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Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Spring Football Fling: Walton facing stiff competition for playoff berths
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
THE SPRING FOOTBALL FLING In upcoming weeks, teams throughout the state will spend 10 days on the practice field preparing for the 2008 football season. In a series of stories, ajc.com will provide an offseason outlook for 25 of the top teams in the metro and state.
This Week’s Lineup
• Weds: Walton • Thurs: Harrison • Fri: Camden Co.
• Sat: Newnan • Sun: Stephenson • 4/14: Roswell
• 4/15: Norcross
You make the call: What’s the buzz on Walton in ‘08? Will the playoff run continue? Games start in August. Talk starts NOW.
Photos: A look at Walton football
Walton faces much harder road to playoffs
Walton’s dominance in East Cobb probably will continue this year, but its impressive playoff streak will be a little tougher to extend.
The Raiders have made the playoffs seven consecutive seasons and appeared in the Class AAAAA semifinals at the Georgia Dome last December under coach Ed Dudley. Why could season No. 8 be more challenging? Unlike recent years, when Walton played a subregion schedule and just had to be one of the top two teams out of East Cobb, the Region 6-AAAA coaches voted for change after last season. Now each team will play a full region schedule, and the top four teams overall will advance to the playoffs.
Walton will have to compete against Roswell, Centennial, Milton and Chattahoochee, among others, for postseason berths.
“I’m sure there will be some good teams out of East Cobb, but it’s hard to know which ones, at this point, because there are so many questions to be answered with all the coaching changes,” Dudley said.
Dudley feels confident about the Raiders making a run for the playoffs, especially since they were 8-0 against 6-AAAAA teams last year on the way to a 12-2 finish.
“We expect to be a playoff team every year, and we’re not going to back off that,” Dudley said. “We’re going to have to work a little harder this year, but we certainly expect and want to be back in the playoffs.”
Walton lost 11 starters from one of the best teams in school history, including all-purpose back J.J. Jackson and defensive end Chase Thomas, who set team records for single-season and career sacks. But hopes remain high for the Raiders because of last season’s appearance in the Georgia Dome and an influx of young, but unproven, talent.
Walton Raiders
Region 6-AAAAA
Spring practice dates: May 1-16.
Last year’s record: 12-2, lost in the semifinals.
Reclassification challenge: Does not apply.
Working on: It all starts with finding a tailback, which will determine whether or not the Raiders will stick with the Pro Set offense next year or add more passing. Andre Walkine and Brandon Burroughs are among the top tailback candidates to replace J.J. Jackson, who rushed for 1,841 yards and 22 touchdowns. Walton has some talented youngsters to fill three of four spots on the defensive line. The primary concern on defense is to identify two cornerbacks. Said coach Ed Dudley: “Most teams are lucky to have one shutdown corner. We had two last year, with Billy Burns and Robert Harrison. That’s a pretty big issue for us.”
Key starters lost: DE Chase Thomas (signed with Stanford); OL Austin Quattrochi (Southern Miss); OL Nick Gipson (UT-Chattanooga); Zach Tenuta (Marshall); Adam Shreiner (Elon); Jackson (UT-Chattanooga); Harrison (UT-Chattanooga).
Key starters returning: QB Ray Rayburn; LB Scott Willoch; LB Miles Freberg.
2008 strengths: Rayburn was the co-starter at QB last year, but now will handle it alone with the graduation of Brandon Theobald. He has one of Cobb County’s top wide receivers, Price Garrett, who has led the team in receptions the past two seasons. David Paulsen will be moved from DL to DE, and already has offers from Stanford and Miami of Ohio.
2008 weaknesses: With the departure of 11 starters, Walton will put plenty of new faces on the field. Walton had one of the state’s top kicking games last season and will be depending heavily on Brady Biggers to handle kicking and punting duties.
This season’s projection: Walton is favored to make the playoffs for the eighth year in a row under Dudley, but it will be much tougher this season.
Comment: “Last year was good to us [appearing in semifinals] and gave our program a lot of momentum,” Dudley said. “It generated a lot of excitement and gave us a tremendous amount of momentum going into the off-season. There’s a lot of pressure on us to keep performing at a high level, and the kids seem to thrive with that kind of pressure.”
Photos: A look at Walton football
You make the call: What’s the buzz on Walton in ‘08? Will the playoff run continue? Games start in August. Talk starts NOW.
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