Pensacola Catholic humbles Walton in a battle for District crown

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA - The 2S District 1 king may have been crowned on Friday night.

Pensacola Catholic proved it is the area's most dominant program with a convincing 35-6 rout over rival Walton, as sophomore sensation CJ Nettles tormented the Braves' defense with 236-yards rushing and four touchdowns night.

Walton came into this battle of unbeaten clubs at 5-0 with an exciting offense, a defense which had not allowed more than 14 points in a single game and a serious chip on its shoulders. The Braves, however, were quickly humbled.

Pensacola Catholic raced out to a 21-0 first half lead and tacked on two more touchdowns in the third quarter to win going away.

The Crusaders (8-0) leaned heavily on Nettles, who saw his 104.6 yards per game average increase significantly, and its defense to subdue Walton.

Senior Tim Gulley wreaked havoc on both sides of the line of scrimmage to lead the Crusaders' defensive efforts and Catholic was set on showing its Homecoming crowd that big things are ahead for this team.

On the first series of the night, the Catholic knocked loose a fumble and recovered it. Three plays later Nettles was in the end zone for the first time after a 15 yard scamper. That was a story that would play out more than once on the night.

Catholic forced one fumble, recovered a pooch kick late in the second quarter, and picked off Walton quarterback Paul Dillon three times in just the first half. The Crusaders totally dominated on the defensive line of scrimmage in the first half giving up a net of three total yards. The Braves were never able to get their quick strike offense out of first gear. Meanwhile, Nettles carried the ball 17 times for 79 yards in the first half, with two rushing touchdowns and 32 yards receiving, including a TD catch.

The third quarter didn’t tell much of a different story.

After returning a Walton onside kick to the Braves 45, Nettles capped off a 5-play, 45-yard drive with a 3-yard TD. It was Nettles' fourth and final touchdown of the evening, but he was not done showing the Panhandle why he may be one of the best backs in not just the region, but the entire state.

After another three and out by the Crusader defense, Nettles took a swing pass 70 yards down the sideline to the Walton 15. On the very next play quarterback Aiden Byrd connected in the corner of the end zone with junior wide receiver Demontrae Gaston for what would be the final score of the Crusaders' evening and the start of the running clock.

Walton was able to get a score late in the third, but it was far too little far too late. The Braves never found a rhythm on offense and were frustrated on defense all night long, committing three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in the game.

Nettles is truly a back to keep an eye on. His vision, speed, and patience were impressive. He popped off 12 runs of over five yards and had 10 carries for more than 10 yards.

Pensacola Catholic head Coach Matt Adams believes Nettles may be one of the best running backs he’s ever coached.Nettles, however, was just glad that he was able to help his team get one win closer to 10-0.

“It just feels great to come and see all the hard work paying off, we are one win closer to 10-0 and a run deep in the playoffs,” said Nettles.

All photos by Matt Christopher