Dave Sundin | Special to the TimesValwood wide receiver Cam Walker returns a punt against the Westfield Hornets during the second quarter on Friday night at Goddard Field.

HAHIRA –– Lightning shortened the action, but a first-quarter firestorm ended the game almost as quickly as it began.

The Valwood Valiants scored 28 of their 42 points in the first quarter as they pitched a 42-0 shutout for their second win of the season.

In the second quarter, a Ray Gordon stop on Westfield running back Payton Black on third-and-2 for the Hornets resulted in a four-yard loss, setting up a Westfield punt. Reigning Region 3-3A Player of the Year Cam Walker waited patiently in the backfield. Once the ball arrived, Walker put on a show.

Walker took off to the right in the direction of a Westfield defender, breaking a tackle before cutting back to his left. Looking for more, he eluded two more Westfield defenders before picking up massive blocks by J.D. Scurry and Cameron Carter. Walker made at least four more Hornets miss before making his way down the left sideline for the touchdown––a 71-yard display.

“Cam Carter made a good block,” Walker recalled. “I caught it and got a couple blocks, J.D. Scurry cracked somebody, then they just started spinning me around. I just kept my balance and ended up in the end zone.”

Valwood head coach Ashley Henderson actually thought Walker would be brought down a few different times along the way. In fact, Henderson yelled from the sideline for Walker to go down before the play broke open.

“I kind of thought he should’ve fair-caught that one,” Henderson said with a grin. “I was hollering for him to go down two or three times. By the time he broke that last tackle, I started hollering for him to roll…roll, roll, roll. That’s him. He’s a dynamic playmaker and he’s a game-changer.”

Walker’s punt return made it a 35-0 game and prompted Henderson to pull most of his starters before the next Valiants possession.

Valiants starter Caleb Burns continued his efficient play on Friday night, completing 4-of-5 passes for 150 yards and three touchdowns. In addition to his return TD, Walker caught three passes for 83 yards and added two more touchdowns. Running back Colby Thomas had three catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns––both of which came in the first quarter.

Burns’ replacement Zach Paulk took over and picked up where Burns left off. Paulk went 5-for-5 throwing the ball, his last completion going to Walker for a four-yard score at the halftime horn.

As lightning rolled into the area, fans were urged to seek shelter. With most of the crowd emptying out, the game was called after a nearly hour-long delay. Henderson accepted the decision to call the game, but wanted to get his B-team players some burn with the big lead.

“It just is what it is,” Henderson said. “We were about to put in our B-teamers and let them get some live action on Friday night. You hate it for those guys because they work all week. Hopefully, we can continue to play like that and give them opportunities.

“I’m proud of our No. 1s getting out there and establishing what we’re doing and scoring a lot of points. Our playmakers made plays and I thought that was our offensive line’s best night of the year.”

The Valiants’ defense played well yet again, led by defensive tackle Ray Gordon and senior Isaiah Bristol.

Gordon came up with eight tackles in the first half, while Bristol came up with two tackles for losses.

Henderson heaped praise upon his defense after the game for getting into the Westfield backfield and making plays.

“Those guys are getting better,” Henderson said. “Ray’s making plays. It may not be perfect but he’s productive. Isaiah was Isaiah, I thought. Jaharie Boone, again, was all over the field. Sam Martin is playing as good a linebacker as we’ve had here in my six years here. He’s really reading blocks well and making plays for us.”

The lightning stoppage gives the Valiants a bit more rest going into practice next week as they travel to play North Florida Christian in a non-region matchup.

“We’ve got to continue to get better,” Henderson said. “(NFC) is obviously quite  a challenge, one of the best teams we play year in and year out. They’ll be a handful––they’ve got skilled kids all over the field. They’re always big…so we’ll see. We want to challenge ourselves outside of our region and that’s what they’re gonna do.”

HISTORIC NIGHT

Amid the Valiants’ offensive explosion, senior kicker John Miller’s extra point on the Valiants’ first scoring drive gave him 105 career points. Miller made all six of his PATs in the game.

HIGH-POWERED OFFENSE

The Valiants scored 42 points in one half against the Hornets, a season-high. It was the largest scoring output by the Valiants in a game since the 2015 season. Coincidentally, the Valiants rang up 55 points against Westfield back on Aug. 28, 2015.

UP NEXT

The Valiants hit the road for the second time this season, this time to Tallahassee to take on North Florida Christian on Sept. 1. The Eagles defeated the Valiants 30-20 last season.