Walton claims Lutzie championship

MARIETTA — Walton picked up its first tournament championship of the summer following Tuesday’s 14th annual Lutzie 7-on-7 Tournament at Lassiter.

Led by quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski, Walton scored at least 30 points in every game it played, while holding every opponent to fewer than 14 points until their 34-22 win over Mountain View in the championship.

“We’ve got really good players who do what they’re coached to do,” Walton coach Daniel Brunner said. “Hats off to them. They just kept battling. This is our third 7-on-7, and we didn’t do as well as we’d like to in the first one. Second one, we lost in the championship, and this one, we found a way to win it. We’ve progressively gotten better and that’s what summer is all about.”

On the first play of the championship game, Hecklinski passed for a touchdown and a successful 2-point conversion to gain an early 8-0 lead.

Mountain View quarterback Mason Kidd, a Northern Illinois commit, returned the favor on his first offensive play, passing for a touchdown to tie the game.

After another touchdown from Mountain View, Walton went on to score 26 straight points and secure the title.

“Seven-on-7 is not real football, but it’s real competition, and that’s why we’re here, is to compete and get better,” Brunner said. “Our boys are competing, and that’s what we want. At the end of the day, for us, we’re just proud of where our kids are right now. We’ve got to finish our summer off the next few days and we’ll be in good shape.”

Along with Walton’s trip to the championship game, five of the eight teams represented in the quarterfinals were from Cobb, with Kell joining Walton in the semifinals.

The Longhorns’ day ended with a 24-23 loss to Mountain View. A dispute about the scoring of the game between the referees and coaches took place within the last minute of the contest.

“(Mountain View) played a good game and our kids played hard,” first-year Kell coach Bobby May said. “They competed hard. They did a good job.”

After closing out the round of 16 with a game-sealing interception against Cherokee, Hillgrove’s day ended with a 27-2 loss to Kell in the quarterfinals.

“We threw for the first time all summer against another high school last Tuesday,” Hillgrove coach Justin DeShon said. “We’ve improved immensely, and I”m just proud of our kids. We lost to these guys both times today, and for some reason, they fit us a little bit differently, so we’ve got to get it right, and I’m just proud of my guys.”

Lassiter and Kennesaw Mountain also made the quarterfinals, with the Trojans falling to Mountain View and the Mustangs falling to Meadowcreek, which lost to Walton in the semifinals.

Pope fell to North Atlanta 19-11 in the second round, with Sprayberry’s day ending after a 15-8 loss to Kennesaw Mountain in the second round.