Published: October 31, 2009 01:35 am      

They are the champs

Brown-led Cats notch Sub-region No. 1 seed

Dalton High’s football team found out the back door to the Region 7-4A championship game can be just as welcoming as the one up front — especially when you come charging through.

The Catamounts combined a powerful rushing game and a strong defensive effort in a 35-11 win against Northwest Whitfield in Tunnel Hill on Friday night, forcing a three-way tie at the top of the Sub-region 7A-4A standings and benefiting from a margin of victory tiebreaker to secure a place in next week’s region championship game, where they’ll host 7B-4A champ Hiram.

In what could have been a high-pressure game for both sides, Dalton (7-2, 5-1 in 7A-4A) was able to perform even in the most stressful moments — the Bruins (6-3, 5-1) cut the score to 14-11 with 3:15 remaining in the third quarter and had the ball just outside the red zone in the final minute of that period — and kept going to a running game that has been reliable throughout the season.

“We know we can throw the ball when the time comes,” said Dalton quarterback Stryker Brown, who rushed for 115 yards and four touchdowns and was 1 of 2 passing. “But if they’re not stopping the run we’re going to stick with the run and keep running it until they stop us.”

The Cats rushed for 301 yards — fullback Shaquon Moore added 141 yards — as they finished off a turnaround that started after a 38-16 loss to Sequoyah on Oct. 2 took the sub-region title race out of their hands. Dalton followed that loss with victories against Cass and Rome, while Northwest remained undefeated in sub-region play and needed only to beat the Cats to wrap up the sub-region crown.

But Dalton knew a win over Northwest was all it needed, too. That gave 5-1 marks in sub-region play to Northwest and Sequoyah, which won 56-0 at Murray County on Friday, and created a three-way tie for first; Dalton entered the game with an insurmountable edge in margin of victory against sub-region opponents, the deciding factor in the three-way tie.

While Friday’s win was impressive on its own, it was simply the completion of the Cats’ quest that started with a determination within their own locker room not to let the effects of the Sequoyah loss linger.

“We went through a tough time when everybody doubted us,” Dalton coach Adam Winegarden said. “But we tell our kids all the time, the most important thing is what’s in between the walls. That’s what’s going to make it happen on Friday nights. You can’t let anything be-yond that affect you.”

The Cats held a 14-0 lead with 8:48 to play in the first half after touchdown runs of 10 and 1 yards from Brown and looked like they wouldn’t have much of a struggle taking their last step to the region title game. But Northwest established some offensive control on its final possession of the first half, getting a 25-yard field goal from Oscar Solarzano with 26.3 seconds left, and pumped plenty of life into the game when Lance Andrews’ 27-yard touchdown run with 3:15 remaining in the third quarter cut the lead to 14-11.

“I’m proud of the defensive line and the whole unit,” Dalton senior linebacker Mitch Townsend said. “Even when they scored that long touchdown, we didn’t get down, we got back in there and got a stop ... We played together as a team tonight.”

The Bruins forced Dalton three-and-out inside its own 15 and were boosted by a Toombs Norman punt that went just 20 yards after getting caught in a steady, strong wind that blew away from the Northwest fieldhouse all night long. But two plays into the drive and after a 2-yard run by quarterback Chad Keeter to the Dalton 22, the Bruins lost 15 yards on a personal foul penalty.

Three plays later, the Bruins failed to pick up a first down on fourth-and-15 at the Dalton 33. Then the Cats went back to work.

Dalton scored on each of its next possessions — including a two-play drive on the next one as Brown went 37 yards on first down and Moore went 45 to the end zone with 11:35 to play — and forced the Bruins three-and-out, then four-and-out. Brown had touchdown runs from the 1 with 8:23 and 2:19 to play to seal the victory.

Brown was quick to credit the blocking around and in front him as the difference throughout the game, and center Nathan Edwards helped lead the way for a line that created openings for the three-pronged attack of Brown, Moore and Tre Beck, who added 46 yards.

“Northwest has a great defense, probably the best one we’ve played,” Edwards said. “But as a line, we talked to each other and said, ‘Just come off the ball as hard you can.’ The key thing is we talked and worked together.”

The Bruins were well aware of Dalton’s rushing attack. But the Cats mixed their plays on the ground well enough that Northwest was still thrown off-balance, Northwest coach Mike Falleur said.

“You know, you’ve got to stop what they do and then they went to something a little different and it hurt us early,” Falleur said. “ ... They’re a good football team. We knew that coming in.”

With a host’s berth in the Class 4A state playoffs now guaranteed for Dalton — whether the Cats are the region’s No. 1 or 2 seed depends on next week’s game — and the 7-4A crown still at stake, Winegarden can take comfort in the resolve shown by his defense in the fourth quarter.

Northwest finished with 231 yards, all but 19 on the ground, and the Bruins’ offense spent most of the final period on its own side of the field.

“It came down tonight to our defense giving us a short field,” Winegarden said. “And the wind was really a big difference, because whoever had the wind had the advantage and the kicking game was huge. You just couldn’t kick into it or punt into it, but if you had it, you really set the tone on field position. We were blessed to have in the fourth quarter, so that was big.”

Northwest is still in the running for a spot in the state playoffs. The No. 2 seed from 7A-4A by virtue of a 14-3 win against Sequoyah a week ago, the Bruins host 7B-4A No. 3 seed Paulding County next week, with the winner hitting the road for the first round of state. The loser’s season is over.



CATAMOUNTS 35, BRUINS 11



SCORE BY QUARTERS

Dalton 7 7 0 21 — 35

Northwest 0 3 8 0 — 11



SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter

DAL — Stryker Brown 10 run (Jose Garcia kick), 1:44

Second Quarter

DAL — Brown 1 run (Garcia kick), 8:48

NOR — FG Oscar Solarzano 25, :26.3

Third Quarter

NOR — Lance Andrews 27 run (Chad Keeter run), 3:15

Fourth Quarter

DAL — Shaquon Moore 45 run (Garcia kick), 11:35

DAL — Brown 1 run (Garcia kick), 8:23

DAL — Brown 1 run (Garcia kick), 2:19



YARDSTICK

DAL NOR

First Downs 14 12

Rushes-Yds. 53-301 39-212

Passing Yds. 9 19

Com.-Att.-Int. 1-2-0 3-10-1

Fumbles-Lost 2-0 1-0

Punts-Avg. 3-27.3 2-32

Penalties-Yds. 6-70 5-50

Turnovers 0 1



INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Dalton: Shaquon Moore 18-141, Stryker Brown 20-115, Tre Beck 14-46; Northwest Whitfield: Lance Andrews 13-95, Jordan Darnell 6-71, Nathan Sistrunk 3-21, Chad Keeter 8-12, Zach Sloan 3-11, Mike Martin 4-8, Wesley Bell 1-5, Team 1-minus 11.

PASSING — Dalton: Brown 0-1-0-9; Northwest Whitfield: Keeter 2-6-1-10, Tyler Shepard 1-3-0-9, Tyler Painter 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING — Dalton: Tevin Collins 1-9; Northwest Whitfield: Andrews 2-10, Nick Wagner 1-9.