Not even a change in classes could keep Walton out of a sectional final.
For the fourth straight season, the Warriors advanced to a Section Four Football Conference championship as they beat Newark Valley, 48-28, in a Class C sectional semifinal Saturday at Union-Endicott's Ty Cobb Stadium.
Walton (7-2) won the past two Class D championships, earned a state title in 2007 and reached a state semifinal last season. The Warriors also made it to the 2006 Section Four Class D final but fell, 34-0, to Delhi.
Walton last reached the Class C sectional championship game in 2004, beating Trumansburg, 38-6, en route to an appearance in the state semifinals. That season, the Warriors fell, 25-14, to LeRoy.
The Warriors will play Chenango Forks, the state's second-ranked Class C team, in the sectional final at 1 p.m. this Saturday at Binghamton Alumni Stadium. The Blue Devils beat Waverly, 21-0, on Saturday in the other semifinal.
Chenango Forks and Waverly dropped from Class B to C this year.
Phil Hanley led Walton's attack Saturday, rushing for a game-high 168 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries.
Hanley was one of three Walton backs to run for more than 100 yards, joining Evan Boyd (19-127) and Bryant Mead (14-101). Boyd rushed for three touchdowns and Mead had one rushing and one receiving for the Warriors, who finished with 479 yards.
"Offensively I think it was a tough game for us because we had to cancel practice one day because we only had 12 kids," said Walton coach Jim Hoover, who added his team battled illnesses all week. "We had a couple of backups not even there Saturday, but I think a lot of schools are having those problems.
"We were happy," he continued. "We were a little winded at the end of the game. A lot of kids are coming off illness."
The Warriors trailed, 7-6, in the first quarter before Hanley and Boyd scored on runs of 6 and 2 yards, respectively. Hanley followed Boyd's first TD run with a two-point conversion run to give Walton a 20-7 lead in the second quarter.
"The only times we punted were when we had penalties and couldn't get the first down," Hoover said. "Defensively, I thought we played well. And for all except one draw play, we kept their good runner (Travis French) penned up all day. He got one draw late in the game that got 30 yards or so."
French came into the game with 1,575 yards. On Saturday, he had 60 yards on 11 carries.
Hoover said he was happy with the way the game went.
"Especially considering we didn't know what to expect after practice," he said. "We hardly did any hitting. We didn't know how the kids would respond."
Walton lost, 27-6, to Chenango Forks (9-0) when the teams met Sept. 26.
Walton 48, Newark Valley 28
SECTION FOUR CLASS C
Semifinal at Union-Endicott
Walton12 14 8 14 _ 48
Newark Valley7 7 14 0 _ 28
W _ Phil Hanley 46 run (run failed)
N _ Travis French 90 kickoff return (Mason Parmelee kick)
W _ Phil Hanley 6 run (run failed)
W _ Evan Boyd 2 run (Phil Hanley run)
N _ Christian Tapia 34 pass from Troy Schiess (Mason Parmelee kick)
W _ Bryant Mead 8 pass from Dan Gehl (run failed)
N _ Troy Schiess 31 run (Mason Parmelee kick)
W _ Evan Boyd 3 run (Bryant Mead run)
N _ Mason Parmelee 14 pass from Troy Schiess (Mason Parmelee kick)
W _ Bryant Mead 14 run (run failed)
W _ Evan Boyd 12 run (Evan Boyd run)
Walton rushing: Kyle Baxley 1-3, Evan Boyd 19-127, Chris Calabrese 4-11, Dan Gehl 2-(-3), Phil Hanley 26-168, Dylan Hornbeck 1-9, Jim MacDonald 7-55, Bryant Mead 14-101.
Newark Valley rushing: Spencer Dunn 3-7, Travis French 11-60, Troy Schiess 13-102, John Stagg 1-1.
Walton passing: Dan Gehl 1-for-4, 8 yards.
Newark Valley passing: Troy Schiess 5-for-16, 90 yards, int.
Walton receiving: Bryant Mead 1-8.
Newark Valley receiving: Mason Parmelee 2-25, Christian Tapia 3-65.
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