DALTON, Ga. – When Dalton High School coach Matt Land gathered his new football team onto the practice field for the first time this summer, he made it clear he wanted to develop a different level of physicality.
Though he may have not been talking directly at tailback Tre Beck, the 160-pounder took it to heart. Friday against Region 7-AAA rival Ringgold, Beck put his toughness on display, breaking numerous tackles in a record-breaking 315-yard perfomance in a rousing 42-10 win.
Beck was so unstoppable that he broke Torrey Love’s old Catamounts rushing record of 240 yards with 10 minutes left in the first half. Among his 13 carries to that point were runs of 62 (for a touchdown and 7-0 lead), 37, 34 and 45 yards. He would add his most spectacular run of the night, a 55-yard scamper in which he dived into the middle of the line, made a cut and hopped over a mangle of bodies on the way to the end zone.
“Tre is a fabulous young man who gives us that same effort every day on the practice field,” Land said. “We challenged the line before this game because I thought we weren’t finishing our blocks. Games are won on the line of scrimmage, and great backs only get yards because of their line and we’re going to win games because of our blocking.”
Beck’s outburst was part of a 543-yard night for the Catamounts (5-2, 2-1), including 439 on the ground. And Beck didn’t have the game’s longest run. That honor belonged to junior Eric Banks, who ripped off a 77-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter for the game’s final points.
Ringgold (5-2, 2-1) was prepared for the Dalton running game but unable to handle the dominating blocking of University of Georgia recruit Watts Dantzler and his fellow linemen. It became clear in the first quarter that even nine men crowding the line of scrimmage wouldn’t slow Beck.
“I couldn’t have done any of it without my line,” Beck praised. “Coach Land in practice this week said how we haven’t been blocking well, so we worked hard on it and it paid off tonight. To set the school record is great, but I know somebody else will come along in the next generation and break it.”
The Tigers actually had the first scoring opportunity, but Josh Moore’s interception by Chris White ended the threat. Three plays later Beck went off left end, broke three tackles and raced 62 yards for the score. The Dalton defense then responded with a three-and-out, including back-to-back sacks by end Floyd Coffee.
Beck responded with two long runs, setting up White’s 13-yard keeper off the Wildcat formation. It became 21-0 early in the second when, after Beck’s 45-yard run, Dalton quarterback Cole Calfee hit the first of his two touchdown passes, this one to McClain Davies from 15 yards out.
The Tigers, despite an efficient 13-of-24 passing effort and 140 yards from Moore, were never in the game after that.
“We circled this game early on as a very important one,” Land said. “I knew Coach [Robert] Akins’ team would be physical, so we knew we had to play physical. I’m proud the boys played so hard, and we opened it up a bit offensively because we thought we had to. I think that helped Tre and the running game, and it’s something we hope to continue to improve upon.”