CHULA — Valwood returned the favor 27-21 against Tiftarea Academy Friday night in the GIAA Class 3A semifinals in a finish that neither school will ever forget.

Braylon Neal made the corner on a 25-yard touchdown run in overtime, Valwood’s first snap of their possession, giving the visitors a walk-off victory.

Seconds earlier, it appeared that Tiftarea would have fourth down from the 1 after two runs by J.R. Walker from that spot were stopped by the Valiant defense. At the end of the third down run, Valwood came out with the ball, and after a lengthy discussion by the officials, the Valiants were awarded possession.

Neal’s sweep right ended the game on the next play.

Even before the overtime finish, the contest was a classic. The Panthers were tied with Valwood in a low-scoring first half, but fell behind by a touchdown late in the third. Walker ran the ball in from the 11 with 1:59 to go to force overtime.

The Valiants will play District 3-3A rival Deerfield-Windsor in the state finals. Deerfield won over Westfield for the second time this season, 27-24.

Friday’s first half was very quiet for a pair of potent offenses.

The Panthers bled nearly eight minutes off the clock after taking the opening kickoff, but turned the ball over on downs at the Valwood 35.

Valwood went three-and-out on their first series, but were set up in great field position for their second on an unlikely play. The Panthers were at their own 45 on fourth down and opted to punt.

The snap was a bit shorter than anticipated and the punter’s knee scraped the ground as he fielded it. The Valiants took over at Tiftarea’s 31.

Triston White, back from injury, picked up a first down at the 18 on an 11-yard run. Griffin Lee broke up an Asher Wells pass, but on third down, Wells zipped a 15-yard pass to Cort Kurrie in the end zone for a touchdown.

Tommy Marrero’s kick came at 9:30 in the second quarter for a 7-0 Valiants lead.

The Panthers needed little time to even things back up on the scoreboard.

Walker found Temond Marcus for a 62-yard gain on a pass down to the Valwood 13. Walker gained seven on a first down run, then rambled his way in from the 6 for a score at 8:19. Harrison Powell kicked the first of three extra points for a 7-7 tie.

The Valiants responded with a long drive that ate up almost seven minutes, going from their own 41 down to the 11. There, they ran into trouble when Wells was sacked by Marcus for a 10-yard loss. Then a snap rolled past Wells and he was forced to cover it.

Tiftarea took over with barely a minute left in the second period, but did not try anything risky deep in their own territory before time expired.

White came out in a new jersey to start the third — 26 instead of his usual 4 — and also proved hard to tackle on the opening drive for the Valiants after Andrew Belcher returned the kickoff 51 yards to the 34.

White lost a yard on his first rush, but galloped for 16, then a 20-yard burst up the middle to score at 11:02. Marrero made it 14-7 on the kick.

Another time-consuming drive followed, but unlike the previous ones, this one resulted in points.

William Garner and John Jackson caught passes during the possession and Walker dazzled the crowd by escaping a sack to run for 11 yards to the Valwood 23.

A snap later, they were behind the sticks on a false start, but that wouldn’t matter. Jackson got a step behind the defense and Walker threaded the needle to hit him at the 1. One step and Jackson had a 26-yard touchdown catch at 4:36. The game was again tied, 14-14.

The Valiants responded after it initially seemed Tiftarea had their number on a Dawson Butler tackle for a loss.

Belcher flashed his speed, first to get under a Wells pass, then to score on a 55-yard touchdown. Marrero’s kick was good at 1:57 and after all the work the Panthers did to pull even, they were behind again.

A sliding catch by Ridley Monk late in the period picked up 11 yards, but the Panthers had to punt after a previous play lost yardage. Valwood had the ball back as the game changed over to the fourth quarter.

Neal ran for a first down on the drive, but that was it for the possession. The Panthers stood up White on a third down run and Valwood had to kick it back. It was 9:08 when Tiftarea took over at their own 23.

Caden Grier made a diving catch for 11 yards, one that allowed Walker to push through on fourth down to move the sticks. The next play saw Walker run for 14 to reach midfield.

Jackson picked up another first on a 13-yard reception as the clock ticked under five minutes. Four-down territory for sure now.

Gavin Chambers deposited Walker seven yards backwards on a sack, making it third and a mile for the Panthers. They got that on the next play. Jackson picked up 15 on a catch, which came with a bonus as the Valiants roughed Walker.

It was now first down at the 16, time now under three minutes. Walker ran for five to the 11.

Walker called his own number again on second down and with a head of steam, went untouched into the end zone. Powell’s kick was true at 1:59, the score 21-21.

Valwood gained six on a run, then Tiftarea dropped them for a loss of four. Whatever plans head coach Brad Wells may have had on second down went awry when Asher Wells had to jump on a low snap. Under pressure, Wells threw on third, which nearly saw Monk intercept, but he caught it out of bounds.

Tiftarea had 37 seconds and 69 yards to go when it got the ball back on the punt. Walker gained to almost the 50, but when Valwood got a sack, Tiftarea leader Erik Soliday elected to let the clock run out and head to overtime.

Valwood won the overtime coin toss, setting up the Panthers to have first possession.

The rematch brought out a huge crowd to the Panther Pit, fans filling the stands and bringing lawn chairs for the edge of the track.

Valwood’s defending 3A state champions lost two weeks prior to Tiftarea by a 28-21 score in a game that determined the district championship.

Friday was Tiftarea’s first overtime game since a 2014 victory over Southland Academy. Valwood hadn’t played one since 2018.