Since first playing in 1978, North Cobb and Walton have met 23 times and are gearing up for a 24th edition of the heated rivalry Friday as the Warriors will play their 700th game in program history when they travel to face the Raiders in Raider Valley in this week’s Drive for the GHSA State Title: Game of the Week’ presented by GeorgiaContructionCareers.com.
The game will be broadcast live on the Peachtree Sports Network starting at 8 p.m., and digitally on Atlanta News First and the National Federation High School Network.
Walton leads the competitive series 12-11, though they have lost three out of the last five games against the Warriors. However, the Raiders were victorious in last year’s matchup, beating North Cobb, 35-27. With both schools now a part of Class 6A-Region 5, and remaining in the same region after the GHSA realignment, both programs know the importance of the matchup with region play already underway.
It’s safe to say, the Warriors defense will have to be on its toes Friday night as they will be facing an explosive Walton offense.
“I think both teams bring out the best in each other,” said North Cobb head football coach Shane Queen on Score Atlanta’s ‘Georgia High School Sports Daily.’ “We lost to them for the first time in five years last season and it was like they won the state championship. They knew how big that was. The region goes through one of those two teams and we have had this game circled on our calendar for the last 362 days but who’s counting? It’s a big game.”
While last year’s meeting went down to the wire, both teams look different in 2024 with players stepping into new roles this season.
With an unbeaten North Cobb traveling to Raider Valley, this year’s Walton team looks a little different than years Class 7A state championship finalists after multiple changes around the program. Last year’s offensive coordinator, Tyler Jones accepted the Cambridge head coaching position in the offseason after helping lead a prolific Raiders offense a season ago.
“We’re still trying to find ourselves,” said Walton head football coach, Daniel Brunner. “One of the messages we are reminding ourselves of is we are this year’s team, we’re not teams from the past, we’re going to be who we are.”
Brunner is entering his eighth year after taking over the Walton program in 2017. The Raiders lost consecutive regular season games for the first time since 2020 where they lost three in a row. Though there have been a few bumps out of the gate, make no mistake that this year’s Walton team is just as dangerous as ever.
The Raiders passing attack has a pair of Ward brothers who are both dynamic playmakers that can change a game in a flash. Christian Ward, the older of the two, is a downfield threat for the Raiders, averaging close to 22 yards per catch along with 20 receptions and 429 yards on the season. His younger brother Alex, averages more than 22 yards a reception to add 134 yards on six receptions, with two touchdowns. Both have proved to be reliable threats through the air for Walton. On the ground, running back Lucas Farrington has remained a solid option as the lead back for the Raiders, leading the team in rushing yards with 348 yards and nine touchdowns on the season.
In quarterback Kaeden Gilstrap first season as a starter, the senior has already eclipsed 1,100 yards passing through five games and has thrown 10 touchdowns. Gilstrap’s first season has had few hiccups with back-to-back losses but found his rhythm last week in Walton’s victory against Wheeler.
Junior linebacker Noah Lavalee and senior linebacker Jake Thorner lead the Walton defense as the two lead the team in tackles this season. Lavalee has recorded 56 tackles and Thorner has added 50 tackles. In the backend, the younger Ward, Malikai Speed and MJ Burnett are each starting in the secondary as sophomores and have made plays, stepping up where they are most needed.
“They have done a tremendous job this year,“ said Brunner. “We’re starting sophomores and they are going to make mistakes sometimes, but they are doing a heck of a job, really just kind of tells you where we are going to be down the road, if this is as bad as it gets I feel pretty good about the future,” he added.
In the 23 times that the two programs have lined up against each other, North Cobb head coach Shane Queen has been in the last six with a 3-2 record against the Raiders. Queen’s Warriors have shown a balanced attack thus far this season, having three players that have rushed for over 360 yards this season along with three players with over 100 yards receiving. Senior quarterback Nick Grimstead has played clean and productive football through five games, registering 745 yards and nine touchdowns through the air along with 361 yards on the ground with six touchdowns, becoming effective in all facets of the game.
The Warriors’ three-headed monster rushing attack includes Grimstead and has become a major piece of North Cobb’s offense. Freshman running back Zach Belyeu’s 462 yards and five touchdowns on 61 carries leads the team on the ground along with 361 yards and five touchdowns from junior running back Quavy Echols. The group provides an elite rushing trio who have combined for over 1,100 yards on the ground this season.
“Our offensive line is one of the best we have had since I have been here,” said Queen. “It’s a very stellar group led by Brandon Anderson, Alex Kolev, Jackson Oliver, Josh Dahan and Isaac Sikes-Rasby, Coach Ingram and Coach O’Buck have done a great job preparing those guys, and we have three guys averaging over six yards a carry.”
On the outside, junior wideout Steele Ingram has emerged as the top pass catcher on the team, catching 14 balls on 395 yards and is responsible for six of the nine passing touchdowns from Grimstead. Ingram has found opportunities over the top when opposing defenses stack the box to stop the dangerous rushing attack, and Grimstead is able to find his playmakers downfield. Junior wide receiver Sebastian Easley and sophomore wideout Micah Billingsley have been relied upon to make plays with the two combining for 226 yards on 15 catches and a touchdown through five games.
Defensively, Cooper Negron leads the team in tackles with 66 on his own including eight tackles for loss and a pass breakup on the season. Georgia Tech defensive lineman commit, senior 3-star Kam Cullins, plugs up any rushing lanes from his position on the line. The 6-foot-4, 268-pound defensive lineman holds offers from more than 20 college football programs, but ultimately decided to stay home and play for Brent Key and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Senior linebacker, Jason Grier is another name to watch on the Warriors defense already recording 43 tackles including two tackles for loss, and a sack.
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