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Class 7A preview: Walton vs. Milton
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Walton Raiders vs. Milton Eagles
When: Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Records, ranking: Walton (14-0, No. 5) is the No. 1 seed from Region 5. Milton (12-2, No. 10) is the No. 1 seed from Region 6.
Coaches: Walton – Daniel Brunner (66-22, seventh season). Milton – Ben Reaves (22-6, second season).
How they got here: Walton – d. Mountain View 66-7, d. North Gwinnett 48-19, d. Carrollton 56-35, d. Camden County 41-25. Milton – d. Duluth 53-0, d. Collins Hill 42-21, d. Colquitt County 39-37, d. Grayson 45-35.
Walton: The high-powered attack is led by quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski, a Wake Forest commit who has thrown for 3,711 yards and 48 touchdowns, with only three interceptions. He spreads the ball around and four players have at least 30 catches – Camron Loyd (61 receptions, 21.9-yard average, 13 touchdowns), Miami-Ohio commit Hunter Teal (49 catches, 15 touchdowns), Navy commit Jordan Bride (37 catches, seven touchdowns) and Jacksonville State commit Wyatt Sonderman (32 catches, seven touchdowns). But the Raiders are just as strong while running the ball with a pair of 1,000-yard rushers – Memphis commit MaKari Bodiford (1,035 yards, 20 TDs) and Austin Williams (1,007 yards, 13 TDs). Georgia commit Daniel Calhoun leads an outstanding offensive line that also includes Sam Trainor, an Air Force commit.
On defense, North Carolina commit Ashton Woods (138 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, eight sacks) is one of the top run-stoppers in the state. Other top players on defense in Jake Thorner (129 tackles), H Beard (107 tackles), South Carolina commit Wendell Gregory (18 tackles for loss, seven sacks), Yale commit Lota Ugokwe (13 sacks), Bride (four interceptions, 12 passes defended) and Tyson McCrary (four interceptions).
Milton: Junior Luke Nickel, a Miami commit, has thrown for 3,709 yards and 38 touchdowns and shredded the highly-touted Grayson defense for 400 yards in the semifinal. He has five receivers with 30-plus catches led by Texas A&M commit Debron Gatling (77 receptions, 11 touchdowns) and game-breaking junior C.J. Wiley (64 receptions, 22.3-yard average, 14 touchdowns), who already has offers from Georgia and Michigan. Marc Essley (45 receptions, six TDs), Tristen Payne (45 receptions, six touchdowns) and tight end Ryan Ghea (31 catches, three TDs), a junior who has committed to Auburn. Top rushers are T.J. Lester (693 yards, seven touchdowns) and Amauri Anderson (486 yards, three touchdowns).Kicker Alex Nover is 56-for-56 on extra points and 16-for-20 on field goals.
The top standouts on defense are linebacker Jacorey Stewart, a Kansas commit who always seems to be in the right place; he has 98 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks. Other top defensive players include Ty Redmond, a Tennessee commit, and Ma’khi Jones, A.J. Benton (107 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss), Hayden Tumminia (106 tackles), Jack Lawson (92 tackles, 6.5 sacks), Caleb Bell (7.5 sacks, 13 hurries) and Caleb Ellis, Tristan Lester and Dylan Lewis (four interceptions, 13 passes defended).