Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Dalton senior Karim Page headlines one of the top receiving groups in the area for first-year head coach Kit Carpenter.To read about more schools, click here.
DALTON CATAMOUNTS
Head coach: Kit Carpenter (first season as head coach)
Returning starters: 6 offensive; 6 defensive
Last year's record: 3-6, did not qualify for playoffs
Key players: Karim Page (6-2, 185) Sr. WR-DB, Journey Boston (5-10, 165) Sr. ATH, Luke Blanchard (5-9, 151) Jr. WR, Tyson Greenwade (5-11, 185) Jr. RB, Charlie Patrick (6-4, 250) Sr. OL
Season outlook: Former Dalton star Carpenter takes over after the program's first on-field losing season since 1959 (the 2011 team officially went 4-7 after having to forfeit four wins due to using an ineligible player), and getting back on the winning side of the ledger this year will be a difficult task for the Catamounts.
Carpenter, a longtime assistant at his alma mater, inherits a roster he labeled "tremendously undersized." So with teams like state power Calhoun and region foes Alexander, Carrollton and Rome on the schedule, Dalton will have to lean on its strong group of skill players to stay competitive.
Junior quarterback Parker McClurg (6-5, 185) looked good in spring and summer drills and is the favorite to start. Whoever wins the job will be throwing to one of the area's top receiver corps with Page (29 receptions, 453 yards, four touchdowns last year), Blanchard and Boston, while Greenwade is poised to join a long list of elite Dalton running backs.
"Our receiver group would be the best group on the field for us," Carpenter said. "Both Karim Page and Journey Boston are sub-4.5 guys (in the 40-yard dash). Karim, in my opinion, is the best receiver in our region from a skill level. All three have looked good this spring and summer."
Veteran defensive coordinator Jim Bennett will have his hands full trying to replace three 100-plus tacklers from last season.