Walnut Beats Ashland 36-14 in Final Walnut Homecoming
The Walnut Wildcats closed the book on a decades-old tradition the right way Friday night. Walnut pulled away from Ashland with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to win 36-14 at its homecoming game, which was the last Walnut homecoming before Walnut and Falkner high schools combine into North Tippah High School.
Late Scores Seal Walnut Homecoming Win
According to Tippah County Sports, the game stayed competitive into the final period before the Wildcats broke it open. Two fourth-quarter scores gave Walnut room to breathe and sent the homecoming crowd home happy, a fitting send-off for a night that many in town had circled as historic.
Tippah County Sports summed it up simply in its post-game update: the Wildcats “get the W on their last ever Homecoming.” The win came against a Benton County rival from Ashland, keeping the matchup a neighborly one between two small north Mississippi communities.
Full statistics and individual scoring details had not been released by Saturday morning. Tippah News will update coverage as more information becomes available from the school and team.
Why This Was the Last Walnut Homecoming
The 2026-27 school year is the final year that Walnut and Falkner compete as separate high schools. The North Tippah School District board moved forward with a consolidation plan in 2024 that will merge the two high schools onto a single campus at Walnut Attendance Center. The combined school will be called North Tippah High School and will serve grades 6 through 12.
District leaders have said the move is expected to save about $1.4 million a year. Superintendent Dr. Dax Glover has said those savings would help pay for more academic options, including additional electives such as foreign languages, upper-level math, Advanced Placement classes and dual enrollment, according to WTVA reporting earlier this year.
The change has stirred strong feelings on both sides. Falkner’s campus will close after this school year, and some in that community have voiced frustration with the decision. In Walnut, the school building will remain in use, but this fall still marks the end of the Walnut Wildcats name as a standalone high school program.
A Week of Lasts in North Tippah
Friday’s game capped a homecoming week that included the annual Walnut homecoming parade. Families lined the route and filled social media with photos of seniors and their last ride as Wildcats. Falkner marked its own final homecoming the week before with a win over East Union.
Several highlights from Walnut’s fall so far:
- Football: A 36-14 homecoming win over Ashland on Oct. 2.
- Volleyball: The Lady Wildcats won their third straight Tippah County Volleyball Tournament title in late September.
- Community: The Town of Walnut has added new family events this fall, including Movie Night on Main and the upcoming Sweet Treats on Main on Halloween night.
For Wildcat fans, the remaining games of the regular season now carry extra weight, as each one is among the final contests ever played under the Walnut High School banner.
Related: Walnut Repeats as Tippah County Volleyball Tournament Champs | Walnut Sets Sweet Treats on Main for Halloween Night
Source: Tippah County Sports
