Walton 35, Brookwood 24

Tyren Jones gave Alabama fans a little peek of what might be soon coming their way. The Crimson Tide commitment ran 26 times for 254 yards and scored five touchdowns Saturday to help Class AAAAAA No. 4 Walton to a 35-24 win over unranked Brookwood in the Corky Kell Kickoff Classic at the Georgia Dome.

It was only the second time in five meetings that Walton, ranked fourth in has managed to beat the Broncos, the first since a 14-9 win in the 2008 Kickoff Classic. It was Walton’s fifth victory in the showcase event.

Jones, who led the state with 2,375 rushing yards a year ago, scored on a runs of 71, 1, 48, 6 and 52 yards. He also caught two passes for 11 yards.

Brookwood was led by senior Jamaal Cole, who ran 25 times for 172 yards and two touchdowns.

Walton stunned Brookwood with an onside kick to start the game. No Brookwood player ever touched the ball, which was recovered by kicker Anthony Price at the Brookwood 48. But Walton wasted the momentum, as a holding penalty pushed the Raiders back and Brookwood’s defense forced a punt.

The punt was fumbled and recovered by Walton’s T’Dwan Robinson inside the 10. But Walton’s joy was short-lived. An inadvertent whistle by an official caused the down to be replayed and this time the punt was shanked and Brookwood took over at the 32.

The Broncos took advantage and In typical Brookwood fashion drove the ball 11 plays on the ground to the 6 before stalling and settling for Brandon Morrow’s 26-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead.

Walton wasted little time regaining the momentum.. On third-and-1, Jones broke free, juked his way through the Brookwood defense and ran 71 yards for a score. It was an omen of things to come.

The Raiders set up their next score after Jordan Davoudpour intercepted Zach Moon’s pass at the 37. Blake Montz had applied pressure and Sabastian Covelo tipped the pass at the line. Montz was a thorn for Brookwood all night and had a part in at least three sacks.

Walton got 19 yards from Jones on the first play, but took six more snaps to score. Jones ran it over left tackle for a 1-yard touchdown, giving the Raiders a 14-3 lead with 8:17 left in the first half.

Brookwood answered with a 90-yard scoring drive. Aided by a 15-yard roughing penalty and surviving a fumble, the Broncos scored on a 19-yard run by Cole, who got a good block from Eric Rawls as he turned the corner. The touchdown cut Walton’s lead to 14-10 with 4:05 remaining.

Jones picked up the pace again in the second half, he added a touchdown on a 48-yard run to complete an 80-yard drive to open the third quarter and then carried all four times on Walton’s ensuing 34-yard touchdown drive. The score came on a 6-yard run where it appeared Jones was going to be tackled for a 5-yard loss. But he shook free, make a terrific spin move and wound up in the end zone, giving Walton a 28-10 lead with 7:38 remaining.

Brookwood hung close with a touchdown with 11:38 remaining. A clutch 17-yard pass from Moon to Ky Priester set up Cole for a 3-yard scoring run that made it 28-17. But Walton quickly took away any chance of a Brookwood comeback by answering with a six-play drive that ended when Jones scored on a 52-yard run.

Walton’s biggest problem was penalties. The Raiders had five 15-yarders and were called for holding three times.

Brookwood – 3 – 7- 0 – 14 – — 24

Walton – 7 – 7 – 14 – 7 — 35

B – FG Brandon Morrow 26

W – Tyren Jones 71 run (Anthony Price kick)

W – Jones 1 run (Price kick)

B – Jamaal Cole 19 run (Morrow kick)

W – Jones 48 run (Price kick)

W – Jones 6 run (Price kick)

B – Cole 2 run (Morrow kick)

W – Jones 52 run (Price kick)

B – Ky Priester 25 pass from Zach Moon (Morrow kick)