Dalton’s rushing attack powers past South Cobb

Published 11:31 pm Friday, October 5, 2018

AUSTELL, Ga. — A masterful performance from junior running back Jahmyr Gibbs guided Dalton High School to a 45-20 victory on the road against the South Cobb in Region 6-6A action Friday night.

The win took the Catamounts’ record to 4-3 overall and 2-3 in region play. Conversely, the Eagles are 1-6 and 1-4 in region play.

Catamount coach Matt Land recognized the gravity of the win.

“We beat a really talented team tonight,” Land said. “We needed this win to regain some momentum. We lost three tough games before we beat River Ridge last week. It’s great to win two in a row. Hopefully, we can get on a roll in our last three games.”

Gibbs was the star of the game with four touchdowns and about 200 yards rushing. Whenever the Catamounts needed a big play, a handoff to Gibbs got the job done.

“He’s special,” Land said. “The best thing about him is he’s a better character guy and student. He’s a guy that we have so much faith in.”

Terry Jones coaches the Eagles and took responsibility for the loss.

“We lost our fundamentals and couldn’t protect the ball. I have to find ways to call plays to put our team in better situations,” Jones said. “As head coach and offensive coordinator, I will take ownership. I have to do a better job of preparing the kids. I have to call better plays and make sure I’m putting my playmakers in position to make plays.”

Jones called the right plays and the offense ran them well on the first drive of the game. The Eagles ran a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended in quarterback Aeneas Dennis rushing for a 29-yard touchdown.

“We were very concerned about their QB coming into the game,” Land said. “We told our kids not to let him get behind you because you won’t catch him. He proved me right on that play really quickly.”

Williams scored another touchdown two drives later to give the Eagles a 14-10 lead over the Catamounts with three minutes left in the half. Catamount quarterback Landon Allen threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Jamal Macon with 42 seconds left in the first half.

The Catamounts, led by the legs of Gibbs, outscored the Eagles 28-6 in the second half.

“He did what great backs do,” Jones said. “He wore us down. We were able to contain him somewhat in the first half, but he got stronger and ran harder as the game went on. That kid is great.”

Gibbs’ third touchdown came with six minutes left in the fourth quarter and was perhaps his best run of the game. Gibbs got the ball on the 25 and was met by two would-be tacklers. He was able to evade them both, by giving one a stiff arm and juking past the second. Gibbs then sprinted toward the goal line with relative ease. The score was 37-20 at that point and the game for all intents and purposes was over.

Dalton running backs Jeric Montgomery and Joshua Moore got in on the action, too. Montgomery rushed for about 150 yards. Moore had nearly 70 yards and scored the final touchdown of the game with a little over a minute left.

“We had a great team effort tonight and we needed it,” Land said. “Our line blocked well and the backs found holes. We did a lot of the things we wanted to do.”

In spite of the loss, Jones still found hope for his team.

“We played hard and competed in that game,” Jones said. “Now we have to realize that we can still make the playoffs if we start winning. It won’t be easy but we have to stick together.”

Dalton hosts Sprayberry on Friday for Homecoming.