HAHIRA –– The rematch made for a good game, but gave the same result. 

The Valwood Valiants (8-2) topped Deerfield-Windsor (6-6) yet again but this time Valwood handled the Knights for all four quarters and won 34-7, advancing to the next round of the GISA AAA Semifinals.

Valwood came in the game knowing what needed to happen and they executed almost flawlessly. The aggressive passing attack with their swarming defense proved to be too much for Deerfield this time around.

Valwood’s offense didn’t hesitate to ditch their run game after their first few attempts in the first half ended in no gain or a fumble. After testing the waters Valwood eventually found their rhythm after moving the chains with completions.

“With who we have out wide, that’s a threat to everybody,” Valwood head coach Justin Henderson said about his receiving corps. 

One of those threats out wide is Aalah Brown, who eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving this season during the game. Brown also had one of those games where he was all over the field.

Valwood went up 7-0 in the second quarter when Brown got a scoop-and-score after Harrison Hamsley forced the fumble in the backfield.

Brown stayed busy on both sides all night, finishing with six catches for 105 yards and a touchdown. Along with the fumble recovery Brown added an interception with three tackles before the game was over.

The early lead gave Valwood a huge leg up because Deerfield wasn’t keen on passing the ball. They ran it straight up, didn’t get fancy with any motions or formations, and Valwood was ready for it all. Deerfield kept their same approach, which is pound the line of scrimmage on offense and crowd it on defense.

Valwood’s defense didn’t break though as Deerfield ran the ball time and time again, chewing time off the clock. Forced to catch up, Deerfield passed on a few plays and barely any of them were completed.

Towards the end of the second quarter quarterback Zach Paulk checked in the game for his first snap since his injury in the Heritage game mid-September. Paulk capped off his first drive back with a touchdown to Jaheim James that gave the Valiants a 14-0 lead before the half.

Paulk finished with 110 passing yards and a touchdown behind starter Pate Hogan, who also had a good performance. Hogan threw for 124 yards, with two touchdowns and ran in a touchdown himself.

“I thought both of them had a fantastic game,” Henderson said. “It’s a good problem to have. I think that might have been Pate’s best game as well. So, good problem to have.”

Deerfield-Windsor scored their lone touchdown in garbage time with under a minute left. Valwood’s defense was relentless until that point. The Valiants recovered three fumbles, returned one for a touchdown, and snagged an interception.

Valwood’s three usual suspects out wide all hauled in a touchdown. Brown, Jaheim James, and Michael Tucker each found pay dirt and combined for 213 receiving yards. 

“Man everything (was going well),” Valwood offensive coordinator Israel Troupe said. “We had Pate and Zach at quarterback, Aalah eclipsed 1,000 yards, Jaheim and Mike did a great job. Harrison came in a did a great job for us too. I mean our guys are focused, that’s one thing we’ve been able to do this week is keep them focused. I think with that, the road to Mercer is on the way.” 

What a way to beat a region rival that Valwood played two weeks ago at the end of the regular season. From winning 10-7 to 34-7, Friday’s win should boost the Valiants’ morale as they advance deeper into the playoffs.

UP NEXT

Valwood: Goes on the road to play Pinewood Christian (9-1) next Friday, Nov. 22. The winner advances to the GISA State Championship game.