Talented Dalton expects to compete in new Class AAAAAA region

Dalton receiver Zeke Cobb is among the playmakers expected to lead the Catamounts this season as they begin competition in Class AAAAAA. It's their third move up in class in as many GHSA reclassification cycles, which happen every two years.
Dalton receiver Zeke Cobb is among the playmakers expected to lead the Catamounts this season as they begin competition in Class AAAAAA. It's their third move up in class in as many GHSA reclassification cycles, which happen every two years.

DALTON, Ga. - Playing in Georgia's second-highest classification - and the largest full class for football behind the "Big 44" group - means different things to the Dalton Catamounts in 2016.

Some of those things are obvious, some not so much.

It's only logical that the higher up the Cats play - the GHSA reclassifies teams based on enrollment every two years, and this is Dalton's third consecutive move up - the tougher the overall competition. And with this year's move to Region 6-AAAAAA, Dalton is in a league with Allatoona, which won a state title last season.

The teams are deeper in talent, so much that even with possibly the best collection of skill players in recent program history, these Cats might be outmanned most Friday nights.

It's a situation some established coaching staffs might dread. The most not-so-obvious effect the move up has had on this storied program is the degree to which the staff and players are embracing the challenge.

"The biggest thing I see is that with the move up, you're now playing with the big boys, which is not to downgrade anything that is played around here," Dalton coach Matt Land said. "We are going to get challenged, and I think we're ready to step up to that next level.

"We always want to play the best, and the only way to find out how good you are is to play the best. We will find out if we're ready for it, but I can guarantee you the coaches and players won't back down from it."

The new-look region has some familiar foes in it. Creekview and River Ridge were in Dalton's Class 5A subregion a year ago, with Sprayberry and Sequoyah on the other side of the region. But it's powerful Allatoona and the other 6A holdovers who quickly catch the Cats' eyes.

"Allatoona has everything you would want in a team, including a state championship," Land said. "They have an outstanding group of coaches and (head coach) Gary Varner is a good personal friend of mine. Harrison is a very big, physical team and they will be one of the more complete teams we face. South Cobb will likely be the most athletic team we face all year. If we don't stay disciplined on defense when we play them, we won't be able to stay on the field with them.

"You also bring in some old foes that we have started to build some rivalries with - Sequoyah, Sprayberry and Creekview - all good, solid teams that are not going to give you anything. I think we're going to have a very physical region, and we'll have very few friends."

Of course, Dalton has plenty of its own weapons, including college recruits Kyric McGowan, Zeke Cobb, Ahmaad Tanner and Nasir Love-Porter, to name a few. The team also has an open mind about what it will take to compete against a schedule that also includes nonleague games against 2015 playoff teams Calhoun, Northwest Whitfield and Sonoraville.

While the coaching staff won't come out and admit it, the bevy of Dalton playmakers might see a few more footballs in the air this fall.

"Really, for us, our biggest challenge is just getting our new offense down," said McGowan, who recently committed to Northwestern University. "We have a really high-powered offense, and we're adding a lot of new stuff to get our playmakers in space."

Cobb, a 6-foot-3 receiver who has recovered from a torn ACL that happened in last season's opening game, said he has already heard from other players in the area how the Cats are going to struggle against top competition.

He's not buying it.

"We have to compete every Friday or we will lose," he said. "It's going to be a hard challenge, and we're going to probably be the underdog in every game, but this will show our talent when we beat those teams."

Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.

Upcoming Events