Seahawks take sting out of Yellow Jackets

The South Walton Seahawks are road-trip bound.

After a 30-27 double overtime win over the Vernon Yellow Jackets Friday night, the Seahawks are the runners-up in District 1 and will advance to the playoffs.

“It’s going to be road, road, road,” said South Walton Coach David Barron. “We will be on the road the whole way through.”

The Seahawks, 8-1, will play the winner of District 2 in the first round of the playoffs, and right now it is looking like it will be either Blountstown, Liberty County or Port St. Joe, Barron said.

“But we’re kind of used to it,” having played their first four games on the road, Barron said.

However, before the playoffs, the Seahawks will take on the Walton County Braves, 2-6, this Friday at 7 p.m. in their last regular season game.

Although Walton is coming off a 40-29 loss to Wakulla, Coach Barron is not taking the Braves lightly.

“They’re going to be real dangerous for us,” Barron said.

Against Wakulla, Walton threw the ball about 40 times and ran the ball 18.

“They throw every screen pass that’s been designed,” he said. “We’re going to have to bring in some daggum Blue Angel air defense,” to shut them down. “They’ve got skill out the kazoo.”

The Braves have averaged about 28 points a game.

“We’ve got to maintain ball control and try to keep it out of their hands,” he said.

“Our defense is going to be challenged,” Barron said. “We’ve got to get a lot of people around the football. It’s going to be an interesting night for our secondary.”

The Seahawks had one of those interesting nights this past Friday when they pulled off a double overtime homecoming victory over the Vernon Yellow Jackets.

After trailing most of the night, the Seahawks tied the game in the fourth and then walked off with a 30-27 on a 26-yard field goal by Jonathan O’Hara.

“It’s the cardiac kids,” said an emotionally drained Barron. “In the fourth quarter we finally decided to play ball.”

For most of the game, “We got out coached and we got out played. But a win on homecoming is very important,” Barron said.

And they got the win the hard way.

Down 14-13 at the half, the Seahawks ate up most of the third quarter on a drive that fizzled inside the Vernon 5-yard line.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Vernon put together a seven-play drive with Markeith Bell scoring on a 13-yard run. The extra point attempt was no good and the Jackets led 20-13 with less than five minutes to play.

South Walton answered in 10 plays with Dennis Smith putting the ball in the air to Jay Gatto for a 26-yard gain and then later to Andrew Priest for an 11-yard pickup. Three plays later, Gatto ran the ball in from 14-yards out for the score. O’Hara hit the PAT for a tie game with 1:42 left in regulation.

Vernon made an attempt at a field goal but it fell short, forcing the game into OT.

The Seahawks got the ball first on the 10 with four tries to score. Gatto picked up 5 yards, then Destin’s Chris Shock, 3. On the third, Gatto ran around the right end for the score. O’Hara hit the point after for a 27-20 game.

Vernon came back and scored quickly in two plays. Dylan Lee scored the TD on a 4-yard run and Chris Ross kicked in the point after for a 27-27 tie.

In the second round of OT, the Seahawks defense kicked in and pushed the Jackets backwards. On fourth down, Ross attempted a 42-yard field goal that went wide right.

South Walton stepped on the field with O’Hara booting in a 26-yarder on first down for the win.

Earlier in the first half, DeQuarious Peterson scored Vernon’s first touchdown on a 6-yard run and Hunter Dobbs the second on a 51-yard dash to the end zone.

Shock scored the Seahawks’ first TD on a 28-yard run at the start of the second quarter, and Smith scored the other TD on a 1-yard sneak up the middle.

For the game, South Walton had 205 yards rushing with Shock as the leading rusher with 71 yards in 13 carries and one touchdown. Gatto had 65 yards in 11 carries and two touchdowns.

Smith was six of 11 through the air for 77 yards.

South Walton’s Chucky Whitfield and Dylan Asbury each pulled down an interception.

Destin’s Jonathan Duncan led the Seahawk defense with nine tackles and three assists.