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By Carlton D. White
Marietta Daily Journal Sports Writer
CLARKSTON - Senior place-kicker Adam Shreiner, who missed two first-half field goals for Walton, connected on two in the second half, including the game-winner as time expired, gave the Raiders a 20-19 victory over previously undefeated M.L. King on Friday in the Class AAAAA state quarterfinals at Hallford Stadium.
Trailing 19-17 with 1:19 left to go in the game, the Raiders, who have now won 12 straight since losing their season-opener against North Gwinnett, ran the 2-minute drill to perfection. Walton drove 61 yards in 11 plays to set up Shreiner for a 37-yard field goal with 8 seconds remaining in the contest - a kick that went straight through the uprights, and set off a huge celebration for the Walton faithful.
The game-winning field goal - Shreiner's first of his career - sent the Raiders to the Class AAAAA semifinals for the first time since 2004.
"I couldn't have dreamed that this would have happened any better," said Shreiner. "Thank God for second chances. I missed those two field goals in the first half, but I made the ones that mattered in the second.
"My teammates drove the ball down the field and put me in position to win the game for them, and I did. This is just an unbelievable feeling. I can't describe it."
The Raiders will face a familiar opponent in their Class AAAAA semifinal match at the Georgia Dome next Saturday. Walton will take on North Gwinnett - the team that gave the Raiders their only loss of the year, 21-16, in the first game of the season - for a 6 p.m. kickoff.
"I haven't been to the Dome in a while," said Dudley. "I saw a Falcons game there a couple of weeks ago, but I don't think that counts in this instance."
Walton set up the game-winning field goal with a slow, methodical offense of passing the ball downfield and getting out of bounds, conserving their time outs when necessary and converting on two third-and-short plays. The Raiders were also assisted by a defensive holding penalty from M.L. King (12-1), which moved the ball from Walton's 45 to the Lions' 45.
"(Coach) just told me that I'm the best kicker in the state of Georgia," said Shreiner about the talk he had with head coach Ed Dudley prior to the field goal. "He said clear your mind, think about nothing else and put it right where you want it to go."
The ebb and flow of emotions was visably evident as the lead changed three times in the final 5 minutes.
Shreiner's 40-yard field goal with 3:10 remaining in the third quarter left the Raiders trailing 13-10. The score stood up late into the fourth until the Walton defense came up with a huge play.
On second-and-7 at the Lions' 19, M.L. King running back Cordellaro Jones ran right, but was stripped of the ball by defensive back Price Garrett. Defensive back Billy Burns recovered on the 17 and, one play later, Walton running back J.J. Jackson broke free up the middle for a 17-yard touchdown run to put the Raiders ahead 17-13 with 4:10 left.
"I just happened to be there," said Burns of his recovery. "I jumped on the ball when I saw it on the ground. That play really turned the game around."
Unfortunately, it wasn't the only momentum changer of the night.
On its next possession, M.L. King converted a 43-yard pass on third-and-12 and followed with a 28-yard touchdown pass from Jarad Dorsey to Xavier Robinson to push the Lions back on top with 1:21 left in the game.
However, Walton cornerback Robert Harrison blocked the extra-point attempt - the second missed point-after on the night from the Lions - leaving the door open for Shreiner and the Raiders to pull out the win.
"The first half we were a little rusty," said Walton senior defensive end Chase Thomas about the defense. "We played better in the second half and tried to get back the momentum. I have a lot of faith in our offense to make big plays and they did. This was a great game."
"We were lucky and fortunate to escape out of here with a win," said Dudley. "I am so proud of this team and these seniors. We ran a great 2-minute drill and made some huge plays. This was a total team effort.
"We were struggling to run the ball effectively, and that's because of (the Lions) defense. But, we took what they gave us in the passing game and made our throws underneath."
For the Lions, their perfect season ended with their first and only loss. Head coach Corey Jarvis, with tears running down his cheeks, gave a lot of credit to his players and to Walton for a great game.
"I'm proud of my team," he said. "They showed a lot of character (Friday). Walton is a great team and I wish them well next week."
The Raiders will face a familiar opponent in their Class AAAAA semifinal match at the Georgia Dome next Saturday. Walton will take on North Gwinnett - the team that gave the Raiders their only loss of the year, 21-16, in the first game of the season - for a 6 p.m. kickoff.
"I haven't been to the Dome in a while," said Dudley. "I saw a Falcons game there a couple of weeks ago, but I don't think that counts in this instance."
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Walton is overrated.