Why does walter cunningham drench his lunch in molasses/syrup?

You could argue that this is an indication of Walter Cunningham's severe poverty. He is very poor, and poor people did not have access to sweets or treats such as molasses syrup, so when he was offered it he deemed it appropriate to drench his entire lunch in it.

i really really really really really really dont know

depends on the age of the teen, many believe by the age of 16 a person should know the strong difference between right and wrong along with the difference between risky and immediate death. swimming with sharks might be dangerous but swimming with sharks while bloody meat is attached to you is just insane. even more if you have no idea what you're doing. however, no matter the age, as long as the person is skilled enough and has the mental and physical capacity to control their actions doing whatever sport they put their mind to is all that matters.