'We changed the culture a bit': Keith White has Walton football 5-0 and ranked 2nd in 2S

DEFUNIAK SPRINGS — Keith White is a man of principles.

"Faith, family, vision" is the message he instilled day 1 when he arrived at Walton in 2021. Soon later, "effort and toughness" took root -- the same principles that helped lead Baker to a state title in 2020 as defensive coordinator.

From 3-5 to 9-2 Walton transformed in his first year at the helm, replete with a playoff bye and Daily News Small Schools Coach of the Year honors for White.

"Walton football is back!" trumpeted a town of 6,000-or-so-people in no-man's land on the north side of I-10 and Walton County.

Yet, White wasn't content.

The team's commitment to the weight room had only just taken root. Meanwhile the me>we mentality wasn't fully flipped. Infighting still ran rampant on a sideline full of egos.

"We changed the culture a little bit, I know we changed the character. But we've got a long way to go," White said as he readied for Year 2.

Year 2, Walton finished 7-4 finish and routed South Walton, yet another winless postseason followed. Walton was close.

"When I first got here, there was helmets throwing, pointing fingers, playing blame games," he said. "Last year we had some that, too, but you saw less of it."

Come 2023, the talent in place, White focused on the final piece to the puzzle.

"This year we've really focused on the discipline and structure. We've had success because there's a lot of athletes here. But they never knew how to win the big games, how to work, how to not play the blame game when adversity hit. They didn't understand the team concept. That's one thing we've really been working hard on and this group is living proof."

The proof is in the pudding: The Braves are 5-0 and ranked tops in Region 1-2S and second in all of 2S according to the FHSAA Power poll entering Friday's home contest against 4-1 Marianna. As for adversity, the Braves have handled it in spades. Their three straight 3-point wins all featured opportunities to play the blame game.

In the 31-28 win over then unbeaten Union County, the offense was stood up at the 1-yard line on the first overtime possession. Psh, no worries. The defense followed with back-to-back stops and Maston Joyner split the uprights on a 27-yard field goal.

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In the 34-31 win over South Walton (4-2), the Braves had a blown assignment late that nearly led to Seahawks game-winning field goal. Again, no worries. Walton rebounded and scored in both overtime possessions, including another Joyner game-winning 27-yarder following yet another a defensive goal line stand.

In the 34-31 win over West Florida, a program coming off a win over 3S powerhouse Pine Forest, the Braves had a turnover at the goal line that allowed the Jaguards to hang around. Again, no worries. Malcolm Byrd delivered his fourth interception of the season, this time in the end zone, and Walton ran out the clock behind Nuke Mckenzie and his four touchdowns on the night.

"Coach White has prepared us for moments like this," said Mckenzie, a two-way star. "We really put all our faith into our defense because since coach White got here, we've always had in my opinion the best defense in The Panhandle. (The OT wins) weren't a big moment for us. It was just normal. We should be able to stand up to pressure like that."

"This is a special group," White added. "We've been working on it for three years now."

Special for so many reasons.

Like Joyner, who's right leg has matured along with the program after being plucked by White at the most unlikely of places.

"Coach found me at a tennis match and was like, 'Can you come kick for us?' " Joyner said.

The rest is history. In his senior year, Joyner is 7-of-8 on field goal attempts with a long of 47 and two 27-yard game winners.

"I was ready," Joyner said of walk-off wins. "There's a lot of pressure, so that contributes to it, but it's an everyday thing."

Joyner is also a perfect 24-for-24 on extra points and credits his routine -- "three steps back, two to the left" -- as a staple for his natural draw. His teammates know it's over when he comes in with the game on the line.

"We just have so much faith and trust in Maston," Mckenzie said.

Echoed quarterback Wells Bettenhausen: "It's just a really good feeling knowing if we get inside the 40, that's at least three points on the boards."

But Joyner has the same love for Bettenhausen, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound junior who transferred in from South Walton over the offseason.

"He's increased our passing and really opened up the playbook," Joyner said. "We used to be a running team. Now that we have him, we can throw."

Whereas Walton was a team coming off back-to-back 3,000-yard-plus rushing campaigns, now the Braves have nearly as many pass attempts as rush attempts (121-135) and 1,185 passing yards to their 795 rushing yards. Bettenhausen is responsible for that, his right arm completing 66% of his passes for 10 touchdowns compared to three interceptions.

"Everybody still wants to pack the box. Well, if you're going to pack the box, we're gonna throw it. If you're gonna back up, we're gonna run it," White said. "Wells just brings a different dimension cause, not that Keyaunte and Paul weren't good players, but Wells can just make every throw. And he's leader, he's vocal, he's very hungry. He doesn't realize how good he is. He's a phenomenal kid, a phenomenal athlete, very coachable and he asks good questions.

"We got a lot of skill around him, eight or nine receivers. So them guys got to show their talents cause we can throw it around now."

Five receivers have double-digit receptions and another four have found the end zone, but none more than Dalton Kolmetz. The 5-10 senior has 24 grabs for 462 yards and six touchdowns.

"He puts the ball where it needs to be and he reads the field really well," Kolmetz said. "He's definitely opened the playbook more. And on a scramble drill, he knows I can get open."

Paired with McKenzie, who's averaging 100 yards per game and 7.4 yards per carry to accent 12 touchdowns, Walton is scoring 36 points per game and has yet to be held below 31 points in any contest.

Defensively, Walton is as deep as it has ever been. That starts with linebacker Mckenzie and defensive lineman Jawaun Campbell, who lead a unit that's bent but not broken amid a schedule featuring three wins over ranked teams.

"I told this group early on, if we do our jobs, this team can be great," said Campbell, a 6-foot, 275-pound playmaker who's been offered by Big 12 Cincinnati. "We just have to get better every day, focus on those little wins. We do that, stay humble and focused, the big wins will come."

Added McKenzie: "Really our goal as of right now is to focus on ourselves, fix our mistakes and the rest will take care of itself. This team is a special team. The chemistry, everyone got each other back, not doing the pointing thing or blame game when stuff goes down. Just a better environment overall.

"We can go places."

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Walton football 5-0 and thriving behind chemistry, discipline