Dawson Gets Big First Win
Dawson County High School, Team FYN Sports September 25, 2023
The Tigers finally found the win column, winning their region opener against West Hall 32-14. After a tight first half, Dawson took a 10-7 lead into halftime before they blew the doors open in the third. Scoring 19 of their 13 points in the third quarter, Dawson would run away with the victory. Their defense looked good for the first time this season, holding West Hall to just 14 points. Dawson now finds the win the column for the first time to date as they now sit at 1-4 on the year and 1-0 in region play.
Team Notes
West Hall struggled on both sides of the ball allowing over 30 points and nearly 400 yards of offense. On offense they didn’t fare any better. QB Brett Sturm finished just 6/14 for 78 yards with another 35 on the ground. RB Elijah Hayes looked good out of the backfield as the back finished with 125 yards on 15 carries and would return a kick for six. Sr. Maliek Richardson scored a touchdown on the ground for the Spartans.
Photo from Rio White/ Dawson County News
As for Dawson County, neither Maxpreps nor Hudl had individual stats posted for the Tigers. Unofficially, and thanks to Dawson County News reporter Rio White, QB Peyton Bannister shined after taking over as the signal caller as he finished with over 200 yards in the air and another 105 yards on the ground. And thanks to the new QBs success, WR Dom LeBlanc was back to doing Dom LeBlanc things finishing with three touchdowns.
Looking Ahead
Dawson County will return home and play host to the 2-2 White County Warriors. West Hall will travel to Ellijay to take on the Gilmer Bobcats.
Lambert Rumbles Through Dawson
Sports, Team FYN Sports August 29, 2023
Lambert ran away with this one thanks to a big 34-point second half, taking this one 48-14 over Dawson. Dawson kept this one close in the first half keeping it a one possession game heading into halftime. Dawson now falls to 0-2 to start the season with a -46-point differential. The Tiger’s secondary was lit up by Longhorn QB Marshall Coleman as he junior finished with 364 yards and four touchdowns in this one.
Rio White/Dawson County News
Team Notes
Dawson had a decent showing from their QB in this one as Davis Glass finished 16/28 for 263 yards and a touchdown, but he did throw two interceptions in this one. He did connect with his stud WR tandem often in this one as Sr. WRs Sawyer Bearden and Dom Leblanc both finished with over 100 yards receiving in this one. Leblanc finished with 157 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions while Bearden tallied 102 yards on eight catches. The Tigers failed to establish the run game and take the pressure off Glass. Dawson finished with just 72 yards on the ground as Sr. RB Blake Arp led the way with 44 yards on six carries.
As for Lambert, Coleman dominated on the field in this one. The QB would finish 21/31 for 364 yards and four touchdowns. His favorite target EJ Hartwell finished with 11 catches for 110 yards. WR Christian Smith and Harrison Richards finished with 95 and 93 yards, respectively, while each brought in a touchdown. Jr. Branson Brooks led the way with 15 tackles in this one.
Looking Ahead
The 2-0 Longhorns will travel to Lawrenceville to take on the 1-1 Mountain View Bears. Dawson County will look to pick up their first win of the season as they play host to the 1-0 North Hall Trojans.
Dawson Wins Thriller to Remain atop the Region
Dawson County High School, FYNTV, Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports October 17, 2022
In a thrilling back and forth game, the Tigers came out on top 31-24 on Friday night to remain undefeated in region play. Dawson used a big 17-point 4th quarter to pull away in this one. QB Davis Glass had a big 72-yard pass TD to his favorite target WR Dom LeBlanc to tie it up late in the game and then Glass punches it in on his own on the next drive to give Dawson the lead and ultimately the win.
Dawson now sits at 3-0 atop the region and Wesleyan falls to 2-2 sitting behind Gilmer thanks to Gilmer’s head-to-head tiebreaker over the Wolves. This is a huge win for the Tigers as they control their own destiny for the region title with upcoming games against Gilmer and Lumpkin.
Team Notes
QB Davis Glass turned in a clutch performance in this one as his two big 4th quarter TDs pushed the Tigers to the win. He finished 6/8 for 174 yards and 2 TDs in the air while adding another 49 yards and TD on the ground. Elijah Smith led the way for the Tigers ground game with 62 yards on 9 carries while Kade Moledor was able to find the endzone once despite a rather quiet night on offense ending with just 20 yards. Dominic LeBlanc led the Tigers in receiving yards with 100 on 3 catches, two of which were touchdowns. Kevin Haymond led the way for the defense with 6 tackles and 2 sacks with Cade Adams also getting to the QB twice. The defense limited the Wolves ground game to just 38 yards on 18 attempts.
As for the Wolves, they let this one get away from them and now they are in a tough spot in the region standings. QB Ben Brown did his part to exploit the Dawson secondary by going 16/27 for 240 yards and 3 TDs, but with no help from the ground game, his efforts were not enough. WR Jamie Tremble led Wesleyan in receiving with 180 yards on 5 catches and 2 TDs and senior Reed Purcell brought in the other TD pass from Brown. On defense, Charlie Hillegass led the way with 17 tackles.
Look Ahead
The Tigers will host their final regular season matchup against Gilmer 5-3 (2-2) as they look to shutdown the big rushing trio of the Bobcats. As for Wesleyan they will enter their Bye Week in hopes to regroup and make a push upwards into the playoffs.
Dawson Defense with Another Shutout
Dawson County High School, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports October 9, 2022
Dawson County used a big opening quarter to put this game away early, beats Pickens 27-0. Things immediately went south for the Pickens County Dragons as the QB threw a Pick 6 and then Dawson kept adding as they scored TDs on their first two offensive possessions. Dawson ran for 245 yards on the ground and Davis Glass had a good night in the air when he got the chance to throw it as he threw for over 100 yards and a TD. However, things then went south for Dawson in the second half. Between turnovers and penalties, HC Sid Maxwell was steaming on the sidelines as Dawson should have won this game by a much greater margin. Maxwell went on to say this after the game, “We played well but we just had too many mistakes and too many penalties. We got relaxed [at] 27-0. We had chances to drive it home in the first half and didn’t capitalize and never really came out and played the second half.” (Quote from Rio White of the Dawson County Newspaper). Despite the 2nd half angst, the Tigers held Pickens to just 131 yards on offense, but perhaps their biggest accomplishment of the night was late in when Pickens had 3 consecutive possessions start or get inside the Dawson 20, and the Tigers forced back-to-back turnover on downs and forced and recovered a fumble on the third. Dawson County now sits atop Region 7AAA at 3-0, while Pickens falls to 0-2. Dawson is outscoring region opponents 114-7 in their first 3 region games.
Team Notes
Dawson did enough in the first half to still call it an impressive win despite the sloppy second half. Kade Moledor once again left his mark on this game as he led the Tigers in rushing and in tackles. Moledor was able to rack up 90 yards and a touchdown on 8 carries as well as accumulate 10 tackles on the other side of the ball. Despite fumbling the ball away, Elijah Smith also had a nice game for the Tigers as he ran for 65 yards on 6 carries. Though Maxpreps nor Hudl posted Davis Glass’s stats in the air, he did throw for over 100 yards and was able to connect with Doug Pagel for a TD. Glass also kicked off the scoring for the Tigers offense as he got their first TD of the game on a QB sneak. The young QB has been impressive after his return from injury and looks ready to lead this offense down the stretch. Dom LeBlanc led the team in receiving yards with 72 yards on 5 catches. Despite the notable offensive performances, the defense as a whole gets the MVP award as they have now pitched their second consecutive shutout. Cade Adams got himself acquainted with the Pickens QB as he led the team with 3 sacks. Ian Costley also had a good game with 7 tackles, a sack, and 2 TFL. Christian Webb also had 3 tackles and put the Tigers up early with a Pick 6, on the first drive of the game.
As for Pickens, they did not do anything impressive, and this team is in shambles. Here is a look at every Pickens possession of the game in order: Pick 6, turnover on downs, 3 and Out, 3 and Out, 3 and Out, turnover on downs, 3 and Out, Halftime, 3 and Out, turnover on downs, turnover on downs, Fumble. Wow just wow, and no discredit to the Tigers defense, they are incredible but the Pickens offense must’ve not made the trip to Dawsonville Friday night. Kadyn Hampton led the team in tackles with 18 and was tied for the team lead in TFL with 3. Trey Fields and Charlie Gibbons also notched 3 TFL each. Pickens had 13 TFL Friday night.
Game Notes
As mentioned, it did not take long for Dawson to get ahead as Webb’s Pick 6 happened on the third play of the game. This gave Dawson an early 6-0 lead (missed PAT) and they did not look back. Dawson then shut down the Dragons offense again and they were able to cash in on their first two possessions. Glass took it to the house on a QB sneak and then connected with Pagel on the following drive putting Dawson up 20-0 in the first quarter. Pickens let out some frustration as the teams had a bit of a mix up and exchanged pleasantries, though the result was not impactful as both teams received offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. As we progressed through the 2nd quarter, Davis Glass was shaken up after taking a hit and left the game for a play. Unfortunately, Preston Bannister misplayed the snap and Pickens was able to recover the first of the four Dawson turnovers of the game. No harm, no foul as the Dawson defense shut down the Dragons drive and Moledor answered with a huge 65-yard TD run on the next drive. Dawson would then fumble the ball away again on their last possession of the half.
In the second half, the Dawson offense struggled, and this is not something they can do with the remaining teams on their schedule. Dawson’s first drive was stopped before it started as a offensive pass interference and a false start would push it back to 1st and 30 and they ended up punting. Pickens defense then forced a 3 and out on the second drive of the half and their offense finally moved the ball. However, the Tigers were able to stuff Pickens on 4th and goal and would then get the ball back. The Dawson defense was able to keep Pickens from scoring in three straight drives that got into the redzone keeping the Dragons score at a goose egg.
Look Ahead
Dawson will travel to Wesleyan next week to take on the Wolves who are now 3-4 (2-1) as the Tigers look to stay undefeated in region play. As for the Dragons they will host the Gilmer Bobcats who are 5-2 (2-1) next Friday night.
Dawson Brings the Heat, Dominates the Warriors
Dawson County High School, FYNTV, Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports October 2, 2022
Wow. That sums up my reaction to last Thursday nights game. Wow. What a showing for the Tigers as they were able to beat White County 31-0 in a big region showdown. Though both teams struggled to get going early on, Dawson finally got it going at the end of the first half and never looked back. The Tigers defense played insanely well, and the Tigers run game slowly wore out the White County defense and the Warriors failed to limit the Dawson momentum. Dawson County held the Warriors to only 92 yards on offense and the Warriors were a poor 1/11 on third down. A trick play and a solid defense was the difference in this huge win for Dawson. Dawson County and Gilmer are the only remaining teams in this region to have not lost a region game.
Photo from Rio White Dawson County Newspaper
Team Notes
The Tigers defense dominated. They won this game by picking off the Warriors four times, one for a Pick 6, limiting them to less than 100 yards, and not allowing a single point. The offense struggled to get going in the first half but a crucial trick play to end the half gave the Tigers all the momentum and they were able to dominate in the third quarter. Led by Kade Moledor, the Tigers run game totaled 194 yards while QB Davis Glass added another 112 in the air. Moledor ran the ball 18 times for 109 yards in his first real big breakout game of the season. Not only that, Moledor made huge defensive plays all night. Unfortunately, neither Hudl nor Maxpreps had individual defensive stats for Dawson. Davis Glass also was productive in the run game as he added 69 yards and a rushing touchdown. Kenny Nelson also had a big game as he rushed for 46 yards and a touchdown while also accounting for the big Pick 6 in the 4th. Matt Bennett added the other TD as he was able to execute the epic trick play that gave the Tigers their first lead of the game. Dom LeBlanc led the team in receiving with 59 yards on 4 catches.
Unfortunately, there is not much to say on White County. Tripp Nix, who has had a great season so far, failed to have a positive impact in this one. He was 4/13 for 14 yards and 2 interceptions while only adding 11 yards on 7 carries. The Warriors threw 4 total interceptions and were held to just 92 yards on 52 plays. On defense Jacob Holbrook had 17 tackles and 2 TFL and Jon Scott also notched 17 total tackles. J.D. Trowell racked up 2 TFL while Caysen Duvall ad Devin Norton also picked up 1 TFL each.
Game Breakdown
Things were quick to go the Tigers way as they picked off Nix on the first possession of the game, but they failed to take advantage of the solid field position and were forced to punt. It was the same story for each of the teams first five drives, Dawson put together a few plays, but could not finish a drive and White County barely moved forward. That changed on the last Tigers play of the first half. HC Sid Maxwell called a TO with 18 seconds remaining to force the Warriors to punt and to Maxwell’s liking the punt was not a good one and they took over on the Warriors side of the field. With no timeouts remaining, it looked like Maxwell would try and play it safe and move into field goal range, but that wasn’t Maxwell’s plan. His offense perfectly executed a HUGE hook and ladder play as Matt Bennett ran it up the sidelines for a big 48-yard TD and gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead into halftime.
In the second half it was all Dawson County. On White County’s first possession of the 2nd half, they tried to work out their own trick play, but WR Kane Lowery threw a terrible ball that was intercepted by the Tigers which later led to a Glass TD on a designed QB run. Dawson posted 17 points in the 3rd quarter and later added a Pick 6 to really throw it into the faces of the Warriors. Dawson traveled to White County and totally owned their region rival and it would appear after this statement win, Dawson County is the favorite to claim the region.
Look Ahead
Dawson moves to 4-2 (2-0) on the season and will play host to the Pickens who is coming off a much-needed Bye Week. As for White County, they fall to 2-3 (0-1) and will host the Wesleyan Wolves on Friday night. The Wolves are coming off an impressive win against Lumpkin County last week.
Dawson Opens Region Play with Big Win
FYNTV, Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports September 25, 2022
Dawson used 4 1st quarter TDs to jump out to a big lead quick as they shut down the Spartans 56-7. This win gives the Tigers a 1-0 start to region play as they look to compete for the region title this season. QB Davis Glass returned and had himself a big game throwing for 108 yards and 2 TDs and was 8 for 11. West Hall has struggled this season on both sides of the ball and Dawson was able to exploit their weaknesses, leading to a big Tigers win.
Photo by Rio White, Dawson County Newspaper
Team Notes
Dawson tallied 359 yards and 8 TDs on offense while their defense was just as good, allowing just 61 yards on defense and forced 2 turnovers. The Tigers were led by Glass in the passing game, while Kade Moledor lead the way on the ground. Moledor led the team with 71 rushing yards and 2 TDs, while Elijah Smith, Sawyer Bearden and Matt Bennett also added rushing TDs. The dynamic WR Dominic LeBlanc was able to haul in a TD pass from Glass, while Bearden also managed to tally a receiving TD.
As for West Hall, nothing seemed to go there way on Friday night. They turned the ball over twice, they managed only 61 yards on offense and tallied one garbage time score to avoid the shutout. Neither Maxpreps nor Hudl had individual stats posted for the Spartans.
Look Ahead
Dawson will travel to White County to take on the Warriors in a game that could go a long way in determining the region champ. As for West Hall, the Spartans will host Gilmer (4-1) next week.