Catamounts defeated by Woodland 20-17

Published 1:15 pm Monday, November 4, 2024

For three quarters, the Dalton Catamounts held a firm lead over Cartersville’s Woodland Wildcats on Friday thanks to important runs by Nash Smith, an Adrian Gongora field goal and a touchdown by Julio Perez.

But a final touchdown and a two-point conversion by Woodland late in the fourth quarter sealed the game for Woodland in the regular season finale for both teams.

Woodland (3-7, 2-5 Region 7-4A) won 20-17 over Dalton (0-10, 0-6 Region 7-4A).

The game began with a burst of energy for the Catamounts when Smith returned the opening kickoff to the Woodland 5-yard-line. Freshman quarterback Caine Woods handed the ball to Perez for a 1-yard rushing touchdown one minute in. Following a successful Gongora point after, the scoreboard read 7-0 in the Catamounts’ favor.

The remainder of the first quarter consisted of both teams battling down the field through two possessions each, but strong defensive lines on both sides stalemated each drive.

Dalton began its first possession of the second quarter with a long drive from its 10-yard-line to the Woodland 20. A 35-yard field goal from Gongora made the score 10-0.

Woodland’s senior quarterback JD Trail connected on a lateral pass with Solomon James for a 26-yard touchdown on the next possession. A blocked point after attempt left the score at 10-6 as halftime approached.

The Catamounts made a last-minute drive down the field but a fourth-down Hail Mary throw by Woods was intercepted by Woodland’s Cameron Broome with eight seconds left.

Following a drive by each team that ended with a punt early in the third quarter, Dalton’s Denzel Vasquez barreled down the field on a Catamounts’ punt to jump on the ball at the Woodland 5, regaining possession for Dalton. Smith followed with a 5-yard rushing touchdown to extend the lead to 17-6 following another successful Gongora point after.

It wouldn’t take long for Woodland to make a fumble recovery of its own when Melvin Ramos scooped up the ball to put the Wildcats back in possession on the 50-yard-line.

After moving down the field, Trail handed the ball off to Isaiah Livsey, who ran in for a 9-yard touchdown, bringing the score to 17-12 with 2:03 left in the third quarter. Although the Wildcats’ attempt at a two-point conversion failed, the scoring drive gave Woodland much-needed momentum.

On the following Dalton possession, Woodland’s Josue Escobar picked up a fumble to place the ball at the Woodland 35. Dalton’s defense kept Woodland to another fourth-down punt.

Woodland’s final scoring drive came eight minutes into the fourth quarter and ended when Preston Sorrells caught a 23-yard pass from Trail with one hand in the end zone. Once again attempting a two-point conversion, a handoff from Trail to Livsey was successful, bringing the score to what would be the final score of 20-17.

Dalton’s Gongora attempted a 52-yard field goal with 12 seconds left in the game but a line of Woodland defenders blocked the ball.

Woods finished 6-for-10 with 38 passing yards for Dalton.

Dalton still leads the series against Woodland 7-2, winning 42-7 in 2023.

Friday’s game marked the final game of the season for both teams in the eight-team Region 7-4A. Leading the region are undefeated Cartersville and 9-1 Cedartown.