DAWSONVILLE — Dawson County made its separation statement on Friday.
The Tigers emerged from the muddled pack of teams chasing the Region 7-AAA title with a 45-0 win over fellow contender Banks County in Dawsonville.
The victory, combined with other results around 7-AAA, pushed Dawson County into sole possession of first in the region (thanks to a head-to-head win over East Hall earlier in the season) and means the Tigers will play for their first ever region title next week when they take on Lumpkin County in Dawsonville.
"The kids are starting to believe, but we've got a lot of work to do," said Dawson County coach Sid Maxwell, who also watched his team secure a state playoff berth with the win. "We've secured a spot in week 11, but we need to work hard to make sure we can get through that first round too."
On Friday’s evidence, the Tigers certainly seem ready for the challenge.
Dawson (5-3, 4-1 Region 7-AAA) scored on six of its first seven possessions (the only miss coming on a kneel down to end the first half) and used a 21-point blitz at the start of the third quarter to put the game out of reach.
Quarterback Coey Watson and receiver Tucker Maxwell proved especially deadly, hooking up for three touchdown passes -- the senior receiver’s only three catches of the night, going for 140 yards total. Hunter Mitchell also ran for also ran for back-to-back scores in the third quarter blitz and finished the night with six carries for 143 yards to help erase memories of last week's 31-15 loss to Fannin County that created a five-way race for first place in 7-AAA -- a tie that the Tigers did their best to sever on Friday.
"This was huge; we worked hard in practice all week, and I knew we would come out big," Tucker Maxwell said. "(Coey) placed the ball perfectly tonight. This was fun."
Watson finished the game 9 of 10 for 196 yards passing, and while Banks County did put up 214 yards of offense -- 128 of that rushing -- it could not find the end zone against a determined Tigers unit.
"They really worked hard this week in practice, and this week they came out and made the plays they had to," Sid Maxwell said of his defense.
Banks County (5-3, 2-2) actually opened the contest with an impressive drive, holding on to the ball for over 10 minutes and 15 plays in moving 56 yards. But the Dawson County defense recovered to force a punt.
It was almost all Tigers the rest of the way -- with Tucker Maxwell and Watson providing the eye-popping moments.
The receiver and quarterback hooked up for two impressive touchdowns in the second quarter. The first developed over the middle of the field, as Maxwell caught Watson’s pinpoint pass and weaved through traffic for a 39-yard score. The play -- combined with a 45-yard field goal from Sanchez in the first quarter -- to give the Tigers an 11-0 lead after Austin Young tossed a two-point conversion to Sanchez.
Maxwell showed off his speed for his second score, catching a short pass in the left flat and burning past the Leopards secondary for a 53-yard touchdown and an 18-0 lead with 5:08 remaining in the first half. His third touchdown covered 48 yards, Watson lofting the ball perfectly for the receiver, streaking down the left sideline.
Banks County did roll up 115 yards rushing before the interval but moved no closer than the Tigers’ 24-yard line -- where Dawson knocked down a pass after a fake field goal play just before halftime. The Leopards also looked to set end the shutout just before the start of the fourth quarter, as they marched to the Tigers 1-yard line. But again Dawson proved resolute, throwing Trevae Cain (20 rushes, 74 yards) for a loss on second down and then forcing two straight incompletions to force a turnover on downs.
Dawson was forced into its first punt of the night on the ensuing possession, but by then the Tigers could already look forward to the Lumpkin showdown -- though Brody Chapman capped the scoring for Dawson with an interception return in the fourth quarter.
Banks County will look to bounce back at West Hall next week, as the playoff race in 7-AAA continues to the wire.
SCORING SUMMARY
BANKS COUNTY........0.....0.....0....0 -- 0
DAWSON COUNTY....3....15....21...6 -- 45
First Quarter
DC -- Sanchez 45 field goal, 1:01, 3-0
Second Quarter
DC -- Maxwell 39 pass from Watson (Young pass) 8:07, 11-0
DC -- Maxwell 53 pass from Watson (Sanchez kick) 5:08, 18-0
Third Quarter
DC -- Mitchell 21 run (Sanchez kick)10:25, 25-0
DC -- Mitchell 29 run (Sanchez kick) 9:43, 32-0
DC -- Maxwell 48 pass from Watson (Sanchez kick) 8:20, 39-0
Fourth Quarter
DC -- Chester 45 return (kick blocked) 3:09, 45-0
