The Walton Raiders from Marietta, Georgia, ranked No. 35 in the Preseason High School Football America 300, powered by NFL Play Football, beat a star-studded field in Hoover, Alabama to win the Hustle Up National 7-on-7. Saturday, the Raiders beat Alabama’s Spain Park 26-18 to claim the championship.
Related: HSFA 300 Preseason National Rankings
In addition to beating Spain Park in the championship game, Walton disposed of Knoxville Catholic (Tennessee), Christian Academy (Louisville, Kentucky) and Carrollton (Georgia) in the winner’s bracket.
All eyes were on Walton’s second round Saturday matchup against Carrollton, ranked No. 37 in our preseason national rankings. Last season, Carrollton, behind star freshman quarterback Julian Lewis, beat Walton in the Georgia 7A quarterfinals 52-27.
Carrollton, the 2022 Georgia 7A runner-up, entered Saturday’s game with a perfect 8-0 at Hustle Up.
Walton jumped-out to an 11-0 lead behind its talented quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski, who has given his verbal to Wake Forest. The Raiders never trailed on the way to a 26-21 win.
Of the 64 teams in Hoover, ten start the season in our Top 300. Aside from Walton and Carrollton, the field included No. 78 Christian Brothers College (Missouri), No. 84 Gainesville (Georgia), No. 109 Male (Kentucky), No. 114 Hoover (Alabama), No. 157 Pulaski Academy (Arkansas), No. 169 Benedictine (Georgia), No. 290 Niceville (Florida) and No. 291 Prince Avenue Christian (Georgia).
