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DawsonNewscom
Wednesday, October 19, 2022
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Tigers rally past Wesleyan, stay atop region
By Rio White
riowhite@dawsonnews.com
For the first time since the
opening game of the season, the
Dawson County football team
found themselves in a tight
matchup well into the second
half — this time against
Wesleyan in a region game on
the road Friday night.
Despite facing a strong
Wolves team that erased an early
14-0 Dawson lead and led 24-17
late, the Tigers would rally back
in the fourth quarter to win
31-24 to continue to stay unde
feated in region play at a 4-0
record and improve to 6-2 over
all.
“It was a hard-fought football
game. I’m real proud of our
effort and fight — we never gave
up,” head coach Sid Maxwell
said. “These boys are a tight-knit
group and were able to bounce
back and get two scores. That’s
how you win regions.”
With the score tied at 17 early
in the fourth quarter, the Tigers
offense needed a spark after hav
ing little progress since leading
14-0 in the first half.
The defense, which had
another successful night against
the run, had challenges against a
Wesleyan passing attack cen
tered around tight end Jamie
Tremble.
But Dawson’s much-needed
spark would happen through the
efforts of the passing offense,
with sophomore quarterback
Davis Glass rising to the
moment.
“He’s learning how to play but
he controlled the offense,”
Maxwell said. “For us to be suc
cessful he’s got to hit the big
plays.”
After another Wesleyan touch
down to Tremble, the score
See Football 13B
The defense
celebrates
after stop
ping
Wesleyan on
fourth down
late in the
game. Kevin
Haymond
(54) had the
sack on the
play.
Rio White
Dawson County
News
Bound for state
Elliott OK in
Photos by Rio White Dawson County News
The team celebrates after taking the lead against Gilmer.
Volleyball clinches playoff berth, takes third in region
By Rio White
riowhite@dawsonnews.com
Note: The volleyball
team’s state playoff match
occurred on Tuesday, Oct.
18, falling after the DCN
print deadline. For
updates, please visit our
website at www.dawson-
news.com
The Dawson County var-
sity volleyball team
secured a place in the class
3A state playoffs after win
ning three of five matches
at the Region 7-3A tourna
ment hosted by Wesleyan
on Tuesday, Oct. 11, and
Thursday, Oct. 13.
But head coach Tanya
Porter and her team are far
from finished with their
efforts this season.
By finishing third in the
region, the Lady Tigers will
be matched up with Region
8 runner-up Hebron
Christian Academy at the
state playoffs on Tuesday,
Oct. 18.
“I want them to compete
for each other,” head coach
Tanya Porter said. “I want
them to remember that they
are playing for the girls on
the court with them.”
Coming into the region
tournament as the third
seed, the Lady Tigers
brought their skills and
energy to defeat Pickens
and Gilmer with a loss to
White County in between
on Tuesday.
Having clinched a state
playoff spot at that point,
Dawson fought for seeding
on Thursday.
In the first match against
Lumpkin County, the Lady
Tigers lost the first set
before staging a spirited
rally to win in three sets.
While many individuals
stepped up in that come
back, it was freshman
Hope Selzer who rose to
the occasion.
Normally used on
defense, Selzer was tasked
with both her usual role
and to help out offensively.
With hitter Abby Felkai
on the bench out of an
abundance of caution fol
lowing an injury on
Tuesday, Selzer played
with steely determination
against Lumpkin.
“I was super proud of her
as a freshman,” Porter said.
“She stepped up, she’s a
competitor, she’s fierce
[and] was all over the floor
tonight. She out-performed
her age, her maturity —
she killed it.”
Another meeting with
White County happened
after the Lumpkin match
but Dawson fell short again
— this time with a promis
ing first set followed up by
a second set that never got
going.
Porter assessed Tuesday
night’s playoff-clinching
performance as an overall
success, with improve
ments needed for the team
to maximize its potential at
the state playoffs.
“We were fatigued [at
the end] but battled, dug a
little deeper and realized
what was on the line,”
Porter said. “I felt like the
[younger players] kept their
heads and didn’t think they
got overwhelmed by the
magnitude of the game.”
After an opening win
over Pickens with a score
of 25-19, 25-10, the Lady
Tigers would face one of
their fiercest competitors
all season in White County.
Arguably the loudest
match all night between the
players and crowd, the tus
sle between region foes
would go to three sets for
the third time in four meet
ings.
The Lady Tigers sur
vived the first set, seeing a
15-5 lead dissolve to 20-19
— only to rattle off five
straight points to close out
the set.
After allowing the Lady
Warriors to first reach 20
points in the second set,
Dawson made a late charge
but fell short 23-25.
The mental exhaustion
of the second-set loss
would get to Dawson in the
decisive third set, with
White County executing
well — particularly at the
net — to win 15-5 and
See Volleyball 13B
Jonathan Bachaman Getty Images
Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin race during the
NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 at Las
Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 16 in Las Vegas.
Player Of The Week!
Hope Selzer
The player of the week is freshman
Hope Selzer, who helped the
volleyball team clinch a spot in the
state playoffs.
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playoffs despite
Las Vegas finish
By Rio White
riowhite@dawsonnews.com
Once again, Chase Elliott’s past performances
helped him in the long run — this time after finishing
21st at the South Point 400 Round of 8 playoff race at
Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The only silver lining on a disappointing day in the
desert was the points advantage Elliott had accrued
through four regular season wins and the playoff win
at Talladega two weeks ago.
Going into the Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas,
Elliott had 46 playoff points and led the field by 20
points.
But the nearest driver to him heading into the race
— Joey Logano — would eventually find victory lane
at Vegas and become the first driver to secure a place in
the Championship 4.
Starting in 20th position, Elliott could only move up
See Cheer 13B
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