Roswell Hornets Fall To Walton Raiders

By Mike Blum

ROSWELL, GA -- The Roswell Hornets football team defense was no match for a balanced, talented Walton offense, as the unbeaten, state-ranked Raiders rolled to a 42-21 victory Friday night in Roswell to take control of the standings in Region 4-AAAAAAA.

The Raiders are 2-0 in region play and 7-0 overall, with Roswell one of four teams tied at 1-1 in the region. The Hornets are 2-5 overall, with three of their losses coming against unbeaten teams, a fourth against a one-loss, state-ranked opponent, and the fifth against rival Milton, which suffered just its second loss Friday to an unbeaten team that has also defeated the Hornets.

After fumbling the ball away just outside the Roswell 20 on the game’s opening series, the Raiders scored touchdowns on their next four possessions to take a 28-14 lead with no time left on the clock in the first half. The Hornets forced Walton’s only punt in the third period, but the Raiders scored on their next two series to go ahead 42-21 with less than four minutes to play.

The Raiders rushed for 245 yards and passed for 226, piling up 28 first downs. Running back D.J. Sokoye and quarterback Austin Kirksey both had big nights running behind a strong Walton offensive line, and Kirksey completed 15 of 19 passes for two touchdowns while scoring on four runs of 2, 1, 3 and 4 yards. A 27-yard pass from Kirksey to Chandler Smith made it 7-0 Walton midway through the opening quarter, with the Hornets quickly pulling even on a 43-yard strike from Cordel Littlejohn to Walt Warren.

Walton regained the lead after returning the kickoff past midfield, but the Hornets again tied the game with the aid of a muffed punt by the Raiders. Roswell gained possession at the Walton 44 and picked up 15 yards on the first play of the series when the Raiders were penalized for roughing the passer. Littlejohn hit Tyneil Hopper for 16 yards to the Walton 1 and Littlejohn scored on the next play with 8:11 remaining in the first half. It took Walton only five plays to go 80 yards and take the lead for good at 21-14. Kirksey completed two
passes for 29 yards and Soyoye brook loose for 41 yards to the Roswell 5 before Kirksey scored for the second time.

After the second of two defensive stops by the Raiders in the first half, the Walton offense went 75 yards to score on the last play of the second quarter, with Kirksey barely getting into the end zone on a 3-yard run as time expired. The drive took 13 plays, with Kirksey completing five of six passes for 56 yards.

The Hornets swept down the field to start the second half, gaining 58 yards on their first eight plays of the third quarter, but a false start penalty and a sack halted the Roswell threat. The Roswell defense finally forced a Walton punt and the Hornets looked to be getting a drive started when Littlejohn escaped for 19 yards on third-and-14. Another false start penalty was followed by three straight incompletions, and the Raiders needed to go only 40 yards to take a 35-14 lead on Kirksey’s second scoring pass.

The Hornets battled back with a 13-play, 80-yard drive keyed by the running of Kamonty Jett, who carried 10 times for 47 yards before scoring from the 1. Littlejohn hit Warren twice for 24 yards and added a 9-yard run to aid Jett’s work on the march. Jett rushed for 86 yards on 20 carries, but sat out Roswell’s last offensive series after suffering an injury on his touchdown run.

Littlejohn broke free for 96 yards on 16 attempts and was 12 of 21 passing for 152 yards, but was also involved in two turnovers. He threw an interception after the Hornets’ early fumble recovery, and the Hornets fumbled late in the game on a missed exchange between Littlejohn and backup running back Joseph Daniels.

The Hornets rushed for 200 yards and had 352 total yards and 22 first downs, but could not match the Raiders, who average more than 40 points a game. Warren and Hopper had five receptions each, with
Warren having 79 receiving yards and Hopper 58.

Roswell closes out its season with games against Cherokee County opponents. Roswell hosts
Etowah on Friday and plays the following week at Woodstock, with all three 1-1 in region. If Roswell wins
both games, the Hornets will finish second in the region and host a first round state playoff game.

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