Dalton wins big, 49-20

Published 1:32 am Saturday, September 29, 2018

WOODSTOCK, Ga. — Dalton High School reeled off 28 unanswered points and coasted to a 49-20 victory against host River Ridge Friday night.

The Knights hung around, but ultimately were not able to slow down Dalton’s offense enough for their own offense to keep pace with the Catamounts.

Dalton improved to 3-3, 1-3 in Region 6-6A, and avoided its first three-game losing streak since 1975, while River Ridge fell to 1-5, 1-3 in Region 6-6A.

“It fizzled out a bit for us,” River Ridge coach Tyler Wynn said. “It’s tough. Our kids are competing and a lot of them are young. The physicality of the game and the size and strength of Dalton makes it tough. I was proud of our kids for fighting.

The story of the night was the explosive plays for Dalton’s offense. The Catamounts totaled 481 yards, 320 of which came on six scoring plays.

“Sometimes it was busted assignments, sometimes we were in position and just not making the play and they did a couple of things we hadn’t seen and we didn’t adjust to it as well as we would have liked to,” Wynn said. “We’ve just got to go back to working and make plays in space and be able to hem some of those guys in.”

The Catamounts’ rushing attack featured junior running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who ripped off touchdown runs of 20, 55 and 71 yards. Gibbs finished the night with 230 yards and 16 carries in three quarters of action.

Early in the second quarter, River Ridge’s offense capped off a five-play drive with a 25-yard pass from senior quarterback Chase Begin to Dominic Calabrese to draw the game to a 21-13 margin.

The Knights’ defense forced a punt on Dalton’s next offensive series, but River Ridge’s offense was unable to capitalize.

After Jack Senay’s punt pinned the Catamounts on their own three-yard line, Dalton’s offense responded with authority. The Knights’ defense bit on the play-action fake and Landon Allen hit Yendry Cruz in stride down the sideline for an 81-yard touchdown that gave Dalton breathing room.

Allen was a steady force for the Catamounts offense. On the opening possession of the second half facing third and 10, the senior scrambled 47 yards to push Dalton’s lead to 35-13, effectively ending any hope for the Knights to mount a comeback. He finished the night with 178 yards passing and two touchdowns.

The Knights had some success on offense. They relied heavily on the rushing of senior Chico Ward and freshman Amehre Morrison, who combined for 200 yards rushing.

Despite the explosive plays given up, the River Ridge defense did have success pressuring Allen, sacking him three times and forcing an interception after tipping a ball at the line of scrimmage.

Dalton travels to South Cobb next Friday.