About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 2, 2022)
SPORTS DawsonNewscom Wednesday, November 2, 2022 facebook.com/dawsonnews twitter.com/dawsonnews Dawson XC teams make state championship By Rio White riowhite@dawsonnews.com On a breezy and beautiful day at Unicoi State Park in Helen, the Dawson County varsity boys and girls cross country teams both had successful days at the Region 7-3A Championship and earned spots at the Class 3A State Championship. A trio of top-10 finishes by the girls team helped give them a second place overall finish, with Anna LeCave, Hayden Hand and Jules Phillips leading the way. The boys team had a pair of top-10 finishes by Tyler Tangel and Bailey Swafford to help lead them to a third place team finish. “I’m so proud of how the run ners performed at the region meet. We knew we had to per form to advance,” head coach Jonathan Tinsley said. “We had a strong showing from all boys and girls runners from JV to var sity.” The day’s events — which included the Region 8-4A cham pionship earlier in the day — began for Dawson with the JV teams competing. The Tigers showed their depth with three top-10 performances in the JV races — two by the boys team and one by the girls team. Sophomore Alston Muilenburg led the JV Tigers with a quick start, eventually fin ishing as runner-up in the race with a time of 19:15. Just under a minute later, junior Chase Cofield finished sixth with a time of 20:13. Daisy Sanchez had the best time for the JV girls team with a ninth-place finish of 24:14. Once the varsity teams were warmed up, the boys took to the See XC 13B Rio White Dawson County News The DCHS boys and girls cross country teams each earned a spot in the State Championship after performing well at the Region Championship. Rulers of the region Elliott part of final four to race for NASCAR title By Rio White riowhite@dawsonnews.com While most viewers of last Sunday’s penultimate NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Martinsville Speedway were enthralled by the wall-riding heroics of Ross Chastain and another clutch victory by Christopher Bell, Dawson County viewers also savored the fact that Chase Elliott earned himself a spot in the Championship 4 after his own positive per formance. “I thought it was a really solid day and we did what we needed to do,” Elliott said. “It’s nice to have a shot at the driver’s championship next week. I’m excited to get out there and give it our best shot to get another big trophy.” Elliott, who qualified on the front row for the Xfinity 500, was in a relatively tight points position coming into the final Round of 8 race. Sitting in third place but just 11 points above the Rio White Dawson County News See Elliott 13B The DCHS football team celebrates after winning the Region 7-3A championship. Tigers pummel rivals to claim 7-3A championship By Rio White riowhite@dawsonnews.com On a clear and crisp autumn night in Dahlonega, two bitter rivals faced off with one very important achievement on the line — the Region 7-3A championship. Thousands poured into the stands at The Burial Grounds to watch two hun gry teams put everything on the line. In the most consequen tial matchup between the Dawson County and Lumpkin County football teams in over two decades, the Tigers prevailed 38-10 over the hosting Indians to earn the region tide and fin ish the regular season with an 8-2 record. For head coach Sid Maxwell, the win was a culmination of months of hard work by the entire team and coaching staff to put together the region’s best squad. “I couldn’t be prouder of my guys. It’s nice to be able to come through and have this victory,” Maxwell said. “Things [like this] happen not because you did [the work] this week but because you did it in January.” Anticipation swirled before the game as both teams entered with a chance for success on two levels — to be crowned region champions and to secure bragging rights in a heated rivalry with renewed meaning. While Lumpkin was vying for its first region title in program history, Dawson was looking to return to that mountaintop for the first time since 2015. Never had this longtime local rivalry had so much at stake. And the packed house full of fans, parents and alumni alike created an atmosphere that more than confirmed that fact. With raucous crowds brimming with excitement on both ends, the turning point of the game came with the game deadlocked at 10 points apiece in the third quarter. Earlier in the game, the Indians scored first on a field goal before Dawson got on the board through a 57-yard touchdown pass from Davis Glass to Hunter Casserleigh. A Tigers field goal later on put them up 10-3 at halftime. With the exception of a long Lumpkin pass that set up their field goal, Dawson’s defensive line had stifled the typically fluid Indians offense led by Cooper Rush and Mason Sullens. Seniors Cade Adams and Kevin Haymond, Colton Schuette, Will Kurtz and Ian Costley led a defense that shut out Lumpkin in the second half. But Lumpkin would tie the game early in the third quarter on a pick-six and then had possession again following a Dawson punt. A Tigers response came quickly, with towering Dawson linebacker Kade Moledor leaping into the air and returning an inter ception over 30 yards for a touchdown. As he huffed and puffed down the field, the well- traveled visiting student section rose to its feet and roared to its loudest all night. In a matter of just sec onds on the game clock, the Tigers were back on the board again. On the ensu ing Lumpkin possession, defensive back Christian Webb came up with an interception and returned it well into Indians territory. Just a couple of plays later, Kenny Nelson scored a 20-yard touchdown run to put Dawson up by two scores with four minutes left in the third quarter. After the teams traded possessions, the Tigers had the ball again early in the fourth quarter and began to use up the remaining time in the game. The majority of that pos session became Elijah Smith show — with his quick bursts and elusive ness proving too much for the Lumpkin defense. In addition to his own talents, Smith was aided by another strong performance by the offensive line. Haymond and Adams were See Football 13B Jeff Robinson Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott lead the field to the green flag during the running of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Xfinity 500 on Oct. 30 at Martinsville Speedway. Player Of The Week! We’ve Gone Green! M-F: 8:00 - 5:00 “We will be here when you need us. ” 130 Industrial Park Rd, Dawsonville Dawsonville’s Premier Collision Center ^ a Certified Collision Center II- 706-216-0992 mm? Anna LeCave The player of the week is Anna LeCave, who finished sixth at the Region 7-3A cross country championship and earned First Team All- Region honors.
