Walton gets past Milton

By Todd Callahan

For the AJC

Having fed on the bottom-tier teams 6-AAAAA, Walton took the first step to claiming a third region title Friday, defeating Milton 28-23 in a battle of first-place teams at the Eagle’s Nest.

Enlarge photo

Curtis Compton, AJC Milton's J.J. Brink (32, left) takes down Walton RB Kyle Vorster (3).

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Locked in a four-way tie for first place with games looming against perennial powers Lassiter and Roswell, Walton (6-0 overall, 5-0 in 6-AAAAA) Walton enjoyed a commanding 28-10 lead with 11 minutes to go before the Eagles scored the final 13 points to cut into the Raiders’ lead.

Behind the play of quarterback Colin McElroy and receiver Dai Jon Parker, who hauled in five receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown, all in the final nine minutes of the game, Milton cut the Walton advantage to five points with 23.6 seconds left in the game on an 11-yard touchdown pass from McElroy to Parker.

The two-point conversion failed, but the Eagles still had a chance with an onside kick, but the Raiders recovered and were able to run out the clock. It was the ninth consecutive victory for Walton over Milton.

“We made some mistakes there and kind of let them back in the ballgame,” said Walton coach Rocky Hidalgo, who saw Milton outgain his squad by 82 yards. “We were playing a cover-2 on [Parker], and he is a great player, but we’ve got to do a better job in coverage back there.

While the Eagles dominated the final quarter, the hole was to great to climb out, as the Raiders, behind quarterback Joey Windler’s two rushing touchdowns, helped build an insurmountable lead. The senior quarterback also completed 8 of 14 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown. His biggest completion went for 80 yards to senior Patrick Cosgrove for a touchdown that capped the Raiders’ scoring with 11 minutes left in the game.

The first costly Milton miscue came less than a minute into the game.

Walton defensive lineman Chris Boardman intercepted a tipped pass from Milton quarterback Wil Perry and giving the Raiders the ball at the 22-yard line. Four plays later, quarterback Joey Windler scored on a 1-yard dive for the opening score of the game.

It would be one of the few points scored in this defensive struggle.

The Eagles’ final mistake of the half was a missed block that allowed Bailey to go in untouched to block Joey Colucci’s punt.

The Raiders took over at the Milton 28-yard line and successfully converted on a pair of third downs to reach the end zone. On each third down, Windler found Braylon Williams, who led the team with a touchdown and four receptions for 41 yards.