South Walton High's athletic program is in the midst of its prime.
This past season, three major programs (girls and boys soccer, baseball) advanced to the Final 4, the boys and girls tennis programs won region titles, the golf programs advanced to state, the boys basketball team and Meaghan Allen's volleyball crew won district titles, and the lacrosse teams shined. Meanwhile the football team, fresh off another solid year at 6-5, is set to open a state-of-the-art stadium in 2025.
That said, the journey to powerhouse status wasn't built overnight after the school opened in 2002. Uniting culture changers and record holders, here is South Walton's Mount Rushmore. Who should join them? Vote below.
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Johnathan Ortner
If Phil Tisa was the catalyst behind turning South Walton football into a contender, Ortner was the central player in shifting the culture into what it is today.
After back-to-back 1-9 seasons in 2011 and 2012, Ortner broke out for 2,796 passing yards and 38 touchdowns and ran for another 400 yards and three scores to led the Seahawks to a 7-4 record and playoff appearance. The following year the Seahawks went 9-2 and won the program's first district title behind Ortner's 2,512 passing yards and 36 scores. The multi-sport star holds the South Walton records for passing yards (7,350) and touchdowns (84) and earned first-team all-state honors as a junior and senior as well as being named a Dandy Dozen nod.
Cade Roberts
South Walton's vertical offense has a way of making its receivers look good. Cade Roberts, though, was not merely a product of the system.
Roberts got started as a freshman with 38 receptions for 300 yards and two touchdowns before breaking out for 55 catches for 798 yards and three scores as a sophomore. The 5-foot-11 slot receiver then delivered his best season yet, hauling in 88 catches for 1,350 yards and 10 touchdowns to leave him within 72 catches of breaking the all-time receptions record in Florida high school football history.
Psh, piece of cake.
He delivered 80 catches for good measure, paired with 1,048 yards and 10 touchdowns to help the Seahawks finish 10-2 and advance to the program's first region final. In a state that's produced NFL greats Michael Irvin, Anquan Boldin, Antonio Brown and Andre Johnson, Roberts bested them all. He finished his career with 261 receptions, 3,493 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns and is currently at USF.
Ashlee Stephens
Before Stephens arrived at South Walton, the basketball program was winless and the school hadn't touched a district title. Paired with Kevin Craig's hire, Stephens changed the culture.
Tina Harbuck wrote after their district title that "it was the night South Walton really became a school." South Walton went on to its first playoff win and Stephens went on to score more than 1,000 points in her two years as a Seahawk, averaging more than 20 points per game.
Phil Tisa
Phil Tisa will answer my call in the middle of practice. That's how available he is to the media.
The Seahawks' athletic director was hired as a football assistant coach in 2005 and has worn nearly every hat since — wrestling, softball, baseball and even soccer after a coach received a five-game suspension. In 2012, he was named football coach and took over a 1-9 program struggling to field just one team. Twelve years later the Seahawks have 130 kids and field three teams.
Win-loss wise, the program is thriving at 71-56 under Tisa with three district titles and a region final appearance in 2021. On top of overseeing the program-wide success above, Tisa's success on the gridiron has ushered in the need for a bigger stadium and state-of-the-art track that will be here in 2025.
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