TUNNEL HILL, Ga. – If handling adversity is a major ingredient in building a great football team, the Dalton Catamounts added a heavy dose of the intangible this week.
After dealing with the death of a player’s mother earlier in the week, Dalton had two of its offensive stars go down with injuries Friday night at Northwest Whitfield, but a pair of reserves stepped up to lead the Cats to a 24-14 win.
Bryce Houghton, who came on after quarterback Landon Allen hurt his ankle early in the third quarter, threw for a touchdown and ran for another, while running back Jeric Montgomery filled in for star Jahmyr Gibbs (shoulder injury) and rushed for a team-high 83 yards.
“It was a week of adversity,” Dalton coach Matt Land said after an emotional meeting with his daughter following the game. “The first thing I want to say is winners win, and I’ve got a group on that sideline that are winners. We needed to win this game to feel good about something.”
Dalton (2-0), as it did in week one, returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown as the electric Gibbs went 90 yards for a quick 7-0 lead. After the teams exchanged turnovers, the Catamounts put together a lengthy drive, keyed by a 40-yard pass from Allen to Hunter Noland, to take a 10-0 lead on Ivan Mora’s 42-yard field goal early in the second quarter.