DALTON, Ga. - The undefeated, top-ranked Dalton Catamounts dominated the second half on both sides of the ball on their way to a 31-14 marquee win Friday night at Harmon Field.
The Catamounts (8-0, 5-0) defeated the fourth-ranked and also previously unbeaten Harrison Hoyas (7-1, 4-1) from Kennesaw to take over the top spot in Region 6-AAAAAA with just two regular-season games left to play.
"It's in these moments when you become so proud because you're building something," Dalton coach Matt Land said after a brief pause to collect himself. "Coaches are building these young men, off the field and on the field. What we saw tonight is what we've been building."
Dalton's offense rested squarely on the shoulders of Ahmaad Tanner and the linemen.
Tanner ran the ball 31 times for 208 yards and two touchdowns, accounting for nearly 75 percent of the Catamounts offense. However, Tanner gave credit to his blockers.
"The offensive line's been getting challenged all year," Tanner said. "They picked it up this game. We knew what we had to do. We came, we saw, we conquered."
The Catamounts got momentum on their side on the first play from scrimmage in the second half, when defensive back Harrison Hughes returned an interception 20 yards for a touchdown.
The offense then salted the game away with a 14-play 79-yard drive that took up over seven minutes at the beginning of the fourth quarter. The drive ended in a 19-yard field goal by Ivan Mora that put Dalton up by 10.
While the running game was big for Dalton, the defense was stifling as it shut down Harrison's highly touted quarterback, Justin Fields. Fields, a junior, has drawn interest from numerous schools in the Southeastern Conference and other FBS leagues.
After his opening run of 80 yards to the end zone, the Catamounts limited Fields to 33 yards on 20 carries and 114 yards through the air and had several key sacks in the second half.
"I'm just proud of our defense," Land said. "I think they stepped up and answered the call tonight. They are a lunch-pail group. This week Matthew Howell stepped up. He came and worked his butt off all week, and tonight was his night."
The win puts Dalton on the doorstep of its 24th region championship and No. 1 seed. The Catamounts will take on South Cobb at home next week before heading to Allatoona for the final game of the regular season.
Contact Kevin Llewallyn at sports@timesfreepress.com.