Dalton tied with Valdosta for No. 1 in Class 6A football poll

Published 9:49 am Wednesday, October 19, 2016

DALTON, Ga. — For the first time in 30 years, the Catamounts are considered the best. Or at least tied for the best.

Dalton High School’s football team is tied for first place in Class 6A in the latest Georgia Sports Writers Association poll, which was released Tuesday. It is the first time the Catamounts have been ranked No. 1 since 1986, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association website, ghsfha.org.

“I was really excited when I found out, I don’t remember Dalton ever being ranked No. 1,” senior safety Maddux Houghton said. “It means a lot because we’ve worked really hard and it’s a huge honor.”

Writers from 15 newspapers around the state vote on the top 10 teams in each classification in the poll and each spot in the top 10 carries a corresponding point value. The Catamounts tied Valdosta with 128 total points, but received seven first-place votes to Valdosta’s six. Northside-Warner Robins received two first-place votes and totaled 127 points.

Dalton coach Matt Land said while he is certainly appreciative of the ranking and what it says about his program, he is grateful the Catamounts control their destiny. They only must focus on winning the next game instead of relying on polls.

“Polls are just numbers and the difference between being ranked one and three at the high school level, thankfully, is nothing because we have a playoff system and we aren’t dependent on rankings to determine a championship,” Land said. “It’s certainly a compliment to our staff and our players and how hard they’ve worked and a compliment to our community as well. There are a lot of 7-0 teams that aren’t ranked No. 1 and it’s not just about what we’ve done this year, it’s about what’s been done in the past.”

Several Dalton players acknowledged that it was particularly meaningful to be ranked No. 1, but junior quarterback JP Tighe said it adds special meaning knowing that it is a reflection on past accomplishments as well.

“It’s just a realization that we are a representation of what Dalton is supposed to be,” Tighe said. “It’s a really big honor. Knowing all the work we’ve been putting in since last winter, we knew we could possibly have something special. So we just want to keep representing Dalton and hopefully go even further.”

Senior linebacker Tucker Sumner said he sees the ranking as a validation for the work the Catamounts put in during the offseason, but the team has bigger goals.

“As a team this year we made a goal, we wanted to be 10-0, win a region championship and go on to win a state championship,” Sumner said. “As a team we really rededicated ourselves and realized we had worked hard in the past, but it only got us to the second round. So we just refocused on building our bodies and putting in the work to make sure we get to week 15.”

Once a team reaches the top, there are plenty of others hungry to knock them down. The Catamounts get a stiff dose of that reality this week when they host No. 4 Harrison on Friday. It’s the first matchup of two top five ranked teams at Harmon Field since No. 4 Dalton hosted top-ranked Cedartown in 1994. The Catamounts won that game 20-14.

The Catamounts are aware of the magnitude of the challenge before them, but see it as an opportunity to prove the rankings are a reflection of where they belong.

“It’s a great honor, but it really fuels us because we know now we have to show that we belong there,” senior wide receiver Kyric McGowan said. “So it starts with practicing like you’re the number one team in the state and having that mindset all week. Ultimately, the goal is a state championship. And whatever stands in the way of that we have to conquer it and take it game by game.”