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DawsonNewscom
Wednesday, December 7, 2022
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Elliott wins Most Popular Driver fifth time
By Rio White
riowhite@dawsonnews.com
NASCAR announced
Chase Elliott as the recipi
ent of the National
Motorsports Press
Association Most Popular
Driver award at the 2022
NASCAR Awards in
Nashville, Tennessee
Thursday, Dec. 1.
For Elliott, it was his
fifth consecutive year win
ning the award.
“A lot of the folks who
supported my family over
the years have migrated to
support me [and] I’m
grateful for that,” Elliott
said. “Dad had a great con
nection with the fans. I
look at the connection as
an extension of his career,
my uncles, my grandfather
and the work ethic they had
to...achieve the goals they
did.”
In addition to his five
MPD awards in the
NASCAR Cup Series,
Elliott also won the award
twice in the Xfinity Series
— giving him a total of
seven MPD awards.
A tape-delayed broadcast
of the awards event will be
available to watch on
NBC’s Peacock streaming
app Saturday, Dec. 3, at 8
p.m.
Elliott’s 2022 season was
marked by consistency dur
ing the regular season fol
lowed by an up-and-down
playoff run.
His four wins and 17
top-10 finishes before the
playoffs fueled him to the
regular season points
championship.
In the 10 playoff races,
Elliott faced a combination
of bad luck and mistakes
but still made it to the
Championship 4.
Despite having only
three top-10 finishes in the
playoffs, he won his fifth
race of the season at the
Talladega fall race. Elliott
would finish fourth in the
playoff standings.
"Kelley j
'Blue I
jjogSJ
Chase
Elliott
recently
won his
fifth
straight
NASCAR
Most
Popular
Driver
Award.
Photo courtesy
Jessica Taylor
18 Tigers earn All-Region honors
Rio White Dawson County News
The DCHS football team celebrates after defeating Lumpkin County 38-10 to win the Region 7-3A champion
ship. Cade Adams (73) and Kade Moledor (33) were among 18Tigers who earned postseason honors.
Three players tabbed as positional Player of the Year
By Rio White
riowhite@dawsonnews.com
Following the Dawson County varsi
ty football team’s region championship
season, 18 players were recognized
with Region 7-3A postseason honors.
Three Tigers earned top honors by
being selected as the region’s Player of
the Year in their respective positions.
Senior linebacker Kade Moledor was
chosen as Defensive Player of the Year
after posting 90 tackles and five sacks.
Moledor was also an important contrib
utor on offense, often chosen as the pri
mary running back. He put up 532
yards on 101 carries with five touch
downs.
Fellow senior Cade Adams was
named Lineman of the Year after lead
ing the team with 14 sacks, 12 hurries
and 19 tackles for loss.
Moledor and Adams helped spear
head Dawson’s vaunted rush defense
that shut out two teams during
the season.
Junior Dom LeBlanc earned the
Special Teams Player of the Year after
establishing himself as the team’s go-to
field goal kicker. Two of his most nota
ble kicks came against Wesleyan and
Lumpkin.
LeBlanc was also the team’s leading
receiver, catching 31 passes for 618
yards and six touchdowns.
Heading up Dawson’s All-Region
First Team contingent were the many
important defensive pieces alongside
Moledor and Adams.
The Tigers defense held their region
foes to a combined 48 points across six
games.
Senior Kevin Haymond paired well
with Adams all season on the defensive
line, contributing 43 tackles, 12 tackles
for loss and 6.5 sacks.
Others on the defensive First Team
included defensive backs Matt Bennett
and Christian Webb and linebackers
Kenny Nelson and Alex Stewart. With
67 tackles, Stewart was second on the
team in that category.
On the offensive side, junior linemen
Briggs Weaver and Simeon Welch were
chosen for the First Team.
The All-Region Second Team includ
ed linebacker Ian Costley, defensive
back Tucker Caine, defensive end Will
Kurtz and running back Elijah Smith.
Kurtz made 40 tackles and 9.5 sacks,
finishing the season as another impor
tant defensive asset.
Elijah Smith was the team’s leader in
rushing yards, using his elusiveness to
gain 816 yards on 134 carries with five
touchdowns. He had four games of at
least 100 yards.
Dawson’s regional honors were
capped by four players who earned
honorable mentions.
Those players were defensive line
man Colton Schuette, defensive back
Cruz Matheson, offensive lineman
Anthony Garcia and wide receiver
Sawyer Bearden.
BASKETBALL
Boys top East
Jackson, Lady
Tigers plagued
by turnovers
By Rio White
riowhite@dawsonnews.com
The Dawson County varsity basketball
teams traveled to East Jackson on Friday,
Dec. 2, to play in their final games before
region competition begins this week.
Caden Reed scored 23 points to lead the
boys to a 74-63 win while the girls team
was led with 17 points by Eva Bishop in a
62-61 loss.
For the boys team, the victory showed a
full range of offensive contributions from
several players, including those who came
off the bench.
While head coach Todd Cottrell was
impressed with how the team started the
game offensively, he thought the team
should have finished the game more effi
ciently.
“I liked the way we played. We had a
great environment on the road [and] a great
test for us against a really good athletic
team,” Cottrell said. “When we’re ahead,
we’ve got to be able to understand...that
the clock is now more important than the
score. We took some really quick shots
when we didn’t have to.”
After a back-and-forth first quarter that
ended with both teams at 11 points,
See Basketball 13B
Rio White Dawson County News
Ethan Parker dribbles down the court
during the game against East Jackson.
He scored nine points in the win.
DCN holds Winter Media Day
By Rio White
riowhite@dawsonnews.com
Last week, the Dawson
County News streamed its
second annual Winter
Media day in recognition
of the three winter sports
played at Dawson County
High School.
Here are some of the big
takeaways from media day,
which featured players and
coaches from the swim,
wrestling, and boys and
girls basketball teams.
Three Things We
Learned
1. Anglin setting high
standards for girls
basketball amid
tough region
While new girls basket
ball head coach Will
Anglin may be the team’s
third head coach in the past
four seasons, he has high
expectations for a team that
is looking to challenge one
of Class 3A’s strongest
regions.
The roster, returning all
but one player from last
season, is led by a trio of
seniors who Anglin has
trusted to help guide the
team to success.
“As soon as I got the job
I reached out to them and
we had a meeting,” Anglin
said. “I told them that [the
team is] going to go as far
as you want us to go. They
have embraced that role.”
With the addition of
Pickens and Wesleyan to
Region 7-3A, the Lady
Tigers will be one of many
talented squads looking for
a state playoff berth. Anglin
believes the team is up to
the task.
“The expectations that
we put on ourselves will
always be greater than the
expectations that somebody
else can put on us,” Anglin
said. “I am excited for the
community to get to see all
the hard work we have put
in the last two months.”
2. Cottrell investing
in junior trio to
help bring experi
ence to boys bas
ketball
Third-year boys basket
ball coach Todd Cottrell
expressed his belief in a
team led by a trio of juniors
who will be tasked to lead
a youthful squad.
The Tigers will look to
their experienced leaders to
bounce back and become a
force in Region 7-3A
again.
“I’m really excited about
this year’s team.
Leadership from [the three
juniors] has been fantastic
See Media Day|3B
Player Of The Week!
Caden
Reed
scored 23 points in the
boys basketball teams win
over East Jackson.
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