In one play, Jaxon Holly felt the momentum shift in Roswell’s favor for good, and the Hornets didn’t even have the lead.
Holly and his team had a rocky start Thursday night. Walton scored touchdowns on its first two drives and had already crossed midfield in its third.
Then, Holly snagged a tipped pass out of the air and returned it 58 yards for Roswell’s first points. The Hornets then forced Walton’s first punt and followed with a field goal, cutting their deficit to 14-10.
“After that pick-six and the offense went down the field, that’s when I knew,” Holly, a Florida State commitment, said.
Roswell scored 25 unanswered points and beat the Raiders, 32-20, in the first comeback win of the Georgia High School Association season.
It was a moment of validation for Roswell players like quarterback Matthew Schletty, who transferred from Alpharetta this offseason. The senior was 7-of-15 passing for 54 yards and added 95 yards rushing with two touchdowns on the ground.
Schletty scored Roswell’s last two touchdowns on a pair of physical runs. The Hornets’ new addition admitted he was excited to showcase his growth since joining the team in January.
“It was like, ‘It’s finally here. I get to finally show everybody how good I got in these past six months,’ so it really felt good to come out here and show my talent,” Schletty said.
The comeback win also validated Roswell as a strong contender in Region 7-6A, which features nationally ranked powers Milton and Gainesville. The Hornets won the region last year, the first season under coach Jonathan Thompson.
“It’s been a traditional program, a traditional powerhouse in the state for a long time, and it felt like our job when we got there was just to find the things that we can do to elevate it,” Thompson said.
To the Hornets, the win didn’t just continue momentum from last season. It sent a message, too.
“I just want them to know that we’re coming,” Holly said. “People have doubted us, but they see what we’ve been working on these past few months, and we’re coming.”
Both Roswell and Walton will not play next week before hosting nonregion opponents on Aug. 28. The Hornets will face Newton, and the Raiders will take on North Clayton.
Roswell-Walton capped Day 2 of the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Brookwood opened the day with a 52-7 victory over Cambridge.
The Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic will resume with two more games Wednesday at Kell High School. Pebblebrook and Clarke Central will kick off at 4:30 p.m., and Kell and McEachern are scheduled to follow at 7:30 p.m.
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