Valdosta coach on semifinal matchup with Buford: ‘We can’t look at the name’
Today’s Four Questions interviewee is Valdosta coach Shelton Felton, whose team defeated Walton 45-42 last week in the Class 6A quarterfinals. The Wildcats are in the semifinals for the first time since 2020, when a Rush Propst-coached team later forfeited eight victories and was banned from the playoffs the following season. The next season, 2021, was Felton’s first. Valdosta has improved its victory total or playoff advancement each of the past four years. Valdosta is in the semifinals of the highest class for the first time since 2003 and will play at home against No. 2 Buford on Friday night.
1. You’ve taken this program to the semifinals for the first time in your tenure. What does that say about where you have Valdosta headed?
“I mean, the biggest thing is that we took over the program when it was … they called it a death penalty with no playoffs, and a lot of the kids were leaving. And the biggest thing I’ve done was once I got the head job, this senior class was eighth graders, and I wanted to talk to them. Everybody was pulling at them and trying to get them to leave. I said, ‘If you trust in me and trust the process, we’ll get back on top and have a chance to win.’ And every year, we’ve been closer and closer and closer, and we’ve been improving every year.”
2. Now that those eighth graders are seniors, what have they meant to this program?
“The seniors this year were really talented. They were undefeated in sixth, seventh and eighth grade, so there’s a lot of talent in this class. Taking over the program, you’ve got to evaluate each class. And then the couple of classes before were not very talented, but it was good. But I knew this group of seniors had a great chance to be special, and they’ve been proving it day in and day out every Friday night.”
Note: Valdosta’s leading passer, Tyrieke Wade; leading receiver, Prince Jean; and three leading tacklers, Zamarian Williams, Tremaine Johnson and Corey Howard, are seniors, but the junior class is pretty good, too. Marquis Fennell and Deron Foster both have more than 1,000 yards rushing, and Fennell has 2,409 all-purpose yards.
3. What’s the message to your team going into the Buford game, facing a team known for its physicality?
“The first thing in my message was we can’t look at the name. We can’t look at the championships and all the offers and high-profile players they’ve got. We’ve got to look at them and who they are. They’re a high school team that’s undefeated, that’s real physical and is coming down to Valdosta. We’re going to give them our best shot because we’re going to play. No matter what the naysayers say about us, we’re going to show up Friday, and we’re going to play.”
4. What did you learn about your team in its shootout win over Walton last week?
“I learned that no matter what, my guys were resilient. We’ve been through a lot here, and we’re going play to the end. Some things didn’t go our way, but we didn’t buckle, we didn’t flinch. They kept playing and we gave our best shot. Then Walton came back and gave their best shot, and we came right back. And to me, that’s a championship team, when no matter what situation, you keep fighting. You play until it’s all said and done.”
Note: Valdosta led 45-28 and held on late as Walton got within 45-42 in the final minute. Wade threw three TD passes. Fennell scored three touchdowns.
About the Author
Jack Leo is a sports writer and reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Jack worked for the AJC throughout his four years studying journalism and sports media at Georgia State University and the University of Georgia. He's now focused on telling stories in the grassroots: bringing comprehensive coverage of high school sports for AJC Varsity.
