Dalton offense hits stride in rout of Tigers

Published 12:51 am Saturday, September 22, 2007

RINGGOLD — Sophomore Shaquan Moore rushed for 103 yards and scored three touchdowns — one a recovered fumble in the end zone — and Dalton rolled over Ringgold, 49-10, Friday night in the Catamounts’ Region 7-4A opener.

Moore keyed Dalton’s 21-point first quarter with TD runs of 35 and 14 yards, and then saved Cameron Hudson’s bacon by smothering a third-quarter fumble in the end zone, giving the Cats a 35-10 advantage.

“He’s a difference maker,” Dalton coach Ronnie McClurg said of Moore. “In our last three games he’s gotten better and better. He’s going to be something special.”

Moore rushed 11 times for his 103 yards, helping the Cats pile up 295 against the Tigers (2-2, 0-2). Hudson had 63 yards and had a 58-yard punt return for a touchdown negated by a penalty. Trae Washington gained 52 rushing yards and Chris White 42.

“I was able to run because my blockers were doing their job,” Moore said.

Quarterback Harrison Scott was 6-for-10 and 113 yards with an interception.

Ringgold gained 48 yards on the ground, and Martez Eastland had 34 of those in the first half before leaving the game with an injury.

“We worked hard all week to stop their run,” said Jim Bennett, the Cats’ defensive coordinator. “We weren’t expected to see as much spread as they used, but we made some adjustments and did all right.”

Dalton (3-1, 1-0) set the tempo quickly with three touchdowns on just 11 plays in the first quarter, scoring on its first three possessions.

The Cats went 53 yards in four plays, with Moore taking care of the last 35 on a quick-hitter to the right side. Jose Hurtado’s kick made it 7-0 with 8:06 left in the quarter.

Ringgold went three-and-out and the Cats went back to work on offense.

This drive covered 79 yards and took just five plays, Moore, who had 71 of Dalton’s 155 yards rushing in the first quarter, scoring on a 14-yard burst with a nifty spin at the 1 to escape a couple of Ringgold defenders. It was 14-0 at the 3:43 mark.

After another Ringgold punt, the Cats set up shop at their own 41. Moore picked up 6 yards. Then Trae Washington bolted around left end, tight-roped his way down the home sideline and zipped 53 yards for the touchdown. That gave Dalton a stunning 21-0 lead with 1:25 remaining in the opening period.

Ringgold hit paydirt before the quarter ended.

Tigers quarterback Zac Fairchild, who didn’t practice much during the week due to a shoulder injury suffered last week against Ridgeland, lofted a strike to a streaking Cole Morgan and the play went for 80 yards and a score.

Morgan got behind a Dalton defender and outran (No. 20) to the end zone.

The Tigers added a 31-yard field goal by Filippe Moura and trailed 21-10. Dalton almost had two interceptions — one by Crutchfield (he had one pick) and one by Mackie Sheets — on the Tigers’ 61-yard drive that bogged down at Dalton’s 15.

But quarterback Harrison Scott engineered an 80-yard drive in 10 plays for another Dalton touchdown with 3.3 seconds left in the half. Scott hit Crutchfield on a crossing pattern over the middle and he bulled between two Tigers for the touchdown, giving the Cats a 28-10 halftime lead.

“Although we played about as good a football game as we could play in the first quarter, that just before halftime was huge,” McClurg said of Crutchfield’s score.