Top 18 from the class of 18: Part 1, games 15-18

Published 8:00 pm Monday, June 4, 2018

Each high school sports year, our area schools play several memorable games.

Some determined playoff success, others were just two teams battling it out to a classic finish.

For the second straight year, the Daily Citizen-News picked the best from the previous school year.

In honor of the class of 2018, the sports staff selected and ranked the top 18 from 2017-2018. Over the next few days, we present the games we ranked as Nos. 6-18. We selected the top five games and the order was determined by an online vote.

18. Baseball: Dalton 4, Sequoyah 3, March 27

With its playoff life on the line, the Dalton High School baseball team knew it needed some offense to overcome a one-run deficit in the sixth inning of a late-season game against Sequoyah High School.

The Catamounts sat teetering on the edge of postseason contention and needed wins to close out the season to give themselves a chance.

“Sequoyah was a really good team and had some hard throwing pitchers,” sophomore shortstop Rhett Hammontree said. “We knew we had to win some really tough region games to make the playoffs.”

Down 3-0 after Dalton gave up a three-run home run in the second inning, the Cats weren’t generating hits and subsequently weren’t pushing across any runs. It wasn’t until a solo home run from senior Harrison Hughes in the fourth inning that Dalton got on the board.

Dalton added another run in the fifth inning on a sacrifice-fly from senior third baseman Sebastian Orozco to make it 3-2.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Hammontree stepped to the plate with teammate Kaleb Valdez taking a lead at second.

“We were playing at home and losing 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth,” Hammontree said. “I got a hit past the shortstop to score the runner from second base. We then took the lead and held them in the seventh for the win. That was a good win for our team and winning that game kept our playoff hopes alive a little bit longer.

Hughes drove in the go-ahead run following Hammontree’s hit and pitcher Justin Ketchem forced a double play in the seventh inning to end the game.

17. Football: Christian Heritage 12, Bowdon 7, October 6, 2017

Spectators would’ve thought the Lions won the state championship as players rushed the field in celebration after a 12-7 victory over Bowdon High school to give the Lions its first win of the season.

But the joy and elation didn’t come without some serious drama to end the game.

Bowdon, who ran the ball with ease through most of the night amassing 246 yards to that point, had the ball first-and-goal at the 4-yard line with 1:26 to play.

After three failed plays, it came down to one play. A three-headed rushing attack against a defense that had stopped Bowdon three times on fourth down already.

“It was weird man, I was real chill on the last one,” senior defensive lineman Trent Cummings said.

With four seconds remaining, Bowdon running back Kyle Franklin took the handoff off the right tackle, leaping in the air, but with Lions defender Mitchell Herndon holding on to his lower half, Franklin fell a yard short.

“I just remember they had been running the dive for maybe the last five plays or so I gave it everything I had to block up the middle,” Cummings said. “I ran into the pull-er which freed up Mitchell to make the play. It was huge for our team and big for me because I haven’t won all that many games my last two years. But it’s good to show the younger guys what a hard-fought win looks like so a losing culture isn’t something prominent in the culture of the team.”

The win against Bowdon was only the Lions’ second win in 16 games. Christian Heritage picked up another win later in the season over King’s Ridge.

16. Softball: Dalton 11, River Ridge 7, Sept. 30, 2017

In a tie game that sent the winner to the Class 6A state softball playoffs, Dalton High School got a clutch offensive flurry to take the game and move on to the playoffs.

Tied 7-7 in the top of the seventh inning against River Ridge High School in Game 3 of the Region 6-6A tournament first round, Dalton had a runner on third base as J.J. Trowell stepped up to bat.

Trowell hit the ball just past the opposing pitcher, who picked it up and tossed it home in an effort to save a run. But the throw wasn’t fast enough and Dalton’s Sydney Ault slid between the catcher’s leg for the go-ahead run. Dalton scored three more runs in the half inning.

River Ridge wasn’t able to answer the scoring and Dalton won the game 11-4.

“It felt really good,” Dalton junior catcher Olivia Whaley said. “It was kinda like all the hard work we put in throughout our season paid off. We played really hard that game and going in we knew it would be a tough game. It meant a lot to the whole team because we had lost several seniors that played key positions and we felt like people from our region didn’t think we would be as good. Winning that game and putting River Ridge out was the best feeling in the world.”

15. Volleyball: Murray County 2, North Murray 1, Oct. 5, 2017

Murray County High School traveled to the north end of the county to face their rivals in the opening round game at the Area 6-3A tournament with the winner going to the state playoffs and the loser’s season over.

“That was the moment kind of of where we came together and dug a little deeper and found out who we were,” Lady Indians coach David Anthony said. “We were still young then, but overall we finally found a little rhythm and identity in that game. It was a great start for a lot of my girls.”

The Lady Indians dropped the first game of the best-of-three match to North Murray 25-22, but rallied back to win the next two games, each by the same 25-22 scores to win the match and advance to the state playoffs.

Anthony said his team didn’t get discouraged after falling behind in the match, rather the Lady Indians fought back with the belief they would win and earn the state trip.

“I think they really got competitive in that moment and started realizing they could compete as much as they wanted to,” he said. “They started battling back and showed themselves they had the ability to do it.”