MOULTRIE – Walton bounced back from a 42-14 loss to Marietta in its regular-season finale to shock Colquitt County with a 41-17 win in its playoff opener on Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium on Friday.

The Raiders, the No. 3 team from Region 3, will advance to play Region 7 champion Archer next week.

The Tigers eliminated Alpharetta 46-7 on Friday.

The Region 1-7A runner-up Packers had won 18 of their previous 19 home playoff games, but fell behind early with poor special teams play.

Walton led 20-3 at the half and were up 27-10 when the Packers faced a second-and-goal at the Raiders 1 late in the third quarter with a chance to make it a 10-point game.

But out of what the Packers call their “wild hawg” formation, Ontavious Carolina took a direct snap and headed straight ahead.

But the ball came loose and Walton’s Cade Thompson picked it up and ran it 97 yards for a touchdown and the Raiders extended their lead to 34-10.

Walton added another score on a 6-yard run by AJ Brown early in the fourth quarter to put the game further out of reach for the Packers.

Colquitt County has reached the playoffs every year since 2009 and this is the first time it has failed to make it past the first round.

The Packers have defeated Walton twice over that span, winning 28-21 in the second round in 2017 and 35-12 in the second round last year in Moultrie.

Friday’s victory had to be especially satisfying for Raiders quarterback Zak Rozsman threw four interceptions, including three that were returned for touchdowns, in last year’s loss in Moultrie.

Walton did not turn the ball over on Friday and Rozsman threw for 117 yards and rushed for one the Raiders’ five touchdowns.

The margin of victory actually could have been larger.

On the Raiders first possession, a 56-yard touchdown run by Sutton Smith was called back on a holding call and Walton punted three plays later.

The Raiders were forced into punt formation after their next possession stalled, but the snap sailed over the head of punter Jeremy Hecklinski and Colquitt took over on the Walton 30.

The Raiders held and forced a 45-yard field goal attempt.

The kick was blocked and picked up by Marcus Allen who returned it 84 yards for a touchdown.

A 59-yard punt return by Sutton led to 27-yard field goal by Lucien Michelin that gave Walton a 10-0 lead with 11:09 left in the second quarter.

The Packers fumbled the ball away on the ensuing kickoff, paving the way for another Michelin field goal of 38 yards that put the Raiders up 13-0.

Colquitt moved to a first-and-goal at the Raider 8 with 4:55 left in the first half, but Walton held and the Packers settled  for a 21-yard Brett Fitzgerald field goal.

But Walton then drove 82 yards to a 3-yard touchdown run by Smith with 1:16 remaining and the Raiders led 20-3 at the half.

Colquitt scored on a 67-yard touchdown pass from Neko Fann to Ny Carr on the third play of the second half and pulled to within 10 at 20-10.

But again, Walton responded, driving 75 yards to score on Rozsman’s 1-yard run to go up 27-10.

The play that kept the drive alive was a 15-yard fourth-down completion from Hecklinski to Rawson McNeill to the Packers 2.

A 51-yard pass from Fann to Carr gave the Packers a first down at the Walton 1 with just over a minute left in the third quarter.

But Thompson took the crowd out of the game when he made the long touchdown run with the fumble recovery.

Colquitt scored the final touchdown of its 8-3 season on a 19-yard pass from Fann to Will Robbins with 4:31 left in the game.

Sutton was the Walton’s leading rusher with 59 yards on 10 carries, all in the first half. He did not play after the break.

Rozsman completed 8-of-21 passes for 117 yards. Hecklinski’s only completion in three attempts was the big 15-yarder to McNeill.

Walton held Charlie Pace, Region 1-7A’s leading rusher, to 18 yards on 12 carries.

Fann completed 15-of-33 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns for the Packers.