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.
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.
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.
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.
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