Plenty at stake when Dalton faces off with Calhoun; Creek looks to clinch first playoff spot

Published 7:30 am Friday, October 21, 2022

Dalton heads to Calhoun for region showdown

There’s already plenty at stake when two rivals with as long and deep of a history as Dalton and Calhoun go head-to-head.

The teams have played 49 times since the very first game between the two in 1925, with Dalton dominating the early years before Calhoun took 10 of the last 11 contests.

But tonight’s game, played in Calhoun at 7:30, stokes the rivalry with an element that hasn’t been present since 1979: The two face off as region opponents.

Calhoun jumped up from Class 3A to 5A two years ago, and Dalton bumped down from 6A to join them this past offseason. The two have only shared a region in football during eight seasons prior to this, mostly in the 1970s, but that element rejoined the rivalry, at least for this year and next.

And that return to region rivalry certainly comes with a lot on the line, for both teams.

Dalton (5-3, 3-0 Region 7-5A) is the surprise leader in Region 7-5A with just two games to go, the only team without a region loss. A walk-off field goal as time expired from Adrian Gongora last week kept the Catamounts in the drivers’ seat with a 31-28 win over Cass.

Calhoun (5-3, 2-1 Region 7-5A) comes in with one region loss, having toppled the other region favorite, Cartersville, 50-48 in overtime before slipping up to Hiram, a team Dalton downed already.

Dalton gets Cartersville next week, but a win over Calhoun would give the Catamounts at least a home playoff game and set up the Cartersville showdown to be a de-facto region title game, provided Cartersville gets past 1-7 Woodland tonight. Dalton has already clinched a playoff berth after finishing 2-8 last season.

Calhoun needs the win to keep its region championship hopes alive.

Coahulla can clinch school’s first playoff appearance tonight

After a defeat at Ringgold two weeks ago made the task of pursuing a Region 6-3A championship a little murkier for Coahulla Creek (5-2, 3-1 Region 6-3A), the Colts used a bye week to prepare for another important game for the school’s playoff pursuit.

With a win in tonight’s home game at 7:30 against Bremen (4-3, 3-1 Region 6-3A) and a Gordon Lee loss tonight to 6-1 Adairsville, Coahulla Creek would clinch the school’s first ever playoff appearance.

Coahulla Creek has already set a school record for wins. Its 5-2 mark bests the 4-6 record from a year ago, which was the first time the team had won more than two games in any season. The team is still likely bound for a playoff appearance, barring a series of upset wins from teams below them in the standings, but a win tonight and Gordon Lee loss allows the Colts to use the last two games to jockey for positioning.

Coahulla Creek was held to by far its worst offensive game against Ringgold, tallying just 13 points, but remaining within reach before late Ringgold scores ended any hope. Coahulla Creek’s previous low point total was 25, and the Colts have scored at least 35 in five of seven games.

Quarterback Kace Kinnamon and the region-leading Coahulla Creek passing attack hope to get back on track, but they’ll have to do it against a stout Bremen defense.

Bremen leads the region in passing defense, allowing just 463 yards all season. The scoring defense of Bremen is also tops in the region. The Blue Devils have allowed just 125 points, besting Coahulla Creek’s 128.

Bremen is also an offense that would prefer to keep the ball on the ground. 1,501 of the Blue Devils’ offensive yards have come on the ground, with just 385 through the air. Aiden Price is the leading rusher with 592 yards, and Parr Folsom also gets a lot of touches.

Northwest begins difficult region stretch with Heritage at home

Northwest Whitfield returns from a bye week to begin a stretch of three Region 7-4A games that will make or break the Bruins’ season.

Central-Carrollton and Cedartown come later, but the Bruins begin the crucial ending to the season tonight begins with a home game against Heritage.

Northwest (5-2, 1-1 Region 7-4A) hosts Heritage (6-1, 1-1 Region 7-4A) tonight at 7:30 in Tunnel Hill.

Heritage started the season with six straight wins before a wake-up call of a 42-0 defeat against undefeated Cedartown. Heritage also had a bye week last week.

Northwest has won the last two meetings with Heritage, both helping the Bruins to hosting a first-round playoff game, and Northwest likely needs another win tonight to keep the possibility of another home postseason game alive. Northwest already dropped a region game to Sonoraville, which currently sits at 2-0 in region play, and Cedartown still looms.

North Murray hopes for rebound at Model

North Murray cruised through the first three weeks of Region 7-2A play with three convincing wins, but that all came screeching to a halt last week in the form of a 35-0 halftime deficit to Fannin County.

The Mountaineer offense came alive for 42 second-half points, but that wasn’t enough to keep up with Fannin, which set a school record for points scored in a 68-42 final.

North Murray (5-3, 3-1 Region 7-2A) hopes to put last week’s disappointment in the past when it travels to Rome tonight to play Model (5-3, 3-1 Region 7-2A) at 7:30.

The Mountaineers are already secured of a playoff spot, but tonight’s game against Model and the following game against Rockmart will determine where North Murray falls on the playoff pecking order.

North Murray quarterback Seth Griffin will look to keep up his second-half form against Fannin — the senior tossed five touchdowns as the Mountaineers attempted the improbable comeback.

Christian Heritage hits the road to North Carolina

Christian Heritage is headed on a long road trip for their penultimate game.

Christian Heritage (3-5, 0-1 Region 7-A Division II) is making a nearly four-hour trek to Asheville, North Carolina, for a game against Asheville Christian Academy (3-5). The game is at 7:30 tonight.

Christian Heritage steps out of the region — and the state — after opening Region 7-A Division II play with a loss to Bowdon last week. The Lions play tonight before completing their region schedule against Mt. Zion on the road next week.

Asheville Christian is 3-5 against a freelance schedule made up of teams from North Carolina and South Carolina — with Christian Heritage joining the schedule as the only game against a team from outside the Carolinas.

It’s not the first game for Christian Heritage against an out-of-state team. The Lions hosted Ezell-Harding Christian, which came from Antioch, Tennessee, for a 70-0 Lion win.

Murray County hosts Fannin County

When Murray County (0-7, 0-3 Region 7-2A) hosts Fannin County (4-3, 3-1 Region 7-2A) tonight at 7:30, the Indians will look to score their first points in more than a month.

Murray has fallen in three straight shutout losses since a 28-7 loss to Chattooga on Sept. 16.

The Murray offense hopes to get going while the defense has to contend with a powerful Fannin rushing attack.

Last week against North Murray, Fannin County’s Corbin Davenport, normally a receiver, played quarterback and piled up 337 rushing yards and seven total touchdowns.