The Dalton Catamounts lost to Carrollton, 2-1, May 11, 2012 in the state quarterfinals. They haven’t lost since.
The Catamounts have won three consecutive state titles and are 71-0-3 since that loss to Carrollton, including 8-0-1 this season. But they’ll have to continue that run this season without one of their best players. Senior defender Hernan Saldana tore his ACL in a win over No. 2 McIntosh on March 18. Saldana is out for the year.
Without Saldana, Dalton coach Matt Cheaves pointed to senior midfielder Isai Hernandez and junior forward Churrui Huitanda as key catalysts for the Catamounts.
“We’ve got a quite a few guys backs, a bunch of juniors and seniors with pretty good experience,” Cheaves said. “Then we have a bunch of young guys, four freshmen made the varsity team, and they’re really talented, but they need to try to learn as much as they can from the older guys, learn to fit in to the way we want to play soccer.”
Dalton’s success on the pitch has had a unifying impact on the student-population and community. The majority of enrollment at Dalton High School is Hispanic. The gates for soccer have grown drastically, athletics director Jeff McKinney said.
“It’s been great for not just soccer, but it’s been great for our community,” McKinney said. “Not only has it gotten [students] involved in the soccer culture, but the soccer culture also has gotten kids involved in other athletic events. Our football team has more Hispanics now than it has ever had. There are more Hispanics participating in basketball and other sports. There’s more unity now and less separation.”
The Catmounts will be tested Monday night, when they travel to fellow unbeaten Northwest Whitfield in a region match.
