In a spirited Friday night showdown under the bright lights, the Cartersville Purple Hurricanes secured a convincing 45-14 victory over the Dalton Catamounts.
The game kicked off with Dalton setting the tone early with a long, touchdown march that chewed nearly 10 minutes off the clock. Braylon Hill answered the punch with a blazing 54-yard touchdown run, knotting the score at 7-7 with 1:45 left in the first quarter.
Cartersville kept rolling in the second quarter with quarterback Nate Russell connecting with Cole Crawford on a 21-yard touchdown pass to take a 14-7 lead. The Canes’ momentum surged as Russell struck again, this time finding Davis Waddell for a 19-yard touchdown pass that extended their advantage to 21-7 late in the half. The Catamounts offense had chances in the second quarter, but fell short when attempting to convert a fourth down and had a field goal blocked just before halftime.
The third quarter belonged to Cartersville’s Tripp Chatman, who with a dazzling 59-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 28-7 with 10:50 remaining. Chatman’s hustle shone again when he pounced on a botched snap, giving the Canes prime field position. The Canes capitalized on their opportunities, with Ramsey Rowell drilling a field goal to make it 31-7. Hill found the end zone again on a 40-yard screen-pass from Russell, ballooning the lead to 38-7.
One of the defining moments came in the fourth quarter when Tyon Coe turned defense into offense, snagging an interception in Cartersville’s end zone and racing the length of the field for a thrilling pick-six. The touchdown sealed the Canes’ dominant 45-7 lead with just under 10 minutes to play. Dalton added a late touchdown, but by then the damage had been done.
Cartersville will host the Woodland Wildcats next Friday night with kickoff set for 7:30. You can hear the game on WBHF with pre-game coverage beginning at 6:00.