TUNNEL HILL, Ga. -- Stryker Brown could sense a giant shift in momentum, so the Dalton senior quarterback went to work. Two plays later the Catamounts scored a touchdown that helped seal a 35-11 sub-region win on the road Friday night at Northwest Whitfield.
The Bruins had just scored 11 consecutive points after being down 14-0 and were at the Dalton 28 following a short punt. The Catamounts held on four downs, however.
That's when Brown took his shot, but with a stiff wind blowing, it had to be with his legs.
"The defense made a huge stand, and we were frustrated we hadn't scored on our first drive of the half, so we wanted to get some points," Brown said. "It was time."
Brown faked a handoff to fullback Shaquon Moore and went around right end, making one quick move and getting 38 yards to the Northwest 44. With the Bruins slanting outside, he then stuck the ball in Moore's gut and the bullish senior rambled 44 yards with a back-breaking touchdown.
"All week we had been preaching more team and less 'me,'" Dalton coach Adam Winegarden said. "The defense stepped up right there, and we seized control. The wind affected everything both teams did tonight, so I thought Stryker made some good decisions in the ground game."
With the win, the Catamounts (7-2, 5-1) clinched the Sub-Region 7-AAAA A title and will host Hiram, a 28-27 winner over Sprayberry, for the region championship next Friday. They also will host a first-round state playoff game.
Northwest (6-3, 5-1) will host Hillgrove next week with the winner earning a state playoff berth.
Brown, who finished with 113 yards and four touchdown runs, led the Dalton offense on two dominating first-half drives. He, Moore and tailback Tre Beck each carried the ball seven times in the first half, gaining a combined 124 yards. Two long scoring drives ate up much of the half.
On the first of those, Winegarden went for it twice on fourth down, setting up Brown's 11-yard keeper with just 1:44 left in the first quarter.
The next drive covered 60 yards, again all on the ground. Moore's 34-yard run on the first play was the big gainer, leading to the first of Brown's 1-yard scoring sneaks.
Northwest, though, started to move the ball on its next drive, going from its own 9 to the Dalton 7 before settling for an Oscar Salzano field goa. The Bruins kept the momentum in the third, this time going 92 yards in just five plays, with tailback Lance Andrews scoring from 27 yards out. The two-point conversion made it 14-11.
Northwest then had its shot after Dalton's punt against the wind carried only 22 yards, but the Dalton defense stiffened, leading to the game-clinching two-play drive.
"After missing the playoffs last year, this really feels good," Brown said. "I want to thank my offensive line -- they played great all night -- and the defense changed the game."
Moore finished with 121 yards on 13 carries, while Andrews topped Northwest with 91 yards on 11 carries.
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