Dalton shows spark early but can’t keep pace at Rabun County

Published 10:45 pm Friday, September 6, 2024

After scoring nine total points in its first three games, Dalton scored 10 points in the first quarter of a road game at Rabun County Friday night and trailed the Wildcats just 14-10 at halftime.

The Catamount offense couldn’t keep up the pace of Rabun though, and the Wildcats pulled away to down Dalton 35-13, handing the Catamounts their fourth straight loss to start the season.

After a Reid Giles 2-yard touchdown run put Rabun (2-1) up 7-0 with 9:13 in the first, Dalton (0-4) managed a 36-yard Adrian Gongora field goal on the next drive — breaking a two-game scoreless streak.

A Lake Evans touchdown run from the 1 made it 14-3 Rabun County, but Dalton’s Nash Smith broke off a 35-yard touchdown run to bring the Catamounts within 14-10 late in the first. Dalton kept possession for most of the second quarter, and the score held at halftime.

A 72-yard touchdown run by Giles early in the third put Rabun further ahead, and, after Gongora hit a 43-yard field goal to pull the Cats within 21-13, Giles added his third and fourth rushing touchdowns of the night as the Wildcats pulled away.

Giles totaled 159 yards on the night on just nine carries.

Dalton’s Elijah Long toted the ball 14 times for 96 yards as the Catamounts totaled their most offensive yards in a game this season — 234. Smith had 58 yards on seven carries.

It was the first game between Dalton, a 4A school, and Rabun, which is in Class A DI. The Wildcats have been a small school power in recent years, having reached the state finals in 2017, the semifinals in 2020 and at least the state quarterfinals in each year since 2015.

Dalton has four losses to start the season for the first time since 2011, when the Catamounts were forced to vacate four wins after a 4-2 start, leaving them with, technically, an 0-6 record. The last time Dalton started 0-4 on the field was 1953.

Dalton gets Region 7-4A play started next week.

The Catamounts trek down to Cartersville on Friday.