Dalton defeated: Catamounts take first loss as Cedartown holds off late comeback

Sep. 22—Dalton's undefeated start to the season has come to an end.

A late comeback attempt fell a score short as Cedartown (3-2) handed Dalton (4-1) its first loss of the season 35-27 at Harmon Field in Dalton Friday night.

Cedartown scored what appeared to be a possible game-sealing touchdown when Isaiah Johnson rumbled for a 27-yard score to put the Bulldogs up 35-19 with 8:49 left.

Dalton quickly fought down the field, and quarterback Ethan Long hit RJ Storey, who made a one-handed catch for a 10-yard touchdown with 5:26 left. Long hit tight end Jeffson Locke for the 2-point conversion to draw Dalton within a score at 35-27.

Dalton forced a Cedartown punt and got the ball back with 1:23 to go, but the Bulldogs forced four straight Long incompletions to end the game.

Turnovers helped both teams in a sloppy first three quarters of the game — Dalton coughed the ball up four times and Cedartown turned it over thrice — but the Bulldogs cashed in on their opportunities to both stop Dalton scores and build a lead.

A promising drive for Dalton to start the game was ended when Cedartown's Demarcus Gardner snagged a pick right at the pylon, giving Cedartown the ball on the Dalton 1-yard-line.

Neither offense could put much together for the rest of the first quarter, which ended without anyone lighting up the scoreboard.

Early in the second, Dalton's Andy Atangana picked off Cedartown, only for Long to fumble it back to Cedartown on the next play. Sam Smith hopped on it at the Dalton 8, setting up Johnson's first touchdown run, a 1-yarder that put Cedartown up 7-0.

Dalton bounced back quickly, with Long hitting a long pass. Kendrix London got behind the Bulldog defense and caught the ball in stride for a 65-yard score.

After a penalty on the PAT attempt, Dalton elected to try for two, but Adriel Hernandez was stuffed, leaving Cedartown ahead 7-6.

A big kickoff return from Taji Neal set Cedartown up at the Dalton 41, and Jaquaveon Price sprinted 20 yards for a touchdown two plays later.

Turnovers returned when a Cedartown fumble was recovered by Dalton's Bubba Tanner at the Cedartown 29. Dalton lined up for a field goal on 4th-and-goal from the 2, but kicker Adrian Gongora, who also plays running back and defensive back for the Catamounts, took a fake field goal in to cut the score to 14-12 with 51 seconds left in the half.

Cedartown QB Drew Ledbetter hadn't yet completed a pass with 51 seconds before halftime, but he hit three on one drive, all to Gardner, including a 20-yard score with just one second before the break. That put Cedartown up 21-12 at halftime.

More takeaways plagued the early third quarter. Storey recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff, only to give it right back to Cedartown while fighting for a score.

Long was then picked by Gardner again on the next possession.

Despite throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble, Long responded to make big plays later in the game, finding London for a sideline pass inside the 10 that set up an Adriel Hernandez 5-yard rushing touchdown that made the score 21-19 with 3:32 in the third.

Long finished 26-of-41 with 261 yards and two touchdowns. London caught nine balls for 138 yards.

Juelz Davis scored a 6-yarder on the first play of the fourth quarter, and Johnson's second rushing TD put Cedartown up 16 in the fourth.

Johnson led the run-heavy Cedartown attack with 107 yards on 19 carries, and Tae Harris added 52 yards on 13 carries. The majority of Ledbetter's 59 passing yards came on the drive before the half.

Dalton had matched its best start since 2019 with a 4-0 record, but head into region play with a 4-1 record.

Dalton begins Region 7-5A action next week. The Catamounts host Hiram on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Cedartown gets into region action next week too. The reigning Region 7-4A champions travel to Carrollton to play Central on Friday at 7:30 p.m.