 to finish the regular season with a 6-4 record. The Trojans await word on whether they’ll be selected as an at-large team.

The three East Cobb football teams that have clinched playoff spots also have something else in common. They’re coached by first-year head coaches, which was one of the leading storylines heading into the season.

Walton’s Daniel Brunner had been an assistant for the Raiders and was elevated to head coach after Mo Dixon resigned to take a coaching job in south Georgia. Another Walton assistant, Brett Sloan, was hired to succeed Derek Cook at Kell.

Tab Griffin’s task at Pope was considered the biggest job of all. He was a former Greyhounds player and Pope graduate who was hired in the summer after coaching at Mt. Paran Christian School.

Two other East Cobb teams ended their seasons Friday on a down note. Sprayberry, also coached by a first-year coach, former Yellow Jackets player Brett Vavra, lost to Sequoyah 38-28 and finished 2-8 on the year.

So did the Wheeler Wildcats, a playoff last year who lost 51-37 to Pebblebrook.

 

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