Dalton Cats youth track team having a record-setting season

Published 8:15 am Friday, April 18, 2025

With just weeks left in the 2025 competitive season for the Dalton Cats youth track team, the Dalton Parks and Recreation Department athletes are on the fast track — literally and figuratively — for an impressive and record-setting year.

Last week, coach Rick Willis updated the Dalton Daily Citizen (DDC) on the most recent meet results after the team took part in the Georgia Recreation and Park Association (GRPA) District 5 meet at Marietta High School. During the meet, four team members earned at least three first-place finishes: Jaxon Willis, who brought home gold in the 4x50m relay, 50m, 100m and softball throw, while breaking the M3-5 record in both the 50m and 100m; Jordyn Davis, who took gold in the 100m, 200m and long jump — setting the record in the long jump; Samuel Willis, who earned championship status in the 100m hurdles, high jump and broad jump; and Makhya Famber, who triumphed in the 100m hurdles, high jump and long jump. Alexa Hurtado also put in a record-breaking performance in the F9-10 3,200m.

Rick Willis said all of the team’s long-distance runners will also be advancing to the state meet.

“Every year, our team continues to grow — and not just in numbers, but in heart, drive and achievement,” Willis told the DDC. “This season, our kids trained hard, and that dedication paid off at the GRPA D5 meet in Marietta. We brought home 23 first-place finishes, seven second-place finishes and five third-place finishes, with 19 of our 30 athletes qualifying for the state meet. That’s an incredible accomplishment and a reflection of the hard work our athletes put in day after day.”

DDC dropped by the Dalton High School track earlier this week to catch up with Willis and talk about the team’s growth and accomplishments during the 2025 season.

He said the team has, traditionally, had fewer than 20 athletes each year — a number that skyrocketed this year, with 40 trying out, more than 30 staying with the team throughout the season and six of those athletes putting in seven record-setting performances.

He said the growth in the team has a lot to do with some of the successes that students have achieved in the past few seasons, and said the work done by the Recreation Department and school system to get word of the team out to the local elementary schools also played a part.

“It was a coordinated effort to try and get as many kids out as possible, and to make this fun for the kids,” he said.

Other contributing factors in the growth and success of the team are the dedication of his assistant coaches and involvement and support from parents, Willis said.

“None of this would be possible without our amazing assistant coaches Coach Jones and Coach Adams, and a dedicated group of parents who are always ready to support in every way. Because of them, we’ve pushed our kids to be their best — without losing the joy that makes track and field special.”

He added that the contributions of parents and coaches is important, but even more important has been the hard work put in by the team members.

“They’ve really worked hard. You’ve got to start with some God-given talent, but they’ve actually worked very hard and without complaints, so that made my job a lot easier,” he said.

That hard work impacts not only the youth’s success in the moment, but plays a long-term role, too, he added, saying that a lot of the team members graduate from the youth program into a school sports program.

“That’s part of my goal, to help get them into that pipeline,” he sold the DDC. “It starts here. I try to get them to fall in love with track, and then as they progress through the years, they’ll hopefully stick with it.”

He said many of the track team members also end up playing other sports, and with the older youths, he works to include their other sports in their track training.

“For example, if I know a kid also plays football, I’ll include more agility work in his training,” Willis said.

He said many college and professional football and basketball players also were involved in track teams, and said that, just like for more high-profile sports like baseball and football, there are college scholarships available for track athletes.

Willis, who himself is a Dalton High School alumnus, said coaches made a difference in his life when he was younger.

“My own journey began thanks to my former high school coach, Ronnie McClurg, who introduced me to track and field and sparked a lifelong passion,” he said.

Despite the successes of the team this season, Willis said he does not focus on “winning.”

“I never really talk about winning with the kids. I just really want them to do their best and not quit,” he said. “When you start something, and then quit, after that it becomes easier to quit and I don’t want the kids to do that, I want to motivate them to feel better about themselves.”

The following 3-8-year-olds will be advancing to the Cobb County Youth League State Meet.

M 4-5 

Asher Smith — 4x50m relay (1st)

Ian Donnelly — 4x50m relay (1st)

Jaxon Willis — 50m (1st), 100m (1st), softball throw (1st), 4x50m relay (1st)

Landon Mitchell — 4x50m relay (1st)

F 6-8 

Kimber Noble — 1,600m run (1st)

M 6-8 

Morgan Shover — 1,600m run (1st)

Also, these young athletes have been named as GRPA state qualifiers.

F 6-8

Mila Jackson — 50m (3rd), softball throw (1st)

Violeta Montalvo — softball throw (2nd)

 F 9-10

Alexa Hurtado — 3,200m (1st), 1,600m (2nd)

Emma Deweese — 1,600m (3rd)

Jordyn Davis — 100m (1st), 200m (1st), long jump (1st)

Palmer Putnam — 3,200m (3rd)

F 11-12

Chasity Oneal — shot put (2nd), 4x400m relay (1st)

Lena Haugen — 3,200m (2nd), 4x400m relay (1st)

Mya Washington — 4x400m relay (1st)

Piper Howard — 3,200m (1st), 1,600m (3rd), 4x400m relay (1st)

F 13-14

Analiese Jones — 3,200m (1st)

Makhya Famber — 100m hurdles (1st), high jump (1st), long jump (1st)

M 6-8 

Daniel Cerda — standing long jump (2nd)

Weston Tiedemann — mini-javelin (3rd)

Xavier Wilkins — 50m (2nd)

M 9-10

Folarin Wilson — broad jump (1st)

Wesley Hufstetler — 50m (1st), 100m (2nd), long jump (2nd)

M 11-12

Elyjah Compere — 100m (3rd)

M 13-14

Samuel Willis — 100m hurdles (1st), high jump (1st), broad jump (1st)