Class 6A Blog: Valdosta holds off Walton rally to stack star-powered semifinal field

The 2025 football season came to a close for the Walton on Friday as the fourth-seeded Raiders fell 45-42 to No. 1 seed Valdosta. While it was a disappointing outcome for Walton, the competiveness of the road trip and the team’s valiant effort to reach the quarterfinals puts the program in a great position heading into next year. Walton was a 5-5 team heading into the playoffs and proceeded to defeat an unbeaten McEachern team 28-24 before dominating East Coweta 49-14.

On Friday, Valdosta nearly saw its 17-point lead evaporate as the Raiders looked to steal another playoff win. Trailing 45-28, Walton quarterback Christion Peacock ran in a touchdown to cut the deficit to 45-35 with 3:01 left. The defense forced Valdosta into a 4th and 13 after that and a blocked punt was returned 51 yards for a touchdown to make it a 45-42 game with 13.2 seconds left. The ensuing onside kick attempt went out of bounds and Valdosta was able to recover and hold on for victory.

Valdosta narrowly out-gained Walton 457-424 in total yards in the game. Peacock accounted for 85 yards and two rushing touchdowns and teammate Noriega Thompson finished his outing with 157 yards off of 24 carries. Peacock had two touchdown passes and two interceptions in the game, but continued to battle back—an experience that will prove crucial next season for the Class of 2028 passer. For Walton, it was the fourth time in head coach Daniel Brunner’s nine years at the school that the team advanced to the quarterfinals. Valdosta is back in the semifinals for the third time since 2016—the year the Wildcats last won a state title. Leading them against Walton was Region 1-6A Player of the Year Marquis Fennell—who paced Valdosta with a team-high 184 rushing yards and two touchdowns with an additional team-high seven receptions for 57 yards and a score.

Valdosta’s next test will be a home game against undefeated Buford—which defeated Douglas County 30-15 in the quarterfinals. This is Buford's second straight semifinal appearance and Buford is trying to reach the finals for the first time since winning Class 6A in 2021. Buford is 21-5 all-time in semifinals, while Valdosta is 28-3 all-time in semifinals. The only other time the school’s met was in 2020 when Buford scored a 45-26 victory.

Across the bracket, undefeated Carrollton will host North Gwinnett in the first-ever meeting between the schools. According to the Maxwell Ratings Projection, Carrollton is a 19-point favorite (33-14). North Gwinnett is 12-1 and hasn’t lost since its Week 1 defeat to Douglas County. In the quarterfinals, the Bulldogs pulled away to defeat West Forsyth 25-15.

Carrollton’s quarterfinal victory made an even bigger splash as the Trojans defeated defending state champion Grayson 34-14. In that win, Carrollton overcame a 14-0 deficit with 34 unanswered points. Wide receiver Braylon Jackson had a massive impact with five catches for 164 yards and Wilson Taylor added a 95-yard kickoff return touchdown to spark the Trojans.

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