CHIPLEY — The Chipley Tigers had a hearty Homecoming feast, pouncing on the South Walton Seahawks in the opening quarter and going on to post a 37-6 win at Philip Rountree Stadium on Friday.
Junior Kobe McCrary scored three touchdowns in the District 3-1A opener for both teams. The Tigers (3-3, 1-0) needed just 1 minute, 10 seconds to reach the end zone on McCrary’s 30-yard run. They built a 30-0 lead by halftime and the mercy rule was in effect early in the third quarter as winless South Walton slumped to 0-5, 0-1.
A bad snap by the Seahawks resulted in a safety, and on Chipley’s second possession the Tigers marched 30 yards in just four plays. That touchdown was set up by sophomore Carlon Smith’s 60-yard return of the free kick.
Smith then took a short pass from junior quarterback Jordan Finch inside 5-yard line. McCrary swept around the left side to score and after Fletcher Dilmore’s second extra point it was 16-0 less than four minutes into the game.
In the final minutes of the first quarter Chipley began yet another scoring drive, which was capped on the first play of the secondquarter on a 5-yard run by junior Jacob Wilson. Chipley led 23-0 with 11:53 left in the half.
McCrary scored again at the 8:58 mark, this time from 25 yards to cap a 63-yard, four-play drive. Dilmore did his part and the Tigers led 30-0 at the half.
Chipley’s first possession of the third quarter resulted in a six-play, 54-yard scoring march. Wilson hauled in a 15-yard toss from Finch to score, and Dilmore’s fifth extra point opened a 37-0 bulge that instituted a running clock.
South Walton came back on its next possession when senior Drew Pfeiffer returned Chipley’s kickoff from inside the Seahawks’ 10 to the Tigers’ 42. The Seahawks kept the momentum going, marching into the end zone in five plays as junior Sage Roberts scored on a 15-yard run.
Chipley is idle next Friday. South Walton travels to Graceville.
