Emmalee Molay/Daily Citizen-NewsDalton High School's Tony Saldana practices a penatly kick during practice on Monday at the school.

DALTON, Ga. — While training on the upper fields behind the school, the Dalton High School boys soccer team regularly hears passing cars honking their horns on Waugh Street. It’s a message that’s heard loud and clear by the Catamounts players.

“Lots of people pass by and they honk their horns because they know that we’re working out here for them,” Dalton’s Tony Saldana said at Monday’s practice. “The community knows what it takes to be successful and I guess they believe in us. There’s no better feeling than when you know you have that many people who have your back.”

The Catamounts (18-0, 8-0 in Region 6-6A) will begin their push for a state championship at 6:30 p.m. this Friday when they host Northview (9-5, 5-3 in Region 7-6A) in a first-round state playoff game at Harmon Field. Dalton has been the No. 1-ranked team in the nation by USA Today since the preseason, and having now finished the regular season unblemished, will attempt to claim the program’s first state championship since 2015.

Coach Matt Cheaves has built a soccer power at Dalton, winning four state titles in his 25 years at the school, and said this year’s team is as deep as any he’s had.

“Talent-wise, top to bottom, this is one of the best teams I’ve ever coached,” Cheaves said. “There’s no weak spot, or a player we’re totally afraid to put in the game. There’s no letdown in speed with any particular player. Everybody is really fundamentally sound.”

The Catamounts have defeated opponents by an average score of 5-1. This year’s senior class, who grew up in the shadow of Dalton’s three-time state champion teams from 2013-15, realize the opportunity to make their mark is here and now. The senior midfield of Omar Hernandez, Ivan Mora and Saldana has played a major role in helping Dalton dominate possession of the ball against opponents. All three have played significant minutes since their freshman seasons, and having already experienced playoff heartbreaks, the three set the pace at Monday’s practice with a combination of speed and emotion.

The pressure, however, is nothing new for the experienced Dalton players.

“Being No. 1, we have a target on our back, but we’ve always had a target on our back just for being Dalton,” Hernandez said. “We just have to play our game and if we do that we’ll be confident.”

Cheaves said he believes Northview, the No. 4 seed out of Region 7-6A, is the toughest four seed in the state playoffs. Region 7-6A produced both teams from last year’s Class 6A state championship game, and Cheaves said the Catamounts’ mentality heading into Friday’s match will be one of the keys to victory.

Dalton has fallen in penalty kicks the past two seasons in the playoffs, and Cheaves said the players have worked more on kicks from the penalty spot this year than ever before. Senior Nathan Rincon converted a penalty as one of three goals for Dalton in last week’s victory over Southeast Whitfield, and said playing in a high-energy environment like the Southeast game helps the players as they head into the playoffs.

“That atmosphere definitely helps us and pumps us up,” Rincon said. “There is so much pressure on you with the fans for the Southeast game, and that’s one of the reasons I wanted to take the PK.”

For the Dalton players, continuing a legacy of winning soccer is a responsibility that comes with wearing the red jerseys. The intensity at practice on Monday — even though there was some lightheartedness at times — was evident in the players’ focus and attention to detail. The feeling of carrying a torch for the Dalton soccer community is one that drives the players as they attempt to take their next steps toward leaving their own championship legacy.

“We’ve been through it all, I think we’ve seen it all,” Saldana said. “We have a chance to do more than just win a state title. We have a chance to put Dalton back on the map.”